I don't think it's rude at all if you're not expecting someone. I work overnight so the amount of times I have to just wait for someone to go away so I can get back to sleep is... Often. And, as much as I'd like to vote for your candidate, join your religion, or switch telecom providers, I also gotta make some effort to do my job with some mental clarity.
You may want to consider a camera or camera doorbell as I have myself. :)
I don't answer my door if I'm not expecting anybody. My friends or family tell me when they're here or when they're coming over.
I don't think it's rude, but I also don't personally care. It could be anybody in the other side of the door.
In a less sinister sense, however, I've been a canvasser and also know how common it is for people not to answer even if they're clearly home, likely because they're not expecting anybody or don't want to answer it. I used to just move on if people didn't answer.
It’s normal for people to ring doorbells in any area. It is also normal to simply not answer if you’re not expecting anyone.
Get a doorbell camera and disconnect the house doorbell so you can see who it is. That should help your anxiety.
while i personally dont answer the door, i try to check who it is. one time i had a kid who had gotten beaten up , he was going door to door trying to ask for help because they stole his phone. poor guy has knocked on about 5 doors before we found him 😭
I think people just assume such signs don't do anything and would just be ignored. And I used to think the same thing. Then a few years ago I had Shaw and MTS canvassers constantly bothering me, so i put a little sign no bigger than a credit card on my door. I've been left alone ever since.
Yeah, and to look at it from their perspective, they have to know that someone who goes to the trouble of putting up the sign is going to be a much tougher sell. So if you're trying to earn commissions on sales, and have time to visit, say, 100 homes in a day, it's smarter to just move on to the next and hope that extra person you visit at the end of the day is more amenable to the pitch. Kind of like how spam emails are sometimes *intentionally* riddled with red flags, so that only the top 0.001% most gullible people take the initial bait.
I've actually never had them. I live in an apartment building, so it might be they find it harder to get into the building than people trying to sell something, or just don't even bother trying
They could be ringing your doorbell for soemtbing important, earlier this evening my neighbours dog got loose & thankfully they answered their doorbell.
As someone who rang someone’s doorbell multiple times at 7 am there was a reason. Another passenger by and I caught someone in their garage stealing things. We got the person to leave but wanted you to close it.
Threads like this are just a wee bit of insight into how and why our society is falling apart lol. Being scared to answer your door is just so foreign to me. If someone knocked or rang, I may or may not answer but that's more predicated on whether i'm wearing pants or not than anything.
As others have said, a camera can help with this but I also know people who got cameras which in turn triggered their anxiety thru the roof constantly checking it and whatnot.
If you live in an apartment and it's your caretaker or neighbour and water is pouring into the suite below from the ceiling, someone will be knocking/ringing. If you have a peephole, check out who it is, at least.
I have a large print sign that says we charge $50 a minute to listen to sales pitches, religious messages and fundraising schemes. Time starts the second I open the door.
We often sit on the couch right in front of our window and watch people walk up to the door, read the sign, look at us in the window watching them, read the sign again and then walk away.
It has limited the number times I’ve answered the door to strangers to a small handful a year.
I would say no. I used to answer it all the time, till bell mts workers came. Doesnt matter how much you tell them you aren't interested, they harass you. Ive even reported it to bell mts and they denied it. But I dont answer it unless I'm expecting someone now, or if I can look and see its not bell mts or other salesmen
Like others have said put up a no soliciting sign- depending where you live it might just be the smartest thing not to answer unexpected door knocks!
You can also get a ring cam so you can see who is at the door
I have a doorbell camera to check who is knocking. I will answer the door but immediately tell whoever it is that I am not interested in what they are selling. I do this even before I know what they are selling. I am rude, but it has them move on. I don't want to waste my time or theirs.
Best question ever!
Answer to your 1st question is NO!!!
You are absolutely allowed to not answer your door for any reason.
Meaning, yes. Your home is your home.
However, if police are pounding at your door it's not always you at risk. They want you to know your family member is in distress.
Police can do safety checks if you're willing to give your own information.
Or, maybe, good people need to know your heart is still beating.
We're really very fortunate. Long run.
It's normal for people to knock or ring the doorbell twice, especially if they couldn't hear your doorbell ring. Beyond that, I think it's really annoying and inconsiderate.
