I heard a rattling coming from the back of the house, checking for and finding both girls I shrugged it off. Then the dog started making frantic sounds, I checked the clock and looked toward the back of the house, “Too early for Sean,” I thought.
“What’s that sound mama? What’s that sound?” Briar asked, wrenching herself from the tractor beam pull of Wonder Pets.
“I’m not sure honey. Stay here, I’ll be right back.” I locked the two doors on that side of the house and walked toward the rattle. I had left the storm door open when we’d come home from the sitter’s house. It was locked and standing on the other side was a tall man, dressed in black dress pants and a short sleeved, dress shirt. A laminated badge hung from his neck identifying him as “Cody.” I walked down the steps, he looked me in the eye and rapped once more as I approached. Ok, that’s rude, I thought.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
He looked at me, looked at the door and then back to me with a glare.
“Ah, yes, I’m here to see if you received your discount on your last National Grid bill.” He asked as he tapped his clipboard.
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly.
“Ah, ok, ma’am. Did someone come by three months ago with a pink form for you?” His eyebrows furrowed worriedly as he asked this.
I thought back to switching energy carriers. I didn’t recall anything about additional paperwork and I knew no one had been by.
“No, nothing like that.” I shook my head.
“Oh, dear. Can you get a bill? If you show me your last bill I can just check that for you.”
I just wanted him to go away. “Umm, let me go grab it.” I started up the steps.
He cleared his throat and put his hand on the door handle, jiggling it to find it was locked. “Can you get this? Can I come in?”
I looked at the door confused. It wasn’t as if it were raining outside. I looked at him and then back at Ella who was waiting on the step. “You know what? The dog’ll lose it. I really can’t.” He looked incredibly annoyed. It seemed perfectly logical that a woman home alone would suggest to a male door-to-door whatever would get this, be used to it even.
“Why don’t you meet me around the other side of the house?” I said, unable to curb my need to keep everyone happy.
As I raced to the other part of the house, grabbing the energy bill on my way, I silently seethed, “Can you get this?” WTF? Why would I let you into my house?
I got to the screen door as he walked up the steps. I stepped part way out, blocking the entry behind me.
He proceeded to tsk tsk tsk about the absence of my discount.
“Not a problem. I can take care of this for you and make sure you get the discount you signed up for.”
He was writing on a form, covering the majority with his arm. I craned my neck to look. He pivoted. Then he asked me my name, which I told him.
“That’s not what it says here,” he said, indicating the bill.
“Well, that was my maiden name.”
“So they have it different on file?” He asked not looking up.
“I don’t know. I just know that’s not a name I have on anything else.”
Then he looked up at me and smiled, a smile I can only describe as lecherous, as if suggesting I was fabricating a marriage.
“So you just got married?” Leaning in, his musky scent assaulted me, seeping into my nose and mouth.
I reeled back. “No actually.” He stepped toward me, smiling and licking his lips. “I, umm, I’ve been married for four years.” I trailed off. Standing so close that his dress shirt touched my arm he leaned down and said, “So why don’t they have your married name?”
I stepped back and started closing the door, just my head poked out. “All I know is I pay my bill online and my last name is not what they have on the sheet.”
He leaned back. “All right then. I just wouldn’t want this to get lost. I’d hate for you to miss the discount.”
“Fine, put down whatever you need to.”
Plowing forward he made like a commercial closer and spoke dizzyingly fast, saying that there were no sign up fees, no early cancellation penalties and no more high charges.
“Great.”
“Sign here, check here and initialize here indicating you understand you are getting a discount and,” an even sleazier smile as he moved his face closer, “that I was kind and courteous.” His eyes met mine and I shuddered, literally shuddered. “Now you have three days to cancel this, though why anyone’d cancel a discount I have no idea. But law states we’ve gotta hold this for three days so if you make the poor decision to cancel, you can.”
“Ok, great.” I went to look at the clipboard and he whisked it away, “You’ll get a pink copy,” he said.
As he handed me my pink sheet I flipped it over to read the fine print on the back.
“None of that applies to you, cause you aren’t a company.” Then he held his hand out to me and leaned in like he might kiss me.
“Thank you for signing up with IDT for energy savings and you tell my supervisor I was a nice guy, ok?” He squeezed my hand and smiled.
“You bet.” I turned, locked the door behind me and scanned the pink sheet. I’d never signed up before and the sheet said as much. The whole thing had been a shady way of hurrying unsuspecting folks through. I looked up the number, 1-877-887-6866, and waited on hold for ten minutes before reaching an operator.
“A guy just came to my door, I’d like to cancel the Switch and Save program.” I said.
“Uh, ma’am, did you sign the form?” Her question was loaded with the insinuation that I shouldn’t have signed if I was just going to cancel.
“I sure did. I have three days, taking the option. Thanks.”
