If a door to door sales person or someone you don’t know is at your door, you don’t have to acknowledge their presence, even if it’s clearly apparent that you are home. If it’s important then they will shout what they are their for, like if it’s a neighbor you haven’t met yet and your roof is on fire. It’s your home and there is no obligation that you have to answer the door for everyone that comes knocking.
LPT: You don’t have to answer your front door when you’re home.
SocialAgreed. To me this is the in-person equivalent of spam phone calls. Just because you have a phone number or a door to knock on, doesn’t mean anybody can invade your space/connect with you at their whim. You get to choose who and when. Boundaries.
Like you said, if it’s that important they could yell or even leave a note.
I think it’s a dated concept to assume that one has to acknowledge any knocker.
When I was a kid, our living room windows were open to the front door. If I was home alone and saw someone walking down the driveway, I booked it upstairs so they couldn’t see me sitting there. A few months ago a Google fiber salesman got me feeling kind of bad before realizing that I didn’t in fact need to set up a follow up time for him to come back since it wasn’t a good time. That was the first time I realized that I didn’t actually need to answer the door OR pretend I wasn’t home. Literally the only time we’ve had someone come to the door for something useful beyond package delivery was neighbors bringing Christmas cookies at the holidays.
On the other hand, our old neighbors literally never answered their door. There were a few times we had to actually talk to them about stuff and didn’t have a phone number - I got up my courage to go over 3-4 times, could clearly see the wife in the living room (she could also see me) and she never answered so I ended up leaving a note. I put my phone number on the note so we actually could communicate after that. I get it - her policy was just to never answer the door. But as someone with social anxiety it was annoying to get up my courage to ring someone’s doorbell multiple times for nothing lol. At least they texted me later.
I am a woman that lives alone. Unless I am expecting a package I have to sign for, I never, ever, answer the door. Anyone that knows me knows this, and either has keys to my place (door is always locked), or they call ahead of time.
Same! I installed a electric combo door lock that lets me assign different combos to different friends and family members so it tells me which combo was used and when. Super convenient!
Yeah, dad has that at his house. No keys.
It's all fun and games until he threatens to delete your code (jokingly).
Although I found out last week that he cant see what code belongs to whom, so he would have to kill them all to kill mine.
as a dad i probably would do that just to mess with everyone and keep everyone on their toes
A monthly rotation of dad jokes, in T9 code
oh yes that would be hilarious
That's amazing and I've never heard of it--can I ask how much that cost if you don't mind?
Not OP, but Schlage has one right around 100$. All the lock makers have a version. Super convenient.
I have that as well. Everyone i'm friends with or family can enter their code and come in any time. So if my door bell rings it's generally a weirdo.
89.7% of murder victims are killed by a friend or close associate 96.3% percent of the time. (USA, 2015)
I wouldn’t give that door code out to too many friends.
This is so cool! What’s the brand name if you don’t mind sharing?
I'd be wary of some of those electrical door looks. A lot of them are pretty easily defeated with a well-placed magnet. Of course not all of them but my buddy had one on his house plus cameras and when he got robbed the thief went right up to his door stuck a magnet to the side of it and just walked in.
LockPickingLawyer has made some videos on that. It's scary how many locks in general just aren't very secure. Locks tend to only keep honest people out.
When my buddy was learning to pick locks as a hobby he got into my front door in 30 seconds. Sure there's better locks out there but they're just a deterrent. (I put in a schlage keypad)
Agreed. I also have a mean big German shepherd (I did not train him to be mean or protective, he just doesn’t like new people and it takes awhile to get to know him. Once he accepts you, you are then protected). But, ever since I was a latch key kid, I was told never open the door to ANY stranger or even anyone I wasn’t expecting. I don’t care if it is rude. Being rude is better than being unalive
it's the people with keys to your place that you have to worry about.
like your heart.
Ehh, that's my mother, who lives 1200 miles away, and my aunt, who only has a key because she rescues me when I lock myself out of my own house.
No one else has a key.
