Strong words for door-to-door sales

The CDA Press Consumer Guy’s column Thursday took on door knockers who say they represent satellite TV companies. On Friday, consumer advocate Bill Brooks issued the following statement:

“I would like to retract the words ‘scam’ and ‘crooks’ to describe the door-to-door salespeople currently peddling DirecTV or Dish services in our area. I have evidence that some of them have lied to consumers. I have overwhelming evidence that they use high-pressure tactics. High-pressure peddlers, whether on the phone or at your front door, give honest salespeople a bad name. Anyone who specifically targets the elderly, using high-pressure sales tactics, is the worst kind of parasite who inhabits the crack between what’s legal and what’s right.”

And here’s the response Friday afternoon from an AT&T spokesperson. AT&T is the company allegedly being represented by the door-to-door salespeople:

“AT&T’s authorized salespeople are trained to be hospitable and accommodating. They carry identification showing their affiliation with AT&T, as well as a dealer ID # and a telephone contact information to provide further verification. We sell our services door-to-door as a convenience to potential customers. We will look into this incident as part of our ongoing commitment to customer service.”