[Closed] Do you answer the door at home?

I never answer the phone at home, I do answer the door

Depends.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, possibly not.

Always answer the door but often wish I hadn’t. Living in the middle of a city means we get regular and persistent cold callers.

All depends on how they rattle the letterbox, some are too weak and not worthy of answering, some are too assertive and sound like trouble so get ignored, others are just right and sound friendly enough so I might answer them ones if I can be bothered.

I always do. Thinking about it now I don't recall ever having an unexpected visitor at this house (eg friend or family). They will always message first. In the evening sometimes it's a neighbour, usually a chugger, occasionally a delivery. Surprisingly large number of people coming to the wrong house too. Think I'll carrying on answering it. You never know

Always answer the door, if it’s a cold caller I release the hounds.

We are pretty rural, rarely get anyone even coming down the road let alone knocking on the door. It's usually one of the neighbours.

Nope. No one I know is going to turn up unannounced.

I feel like being rude to cold callers is less rude than cold calling in the first place.

Got a cancer research chugger earlier, she told me all about some awesome new drugs before I told her I already donate to them. She seemed vaguely pleased.

Cats protection league can do one though...

Only answer if expected or postie/delivery. Don’t answer phone either unless I know who it is

I answer the door to everyone.

I'm usually naked.

So that at least gives them a laugh.

I have a pre arranged doorbell code with my mates, any one else, esp in odd hours, it will be either be T.V licensing or some similar ****. (London life)

If I'm "not at home" I send the butler.

Yes, it could be a delivery, however I’m rarely home during the day, so that can be a pain having to collect from the sorting office, or in one case, a forty mile round trip to the depot because the courier used did not do weekend or re-arranged or alternate address deliveries.
Haven’t had charity people round for a while, they get sent away before they can start their spiel, I don’t do direct debit charity donations.

cctv, remote access via a handset and intercom, means i dont need to get up ans say no thanks to un expected visitors.

If we cannot see who is there from the window, we don't answer the door. Similar for landline phone, we use a 24/7 answering machine, if we are in and we want to speak to the person beginning to talk, we pick up.

Why? We are both of a nervous disposition and really hate cold callers, of which we get many.

Sometimes I think maybe we should get a CCTV thing installed, but I'd rather it was made illegal for bible bashers and cold callers to knock on our door, if we sign up to a scheme and/or put something on the door.

I would love to have a note on the door that stated that an unwanted door knocker will have a bucket of old fish tank water thrown in their direction, but I fear this may have repercussions! 😆

Yes. But it's always some arsehole

I pretty much always answer the door. With cold callers I find a slammed door in the face often offends.

Jehovah's witnesses get a little extra treatment before the door is firmly shut.

Yeah I do.

It's almost always a neighbor with a parcel they took in for us, or picking up one that we took for them.

Gates are always locked so nobody can get to the door. If the gates are not locked then anyone that does open the gate tends to not close it properly so we get horses or cows in the garden

So, not as strange as I thought then!

My wife does answer the door or phone unless she is aware of who it is in advance.
Drives me bonkers

Maybe. Usually check visually through peep hole and would probably not open to an unidentified caller.

We rarely get phone calls as no one really knows our landline number, there are periods when there is no phone connected to it anyway

Will answer if expecting a delivery, etc. Will deffo not answer if I see the caller approaching and they look vaguely salesy, religiousy, etc.

Never answer the landline though.

Yes. Always. Why expect the worst? It could be someone in need of help, a friend on a surprise visit, the "authorities" warning you to evacuate your house before the neighbourhood blows up.....

What's up with people not answering the phone.

Are you all shy or something?

When I was assisting with the last National Census the pilot involved knocking on doors. A surprising number if folk simply ignored it.

I didn't realise so many STWers lived in West Edinburgh.

Got a video doorbell a few weeks back, generally look to see who it is and decide if I can be arsed to reply.

Yep, but I always rue the decision as it's always somebody selling something, religious types spreading the word or dodgy tradesfolk touting for work.

So I'll stop answering the door methinks...

No, never, I open the window. If I want to talk to them they get told to wait. I then go out of the back door and go round to greet them.

Yes, always. It's rue not to, and I can alsways politely tell cold callers to go away if nedessary.
Usually it's a neighbour calling about a parcel or letting us know they'll be away. We also hold some neighbours' keys so they call on us if they have locked themselves out. That used to be common when they had teenagers coming home at all hours.

Yep buy more often these days via the Ring app. Good if I’m in the garden office or anywhere else.

I usually do (except halloween & the run up to Xmas) & if It's a cold caller I say nowt & point at the sticker that says, 'no cold callers', then SLAM the door in their faces!

