Snoqualmie Ridge homeowners on alert after suspicious salespeople come to their doors

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. -- Homeowners in one Snoqualmie neighborhood are concerned that some aggressive salespeople who have been coming to their doors to try to sell vacuums and cleaning services may have been casing their homes.

Some say they`re suspicious because they`ve heard about sales tactics like this in other cities where burglaries have become an issue.

Natalie Ritchie`s neighbor took photos because she thought it was strange when a man showed up in their Snoqualmie neighborhood Monday trying to sell vacuums and carpet cleaning services.

"It's pretty rare to have solicitors up here on the (Snoqualmie) Ridge," Ritchie said. "You actually have to get a permit from City Hall to solicit here."

But it wasn`t just the fact that the man and the people he was with didn't have permits that sent up red flags -- it was their persistence trying to get into people`s homes.

"They wanted to survey our rooms and give us an estimate on carpet cleaning, and they wouldn't take no for an answer," Ritchie said.



Earlier this month, Veronica Marler had a similar experience with a woman selling vacuums in Everett.

Everett police don`t know if that salesperson had anything to do with a series of break-ins near Marler`s neighborhood. But they say homeowners should be cautious about letting strangers inside.

Homeowners in Snoqualmie have already alerted police about the sales calls Monday. Now they`re sharing information with each other, and reminding everyone to lock their doors and set their alarms.

While the Q13 FOX News crew was doing this story, a van pulled over. The driver said he is a legitimate salesman just trying to do his job. But when asked who he worked for and if he could show employment identification, he refused.