After a bit of huffing she gave me a cancellation number and I was free, except for the little disclaimer she gave that seemed to leave this open for a sequel:
“Ok, ma’am, you may still receive a welcome letter, but you just disregard that form. You’re still cancelled.”
Riiiight.
Ewwwww.
Why do I suddenly feel the need to take a shower?
Yuck. Gross. Skeevy!
Oh my goodness. I was actually frightened at how this was going to turn out. I am surprised you didn't just tell him to take a hike.
Creeeeepy.
That is one of my very least favorite things about being home…. dealing with door to door people. They creep me out. I always end up buying something or donating something just to get rid of them. My new excuse now… I tell them since I'm a SAHM… my husband doesn't allow me to make any decisions regarding our money. It's not true… but they can't argue with it.
um, ew. I really dislike a skeevy pervmatron like that, who tries to take advantage. Blech.
Nice, nice writing. I couldn't read this fast enough!
Mike
Oh man, we get those kind of people here all the time. You are far more tolerant than I am. If someone tells me there is a discount to be had, I ask for a phone number to call and receive it at a time more convenient for me. And when there is no number to call, I slam the door in their face.
I got taken in by that once too. They wear an official-looking nametag and make it seem like they're with your existing company, that they actually have the right to ask to see your previous bill. Ugh. Evil. I don't even answer the door anymore.
Slea-zzzy! I'd feel like canceling after that too.
Freaky!!! I would have told him if I was interested, I'd call the company directly and send him on his way. Too weird!!! Glad you are ok!!
I just never believe them. I don't care how nice they are or how legit they seem – I don't believe them. I might miss some good things, I don't know. But I definitely avoid the icky stuff.
Blech-h-h. I agree with Janet – I feel like I need to shower.
Obviously you told the story too well. Knock it off!
Creepy! Thank goodness he just tried to wrangle you into a scam. I was thinking worse as I was reading more!
Hi Amanda
Was your signup with IDT actually cancelled? The welcome letter did sound suspicious.
Thanks
Yeah, I just fell for the same scam. Read the fine print and decided to cancel. I got the same response "Here's your cancellation number and you will receive a welcome letter, but throw it out." I hope it actually gets cancelled…
Yeah, it's things like this that keep my wife (a SAHM) from even answering the door anymore. We've had people even come around to ring the doorbell on the back door too – she just ignores it. Scary!
Not that I'd advise it with a kid in the house, but a shotgun next to the door would have taken care of him in short order. I guarantee IDT wouldn't be coming by anymore after that.
I just had a IDT rep (wearing their competitor's colors) come to my door and I was on my phone at the time. I told her to come back in 20 minutes but took the intervening time to call my energy supplier to find out this is all a scam. She just came back and knocked on my door. Time to just ignore!
Sad, sad, sad.
Hi everyone, I live in Queens. I had the same situation this week. By skipping to the end of my story, I was so stupid and signed BOTH forms of IDT, but I got everything back eventually. (What I meant everything was "white, yellow, pink copies of both forms) because the minute she left i start googleing about IDT and I was sooo freaking shocked. Then, the saleperson was still on my floor, so I went to her and get both forms back 1 min after I found out, but I did not reveal her intention in front of her coz I think no need to waste time screwing around with this person and I was already late to work that day.
However, now I am still a bit worried. Do you guys think that they might still have my record by any chance? Thanks
To the folks leaving comments on the other site about liberties you think I took in the recounting of this experience and to those questioning my intelligence: I did not embellish to "please my mommy blog readers," nor am I an idiot.
I can definitely understand how most of you must feel when IDT reps come to your door, it has got to be pretty creepy when bad apples take the opportunity to mislead customers. Just let me say as one of the those reps, more customers need to take the time to read their bills and the literature thats included in the envelope. Before working as an agent for IDT I too never read anything, I would just pay my bill. So I said all of that to say this, take the time to read about the power your way program that Con Edison sends you in your envelope and its also on the back of your bill. While you do your research also google up the Deregulation Law passed by Governor Pataki. Once you do this you will fully understand this whole enterprise of ESCOs. The only reason you feel you were scammed is because you don't know enough about the subject. Now exactly who fault is that? As a Con Edison customer you hav a choice of who supplies the energy to your local utility. Thats it folks thats all this is about. Nothing heavy duty. Now that you've been informed, I hope you now understand what it is these agents are doing.
I just got scammed and signed up for it, but then I called them back immediately within the same day and canceled it –I got the cancellation number. My question to people who signed up last year (08) and canceled it by phone is: did it work? Did you stop receiving the bill from them? Anything else I should do?
I just had the same experience. The IDT people were swarming our building, last night, but now that a quick search online has turned up numerous complaints, I've put a hold on my ConEd account. I can't believe this has been going on for so long and the city hasn't clamped down on them.