The leaves are slowly turning, the nights are cool, and fall is coming in like a lion due to our non-existent summer.
Aside from apple picking and fresh corn, the thing that pleases me the most about fall is the end of the door knockers.
The summer brings a flurry of painters, pavers and lawn companies vying for my business, while dinner burns on the stove or cools down at the kitchen table.
To be fair, I do not mind being interrupted by our local Cambridge Times delivery boy or a charitable organization, as I believe in their cause whether I donate to it or not.
However, it is my considered opinion, that after work hours, big business should realize that we have become a generation of embracing our time, our families, and our hours away from work.
Being harassed by a salesman who is not prepared to present or a random student door knocker who is booking leads for the company, is just a nuisance.
I think my extreme dislike for door knockers commenced when electrical and gas organizations started soliciting to “lock in” to their pricing and I did so without a second thought.
The very next day, several of my co-workers were also bombarded during their supper hour, but chose to investigate further and realized this wasn’t a promising option. Shall I say I was bamboozled by my stupidity?
Unfortunately I have come to realize that the door knocking hasn’t subsided because we now have a new generation of door knockers: the new rental water tank companies, who promise a two to five dollar savings on my water heating bill per month.
Coming from an extensive renovation background, it didn’t take long to respond to their inquiry as I was quick to state that my rental heater company has serviced me just fine, and in fact, serviced me within hours when I was down and out several times.
I am so happy with my rental water heater company that I also decided to purchase my furnace and air conditioner from them as well. That was that.
Yes, I have succumbed to door knockers and telemarketers in the past — switching phone companies, only to have no communication due to a baseball game playing on my phone on a Friday evening.
I have also switched Internet and television services over the phone. Each and every experience made me realize that one was no better than the other. In fact, by being a customer at one time or another simply gave them the right to contact us freely about new products while not infringing on the telemarketing bylaws.
There are so many classy marketing opportunities to embrace to earn a customer’s business. I find it rather peculiar that the same companies who solicit homeowner’s, during their precious family time, generally have a big sign on their own business door that states “No Soliciting”.
So door knockers and telemarketers be warned … the answer is no.
If it isn’t broken, I won’t be fixing it.
