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ST. GEORGE — Police are issuing a warning to the public after receiving a number of complaints about "very pushy" people trying to sell car repair services in parking lots in the St. George area.
"This isn't a common business practice," said St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain. "A lot of time these people do provide a service, from car repair to home repair, (but) what we've found in the past is people don't get what they pay for."
Bryan and Kassie Pitts say they were approached by a man and woman when they stopped to get some food at a restaurant in Washington City on Dec. 14. The man flagged the Pitts' down as they were driving out of the parking lot and then pulled up next to their pickup truck.
The woman sat silently with a scowl on her face while the man did all the talking, Kassie Pitts said Tuesday.
"I didn't get a very good look at him, but (the woman) was on the passenger side where they rolled down the window," Pitts said, describing the encounter as "kind of creepy."
The man made repeated offers to fix a dent in the side of the family's pickup truck, even though Bryan Pitts told him he didn't want the dent fixed.
"He kept pushing and pushing, (saying), 'Oh, we've got a great deal. I can do it right here and now,'" Bryan Pitts recalled.
Something just seemed odd about the would-be repairman and his offer, Pitts said.
"I was half and half," he said. "Maybe he was actually trying to get some work, but the other half was like, 'No, this just doesn't feel right. Stay in the truck.'"
The Pitts say they eventually convinced the couple to leave them alone after telling them a family member could fix the dent for free.
"That finally got the hint across," Bryan Pitts said.
Despain said the behavior described by Pitts and others in recent weeks has all the hallmarks of a scam.
"We find that people are looking for a quick buck," he said, "and if they can scam people or deceive people, they will."
Despain encouraged people to ask to see someone's business license if they are approached in a parking lot with a sales pitch. If necessary, police can verify a business license, too.
"The police department is always willing to help and make sure that people are on the up and up," Despain said. "If there is a concern, we can look into that."
It's never a good idea to follow someone to an undisclosed area under the pretense of "going to their shop" for repair work, the sergeant said, adding that exercising a little common sense can help people avoid scams.
"If somebody provides services or promises to do something that sounds too good to be true, it usually is," he said.
