Maybe I'm Not So Nice

Please don't try to fool me.

A couple nights ago I received a call from a young man I didn't know, but who used the name of people I was familiar with.

He explained that he is a college student, doing an internship with a company and that part of a homework assignment was to demonstrate a product. Would I be willing to help him? He also said that the people who had given my name to him had told him that I was so nice that I wouldn't be able to turn him away.

Hmmmmm.


Being the curious type, I asked what year he was in at college and what company he was interning with.

It turns out that the company he was interning with, was also the company that he was going to demo products from. Knowing that I had now been manipulated, I still thought I could help the young man by meeting with him.

I figured out a time in my schedule and suggested a local coffee shop for a meeting place. His comment was that he needed to meet me in my home. I explained that it was the coffee shop or nothing. He said that it was company policy to do the demonstration in the home.

I explained that we did not have a meeting of the minds.

I am not too happy for a couple reasons.

I hate manipulative sales tactics. They give the whole world of professional sales people a back reputation to overcome.

I also don't like mis-truths. While the young man may not have been technically lying, he was certainly merging and bending the truth.


I have a strong feeling that the demo company is a direct sales company. Again tactics like these, have tainted that industry's reputation.

I also have a good guess going, that this young man didn't figure out his story all on his lonesome. I think he is being taken advantage of.

What do you think about this situation?