Rookie Mistake.

I have lived in The Big City for almost 20 years now. I have been in high rises and mid rises most of that time. The deal with these kinds of places is, you pay an assessment and everything is taken care of for you. (ie. cable, heat, ac, package pick up, trash, window washing...you get the picture) We just moved to a town home. We still pay an assessment, which we just got a bill for. It covers things like snow removal, changing the outside lights...just stuff. I can't believe how stupid I am. Yesterday, the doorbell rings while babies are napping. Usually, I am paranoid city chick who never answers the door. I just had my nose buried in NW Designs stuff, and I wasn't thinking. The guy says he is the window washer, I assume this is part of the assessment. Like an idiot, I just blindly let the guy in to do the windows! Stupid, stupid, as Homer Simpson would say Stoopid! Now, rest easy, nothing bad happened. It just cost me 25 bucks to have the windows washed. This guy was not part of the assessment, he was just some random guy knocking on doors and washing windows for a buck. I am totally kicking myself for letting him in, for the mere "what if" factor. Good Lord, I have been in The Big City for so long I really should know better than to just let strangers into the house! I am just kicking myself...Thank God nothing bad happened, and if you stop by my house, call first, 'cause I am no longer answering the door!

Who watched LOST pop up? I missed it, was there any new nuggets that I didn't already know?

29 comments

  1. I have a no soliciting sign next to my door. Some sales guys have the nerve to still knock. Usually they get a wave and smile from my girls staring out the window at them, I refuse to answer the door.

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  2. While I'm glad that there wasn't any trouble... you city-folk are some paranoid freaks, aren't you? LOL.

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  3. I also don't answer the door. Instead you may see my peeking through the shades. My husband actually bothers to look out the window and then open the door REGARDLESS as to whether or not he knows the person. When I ask him about it, he says, "Well, I wouldn't open it if they were wearing black and white striped prison clothes or wearing the sash that said 'Buy something'". Yeah. That's real secure. Why bother looking out the window first?

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  4. Oooohhh...I had a similar situation with a neighbor I didn't really know. I went into panic mode. I think I had been watching way too many scary Lifetime movies. I was thinking she could have been stalking me, thinking of ways to steal my baby or off me and assume my identity. Freak. Me.

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  5. Did you watch him every second he was in the house...from your post I get the impression he was inside. He could have been assessing the house to burglarize it, or he may have helped himself to something of value...even mail with account numbers could be valuable....
    My suggestion in the future even if you have ordered service, photograph everyone, document when they were their and what company they represented and record their identification information.
    Never open the door to anyone you do not know and have not requested they come to your house...and try to make sure that there is someone else there when they come.
    You are right...stupid, rookie error which I assume will not happen again.
    You live in the city, trust no one.

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  6. Glad nothing happened!

    $25 to clean your windows? Send him my way, will ya!

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  7. If he'll clean my big ole house with it's too many windows for $25 he's hired.

    But I know what you mean about answering the door. Thankfully things were on the up and up. We don't have that here - it's so rural and the only people around are friends and family. Most people give a courtesy knock and walk in. Makes you remain dressed in something decent if nothing else.

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  8. It happens to the best of us. No worries!

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  9. It's a good reminder. Glad he was legit. By the way, that is so CHEAP. Costs $100 to get the apartment windows cleaned in nyc.

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  10. ahh! I am with you, I probably would have just assumed too. Good thing he wasn't some creepo!
    and 25 bucks for window cleaning sounds like a steal!

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  11. Oh. My. Gosh. That is so scary. And I agree with all those that said he was cheap. We had our windows done this week, and, well, it was a lot more than $25. Was he in or out or both?? I'm so glad everything is okay.

    Hey, is the business picking up? I've been meaning to ask you if you ever did that giveaway.

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  12. Ack! That is scary. I DO NOT live in a big city, and I am still paranoid. I think I watch too much tv. I usually don't answer the door unless I see a work truck I recognize or something. And even then I barely open the door, and think of possible escape routes in my mind. And again, the city I live in only has 50,000 people. Too much tv! ;)
    Glad it worked out okay. :)

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  13. NO WAY. That totally sucks the donkey. What an asshat, huh?

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  14. Oh, good grief! I'm shocked for you. And, I totally would've done the same thing. Don't beat yourself up. And, just think you got your windows done.

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  15. but hey, bright side, clean windows!

    I hate retrospect... always ruins things.

    Lost, la la la, not reading other comments, I haven't watched yet. I'll be back.

    LOVE your blog btw!

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  16. Ok I agree with you on the freakiness factor, but for a $1 a window send him to VA, I paid $300 to have my windows cleaned last year!!!!

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  17. Well, I am VERY glad that nothing happened.........but as a mother who has children your age........I would say NEVER, do you hear me? NEVER let a stranger into the house.

    If you had called a window washer to come out and do the windows that is one thing. But this was a total stranger that came to your door. It makes me ill to think of what could have happened.

    Thank God you and the children are ok.

    Sorry for the lecture........but you scared me!!!

    xoxo
    Linda

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  18. Well, $25 for window washing seems like a good price. At least he didn't rip you off.

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  19. NW -

    That is all my mom needs..is more Jewish worry and guilt...lol...glad nothing happened also!

    Bradley
    The Egel Nest

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  20. Eek! I don't open the door to people I don't know either. And, we live in a fairly rural area but I have watched way to much crime TV.

    Maybe this was a lesson for a time when it won't just be some dude tricking you out of $25.

    Missed Lost pop up this time....

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  21. I think we've each done that. I'm glad you are all right. We have a no solicitors sign - which deters some people.

    When I'm writing, I'm a notorious push over. "Sure, sure, whatever, go away," then we have magazines, and on and on. You were probably in that space.

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  22. people walk through these cities with blinders on. I would see this Street Wise guy on my street every week, and never give him the time of day.

    One day he said excuse me, I kept walking not even acknowledging him. He said excuse me again. I turned expecting a sales pitch for me to buy his paper. He simply asked me if I knew what time it was.

    I felt bad, that is all he wanted to know. I see him all the time now, he is a nice guy living in the city who is a good person

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  23. I always think of those 'what ifs' whenever I have to let people in. We usually keep the gate padlocked and then just talk to people from the front door (about 10m away) to see what they want. But a couple of days ago, I did the same thing you did and let some guy in that didn't really need to come in at all.

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  24. That is totally something I would do, that is the little town girl in me. I am glad nothing horrible happened. I am the queen of what ifs. :)

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  25. That's so the kind of thing I would do, even thought I supposedly "know better". I will take your post as a warning!
    (Maybe I should even print it and hang it on the door?)

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  26. Er, um, been there, done that!! Not with windows, though!!

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  27. Hi - over from David's blog.

    Good post - gives insight into what it must be like to live in the big city in US. It must be scary. Whilst cautious, I wouldn't be so scared to answer my door here. I live more rural in the UK. Sad world we live in that it is like that.

    Here though, the big cities are probably as bad, but I don't know of any window cleaners that clean inside the house! Ours do the outside of the windows - they only knock to seek business in the first place and if hired, come every 2-4 weeks and knock for payment, that's all. And it's only about a £5 (about $10?) Some one said it cost them $100! Wow!

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