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Old September 11, 2009, 02:41 PM   #1
wyatt3d
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"extra" furniture...yeah right.

We had just moved into a new house in a new neigborhood, lots of new construction, in a nice suburb of Houston. Because of the new neigborhood there was lots of traffic in and out, service companies, construction crews, and of course people soliciting any and everykind of business. It was a Saturday about noon so luckily I was home with the wife and kiddo when someone knocked on the door.

I glimpsed out the front window from a hidden vantage-point to see a guy standing there, and a big furniture truck out front, no prob...probably looking for a different house, then I saw his buddy who was knocking on the house across the street look around and then try to open the front door.

The guy at our door walked off and I went to get my .45 and sent the wife and kiddo into the BR. I went to get the phone to call 911 and heard him knocking again.

Feel pretty good about my actions up to this point.

...I tell the wife to stay in the BR and put my .45 in my back pocket, chambered and walk to the door concealing the pistol but with my hand on the grip, ready for quick withdrawl, I open the door a few inches and the guy instantly acts very nervous and gives me some story about "we came down from North Carolina to deliver some furniture but its the wrong stuff and our boss said to try to sell it rather than bring it back" I tolk him I wasn't interested and he left pretty quick. I called 911 and reported that there were some guys trying to sell furniture door to door and that I witnessed one of them try to open the front door of the house across the street and they said they would send a unit out.

Don't know what happened after that, but in hindsight...

What's the best way to handle sketchy looking people that knock on your door?
I want them to know we are there so they will leave but don't think it's a good idea to open the door to a potential threat.

Any critiques or suggestions welcomed.
Thanks.

(btw, first post, love the sight)
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Old September 11, 2009, 02:49 PM   #2
rantingredneck
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1) Ask them through the door what they want. Then tell them to leave.
2) Do you have a storm door? Not much of a barrier to a bullet, but neither is the front door you already have. It does however stop someone from charging through when you open the main door.
3) Chain or bar latch that allows you to open it a few inches, but still gives some level of security. Make sure anything you use here is installed with very long screws that get all the way into the door framing. Still not terribly secure.
4) If nothing else, block the edge of the door with your foot. If he tries to force through it will break his momentum and allow you time to react.
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Old September 11, 2009, 02:51 PM   #3
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I think you handled it just fine. I would have probably done the exact same thing you did.
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Old September 11, 2009, 02:52 PM   #4
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Having never been in any sketchy situations, I'd say your reaction worked fine. You were prepared to defend yourself quickly if it was necessary, but you didn't threaten the guy had his intentions been honest. You alerted the police to suspicious activities and protected your family. The only thing I would have done differently was to make sure that my wife in the bedroom also had a firearm on her just in case the BG got through me. But its good to see no one was hurt and if their intentions were anything other than legal then hopefully you calling the police solved this.
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Old September 11, 2009, 03:18 PM   #5
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I bought some pieces of furniture from some similar guys once. At first we were skeptical, but when we told him we weren't interested because he only had one table, and we wanted two - he said he would be back in a few months and would bring the two matching tables back (no "deposit" required). I thought we'd never see them again. Sure enough, about 3 months lsater he called and delivered the tables for the agreed upon price. Worked quite nicely!

I honestly don't know the whole story, but I find it hard to belive the stuff was stolen if he was able to go back and hand select individual pieces for me....
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Old September 11, 2009, 03:56 PM   #6
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I live in a new subdivision and we had some guys drive up with a semi-trailer full of furniture to sell. We did not buy any but my wife and a couple of the neighbors wives had a look. Not sure what the deal is. Are they just picking up factory left overs and selling them? Seems like a tough way to make a living, but they must do well enough to keep doing it.
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:03 PM   #7
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Only thing that I would have done different is not open the door. I'd talk through the door as rantingredneck stated above. O and with my growling and barking dog getting to the door before me I probably wouldn't have even seen the guy.
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:08 PM   #8
wyatt3d
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I'm always pretty cautious about opening the door to people like that, but honestly I wouldn't have though much about it and subsequently raised my alert level, had I not seen his buddy try to open the door across the street.
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:12 PM   #9
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Perhaps they are selling showcase furniture. You know the stuff they set up in a house to make it look more attractive during an open house. Maybe its more profitable for the furniture store to sell them at a lower price than have to restock them in the store. That would also explain how they could get a matching table. I don't know if anyone actually does this but I guess it could be a possibility.
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:18 PM   #10
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If I had a dime for every salesman I run off.......
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:31 PM   #11
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One last note from me. Chain's on door don't work. A little push and they rip right off. Atleast that is my experience.
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Old September 11, 2009, 04:45 PM   #12
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I do not like only a door (closed or cracked open) and three foot space between me and the unknown. It is likely considered a "no-no" to go outside, but the way I've handled a few similar situations is to quickly and quietly slip out another door around the corner from the door with the “visitor”; a nice benefit of an open carport is that I have two entry/exit doors at 90 degrees to each other. It allows me to approach from their flank, at a distance of 20 plus feet, and ask them if I can help them. If something goes down, I’m one step backwards into cover provided by the corner of the building, the distance should give me a little more leeway for appropriate action and the distance should also work in my favor since primarily I train at shooting distances of 50 to 75 feet. If BG gets in a lucky shot (I assume the BG doesn’t train because training is a close cousin to working and working is anathema to a standard BG), then the wife is behind locked doors preparing to welcome the “visitor” with a introduction to one of our other family members, Mr. Eight Seventy Remington.
Day time tactic, but might could use at night by lighting up visitor and leaving my approach area dark.
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Old September 11, 2009, 05:01 PM   #13
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I don't have it installed yet, . . . but due to our ages, etc., . . . I am getting ready to put an intercom in for the front door, . . . along with a camera and TV.

