Why do solar salesmen always say? I'm not selling solar, but....

[Toto'sDad]

One just came to the door, he said he wasn't selling solar, but he had a big badge on his shirt that said SOLAR! He also had a big old suspicious looking book of some kind in his hand, that I was sore afraid he was going to try and get me to look at. I responded with, I'm not interested in solar, that wasn't good enough. He wanted to know why I wasn't interested in solar, maybe my reason wouldn't be good enough, and he could just pencil that out and sell me some solar anyway. I wouldn't give him an opening though, I stuck to my story, and just said I'm just not interested that's why!

I'm thinking of installing a turnstile out front of my house for solar people. They have to put a dollar in the thing before they get to come up to my door and throw their pitch! It's getting to be like loud pipes on Harleys, it's not just the one, it's the nine hundred of them in succession that gets on your nerves. They can't believe that I don't want free solar, how can I not want free solar? 'Cause there ain't no such thing as free solar for ME, there might be for someone, but not for old TD. I don't qualify, and I don't want to add it to my mortgage or my tax bill, I don't even want to promise that Alex will pay for it. Are solar salespeople roaming your neighborhoods at all hours of the day and night? The only thing more visible than solar salesmen around here are U-Haul trucks.

 

[USian Pie]

Right now, it's roofing contractors offering free post-hailstorm inspections.

 

[Ebidis]

Are you talking about solar power? Is that a thing now?

I don't like door to door salesmen. I won't even answer the door if it's someone I don't know.

However, if I were to open the door, and I say I'm not interested, and they can't take no for an answer, then they get the door shut in their face.

 

[Fretting out]

Yup!

Won’t get into it.... but unless you install the panels yourself and wire it directly in you are not getting the power

It may be going to power the county 100 miles from you! You may get a rebate from your company but that’s it, the power is not yours
You don’t own the panels and they basically are renting your roof

I DON’T BUY IT!

Oops I got into it....

Right on T.D

Or.... you can be like @Obsessed and have little lizards on treadmills in a little out Building powering your compound

 

[Refugee]

Getchya a big old dog that doesn't like strangers.

Do you have a, "No solictors," sign on your front door? Get one. I worked at a company that was in a typical small storefront. We'd get tons of them. I even went so far as to make a sign that read, "Solicitors will be met with extreme hostility!" Then some couple from Quill Corp. walked in and tried to sell us office products. They were shown the door in a very loud way. It did improve a lot after I put the sign up.

 

[fishermike]

We don't have the DTD salespeople, but I don't get why you wouldn't want solar. With your location, your payback on a system would be less than ten years, then it's free (well, free-ish, still gotta pay for your meter and stuff) power from there on.

That said, it doesn't pencil out for everybody.

 

[getbent]

where I live, getting a solar person out to your house is very difficult, they are so busy, they hardly call back or respond to emails.

If you want the power for you, put house batteries in... then you are solid and get your own power.

 

[stxrus]

We are looking to upgrade our solar PV system. Has a guy come out today to talk about it. He is very knowledgeable and a down to earth sales person. Once he realized we were on the old grid tie system (any overage generated is paid back at the full rate) not the new where you get a credit of $.11 not the full $.43 per kilowatt hour his sales pitch went towards our needs not what he wanted to sell

I’m waiting for his quote to see if what we want is feasible

 

[1 21 gigawatts]

The problem with solar is that they sell it based on the year one save, but the efficiency of the panel degrades every year. The return on investment, even with subsidizing the initial cost through tax breaks, is longer than the lifespan of the panels.

I'm all for people buying solar power for environmental reasons, but don't lie to people about the true costs vs savings. If it was such a good deal, they wouldn't have to sell it door-to-door.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Right now, it's roofing contractors offering free post-hailstorm inspections.

For me, right now, it's pest control. I wish I could see them calling and jump into a Halloween costume first

 

[Junkyard Dog]

The county execs are talking about making solar MANDATORY here.

 

[Toto'sDad]

Are you talking about solar power? Is that a thing now?

I don't like door to door salesmen. I won't even answer the door if it's someone I don't know.

However, if I were to open the door, and I say I'm not interested, and they can't take no for an answer, then they get the door shut in their face.

That's what I did.

 

[Chester P Squier]

I once saw a solar panel ad talking about solar "systems." I wanted to ask if they include Pluto.

 

[_MementoMori_]

He wanted to know why I wasn't interested in solar, maybe my reason wouldn't be good enough, and he could just pencil that out and sell me some solar anyway.

This just made me genuinely laugh out loud. Congrats - that's not a thing that happens often for me.

 

[trev333]

These aren't the panels you are looking for....

* old jedi sales trick...

 

[Toto'sDad]

We don't have the DTD salespeople, but I don't get why you wouldn't want solar. With your location, your payback on a system would be less than ten years, then it's free (well, free-ish, still gotta pay for your meter and stuff) power from there on.

That said, it doesn't pencil out for everybody.

My brother in law's free solar power setup cost him $17,000. My son who is a professional engineer figured out what he needed for solar, went to L.A. bought the best stuff he could buy, had it shipped up here by truck. He hired some day laborers and installed it himself. Only thing he couldn't do is tie into the power company's box, so he had that done. Also installed two new 23 sear a/c units at the same time. It did pay out very quickly for him, but he has a whole different situation, than I do. There are only two of us living here. We have a very energy efficient home, and we are 78 years old. Our power bills are very reasonable all but the three hottest months of the year. If we saved half of our bill it wouldn't amount to that much. It's just not for everyone.

There's another problem. We have a Spanish tile roof. To install the solar panels would mean they would have to remove the roofing. You can't walk on it, you'd have to remove the tiles, install the solar then put them back. One leak in the roof would negate a year's worth of savings to hire it fixed. You have to look at the whole picture. Solar places come and go like the perennial flowers. I know, my grandson had a solar company. You have them install the stuff, they go out of business, your roof leaks and YOU are stuck with the bill.

 

[Lawdawg]

Any door-to-door sales person is super annoying. The big ones in my neighborhood are roof replacement companies.

Down here solar panel generation systems can be a good deal even when done through the power company, especially for commercial customers. That said, like most things I assume it's very different in California vs. Georgia, and I certainly wouldn't trust someone trying to sell it door to door in any case.

 

[Toto'sDad]

where I live, getting a solar person out to your house is very difficult, they are so busy, they hardly call back or respond to emails.

If you want the power for you, put house batteries in... then you are solid and get your own power.

When the bullet train is finished we'll ship you some solar power guys. What am I going to charge my batteries with, a bicycle powered generator?

 

[Toto'sDad]

The county execs are talking about making solar MANDATORY here.

Any door-to-door sales person is super annoying. The big ones in my neighborhood are roof replacement companies.

Down here solar panel generation systems can be a good deal even when done through the power company, especially for commercial customers. That said, like most things I assume it's very different in California vs. Georgia, and I certainly wouldn't trust someone trying to sell it door to door in any case.

Usually when I buy something, anything, it's after making up my mind that it's something I need, then doing my research, then making offers. I'm not really the guy a door to door guy is looking for.

 

[Toto'sDad]

This just made me genuinely laugh out loud. Congrats - that's not a thing that happens often for me.

I was a bit taken aback when the guy asked me that question. I did feel like it was a trick question, and I'd better be damned careful how I answered. I didn't trust him cause he wasn't wearing his solar panel outside his pants for all the world to feel. Then I got to wondering why a guy named Willie would be singing about where Poncho kept his pistol. I mowed my lawn today, I just wasn't in the humor for the solar panel guy. Why couldn't he have been a guy selling snow cones?