I have keys to my mom and sisters house and I have rescued my mom multiple times and I've had to let my sister's dogs out when she wasn't home.
Yeah my neighbour took in a parcel for me kindly, I spent the next two weeks trying to get it off her, she didn’t answer the door after dark (winter) and I didn’t get home from work til half five, then they went away at the weekend. Kinda needed it as we’d just moved into our first home and were light on kitchen stuff
Not only spam calls, calls in general! Just because i have a device and you have my number i am not obligated to answer you every time. If it is important call again ( the second time i will answer) if you abuse this, good luck when you are dying and i just missed your 10th call!
Saying No thank you and being "nice" takes 30 min, and is taken as a challenge by the salesman.
being "nice"
Fortunately I'm a large grumpy looking dude, people usually believe me when I say no. And if they don't get it the first time, they definitely get it the second.
Just in general, people are not entitled to my time for any reason. I'm sure people think I'm rude, but those mall kiosks with the people who approach and try to talk to you, I just ignore them. I instantly hang up on anyone trying to sell me anything on my phone and I don't answer the front door. I see lots of people who engage all these scenarios despite clearly not wanting any part of them, and it bothers me. Who cares if they think you're rude? Not only will you never see or hear from that person again, they'll forget you ever existed 5 minutes after you leave their sight.
It really is such an antiquated practice but it’s so funny bc of course some boomers would consider me a rude millennial for not answering every door knock or phone call
It's not an age thing.
I'm old and I never answer the door when I'm home alone and I never answer my phone if I don't recognize the number.
Just minimizing the aggro in my life.
I’ll look you in the eye and not answer the door. I don’t know you.
*Pro tip: look them in the eye as you lock the door
Pro, pro tip: lock your door, people. There is no such thing as a neighborhood where you shouldnt.
I live in the North Puget Sound region in a semi rural area 65 miles north of Seattle. About 10 years ago a lady with a son in his 20's with severe mental illness called law enforcement asking for help because he had gone off the deep end. Kid was well known to law enforcement. They dispatched a Sheriff Deputy who had a rapport with this guy to his mom's house. The meeting went south, he wrestled the sheriff's gun away from her and shot her dead. He then went through the neighborhood shooting at people in their yards, and entering neighbor's homes through unlocked front doors, killing 6 people in the neighborhood and wounding 4 others. That rampage was big news and a shock to our community. Until that day, we left the doors unlocked even at night. Now the front door to our home is locked at all times and the side door is left open only when one of us is outside in the garden etc. Of course it doesn't hurt to have a couple of big watchdogs in the house with us but dogs only work unless somebody has murderous intent. Bang bang, doggy.
pit orp orp: locks are for honest people.
If they Want in, they gonna get in.
BUT, it Not being easy to get in helps them Not Want to get in.
Thusly, lock. your. doors. And windows.
Locks prevent opportunist burglars. It's not uncommon for them to check doors along a corridor or street and sneak in while you having a nap, shower or barbeque.
They'll grab anything valueable and close to the door and be out again in 1 minute.
This is also why you shouldn't keep your car keys next to your door.
That’s my purse! I don’t know you!
Absolutely love that energy
Oh goodness my in-laws are my landlords and my FIL absolutely loses his shit when I don't answer the door because of this shit.
The thing is I'm someone who was born with impaired hearing and I'm also a dyed in the wool Motorhead fan who owns stereo headphones so I can enjoy that without triggering local seismographs.
Add on having anxiety that flares up sometimes and it's fucking ridiculous.
Had to tell my MIL who tried defending his tantrum about it, "First off: I'm partially deaf. I don't owe anyone an apology for not acting on sounds I didn't hear. Second: I struggle from time to time with anxiety, which you both know perfectly well, and if that's why I'm not answering you're a fucking asshole for banging on my door like the house is on fire."
Went over like a screaming baby in a theatre but fuck that lack of boundaries.
Yesssss keep fighting the good fight
Time for a new landlord.
Please tell me your SO backed you up.