I don’t, no.

He does it for me..

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This is pretty much exactly what happens when someone comes to me front door.

I always do. We don't get really get any time wasters like that, it's usually deliveries.

Did have a Jehovah's Witness couple come by over three years back now and they still come by once a month. We yarn for a fair bit and rarely about religion, I'm sure they must know by now that I'm not joining..

I'll answer the door but cold callers get a prompt 'I won't be interested' why waste their time and mine on some sales patter I won't be interested in? Anyway had one guy take umbrage and try to get in the house to argue - I literally had to shove him out of the door and lock it. I was pretty shocked, I did wonder if I would have been justified (legally) in beating the living **** out of him for trying to force his way into my home?

My door opens outwards, it's proved useful in the past.

"Reasonable force" can be used.

No-one I know has my land line number, it's for my internet connection. It's permanently on silent so never gets answered.
I'm not a nosey/curious person so don't bother checking the answer machine on it either.

I only ever buy internet products that have an Argos delivery option so a knock on the door will be salesperson or other form of pikey so I never answer. I know the knock of my two neighbours so
that will get answered.

The people describing how rude and aggressive they are to cold callers (reasonable force.... Get a grip):

You do that makes you, rather than the cold caller, seem like a proper roast, don't you? Bet you feel really manly whilst you do it.

I'm in a block of flats so it's a buzzer to ask to be let in before they reach my door so that screens out most cold callers. Unless someone else lets them in, then they knock on every door! I have been known to disconnect the buzzer if I'm not expecting anyone or a delivery.

Now if I could stop the leafleters getting at my letterbox that would be wonderful, currently on 8 leaflets for local shops just today.

Of course. To do otherwise is just plain rude.
Cold callers just get a polite No thanks and the door shut. No need to be rude to anyone is there?

Bet you feel really manly whilst you do it.

Not in the slightest, why would it??
Makes me happy once theyv'e pissed off though.

Except once, when I opened the door & did my usual pointy at the 'no cold callers' sticker, to which the lad apologised & turned away. As an ex prison officer I just had a feeling...so called him back & asked what he was flogging (he had a big bag, so was obviously carrying/flogging something) Turned out he was on a ROTL (release on temporary license) from an open prison (HMP Kirklevington Grange in case you need to know) & out for the day on 'workout'. So I bought some stuff off him & said how nice it was to see he was doing something to get along.

That's it really, sorry to bore you. 😐

That's cool.

Never answer mine

I always answer the door, my mind boggles that an able bodied adult wouldn't !! But if I didn't the caller could just walk in anyway, I don't lock the door untill about 10pm ish or when I go to bed. I dislike the feeling of locking myself in more than a vague worry that someone might come in and do me harm.
P.s
I live in a terraced house with the front door opening directly onto the pavement.

Unless I'm expecting someone like Amazon delivery guy, no. Same as phone. Don't recognise the number, it goes to answer phone. Beats me people I see answering phones and getting frustrated with sales calls. Just don't answer them!

What's up with people not answering the phone.

Are you all shy or something?

I have a mobile, people who know me call me on that and also know not to waste their time leaving me voicemail if I can't pick up, as it will never be heard. I have a landline number because it comes with my internet connection. I've never plugged a phone into it in this house. I don't want a landline in my life, so I choose not to use it. It impacts no-one so I'm fine with this.

I do agree with Scotroutes though. There's a possibility that any unexpected person at the door could be a person in need of help or someone with an unexpected but important message. I answer the door. If it's someone selling a charity or whatever I ask them to leave. I have selected the charities I wish to support. I feel badly for the kids as it's a crap job they do, but I'm not being double guilted into supporting something because of this.

Don't you folk who are rude to door knockers worry that you'll get flaming dog poo through the letterbox?

i never answer to anyone i am not expecting. same with phone calls

a friend on a surprise visit,

Having started out life as a door to door canvasser as a 16 year old a lifetime ago ..I know how demoralizing it can get to have constant rejection when you know someone is in the house..
I always answer the door ..hardly ever buy anything ..but will have a chat if they want.
Sometimes you can tell that the fact someone has taken a minute or two out of their day ..means something even if it's just a chance to practice their pitch ..they are only trying to make a living

I always answer my door. 😀

Well yes. Might be a neighbour needing something. In the same way I don't announce in advance my pop-next-door for stuff type visits.

Always. We live in the middle of nowhere with a gate and a long drive. Cold-callers are non-existent. In fact, the majority of people turning up to the house (that aren't delivieries) just walk straight through the front door without even knocking.

