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Woman Unsure About Meat That Was Sold By Salesmen

DENVER (CBS4) - A Denver-area mother who wrote a check for nearly $400 to a door-to-door salesman who was selling meat says her story should be a warning for people in similar circumstances.

Two door-to-door salesmen recently came to Heidi Boemper's home. She says the men were selling chicken and beef and offered her what sounded like a great deal.

"He offered two boxes of meat for the price of one," said Boemper, who was tending to her children at the time and was somewhat distracted.

The price was $398.

"I was hesitant to buy the meat, and he actually said he would throw in another box of meat," Boemper said.

The deal got even better -- now it was three boxes for the price of one.

"I thought it was a great deal," Boemper said. "I took the bait."

Boemper wrote a check and made it out to the salesman. But soon afterwards she got a bad feeling.

"I had kind of a sick feeling to my stomach saying 'I just spent 400 bucks on meat and I didn't ask him (important questions)' ... he didn't have a brochure. I didn't get a phone number," Boemper said.

Boemper then contacted her bank to cancel her check.

"It was too late. He cashed it in under an hour," she said.

Boemper tracked down the salesmen on Facebook and sent one of them a message. She still hasn't received a response.

"I'm pretty embarrassed. I made a really quick decision and I'm not like that," she said.

The Boemper family is now stuck with all the meat, and although they tracked down the manufacturer and learned it is all fresh they still aren't quite sure about it.

"We're not a 100 percent certain that it's good. When you can't get a hold of your seller, you don't know if they are standing behind it or not," Boemper's husband Jonathan said.

Additional Resources

Consumers do have rights in these kinds of sales, 4 On Your Side Consumer Investigator Jodi Brooks reports.

"If someone comes to your door, check the dealer and get a brochure. Read the label on the package. And with a product like meat make sure it is in a refrigerated vehicle," Brooks said.

The following are helpful links in such situations:

- USDA's Door-To-Door Meat Sales Facts Sheet

- FTC Facts: The Cooling-Off Rule, When and How to Cancel a Sale

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