Boomer here. I never knock on doors unless I'm expected. I mostly text , but I do prefer phone calls sometimes because they are faster if it's going to be a longish conversation. It's also handy if I'm setting something up with one of my kids, and it needs input from their partner to just have them put me on speaker. But I never call without texting first, emergencies excepted
Just laugh at people who act this proud of their leashes and try to convince you to put one on.
It won't change their behavior, but you weren't going to do that anyway.
Does wonders for your own well-being, though.
Yuuuup. Sometimes I feel bad bc I can be pretty harsh to them about not following “traditions” but then I’m like fuck it who cares
I mean I don’t think it has anything to do with tradition… and really there’s no need to be harsh about it. :)
It’s simple: what worked during a certain time period no longer works. That’s how life goes. As time passes, things change.
(Though people get entrenched in habit, and it can be hard to recognize that and let go.)
True enough but I guess I was speaking for to how my ultra conservative southern family views everything and “how things should be”.
Like for them if someone comes up in nice clothes and knocks on your door, you open it, talk for 20 minutes and offer sweet tea - as is tradition
For me, I peep out the front window and ignore - bucking tradition of my family.
That’s really all I meant and I am harsh to them and their other “traditions” bc fuck racism and anyone who is down with it.
Again, a bit more of a personal version of events.
Oh wow.. so interesting. I’ve never been to the south, so I’m sure it’s an entirely different culture down there. I can understand having extreme reactions in that situation!
My door bell rings, my dog goes crazy. I walk towards the door. I see that it’s a woman from the local telecom company, so I turn away (she saw me through the window). Then she rings again, my dog goes nuts again, my kids are asking whose at the door. Loud enough for her to hear I say that it’s a salesman, just ignore it. Then she rings a third time as we are standing in the hallway looking at her and my wife is saying “wtf is wrong with this person???”. Then she presses her face up against the window to get a better look at us and rings a forth time!!!!. I’ve had enough I open the door and I just say “I’m not interested”, so she starts her spiel about whatever deal they have. “I don’t want it” I saw as I’m closing the door. She’s still trying to talk as she’s handing me her flyer as I shut the door.
I had a salesman knock 3 times and wake me up when I was working nights. I ignored the first 2 he knocked really loud the 3rd time. He regretted knocking the 3rd time.
I don't answer my door. I don't answer my phone. If you want to talk to me, text me, email or leave me a phone message and I will get back to you. People don't understand that, but my house is my cave and I don't like being bothered in my cave. And my phone exists for the ease of my life, not anyone else's.
I never answer my door. If I'm not expecting you, go away.
I’ve sat where a person at my door could see me through the window, looked up at them, realized I didn’t know them, then went back to playing video games. I think they got the message.
LOL! I was laying on a couch next to an open window that had a full view of the front door and had a salesman show up, look at me and say, come to the door! I was like, you need to leave now. I am busy reading and I'm comfortable and I don't know you. He started to argue his point (!) and I picked up the phone laying there and said out loud as I dialed "nine" "one" and he left before I could hit the last "one".
WTF? Come to my house, uninvited, to sell me something I don't want, need, nor asked for, and you tell me to get up and come to the door? Then try to argue with me when I tell you to leave?
Salesman at my door the other day, i ask him through the doorbell, trying to clarify who he is, if it's concerning trying to sell something, because I'm in a meeting rn and don't have time. He starts asking if my husband is home.. I ask him again if he's here concerning selling something, he starts asking when my husband gets home.. eventually leaves saying he'll be back when husband's home... it's like it's 1950s again. Nice selling insulting your potential clients, refusing to acknowledge my question, demanding to speak to some mythical man...
He starts asking if my husband is home.
Shady.
Could very well have been planning a crime, not trying to sell you something.
This happened to me too. Opened the door and got "are you parents home?" I kinda stared for a few seconds like wtf, then just said "I own this house." You could just see the dude realize there was no chance I was now interested, but he tried anyway.
