Plenty of Iowans raise top-grade pork, beef and poultry, but most of them don’t try to sell those products door-to-door. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says he’s hearing reports of meat-selling scams that leave consumers with questionable meat and a dent in their budgets.
Northey says: "We’re seeing folks coming door-to-door with high pressure tactics that are saying ‘You need to buy this now, we had an order canceled, and this is great stuff, it’s a special price for you and it’s restaurant quality.’" He says some Iowans have reported the meat they bought from door-to-door salespeople is very tough and even inedible. Others report the companies won’t honor their money-back guarantees. Northey says ferreting out a scam may not be simple, but there are ways to sniff out a fishy filcher.
Northey says: "Will they leave the information where you can call back later and do you have contact information to be able to get a hold of them after they leave you that meat? Some of them will. They will guarantee and they will give you a refund, but if you can’t get a hold of them and they don’t answer the phone, than you’ve lost money no matter what they said to start with."
By law, any door-to-door seller has to give the buyer a three-day right to cancel. He says don’t buy from anyone who doesn’t give you notice of this right. If you’re suspicious, Northey says to check with the Iowa Attorney General or the Better Business Bureau.
Northey says to gather information about the salesperson — get their contact information, a physical description of the person and their vehicle, license plates and anything else that might help the Attorney General track them down. For more information, call the Iowa Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at (888) 777-4590 or visit www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org .