What You Need to Know About Door-to-Door Solicitors

Keep in mind that there are no laws or ordinances against door-to-door soliciting, even if we have a posted sign at the entrances to our neighborhoods. However, door-to-door sales representatives need to have a “privilege license” required for “peddlers” to solicit business in the City of Charlotte or Mecklenburg County.  The only ordinance in place is the one restricting hours (see below).

Sec. 6-438. – Restricted hours in residential areas.

It shall be unlawful to peddle any article of merchandise from any vehicle or on foot between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. in areas zoned for residential purposes within the corporate limits. However, during such periods that daylight saving time is in effect, these hours shall be from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. (Code 1985, § 6-28)

Please do not hesitate to call 911 if the person gets aggressive or will not leave your property. CMPD will arrest solicitors who threaten homeowners.

In the past, the Charlotte Observer and the Better Business Bureau have reported incidents with various companies selling magazines in south Charlotte.  Crews are sent to communities to sell magazines, often without appropriate licensing. The young people are taught how to use high pressure tactics and emotional sales pitches.

Problems with door-to-door sales representatives are not new to the Charlotte area. The Better Business Bureau offers the following advice to avoid getting scammed by door-to-door sales:

•  Do not open your door to strangers. Instead, you should say through the door that you are not interested, and ask them to leave.

• Do not purchase magazines from door-to-door sales people because you will probably not receive the magazines.

• Do not give money to door-to-door solicitors, unless you know you are giving to local kids for local causes.

• If you feel threatened by any door-to-door sales representative, call 911 immediately.

• Check businesses out at www.bbb.org before making a purchase.

• If you are a victim of fraudulent sales or any other scam, file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org or local law enforcement.

A Providence Arbours resident reported that an unknown person removed a check from the resident’s mailbox.  The check was copied and used to make unauthorized purchases.  Avoid leaving checks in your home mailbox for the mail carrier to pick-up.  The red mailbox flag is a clear notice to crooks that there could be checks to steal in the mailbox.  The safest way to handle your bills is to drop them off at the post office or at a secure mail drop-off box.

Click here for some helpful tips to eliminate the risk of mailbox theft.

For information on holiday events across the greater Charlotte region, click here.

For summer safety, travel and crime prevention tips courtesy of CMPD, click here.

The Charlotte Observer posted an online story today regarding a convicted sex offender who has reportedly been going door-to-door in the Providence Downs South community to promote a pet waste clean-up service named “Poop Van Scoop”.

The Providence Arbours HOA received a report this week from a resident in Sarah Hall who was approached by this same individual (Robert Smith) on a street in the community.

Those who have seen him driving around say Smith uses a black or dark colored sedan with ads on both doors for “Poop Van Scoop.”  According to the Union County (NC) sheriff’s department, there is no law prohibiting convicted sex offenders from door-to-door canvassing.

Your help is needed to keep our streets well lit at night!

Several community residents surveyed the community last evening and identified 2 non-working street lights (1 on Arborloft Court and another on Esherwood Lane) and 1 street light (Heatherton Place) that is leaning at a severe angle.  These issues have been reported to Duke Energy.

The Providence Arbours Neighborhood Watch requests your assistance in noting, and reporting, non-working street lights in the community.

To report an outage:

1) Call Duke Power at 1-800-769-3766.

2) Be prepared to provide the nearest address where the street light is located.

Your monthly Duke Power fee include maintenance of street lights in Providence Arbours.  Duke’s standard response time is to repair street lights in 3 business days.

The incident took place on December 22, 2010 and was reported to the police who came to investigate.

As if set up on a schedule, criminals tend to visit the driveways of Providence Arbours every 4 months or so.  They are looking for valuables left in cars – and they will take those valuables from both locked and unlocked cars.  Auto larceny is the #1 crime in Providence Arbours…and CMPD tells us that it is the one crime that we neighbors can eliminate by practicing the following safety tips.

• Always lock your doors and roll up your windows
• Never leave valuable items in your vehicle
• Store packages in the trunk of your vehicle while shopping
• Remove items such as telephones, iPods, purses, briefcase, backpack, cash, GPS and even loose change each time you leave your vehicle
• Park in well lit areas at night
• Park vehicle in the driveway rather than the street
• Consider a car alarm for added protection
• Call 911 if you see any suspicious activity

As CMPD states, your vehicle is not your closet!  Keep valuables out of your vehicles to keep criminals out of your driveway!

Larcenies from autos continue to be the biggest crime problem (in terms of quantity of crimes).  The latest report cites a couple of incidents in nearby Deerfield Creek (located off Tilley Morris Road).  This is the same crime that is historically the biggest problem here in Providence Arbours as well.

Click here to sign up for CMPD’s crime alerts, newsletters and more.

Residents of Mecklenburg County can bring their household toxic materials as well as sensitive papers to any of the County’s full service recycling centers for safe, secure and proper disposal.

Click here for more information.

Providence Arbours is a very safe neighborhood.

But we are not a “crime-free” neighborhood.  And if history repeats itself, those criminals who practice “auto larceny” are planning a near-term visit back to the driveways of our neighborhood.

The good news is that you (and other drivers) in your house can help to virtually eliminate incidences of auto larceny (the single most frequent crime that occurs in Providence Arbours).

As if set up on a schedule, criminals tend to visit the driveways of Providence Arbours every 4 months or so.  They are looking for valuables left in cars – and they will take those valuables from both locked and unlocked cars.  Auto larceny is the #1 crime in Providence Arbours…and CMPD tells us that it is the one crime that we neighbors can eliminate by practicing the following safety tips.

• Always lock your doors and roll up your windows
• Never leave valuable items in your vehicle
• Store packages in the trunk of your vehicle while shopping
• Remove items such as telephones, iPods, purses, briefcase, backpack, cash, GPS and even loose change each time you leave your vehicle
• Park in well lit areas at night
• Park vehicle in the driveway rather than the street
• Consider a car alarm for added protection
• Call 911 if you see any suspicious activity

As CMPD states, your vehicle is not your closet!  Keep valuables out of your vehicles to keep criminals out of your driveway!

To read the full newsletter which includes additional crime prevention tips and information, click below:

Response Area 3 Newsletter March 2010

To receive future newsletters, sign up for CMPD South Division Alerts through the Notify Me page on the CharMeck.org website at http://www.charmeck.org/departments/cmpd/notify.htm