Last spring, we wrote about door-to-door salesmen pressuring people into switching their energy providers. Here’s another, recent account of similar activity, this time by representatives of Commerce Energy, that left a neighbor, Sarah, upset and made her believe that it was a scam.

We should point out that Commerce Energy is a real company and a major player in electricity. The Inquirer includes them in a list of alternative suppliers here. But their sales tactics have angered many consumers. Sarah’s description of her encounter echoes the experience of many others.

“We have had two Commerce Energy representatives come to our door tonight saying that they wanted a copy of our PECO bill and wanted to sign us up to Commerce Energy whereby we can get lower rates. By way of protection do not sign up with them and do not hand over your PECO bill, as it is an absolute scam as they are basically trying to sign you up for a new energy company and lock you into a 5 year agreement… They are still walking around West Philly trying to sign up other people… They are also quite aggressive and harassing so just tell them to leave.”

Photo by Paul J. Roane.

The folks at 4611 Springfield Avenue are again hosting a Halloween party for neighbors of all ages, an annual tradition in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. On Halloween night, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., make sure to visit the Haunted Garden for treats and tricks. As usual, the garden will feature a dozen spooky sets and treat stations, with thousands of candy bars, fruits, pretzel bags and bite-sized treats. And while waiting in line, enjoy The Philly Thrillers group performing the zombie dance from the “Thriller” video.

Haunted Garden wouldn’t be such a success without all the help from people in the neighborhood. This year, too, the event organizers are looking for volunteers to help decorate the place this Saturday and Sunday, from 1-4, and on Halloween, from 4:30-7:30 to act in costume and distribute treats. If you would like to help, you can contact one of the organizers, Elizabeth, by email: home.in.phila@juno.com.

A screen shot from the Philadelinquency map (see full map below).

Philadelphia has a lot of tax deadbeats. As West Philly-based journalist Patrick Kerkstra wrote, there is a “culture of non-payment” that has cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes. One brand of delinquent is the landlord who allows tax bills to pile up while still charging tenants rent. Christopher Sawyer has created a helpful way to identify them.

Sawyer, an “anti-blight activist” in Kensington, has produced a very useful tool over at his site, Philadelinquency, that has taken delinquent tax records and matched them with rental property licenses to produce a database of delinquent landlords. To make this information more helpful, he has plotted all of the delinquencies on a clickable Google map. When you click on a pin you get the Office of Property Assessment account number, contact information, Licenses and Inspections history and amount owed.

As you might have guessed, no section of the city has more delinquent landlords than West Philadelphia.

Across the city more than 4,500 properties have a delinquent balance of more than $100 and 1,178 property owners owe enough in back taxes to be brought to sheriff’s sale. The total amount owed is about $13.36 million.

We’ve embedded the Philadelinquency map below. The map is movable and clickable. To see West Philly properties grab it and drag it to the right, then click the + in the upper left to zoom in to a specific area.

Be sure to keep an eye on Sawyer’s site for more future info and data crunching.

View Larger Map

A national franchise is entering the local pizza game. Domino’s Pizza is scheduled to open its doors at the corner of 45th and Chestnut streets next Monday. The space was formerly occupied by the restaurant Demetris, which reopened last winter after being closed for remodeling, but closed again shortly after that.

Unlike many Domino’s restaurants that specialize in take-out and delivery, this location includes a half-dozen or so eat-in tables. This is the second Domino’s Pizza restaurant in West Philly. The other one operates in the Overbrook area (60th and Lancaster).

VIX Emporium has announced that the holiday edition of Go West! Craft Fest will take place in The Rotunda on December 15 and that any artists or craftspeople interested in being a vendor at the event are welcome to apply. Applications are free and available online here. The last day to apply is November 5.

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming festival. If you missed the fall Craft Fest at The Woodlands, please go here and here to see photos. BTW, the new “West Philly is the Best Philly” hoodie (pictured below) was a hot item at the festival and if you missed it, you can buy it online.

West Philly Local readers, Morgan and Tom, wanted to let neighbors know that somebody smashed a window in their car, parked on Baltimore Avenue:

“…A brick was thrown through our car window on Friday night. Surprisingly nothing was stolen, even a bag with emergency supplies that sits just below the broken window. It was parked on the north side of Baltimore ave between 44th and 45th. A brick was found on the back seat. Maybe they didn’t like our SC plates? We have no idea why someone would do this.”

Morgan and Tom said that they were going to file a police report today.