It was some paving company was trying to unload half a load of asphalt after doing another driveway. Said they could do half my driveway now then come back another time to do the rest. My response was "so you want to half ass pave my driveway, with no cleanup or prep, starting at 3pm in the afternoon, and not even do the whole thing? Give me your card so when I really want to redo the driveway in a few years I know who not to call." Dude just sulked away.
I did call my parents afterwards and ask if they were home. Seemed only right.
Well because what proper woman would have a home without a husband? /s FFS.
I usually just open the door, and tap the “No Soliciting” sign right out front. They usually get the message, but sometimes I have to read it to them out loud.
What’s really funny is when cable/internet and power companies try to insist that they’re not selling anything.
I once opened the door to someone standing on my porch looking at his cell phone. I asked if was a smart phone. When he said yes, I pointed to my no soliciting sign and told him to look up the meaning of that word. Then I shut the door, locked it, and walked away.
Personally, I would open the door, let them get two words out, and then dramatically and loudly slam it in their face. Fucking hate solicitors.
Also have a "no soliciting" sign, sometimes get a politician looking for votes. I'll ask for a brochure so I'm sure to remember who to vote against, because of his ignoring the clearly expressed wishes of a voter.
They don't like that.
I imagine the amount of door to door sales and solicitation has dropped since people realized that they just didn’t need to answer the door. To think that one would be entitled to my time simply because they made their way up the driveway is borderline insulting. Except on Halloween. Then you get candy.
My parents' kitchen had a window that was right next to the door. Basically, if you were knocking you were in a narrow "alley" with the wall on your left, door in front of you, and if you turned right there was a huge window in your face.
I had no shame sitting there with my arms crossed staring them down until they went away. Some stayed for another 15 min knocking and some got their supervisors.
Best ones were when we would open the blinds, turn on the light (so they could see inside) and just sit down to dinner. I'd make sure to walk each dish right by that window. Set down the cutlery and make sure it caught the light. Fastest way to an apology.
Yeah, it’s odd of people to expect people to interact with them simply because they came to your house. Most were sales people, so I’m not missing out. If they looked like neighbors though, I’d definitely see what’s up.
We got a lot more bold at this after the neighbour's house caught fire because it took away our "what ifs". If there's an emergency, whether you know the person or not, you WILL know.
Yeah, I doubt they’d be politely knocking on the door.
“Hi, I’m your neighbor. Sorry to disturb you, but did you know that your house is on fire?!”
Funny enough when it happened it started off somewhat politely... we heard the neighbourly "come to your door" knock, pause, more knocking. my mom didn't want to open because she didn't recognise the 3 men at our door. They lived across the street and didnt want us kids freaked out, so they tried to play it calm. It was after my mom started flipping out at us for wanting to answer the door that those guys started pounding, yelling and pointing frantically.
Some stayed for another 15 min knocking and some got their supervisors.
Lol that would've been a funny conversation. "Boss, this person is just standing there and staring me down. I've been here for 15mins, what should we do?"
That is awesome!
Same, they can press my buzzer constantly but they aint getting in if I don't know them, I usually have people pressing my buzzer when they can't get an answer from who they're wanting, they don't seem to understand if the person they're after doesn't answer their buzzer then they aint in, or they're getting ignored
Same I do this all the time. Unless I know it’s a friend or a delivery person or a cleaning person or someone that I have an appointment for, I just peek through the door and never answer it.
Exactly. If I’m not expecting you and I do know you, you can call or text me.
This is London, Jen. It's not someone with cake.
An unopened door is a happy door.
Unless that cake is made of dog poo and knives!
As a FedEx guy, someone tried that shit me when their package required a signature. I saw them. They saw me. We made eye contact. I even held the box up and made a signature gesture. The recepient walked away from their door.
I took their package right back to the station. I didnt see it on my load the next day, so I assumed the recepient drove the 30 minutes to pick it up.
WTF was in the package that they would see you coming and just walk away? Divorce papers?
Seriously, if something is coming to me by FedEx I’m leaving a note on the door to knock loud because I’m home and anticipating whatever’s being delivered
They might have anxiety. Or diarrhea!
