An Odd Experience - some very dodgy people out there!

I wanted to tell everyone about a recent experience I had. I hope that by writing about it, I can come to terms with it, because it's made me feel very anxious.

Last week a man rang my husband and said he wanted to meet with him and to talk about an "entrepreneurial opportunity". I thought it sounded strange to me, as he didn't expalin what the opportunity was. I said to my husband "Do you think he wants to sell us some time-share stuff? Could that be what it is?" My husband had no idea, but since the man was calling from a local number, he decided to go and meet him.

It didn't bother me too much - I just thought it was odd that the man didn't elaborate over the phone. My husband wanted me to come with him, but I tried to get out of going, saying "You go. You won't really need me, I may as well stay home." Then I told my husband he could just call the guy and cancel the appointment, if he couldn't be bothered going himself.

In the end, we both went. It didn't seem like such a big deal. Although I thought it was odd to be meeting someone we didn't know, on a Sunday, at a pub. As though we were already friends or something. Very Strange.

It turned out to be the man and his wife, sitting there, waiting for us, beers in hand (at 11.30 in the morning) looking for all the world that they were out for a casual Sunday lunch, and not a business meeting.

The man made chit chat about the weather and then launched into (what I thought) was a silly explanation about the course of the average person's finances over a life-time. He used a little piece of paper to draw a pointless diagram. He talked in very vague terms about "gaining financial independence" and "earning a stream of income". It was very repetitive and pointless. As though we don't all know what money is and what it is for!

I started to get a bit restless. If this was supposedly an "opportunity", then he wasn't getting to the point at all; he was going no-where.

I said "Ok, yes, but what does this opportunity actually involve?"

He said "Is this something you would be interested in?"

I said "Well, I can hardly say whether or not I'd be interested, since you haven't told us what this scheme involves."

Then things got slightly nasty. Very, very slightly weird. He said "I can tell you are not interested, you are only curious - you are not asking the right kind of questions."

I was floored. He came there to sell us something, but now he seemed to be criticizing me. I said something along the lines of "Well if you have an interesting opportunity, you have to be able to sell it. How can people be interested in something so secretive? Can't you just give us a hint as to what this is all about?"

He said he was not selling anything and that we would have to attend a conference in Melbourne in order to learn more. Again, he said that I was asking him the wrong questions. Then he sort of implied that we were wasting his time! (More like the other way around, I would say!)

It was just so odd. I have never had someone try to sell me such a vague concept and get annoyed with me for not wanting it. I sort of felt like I was being chastised, like a child.

The wife was mainly mute, but I thought she had weird, staring eyes.

My husband was really nice about the whole thing- he seemed so relaxed and showed a kind of polite interest, without saying very much at all.

After we left, I felt really angry, but I tried to make a joke of it. Then later I told my husband that I would never, ever attend something like that, ever again.

I even wondered if that couple were from some kind of cult or something? I mean, a typical salesman loves to be asked questions and will even say "good question" to you in the conversation. This guy was not like that at all.

I know I am anxious. But this man made me feel really, really upset, for some reason. Has anyone out there experienced this kind of thing before? I talked to my friend about it over the phone and she thought it was really odd, too.