Verizon has temporarily suspended door-to-door marketing in Delaware, after an 18-year-old salesman working for an outsourced marketing firm was arrested in Wilmington, Del., for allegedly masturbating while watching a woman work in her garden.
“Verizon is aware of this incident involving one of its vendors,” the company said in a statement. “We have zero tolerance for violations of the law and hold our vendor responsible for the actions of its employees. Out of respect and concern for our customers, Verizon has suspended [door-to-door marketing] in Delaware until further investigation is complete.”
The telco said the vendor is 20/20 Companies, a marketing firm headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. The same firm was the target of complaints from residents in Ridgewood, N.J., in May 2007 for deploying overly aggressive sales reps on Verizon’s behalf.
According to an article Wednesday in Delaware’s News Journal, Daniel Chelland of Wilmington was charged with two counts of lewdness, resisting arrest and criminal trespassing.
Police said residents on July 28 saw a man – wearing a Verizon T-shirt – hiding behind a vehicle and apparently masturbating. The woman he was watching said that a man had been to her house earlier and had attempted to sell her Verizon services.