Or even Covid maybe.
I have weed man lawn care ring my door bell twice a week from March to October. We don't have any grass. They walk across a bed of rocks to ask us how our lawn is.
My weed guy only comes over to make deliveries. You need a better weed guy.
You don't get weeds in your rocks? If so, tell me the magic cause I live in a desert and I get plenty and hire someone every now and then to remove them.
They aren't offering to clean weeds out of rocks. They want to aerate and fertilize my nonexistent lawn.
I have teenaged kids that pull the weeds out a few times a year. Live in PNW 200ft from the ocean. Lot of rain and weeds.
That sounds annoying but has also reminded of something funny. I stop at a gas station on the way to work once a week or so and the Weed Man fleet will sometimes be there at the same time. When they walk in the gas station cashier announces “The weed man cometh!” 🙂
Sales people figured out most people were working from home and decided to start soliciting in the neighborhood. That's when I stopped opening the door.
If it's not rude to interrupt someone's work day, it's not rude to make eye contact through the window and glare while shaking your head "no".
Oh, you're just trying to do your job? Funny, me too.
Even if you were just sitting at home jerking off or staring at the wall, nobody has the right to your time and your space. They can knock and go around all they want if it's within the law, but if their job requires them to bother people they should expect people to be bothered, whatever their job is.
Power move if you're in the middle of feeding your genitals a knuckle sandwich is to stare directly into their eyes unflinchingly. They won't be back, especially if they're religious types.
I ask if they're selling something, when they say yes, I just laugh, ask if they would like an ice water before I send them on their way. They get it.
Earlier today I answered a spam call with “no.”
She kept trying to initiate the conversation and I just repeated “No.” about 25 times and then she said “So, no to everything?” And repeated “no to everything” and she wished me good day and hung up.
No to "Do you not want me to call you again?"
Got em
I'm not sure whose time was wasted more here
A neighbor gave me a spare 'No Soliciting' sticker we placed on the window beside the door and it was life-changing. The amount of times they had woken up napping children was infuriating. Now we see them on the doorbell camera walking up to the door and then walking away.
I have a video doorbell. It has a feature that allows you to set times where the doorbell does not trigger the bell/chime. It's fantastic for times you dont want to be interrupted like when you just got the kids down for a nap. Still pops up a notification on my phone so I can decide if I want to ignore them or not.
I need to set mine for that too. Multiple times some solicitor rings my bell, triggers the chorus of barking from my dogs and wakes up my 4month old
I have a "no soliciting (girl scout cookies okay)" sign. Heard someone knock, yelling "Girl Scout Cookies!" Of course in fly to the from door sliding all around my hardwood floors but when I open the door it was some old lady from the f'ing Church of Christ
Thou shall not deceive your neighbor, or some shit like that.
I'd demand free cookies
Did you tell that bitch not to come back without two packs of thin mints and a hail satan?
Doesn’t stop em from knocking on my door
Same. They say “we’re offering a free quote it’s not soliciting” like that’s any different lol
This is what yelling is for.
Same here, so I printed out and highlighted the city law that states they cannot knock if a no soliciting sign is clearly visible and put it under my doorbell with the sign. It's worked so far
I did it a couple of years ago and my wife was against it at first. We are both wondering why we didn't do it 15 years ago. BTW, it says "No Soliciting" and underneath "neighbors welcome" because we will buy absolutely anything that a neighbor kid is selling.
omg this reminds me of bug repellent or something. 😆
I have one that says "no soliciting, unless you have food" because I like my snackies.
I've seen videos of salesmen flipping the sign over then knocking anyway.
That seems like a great way to get berated, possibly even attacked.
I want to get a "Yes Soliciting" sticker for my door...... and still not answer it.
An unopened door is a happy door. So we never answer ours when someone knocks.
That opening gave me chills
Especially if they have a Tnetennba!
That's a pretty good word, innit
Did you see the ludicrous display last night?
It's not someone with Tnetennba, unless that Tnetennba is made of dog poo and knives.
