Wife calls and says man at door wont leave.

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TheNocturnus

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I was on my way to the airport to pick my mom up and I get a call from my wife. She says there is a AT&T salesman at the front door and he wont leave and that he wants to talk to me. She says that she is inside and he is on the porch. She sounds panicky to me so naturally I began to think of the worst case scenario.

I immediately tell my wife to tell the guy to leave, close the door and go to the safe and get the .380 out and put it on her just in case. She does not and hands the phone to the guy on the porch so he can talk to me. I tell the guy that we are not interested and to hand the phone back to my wife and then leave my property. He then hangs up on me.

I called right back and my wife answered and he had left thankfully.

I was scared that this guy was not who he said he was and that he may hurt my pregnant wife. I was also disappointed that my wife did not just close the door and get the gun. I told her when I got home that I was scared for her and next time I ask her to get the gun she should GET IT.

Did I do the right thing by telling my wife to just close the door and get the gun? What would you have done?
 
She says there is a AT&T salesman at the front door and he wont leave

Well, we all have different opinions, but I would have told her to close the door and call the Police. Then while she is on the phone with the 911 Operator she can retrieve the gun.
 
nocturnus, it sounds that maybe she was already up close and personal talking to this man by the time you were on the phone....like if I or my wife is talking to the ups guy needing a signature as an example.

At this point if what I just stated above is true, I would just ask the man what he wanted. when your wife told you, was there a reason for him needing to speak with you? there should've been if he needed to speak with you or if your wife was stumped, a little perturbed, and she sectioned the situation to you....

At that point he already had access, so him hanging up is just making a situation worse if he is harboring mal-intent IS ALL I AM GETTING AT. I am not saying you did anything wrong, but thank God your wife answered when you called back. The other thing is, you need to know his purpose to also rule out the possibility that in fact this guy was actually an AT&T employee:

I was scared that this guy was not who he said he was
 
Did I do the right thing by telling my wife to just close the door and get the gun? What would you have done?
You did good... your wife on the other hand is a bit too trusting and blasé. There's a Clint Smith quote I like... "When seconds count, the cops are just minutes away."
Another is "Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet". I don't know who to atribute this one to, but it's one I tend to live by.
 
maybe I am wrong

the thing is....it seems obvious that she had already opened the door and spoken with this man before calling her husband. It doesn't sound like he showed up, wouldn't leave, and/or that he hadn't been engaged in conversation with OP's wife before the phonecall....
 
Get her a big dog. Pesky salesmen don't outstay their welcome when big dogs are barking from the other side of the screen door.

Even friendly big dogs, when barking from inches away, can make a very strong point.

(Mine are generally big babies, although one of the two is actually very protective of my wife. NOBODY hangs around uninvited.)
 
did he show an ID that says he actually worked for A T & T? I wonder when the last time an actual A T & T person showed up at a door that wasn't a repairman. I'm pretty sure they have their ID visible
 
First mistake was to open the door !!
Second was to converse with the person .
No ATT ID ? Bad sign . Now report this to police and ATT !
Educate your wife !!! :(:(
 
Who here would know a home made ATT laminated ID as opposed to a real one?

Jhenry makes a very good point here, . . . and OP, . . . you did good.

Please, . . . sit down with your wife, . . . go over some of the worst headlines in your nearest newspaper, . . . point to a map and show how close those were, . . . instill in her that she CANNOT just trust strangers.

I "had" the same problem with the girl I married back in '68, . . . that same woman now, . . . let's just say that nobody wants to mess with her and her Colt .38 special.

Back to Jhenry, . . . it took me all of about a half hour and some "inspiration" one day to make a more than presentable "Area 5" plastic ID. The fellow who saw it first, . . . bought my "new job" line, . . . hook / line / and sinker.

He had been there and knew their security, . . . yet was fooled.

I like Barrylee's idea too, . . . call for LEO assistance, . . . immediately.