The intercom will allow us to "answer" the door, . . . yet not be seen, . . . and yet be able to "communicate" with the folks on the front porch. The camera will do fine for both day and night time observation, . . . as I plan to use an IR camera.

With all the home invasions & breakins occuring lately, . . . I think it is only prudent.

May God bless,
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Old September 11, 2009, 05:37 PM   #14
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We have these guys in N Florida too. Had an officer check out with them and they appear pretty legit. I think they do this when they have a delivery to make and don't want to drive down with an empty trailer, they load it completely and then sell the rest off door to door. It's better than them living on welfare....still a good idea to be cautious, ya never know who they really are.
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Old September 11, 2009, 05:56 PM   #15
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if there is a stranger at the door then I always shout (not scream but shout)

"State your full name, and state your business here"

about 2 in 10 answer correctly or understand english well enough to give some kind of answer.

the rest look around and leave.
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Old September 11, 2009, 07:25 PM   #16
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Quote:
One last note from me. Chain's on door don't work. A little push and they rip right off. Atleast that is my experience.
That's why you need the long screws as mentioned earlier. You also need to make sure your door is sturdy enough too.
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Old September 11, 2009, 07:35 PM   #17
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Crosshair
I still don't think they will take a good kick or shoulder. Heck most dead bolts don't work worth a darn. I just keep my door closed in hopes that if I'm behind it I can help the dead bolt work with my trusty Black & Decker .45.
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Old September 11, 2009, 07:56 PM   #18
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stay silent

I wait with my weapon until they kick the door in.
So far they just walk away.
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Old September 11, 2009, 08:24 PM   #19
jgcoastie
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Quote:
stay silent
I wait with my weapon until they kick the door in.
So far they just walk away.
In Jackson these days... That's not a bad idea...

(I grew up in Kosciusko, spent a good amount of time in the Clinton/Jackson/Brandon area as a lad chasing skirts. Some parts of the area have definitely taken a turn for the worse over the years.)
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Old September 11, 2009, 08:38 PM   #20
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A couple of the small rental/lease stores here do that when they have stuff that someone paid enough to cover thier cost yet did not pay it off. They do not have the space left in the store to put it back on the floor so they will try to sell it making a straight profit off of what they sell. I bought a nice leather couch and love seat for $200 last year that way.
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Old September 11, 2009, 11:33 PM   #21
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Yell through the door " I have a gun and it doesn't like visitors. What do you want? " He'll either leave or state his purpose for being there if it is imortant/emergency.

Be creative.
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Old September 11, 2009, 11:53 PM   #22
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The previous owner of my house put a nice "No Soliciting" sign under the doorbell. I've had a couple of people doing door to door sales walk up on my porch, see the sign, and turn-around and leave.

We have a window by the door and a chest with a cushion on top of it. My 85lb Belgian Sheepdog stands on that and can look whoever is at the door in the eye. I think having here there barking and showing here teeth might have helped convince them to go elsewhere. The first week we got her (she was a 14 month old rescue) she did that when some Jehovah's Witnesses came to the door. They looked at her and turned around. She got a cookie for that performance.
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Old September 12, 2009, 01:16 AM   #23
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FWIW the old "I'm selling unclaimed/reneged/incorrect inventory" pitch is almost always a ruse. My dad was a sales rep for a furniture company. They don't actually allow the shippers to sell their returned inventory. It goes back to the factory so that it can be assessed and the account can be reconciled. What these guys are typically selling is gray market a/o off-brand items.

But the people who sell this stuff can be pretty shady. I wouldn't surprised if some of them were up for burglary, given the opportunity.
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Old September 12, 2009, 07:46 AM   #24
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The only thing I would add to what you should do, is:

Tell your neighbors. Let them know what you did and that you called the police because you saw the guy try the door knob. That will raise situational awareness and hopefully your neighbors will look out for your property also.

We had a similar case here in which a couple of door to door vacuum cleaner folks were going around to different houses. They left flyer's (Very unprofessional looking) at each house, but there was no phone number to call them back at nor a web site listed on the flyer's.
My mother was sitting on her porch and witness this guy peeking in the windows of the neighbors house, while another guy was knocking on the door.
I walked to the driveway where they were parked and wrote their license plate number (an out of state vehicle) down and mom called 911.
The sheriff arrived and everything got sorted out. They did have one vacuum cleaner and appeared legit, but the sheriff noted that between these vacuum cleaner folks and the folks that go door to door selling meat, the house break-ins seem to increase when they are around.

Also, has anyone noticed when you put a shirt and tie on a tattooed gang member, he/she still looks like a gang member wearing a shirt and tie? I wish these companies would find better representatives to sell their products.
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Old September 13, 2009, 11:49 AM   #25
JED1177
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I would have retreated to the safety of bedroom with the kids and had the wife answer the door......she is capable of talking them to DEATH!
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