Where was that from? IT crowd?
Same. Unless they're delivering food for me, that door doesn't open.
My front door is purely ornamental and non functional
I have a sign that says "Go Away!"
I have a GO AWAY doormat, but people ignore it...
I open the door, point down and then close the door.
I never answer the door unless I'm expecting a visitor, I can see no good coming from opening your door to a complete stranger, chances are they will be after money in some form or another
I had someone knock on my door offer to replace my windows at a discounted rate due to them already being in the neighborhood................... I live in an appartment complex
LOL..so its not even you they should be talking to!
Exactly, I was like, "knock yourself out buddy but I dont think I'd get my security deposit back"
I get phone spam calls for a Solar evaluation at my home, and they mention my old address, which is an apartment. I say "Sure! I'm home all the time, let's set up an appointment for your next available time."
I have gotten a few angry calls back from the salesman looking for me. But I don't really get those calls anymore.
I always ask "who is it". If there refuse to identify themselves I ignore them. Works well because honest people (like neighbors that need help with something) don't have a problem with identifying themselves.
I haven't answered my door in years lol
If I'm not expected you, I'm not answering.
True, but pays to check who it is if you can. I didn't answer a knock at my door but got curious and checked a window once. It was a truck driver with a delivery of soil about to be dumped on my driveway, they had the wrong address. If I hadnt have checked, I would have been stuck shovelling a whole lotta dirt to get my car out.
Not answering can be a matter of safety. It’s not unheard of to use someone knocking at the front door to distract a homeowner (especially elderly) while someone breaks in the back.
Counterpoint: Most burglars knock on the front door because they don’t want to rob a house with a person home in it.
Most burglars knock, and if someone answers, they make something up to avoid suspicion and leave to go try another house.
If no one answers, that signifies to them that no one is home and that they should go ahead and rob the place.
I’m not saying you’re wrong. But I am saying what I’ve heard to be a very common tactic.
And if this is what’s happening… it might arguably be safer to answer the door, or show some sign of being home, in order to avoid them breaking in while you’re inside.
But I also understand why people wouldn’t want to answer the door at all for the various reasons in this thread.
Tbh, I don’t know what the absolute safest thing to do is in the situation.
Counterpoint: Most burglars knock on the front door because they don’t want to rob a house with a person home in it.
That's how my dad and a neighbor caught some guys breaking into someone else's house. Knocked on the neighbors house and asked if Tom (or some name) was there, then said oops wrong house. He thought it suspicious and came to my dad who also said they knocked on his door. Then they looked down the street and the van following the guy has backed into another neighbor they knews driveway.
I have first hand experience with a couple guys beating on my door and then trying to break in after they were sure nobody was home(5-10 minutes of vetting it out). One of them climbed my fence and was actively trying to lift my glass door off the tracks. They left in a big hurry when I showed him one of my handguns.
That's what happened to me. 13 year old girl home alone, obviously not supposed to answer the door for strangers, house was broken into. Locked myself in the bathroom shaking like crazy 'til police arrived.
You basically can't win.
Yup I personally got robbed this way. I didn't answer, guy broke in the back window.
Agreed. This is a very common MO for burglars. That's why those video doorbells where you can see someone at your door and talk to them are so popular. You don't have to even be home or open the door to tell them you're not interested and to go away.
I’ve had Jehovah’s Witness folks try to juggle the door handle and get inside while I ignored them once. I was in the shower naked and came out screaming.
Where I’m from, that’s a good way to get shot.
"Oh you're gonna witness Jehovah today"
Yeah I had two Jehovah's Witnesses just walk straight in on me once. Luckily I was in the kitchen holding a knife at the time and I guess that spooked them because they immediately apologized and left. Not sure what conscious decision I would have made in that situation.
Who TF tries to walk into a random stranger's house?! As you say, a great way to be unalived.
Holy shit, the entitlement. My mom had this happen to her but she was doing some cleaning in her room with the window slightly ajar. JW lady opened the window further and poked her head in. Mom almost whacked her in the face with a broom for the scare/audacity.