May God bless,
Dwight
 
Send a complaint off to AT&T about the guy

Even if he was legit, he should have had an ID visible and had sense enough to know that "no" means "no" and to go away at that point.

Your wife needs to not open the door, first of all... it could have all gone bad after that point.
 
AT&T needs to talk to you? SCAM. They can call you. They have your number.

A little critical thinking, closing the door, arming, and calling 911 would have been good. Calling the husband is not good.
 
I carry a handgun as soon as I get up in the morning until I go to sleep at night....I never answer the door or the phone.

Not only could it be dangerous,,,I just don't want to be bothered....at the door if I look out a side window and it is someone I know or the police or fire dept to tell me my house is burning down...or UPS or Fed Ex or the mailman delivering firearms or riflescopes or other goodies,,,I will answer the door with my concealed gun on me,,,anyone else forget it, just not important,,,,and if it is important there are other methods of contacting me, police, phone, mail etc.

I never answer the phone either, we have caller ID or a caller can leave a message,,,when the phone rings and I am standing right by it, if I don't recognize the phone number I do not answer it,,,,if they leave a message and I am interested I answer it or return the call, otherwise I do not answer the phone.

Don't answer the door or the phone,,,it is never anything important anyway.

My home is my fortress and my sanctuary.
 
I would say you tried giving her the right advice. Let’s be honest, a lot of times our wives or girlfriends are not comfortable with firearms. It’s not their fault, as their fathers probably didn’t train their daughter, they're often are victims of gender roles in this regard, and we males assume the role of protector, and don’t bother training our wives.

This would likely be an instance where getting to a safe location and calling the police would be the best move if your wife isn’t comfortable with guns. There is the adage, “when seconds count the cops are just minutes away.” While this is true, the police still cannot start heading your direction unless they’re called. Seconds turn to minutes. Better late than never. Call the cops!

If you haven’t already, I suggest working on security plans with your wife and kids if you have any.
 
We have an alarm system with pads around significant places. So one can press the button to sound a loud obnoxious uproar and it calls the cops.

However, never open the door. If you don't like guns, we have a pepper spray right by the door. Call the COPs first! Not hubby.

Another reason, if you want guns - to carry one. Door gets kicked in and you have to get to the gun. Might not make it. Most folks can carry a little one if need be.
 
Do not open the door for door-to-door sales people. Badges are easy to get or make. Even legitimate badges don't necessarily guarantee that the guy has had a background check and actually work for the company. Independent contractors have legitimate badges; Comcast is a prime example.

Second - carry at home. A little pea shooter will do. Gives you an extra few seconds to get to a real gun.

I will disagree with calling 911 first. Grab a gun first, 'cause you may not get a second chance if someone is trying to break in. 911 is #2.
 
I agree with METE and Glen Myers on this one...never open a door to a stranger.
I have taught this to my kids when they were small. I have cautioned my wife especially since I used to travel quite a bit, and my cop friends all say the same thing. Now my son is a cop and he teaches the same thing to all his kids especially since they live in a rural area.

My wife will never use a gun to defend herself. I have given up trying. My dog and the panic alarm system near the door entry is the only hope of survival my wife will ever have if she opens the door to the wrong person.

Even after all the discussion my wife and I have had on the subject, we were traveling in our motorhome when I got tired and pulled into a truck stop to take a break. I heard a knock at the front door while I was lying down in the back bedroom. Incredibly my wife opened the door. I heard someone asking her for money. I grabbed my 12 gauge and ran towards the front of the coach. When that guy saw me coming, he ran for his car and beat it out of there. I was later told he was a panhandler that would disturb the truckers and anyone that pulled off the road to take a break.
 
Contrary opinion here, you did wrong. She messed up when she called you knowing where you were and what your were doing. She should have locked the door and called the police. Since she wasn't sensible enough to do that you should have called the police. I'm glad it worked out but this could have had tragedy all over it once he realized nobody called the police and all you were was a distant voice on the phone and not an immediate threat to him.
 
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