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SANDY — "I reached out to you because (I'm) just being frustrated with constant knocking at the door, doorbell ringing," Matt Luers told KSL-TV.
He has had it with door-to-door salespeople.
"There's a sign that says right there, 'No soliciting,'" he said.
Matt lives in Sandy, where our investigation found, unlike many other cities, there is no specific code on the books requiring a salesman to respect a "No soliciting" sign. But you know what is against the law in Sandy, and just about everywhere else? Trespassing.
"If someone comes on your property and they're not invited, and they know it, that's trespass," attorney Juli Blanch said.
It is a misdemeanor, which could mean fines or even jail time if police are called — especially if the solicitor refuses to take no for an answer, said Sandy Police Sgt. Greg Moffitt.
"Those are usually the calls that we do get, is where they've been a little bit aggressive at the door," he said.
"Aggressive" is the word used by another Sandy resident who, after our story on Monday, sent us pictures of the clearly posted "No trespassing" signs at the entrance of his gated community. He said just this week, door-to-door salespeople flouted those and delivered a "very aggressive" pitch for home internet.
Moffit said "No soliciting" signs may not have much teeth in Sandy, but if someone blows off a "No trespassing" sign, they can be in trouble.
"Whether you're involved in door-to-door sales or you just happen to be stepping foot on someone's property ... you can be cited for trespassing," he said.
As for Luers, he would rather not tie up the city's resources by calling the police. But he wants the door knocking to stop.
"What do you do to stop these people from coming to your door?" he asked.
There are signs that warn salespeople that they will be charged $50 per minute to make a sales pitch. As I previously reported, lawyers say those signs absolutely could be considered a contract. If you get the name of the salesperson or their company, and you sue, you'd have a pretty good shot at winning.