Looked through our front door after a knock, eye contact made with a couple older teenage boys in ties. Announced to my wife in the next room, it's the Jehovah's. Through the door I hear, we aren't j dubs dude, were Mormon, it's different. I asked through the door, but is it, and walked away. I have never felt cooler.
Super important LPT: If you do open the door and it's not someone known to you personally, absolutely do not let them in or give them any information until you can verify they are who they claim to be.
Case in point, a couple of weeks after we moved in to our first house, my fiance answered the door for someone claiming to be from ADT and that our realtor had included a security package in our closing costs. He claimed he was here to do the assessment prior to installation and offer possible upgrades.
I saw he had arrived in his personal vehicle, he was carrying a clipboard and wearing blue jeans and a plain polo shirt, but otherwise he didn't have any kind of markings indicating he worked for any company at all let alone ADT.
So, I scared my wife a bit because after my admittedly quick assessment of him I sternly told him to leave the property immediately. The dude acted all surprised and tried to step inside, so I roughly shoved him out of my door and told the fiance to call the cops. I yelled at him from the window, as I took pictures of him and his car, that he had 5 seconds to get his ass off my property or I'd get my gun.
After talking with the cops, and confirming it with ADT and our realtor, I was pleased find my suspicions were correct. The dude was at least a scammer and at worst he could have been checking our house for possible home invasion or burglary. The cops let our neighbors know and the local news station ran a little advisory to let people know to be alert for scams like this.
TL;DR Don't let anyone in your house without verification because they might be a scammer, or worse.
It took me until too late in life to learn this. As a single woman living alone, I didn't "know" this in my 20s. It just seemed like the polite, natural thing to do to open the door for anyone/everyone, even if it was after dark. Now I'm almost 40 and I don't even open the door for the pizza guy when I know he's coming. I got no bra on; leave that shit on the porch table, I'll get to it in a minute.
Covid can fuck right off but contactless delivery is about the best thing to happen to my socially awkward, anxious self.
My wife wants to hide/be quiet whenever we ignore a doorbell. I don't answer unless I expect you or you call first.
Lol. My neighbors won’t catch a hint. Will knock every 15 seconds progressively louder and louder until I finally cave. It tends to be issues that are no where near my responsibility, such as their heat not working or a different neighbor being parked in their spot.
I need better ignoring skills.
They won't catch the hint because you conditioned them on how to get you to answer the door: Just keep knocking. Be polite, but tell them unless its an emergency, or something important to respect your privacy.
I push the blinds aside and stare at em.
YAY! You have NO obligation to either answer your door or answer your phone. You are in charge, remember?
Goes for the police too. If they've got a warrant they're coming in whether you answer the door or not. If they don't have a warrant you don't have to go talk to them.
(Though, caveat, unless you know what they're for it probably wouldn't be a terrible idea to see what they want. Last time they wanted to talk to me it was to tell me my ex had been arrested and I needed to go pick up my kids.)
They also show up in person for next of kin death notifications.
Or evacuating for something like a gas leak.
Or looking for a missing person/child in the neighborhood.
Best to ask what they want from a window or behind a locked door rather than ignore them altogether.
At least 1-2 times a week I get a knock of a guy “I was just doing work on one of your neighbors houses and wanted to let you know about this special offer”
Oh really! Which neighbor? They never answer this one for some reason!
I occasionally get people knock on the door with a "I'm not selling anything but..." Before going on to tell me about all the things they want to sell.
I normally just point at the no unsolicited salespeople sign on my door and close it.
I have a no soliciting sign up. I pointed to the sign and the dude said "Oh I'm not soliciting" so I asked what he wanted and he said he was with AT&T and they had an offer for my neighborhood. I asked him exactly what he thought the word soliciting meant, because he obviously didn't understand the definition of the word. He said thank you and left. I'm still confused on what he thought it meant.
These are the ones i always get as well. Almost always a roofing company
Or windows.
The irony of a door-to-door window salesman. Why doesn't he just sell doors!?
