When the warm weather hits, so do they.
A young lady selling magazine subscriptions knocked at Lisa Lund's door last summer. She was friendly, compelling. Her pitch was personal.
"She said they were making money to help put themselves through school, to get a better job and support their family," the Olathe woman said.
Lund handed over a $75 check for three years of Seventeen magazine. Weeks later, she had nothing but a growing suspicion that she had been ripped off.
National watchdog groups say Lund and others have opened their doors to a largely unregulated industry where unscrupulous operators can flourish. Though some companies are legitimate, experts say, others can get away with defrauding customers and victimizing young salespeople, too.
Consumer and parent groups are calling for tougher laws.
Brian Frazier sees the sales crews almost every weekend in south Overland Park.
"They're fun to talk to. They’re witty," Frazier said.
But every time they knock, he tells them he was burned once and never again. After buying a subscription and getting nothing, he left nine unanswered messages at Kansas City-based New Direction, the same company that Lund bought from.
Read the complete story at kansascity.com