Held Hostage

This morning I had just finished cooking some eggs, making my coffee, and heating up my muffin for breakfast when Harlow started barking at someone at the door. I opened the door to a salesman. I apologize for being rude and talking to him through a crack in the door, pointing out the dog going crazy at my feet.

He as a rep for a solar panel company, although he was very insuccinct and it took a while for him to make this point. He yammered on for a while and finally I said “I’m in the middle of breakfast”

He asked if he could look at my electric panel to see if I qualify for solar panels, and that it would “just take a minute”.

Fine. I tell him I need to put the dog in the yard for his safety first. Which I do.

He checks the basement and then manages to buttonhole me in my own kitchen for another 45 minutes. The dog is outside in the cold, and my sugars are dropping because I’ve already taken insulin and I’m not eating. Could I eat while he gives me his schpeal? Sure, but I don’t because I think he’s going to leave any minute. Like he said he would. He doesn’t.

He has me look up my current electric bill to compare usage, he tells me more than once about the steps that need to be taken for me to qualify, he makes me look up this and that and this other ting. It’s clear that hes trying to come off as being thorough and informative. He’s really just wasting my time.

He asks me inappropriate questions like “Do you live here alone?” And “Do you work during the day?” He was young, didn’t seem very bright, and I’m pretty sure he thought he was being friendly. But you don’t ask those questions unless they are relevant to your job.

We hit 45 minutes and I glance at my pump and see my sugars are now lower than is good. He keeps repeating shit to me so finally I say “Look, the dog is out in the cold, I really need to let her back in.” Then he tells me that he’s actually afraid of dogs and maybe it would be good for him to face that fear.

Not with this dog, dude.

I tell him “no”.

He stalls some more sharing bits of info about his product and talking me through an informational graphic – which is very clear to decipher on my own, thanks.

Then he tries a few times to schedule another meeting with me, announcing, “OK, So I’ll come back Monday at 7 to talk more and take the next steps”

“That doesn’t work for me. I need to check my schedule and email you about it,” I am honest with him, telling him I’m interested to learn more, but I can’t set something up right now. Because I JUST WANT YOU TO LEAVE SO I CAN EAT ALREADY AND LET MY DOG BACK IN!

I have to talk to other people who have solar panels. Do they like them? Is it financially worth it for me? And so on. And this guy wants to come back in three days to talk further?

Nope.

After fifteen minutes I should have said “You said this would only take a minute. My dog is now outside in the cold, and I’m diabetic and I need to eat. Please leave your paperwork and I’ll be in touch.”

Another case of ignoring my own needs to avoid being “rude” to someone else.