Solar panel people are on the prowl heavy in AZ
I already have solar panels on my roof which they can see from the street and they still knock on my door and try to sell me solar panels.
Depends on the area. upscale areas in cities or suburbs. Are more likely to be hit.
I get 1-2 a week sometimes more in the summer. A LOT of times, it is those scam "energy suppliers".
Doesn't hurt to put up a no trespassing sign and a no solicitors sign.
Burglars will often knock before a forced entry to ensure no one is home. If you were to answer it, they might ask for "Jake," and make it appear as they came to the wrong door, then move on to another potential victim. If you have a video doorbell, it's wise to answer the door using your doorbell and saying, "Hey, I'm currently on a work call inside and am unable to talk. Thanks, and bye."
I literally never answer my door unless I'm expecting someone. My best mate dropped round unexpectedly one time and went home cos he thought i wasnt in. Haha
I've hidden from family members so many times
Those Jehovah's witnesses are relentless. No way I'm letting you in. Nice try with that whole "we're the police" routine. You can't trick me! Was interesting to hear you call the Bible a "warrant" though.
This just reminds me of the Monty Python Burglar sketch.
It's a crime to impersonate the police in my country. I'd call the cops on those cops.
I’m an anxious person ok, don’t even try knocking on my door without a 24-hour notice. Thanks!
It may also take me between 12 - 48 hours to respond to said notice
Some burglers use this technique to know if someone is home. It is importante to signal to strangers that the home is not empty.
Just grab your phone, pretend you are on a call, ask "what is it?" then say "sorry, I'm busy and this is going to take a while". This way everyone will go away, even potential burglers, because they think you have direct contact with someone outside your home.
sorry for my English.
I came here looking for this response. In our old neighborhood, people looking to break in a house would ring the bell to see if anyone was home. They didn't want to face people---just wanted to steal stuff, so they went to the door to verify no one was home. If you came to the door, they'd just ask a question (do you need yard work done, etc) and go away. A young mother got a big surprise one day when she didn't go to the door. A few minutes later, her back door was kicked in. The would-be burglars ran off when they saw her.
Going to the door with the phone in your hand is the right call.
Absolutely. Also, don’t ever let door to door salesmen in to your house. It’s common for thieves to say they’ll carpet clean an area of your house for free so they can get inside and get a look at your valuables so they can come back at a later time. Also always ask for a company name and card or see if they have employee IDs.
Thanks for that advice 👍 I don’t always answer the door but when I don’t I feel the need to hide, usually on the sofa with a throw over me. No more hiding for me now I know it’s perfectly normal not to answer ☺️
On several occasions, people have knocked on my door to give me treats (apples, pie, cookies, peanut brittle, etc.).
I knock on their doors to give them treats.
Sometimes it's just someone soliciting for whatever. A polite "no thank you" and send them on their way.
I'm in the midwest btw.
You don't have to tell me 👀
I've started doing sign language after seeing that one video. Works exactly as intended.
I bought a video doorbell so I can see who I'm not going to answer the door to, and even passive-aggressively record a message to play explaining how I'm just not going to answer the door.
I would encourage anyone to get one, they're so damn handy when you're out or want to be nosy as to what's happening outside your door without the embarrassment of being seen curtain-twitching.
Man. Where I’m from, opening the door for someone you don’t know is asking for a robbery. 😂
I had someone come up to my front door last year. I had the blinds open so she could see me sitting right there eating my lunch. She smiled at me, approached the door and rang. Rang again. After 5 minutes she walks away glaring at me while I continue to happily eat my sandwich.
I live on a second floor. If I don’t know you and wasn’t expecting your arrival (barring an extreme emergency), my happy ass isn’t going down those stairs to let you in. Imma just stay out of sight while you waste your time. I don’t give the time of day to salespeople or proselytizers.
I will look someone in the eyes through the window and not answer.
A big reason why I love living in an apartment building. Top floor if you can! (no sounds from above) and you'll never get strangers trying to talk to you!
Cops Hate This One Weird Trick!
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