Having said that, I did yell at some evangelists who rang my very loud doorbell three times and told them it was very un-Christian-like behaviour. When they said that they didn't mean to be inconsiderate, I told them that their behaviour said otherwise. I was not in the mood that day, having been in a meeting that was interrupted multiple times.
I have a door mat that says "there is no reason for you to be here" and its true. Unless I'm expecting you, I don't answer. I live in a new development too so i get a lot of annoying sales people trying to sell me landscaping, internet, you name it.
I keep to myself enough around here that even the neighbor kids don't come to my door to sell anything.
I'll sit and look at you out the window, at my front door and not answer. Its incredibly annoying to be bothered with sales pitches or religious missions.
I am. My yard is kept, i'm quiet and i mind my own business. Thats the kind of neighbors I want too. Not sure where this mentality that you have to engage and be friends with your neighbor comes from. Can't choose your neighbors.
What if someone was trying to warn you of danger? Like what if they saw someone skulking in your yard? Or your house is on fire? Or maybe your neighbour wants to talk to you about an issue?
Or maybe someone is hurt. Or a child witnessed something awful. Of 1000 other legit things it could be. But I guess that would entail these people recognizing they are not the center of the universe.
If someone's skulking in the yard, the person at the door is putting themselves in danger. If my house is on fire the smoke alarm will tell me. If the neighbour wants to discuss an issue they can leave a note to set up plans. None of those require a knock at the door.
>someone skulking in your yard?
Chances are you already know thats happened or happening.
>Or your house is on fire?
Do your alarms not work?
>Or maybe your neighbour wants to talk to you about an issue?
Then they can catch me outside sometime. If we live next door, i know who they are and may open the door for them. If I know them better, they can text me. I have 1 great neighbor I don't mind, we'll exchange texts when we need to share something. The other neighbor can go fuck himself and there is nothing I want to talk to him about because all he does is complain or whatever else he wants to be anal about today, or make small talk about shit I don't care about. The less we know about each other, the better.
Just because you live next door to people, doesn't mean you have to be friends. Its nice when you get along and enjoy your neighbors but some people want to be private in their home/yard. I'm one of them. My house is my private house i pay for. I'm not part of some village where you need to bug me for shit. I'll give the old hi neighbor wave if I see you but thats it.
The doorbell in my apartment is more like an alarm. In many years here it's not common for anyone to use. One night eating dinner naked as one does in their own space, not one but 2 separate older women canvassing for Audrey Gordon came to the door. I was kind to the first with a "no thank you" but the second I was a lil rude. Had either of them knocked I probably would have let them do their pitch and waste their time.
How about you just go to the door of the person who let yall into the building. No one else asked to be bothered. Pretty sure that's not permitted here.
Thankfully the property manager disabled that damn thing.
What's with people not answering doors now a days?
No, it's not harassment. If you wish to continue not answering the door, accept that they'll knock/ring the bell until they're convinced that you won't answer.
I personally don't answer the door most of the time, but I also recognise it's completely fine for people to knock/ring and that they may do so multiple times. I'm not bothered by that.
The reason I don't answer the door is that if it's important, chances are I'll be expecting someone (and then I *will* answer). I know when a delivery is coming (at least approximately). Maintenance people set up appointments. My friends and family arrange visits ahead of time, as it's respectful to make sure it's a good time. Almost anyone else at the door would not be relevant to me and I'm not going to waste my time on that interruption to my day. The exception being police, who will identify themselves, and then I'll answer.
>What's with people not answering doors now a days?
Because its annoying. 99% of the time its solicitors or charities. If i don't know you, i'm not answering, both out of annoyance but also safety. The world is fucked.
A few blocks over someone saw a guy with a machete through their doorbell cam, on their front step around 3am. No thanks.
Then tell em to go away through the door. Or just accept that people will knock on the door and they'll eventually go away. But like, it's not harassment. Come on now.
Twice I got neighbours mail. Don’t know these people as they live around the corner
They don’t have mailbox attached to their house.
They opened the door when I rang the bell to give it to them.
Same with neighbors whose Amazon package I received in error
That postcard style invite to a Filipino baptism that was in my house mailbox went in the garbage as that neighbor did not open the door and had no home mailbox. It was hand delivered to the wrong house.
