A Tacoma woman says a door-to-door salesman ignored clearly posted no soliciting signs, made a threatening remark to her husband, and took photos of her home before leaving.
“Did anyone have this man come to their home to solicit?” Bonee Williamson wrote in a Tacoma community Facebook post shared Friday, March 27.
She said the encounter happened despite “no soliciting signs up on our front door at eye level.”
According to Williamson’s account, the man approached her husband while he was outside and asked “if he could have a few minutes of his time,” which she believed was to sell something. Her husband declined and went back inside.
That’s when the situation escalated.
“This man came into our yard and yelled ‘I’m going to make you talk to me one way or another,’” she wrote, adding that she heard it clearly while standing inside near the front door. The man then knocked on the door.
“Through our mail slot in the door I aggressively told the man to get off our property before I called the cops,” Williamson wrote.
She said the solicitor responded by telling her she was “a delight” before leaving.
But before he left, she said, “he took pictures of my home and it appears he texted them to someone as he was typing on his phone.”
The post drew dozens of comments from other Tacoma residents, several of whom said they encountered what appeared to be the same man.
“Yes, he came to my home on Thursday, rang the bell repeatedly,” one woman wrote. “He said he worked for a marketing company for A & W windows.”
She said she pointed out the “NO SOLICITING” sign next to her doorbell, but the man continued.
“He said he saw the sign but thought he had such a good deal for me,” she wrote. “I asked him to leave and I went back in my house. He did hang for a minute or so then walked away.”
Another commenter, who said they previously worked in door-to-door sales, offered a possible explanation for the photos.
“When you work for door-to-door jobs your boss gives you a list of addresses that you must complete by the end of your shift,” the man wrote. “In order for an address to be removed from the list they would need photo proof.”
He added, “I don’t think this worker was taking a photo of you or your family members but most likely your no solicitation sign.”
Others urged caution.
“Ask if you can see his permit/ license ID to solicit in the city of Tacoma,” one woman wrote. “He will likely leave asap.”
Another commenter summed up the situation more bluntly: “Ballsy for sure.”
Want more local news? Follow Puget Press Tacoma on Facebook.
