People At My Door Won't Take No For An Answer!

Grrr. It's been a hectic day today. I FINALLY found time to relax (in my favourite place, right here at BWS), when both the phone and doorbells started ringing. I managed to get hubby to take the phone, then ran to the door. One of those energy (natural gas) salespeople. We get them here at our door 2-3 times a month, which is very frustrating when we're already locked into a contract. Usually we just have to say we're locked in for several years and that's enough to send them on their way.

Tonight, the woman insisted on seeing our bills (first time for that request), and I insisted that she didn't need to see them because she wasn't with our gas supplier. Finally hubby intervened and repeated what I said, but she still wouldn't step away from our door and continued to insist that she had to see our bill. Finally I snapped and told her she was being too aggressive and that I was going to close the door now. She refused to move. I had to tell her to step away from the door or I'd call the police before she finally moved away...her parting remark was that I was the aggressive one! (And by that time, I may well have been!!)

Grrr. What makes people think they have the right to first, intrude on our privacy like that and secondly, to refuse to take my "no" for an answer?

How rude that woman was! Asking to see your bills when it's none of her business. Wouldn't it be nice to have a trapdoor or one of those green goo buckets that would operate with the push of a button. My partner and I often fantasize about the best way to get rid of unwanted sales people at the door. We have laughed ourselves silly some times when we have come up with completely ridiculous ideas. But it does make us feel better.

Ask her if she's ever met Brutus ... When she says no, say, "Here Brutus, here boy. Dinner time!"

When she asked to see your bills, I would have handed her over the gas bill, the cable bill, the water bill and told her to call me when she paid them.
All joking aside, maybe you just don't answer the door to these people. Can you see who is at your door? I don't answer 'any' knocks. Friends and family let me know when they'll be here. Can't be too careful as I am here alone, well.. Me, Buddy and Bang Bang.

When I'm home alone, I never open the door unless I know who it is - there's a small window in the door so I can check first. If I don't know who it is, I open the kitchen window and talk with them from there.

We should probably be more careful even when hubby's home.

I'm also thinking of suggesting that our gas company design some sort of small notice that their customers can stick on the door to let these salespeople know we're already "taken".

Like...OH BOY, DO WE HAVE GAS AT THIS HOUSE!!

What, no picture to demonstrate what you mean by that???

BTW, it's true. We do have gas, and then we also have gas. Oh boy, do we have gas at this house!

Ooops sorry...Here's the pic...tee hee

I had one of those security metal/wrougth iron, screen type doors put on front and back, so now I can open the inside door while the security dead bolt and other lock is securily in place. If not happy with whose there, I just slam the door. I never spent a better dollar than having those doors installed and they weren't more than $99.00 each. The security for someone thats home alone is worth $99. milion.

Gimster that woman is doing something illegal. She is invading on your privacy when she is asking you to show a gas bill of yours

Your gas bill has personal information: your address, account number, etc. Your gas company is probably a major Canadian company (you live in Ottawa right. I used to live in Ontario.) By law, your gas company actually has to comply with federal and Ontario legislation on restricted access to your personal information and details about you as a customer. They cannot give information to other parties outside their company about your household unless you give written consent/inform you in advance.

There have been several court cases and tribunal hearings in Ontario and other provinces on violations.

Tell your hubby, don't be dumb. That woman is not a representative of the gas company at all. Forget about disclosing the info.


I manage the records management dept. for our organization...people in our role...must often advise our employers and other employees how to handle personal information collected from customers, contracts, hiring, etc. It is a real challenge where I am, 1/2 of the management team are not Canadians..so they are not familiar with Canadian law.

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Tell your hubby, don't be dumb. That woman is not a representative of the gas company at all. Forget about disclosing the info.

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I just had to respond to this, since my hubby is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met - photographic memory, walking calculator, very well read and an amazing history buff. And a kind generous person on top of all that. So I just had to stick up for him here. He intervened by repeating to the woman at the door that she did NOT have the right to see our bill or even be at the door at all. He would never disclose any personal info to a stranger without adequate justification.