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Mike has plenty of company. The way Patch reader Seth sees it, “rudeness is a deterrent to get annoying companies to lose workers, and then eventually change business practices to be less annoying.”

“If you tell them you’re not interested, and they don’t take ‘no’ for an answer, why worry about being rude?” said Joliet (Illinois) Patch reader Joe. “Be as rude as you need to be to get your point across.”

Doylestown (Pennsylvania) Patch reader Julie is unapologetically rude.

“I’m rude. I don’t care,” Julie said. “I have a sign and yell at them through my Ring. Why should we worry about being rude?”

‘It’s Hard To Be Polite’

Across America Patch reader Brian, who has a doorbell camera with an intercom, is polite, but firm.

“I tell them, thanks for stopping by, I am not interested and have a great day, and then turn the intercom off,” Brian said.

“It’s hard to be polite to some of these people,” said Patch reader Penny, who said she was pestered after a hail storm by a door-to-door solicitor claiming to have been authorized by her insurance company to do an inspection of her roof and give her a quote on any damage repair.

“He started dropping the names of my neighbors.‘I’m doing work for Ann next door, Charles a few doors down and some people farther up the street,’ he said. He kept coming closer to my porch as he shuffled through the papers on his clipboard for pretend work orders,” Penny said.

Penny said she told the man she had already had her roof inspected and was good to go. When he said it never hurts to get a second opinion, Penny was quick on her feet: “I replied, ‘I think it might in this case because you’re trying to scam me,’ ” she said.

‘This Is Not The 1950s’

Crofton (Maryland) Patch reader Kim spoke for many people with this response: “Don’t answer the door.”

Wall (New Jersey) Patch reader Lisa plays a game of “blink” with solicitors.

“I just say, ‘Thank you, but I’m not interested. No. No. No.’ Then, ‘bye,’ ” said Orland Park (Illinois) Patch reader Annette.

“I don’t answer the door, and they can knock for as long as they want,” she said. “Eventually they go away.”

Patch reader Denise does answer the door. But she’s all business.

“I take their picture, then say I want their supervisor’s name so I can verify because you can’t be too careful,” Denise said. “They don’t quite run, but take off at a swift gait.”

East Haven (Connecticut) Patch reader Barbara says a variation of the stink eye gets her point across.

“I continue to sit in my recliner, where they can clearly see me, as it’s in front of the window, and I just continue either watching TV, looking at my iPad or reading,” Barbara said. “They leave. Is that rude?”

And Point Pleasant (New Jersey) Patch reader Vanessa practices a version of kick-the-can-down-the-block.

“I say I’m house-sitting, but my neighbor is home,” Vanessa said.

Murrieta (California) Patch reader Chris doesn’t mind a little subterfuge, either.

“Tell them you are a renter, whether you are or not,” said Chris, adding that whether solicitors are legitimate and licensed is immaterial.

“I don’t care. I would never buy from a door-to-door salesperson,” Chris said. “This is not the 1950s.”

Can’t You Read The Sign?

Several readers let “no solicitation” signs do the talking for them.

Illinois Patch reader Royce is one of them. “If they come knocking on my door, I just point to the sign and close the door,” Royce said.

Across America Patch reader Cody said he wards off solicitors with “a cute, handmade wooden ‘no soliciting’ sign on my doorbell.”

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Frances, who reads Oyster Bay (New York) Patch, got a “do not knock” sign from town officials. If solicitors ignore it, she ignores them.

“I have a ‘no solicitors’ sticker on my front door. I simply say, ‘no thank you’ and point to the sticker, said Orland Park (Illinois) Patch reader Kimberly. “There aren’t many legit businesses that solicit door-to-door anymore. Our society has become too dangerous.”

“I used to listen politely and then say we are not ready to purchase such a product or service,” said AC, who reads Herndon Patch, Reston Patch and other local Virginia Patch sites.

“However,” AC added, “we have seen such an increase in door-to-door solicitors that we now have a sign on the door saying, ‘No solicitors. Thank you.’ ”

‘Would You Be Polite To A Burglar?’

Liz, a New Yorker who reads Babylon Village Patch, Smithtown Patch and Lindenhurst Patch, posted two visible signs letting solicitors know they’re not welcome.

“The town of Babylon laws require they obey those signs,” Liz said. “If they still knock, then I ask them if they saw the sign or I point to the sign and tell them to have a good day.”

Several readers said that if solicitors are going door to door, they’re likely not legitimate.

“Why be polite to a trespasser? Would you be polite to a burglar?” said New Jersey Patch reader Eva, who reminds solicitors that her town “requires a permit to knock and provides the do-not-knock list to permit holders.”

“Being on the that list, if someone knocks on my door, I know they do not have a permit,” Eva said. “Citing this sends them on their way.”

Jennifer, a Doylestown (Pennsylvania) Patch reader, said she signed up to be added to her township’s no-solicitation list. It’s for commercial enterprises only, and a list of solicitors with permits is publicly available on the township’s website.

Most local governments have ordinances that help people sort out legitimate businesses from those that will take the money and run. Even if they are licensed, Elmhurst (Illinois) Patch reader Sarah doesn’t take any chances.

“Legitimate businesses don’t need to come to my door to be in business,” Sarah said. “I either have a need for their services and will find a reputable provider, and they are wasting my time.”

She assumes the solicitors represent legitimate businesses, and to prove it, she asks them to leave printed materials in her mailbox. As a measure of protection, she doesn’t share her contact information.

Protected Speech, Though

Local ordinances only go so far, though. Many only apply to commercial businesses. In a handful of states, courts have cited the 14th Amendment First Amendment protections to religious and political organizations soliciting door-to-door.

Those protections don’t require anyone to listen, though.

“Be the opposite of polite to people who are trying to proselytize you,” an Across America Patch reader who goes by “Good Time Charlie.”

“Go for shock value and tell them you’re about to do something they would find offensive, but if they’re OK with that, they can yammer on all they want,” the reader said.

To the second part of our question — how do you know if solicitors are legitimate? — Good Time Charlie said this: “They’re selling religion. That makes the question moot.”

About Block Talk

Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you’d like for us to consider, email [email protected], with Block Talk as the subject line.

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