Always.
Could be a neighbour bringing me free food from their garden/allotment! 😀
Then there was the time one of my neighbours woke my up to inform me that the local co-op was flogging everything half price due to smoke contamination from a fire next door. He even helped me push the trolley full of booze home! 😀 😀

Most visitors obey the "knock & enter" sign

What's up with people not answering the phone.

Majority of calls are scam calls so just a waste of time. Family or friends text or phone mobile. I wouldn't have a land line if I didn't need one for my internet access.

What's up with people not answering the phone.

Years of working in call centres giving me a hatred of them. Also anxiety issues

What's up with people not answering the phone.

no-one I know has my land line number, I'd struggle to remember what the number is myself, therefore anyone who calls it is a cold call, and I ignore it.

If it's important they leave a message.

My mum is still convinced it costs more to call my mobile than the land line, so I answer it. Otherwise like others I wouldn’t bother. In retrospect I should never have told her the number.

I answer the back door, but that's because that where the neighbours all come too and it has a panel of glass in the door I can see through to who is on the step. If someone knocks on the front door and I'm not expecting a delivery, I'll look through the upstairs window first. If it's evening, I'm not expecting anyone and certainly if I'm home alone (bear in mind I'm one of the few stw ladies!) then I won't.

If someone's banging on my back door, I definitely won't answer it.

I'm pretty rural (have been for a few years now). I don't often get anyone at the door. When I do it's usually my neighbour or the postie. Or the landlord. In the last place it was the laird! Or the police... the last place I had double patio doors that looked out on the front door so I'd usually see them coming anyways.

If it's late I'll do a quick check to see who it is first.

It could be someone in trouble or need of help so I'd like to think I'd always answer it.

In the past I've ignored what were obviously cold callers/chuggers as well, why waste their time (or mine)...

One of the benefits of having supremely crap broadband service is that I'm on 4g wifi thing so don't have (or need) a landline. The last place was in a mobile black spot and couldn't get mobile signal (until I changed provider) so had to keep (and answer) the landline as it could've been my folks/an emergency...

I always answer the door, my mind boggles that an able bodied adult wouldn't !! But if I didn't the caller could just walk in anyway, I don't lock the door untill about 10pm ish or when I go to bed. I dislike the feeling of locking myself in more than a vague worry that someone might come in and do me harm.
P.s
I live in a terraced house with the front door opening directly onto the pavement.

I am taxi25. Really don’t understand why people wouldn’t answer the door and can’t get my head around locking yourself in your own home unless you live in some sort of ghetto.

I don’t answer the house phone though. On the odd occasion that it rings it takes me a while to realise what’s actually ringing

I can't believe some people don't answer the door - what the heck are you worried about?

What if it's a neighbour in distress/needing help?

If I lived somewhere where I was fearful to open the door, I'd move. Any other reason is plain rude

Never answer the landline. Usually answer the door.

This thread makes me realise just how middle class you bunch are.

Our phone line has never had a phone connected, no idea if it works. Virgin wouldn't sell internet without a phone connection at the time. No idea if anyone calls it, don't even know the number.

Our landline doesn’t work, I could bother Virgin about it, but who cares. At our last place we had Sk, the only people who rang were... Sky to sell us more Sky.

I always answer the door although its mostly cold callers, even a guy selling fish.

Live in the middle of nowhere now so I would generally always answer the door. Belfast was a different story though. Most evenings you'd get cold callers, certain times a year it would reliably be three or four cold callers an evening.

Somewhat "vibrant" political scene as well so constant election canvassing and the like. You could waste a whole evening politely telling strangers to **** off.

Once I answered the door, and ended up with a crazy man with a knife in the house. He was escorted out. But we do live in Glasgow.

I lived in Houston for a while. Every time I answered the door there (unless it was a courier) it was someone pulling a scam. Hideous place.

rural here so its either one of the neighbours or an errant yodel driver.

The only time we had a cold caller it was an SNP **** who wouldnt take polite leave me alone , nor the impolite leave me alone - i resorted to picking up my grinder and grinding on scrap till he went away. (i was in the garage welding the bulkhead of my land rover at the time he arrived and barraged me with stuff i really wasnt interested in at the time due to the aforementioned task. )

I still live in Houston and do not answer the door to randoms. I also no longer answer the phone to any number not in my phone book at any time of day. Too many scammers...

If its someone standing there with a clipboard or looking to sell something i don't answer. If its a neighbour I do.

We never get a knock at the door.

Callers probably can't be bothered with climbing over the 9foot high gates & then walking 1/4mile up the drive.

Lazy gits...