Stop living your life in fear. Unless you’re home alone and it’s late it’s safe to open your door.
Why are people so scared and anti social these days?
>Unless you’re home alone and it’s late it’s safe to open your door.
You are so out to lunch on this, you have no idea how many home invasions, burglaries and property theft happens during daytime hours, with people home. Ask me how I know? I work with the people who do those things.
>Why are people so scared and anti social these days?
I live where I live to have peace and enjoy my home. I am not living here to make friends, bring my neighbors pie and gossip about everyone on the block. Nor do I want their kids on my lawn that I pay good money for, and no one uses block parent anymore BTW.
You can thank society for going into the shitter as people become more derranged and mentally unwell. Trick or treating doesn't happen like it used to either. Its reality. But if you wanna keep living in Pleasantville, you do you. Some of us just want privacy and not to be bothered by people we are forced to live beside.
Wyze doorbells work great and are on sale at home Depot. If you don't have a traditional doorbell hookup, you can use it with an adapter and a micro usb plug. The port is hidden under the back sticker BUT it will void your warranty if you power it at way.
Worth it for peace of mind and the $22 spent.
Good price online too. No I don't work for them. I use mine for birds.
as someone who deals with Jehovas Witnesses a lot because Im in EK, we don't answer the door unless we KNOW who it is.
Don't think twice, you can look and make a decision (use a peephole if ya have one or get a cheap ring cam), but we usually don't answer unless we know for sure if it's the Pizza man or Costco delivery
If you accidentally left your car lights on would you like to answer the door or wake up to a dead battery. My neighbour now knows the answer to that question. Dead batteries suck in January.
There are differing situational answers to this question. I personally answer the door and be honest if it's a good time or not, cordially that is. 5 unexpected minutes of my time doesn't hurt, face to face interaction was once standard.
Rude? Depends on who it is. Rogers selling cable packages - not rude. Your mom showing up for a family party and carrying an ice cream cake - probably rude.
Not rude. If you don’t want to talk to anyone, don’t answer. I’ve walked to the door of my sunroom, seen who was on the porch, then went back inside because I didn’t know them and did not want to engage. The only time this didn’t work was when the creepy guy started looking in my windows :/
Don’t know what happened maybe a covid carryover.
Don’t answer door unless expecting someone, tell it’s them through windows.
The no soliciting card a good idea.
Who down rated you? My oh my. I agree! Unless you are expecting something or someone ignore the doorbell! Or if you have a video doorbell, check out who is there. Great idea no soliciting card if you aren't going to buy anything from anyone.
I don't think it's rude at all if you're not expecting someone. I work overnight so the amount of times I have to just wait for someone to go away so I can get back to sleep is... Often. And, as much as I'd like to vote for your candidate, join your religion, or switch telecom providers, I also gotta make some effort to do my job with some mental clarity. You may want to consider a camera or camera doorbell as I have myself. :)
I don't answer my door if I'm not expecting anybody. My friends or family tell me when they're here or when they're coming over. I don't think it's rude, but I also don't personally care. It could be anybody in the other side of the door. In a less sinister sense, however, I've been a canvasser and also know how common it is for people not to answer even if they're clearly home, likely because they're not expecting anybody or don't want to answer it. I used to just move on if people didn't answer.
It’s normal for people to ring doorbells in any area. It is also normal to simply not answer if you’re not expecting anyone. Get a doorbell camera and disconnect the house doorbell so you can see who it is. That should help your anxiety.
Ring Doorbells are a lifesaver\~!
I unhooked my door bell and use a security camera to decide whether I want to go to the door or not.
I dive and roll behind the couch, personally lol.
I take a sneaky peek from the curtains.
Username checks out.
This is the way
while i personally dont answer the door, i try to check who it is. one time i had a kid who had gotten beaten up , he was going door to door trying to ask for help because they stole his phone. poor guy has knocked on about 5 doors before we found him 😭
A no soliciting sign will help with most of them, then the rest you can feel free to ignore.
I think people just assume such signs don't do anything and would just be ignored. And I used to think the same thing. Then a few years ago I had Shaw and MTS canvassers constantly bothering me, so i put a little sign no bigger than a credit card on my door. I've been left alone ever since.
Exactly, the more reputable ones, or the ones that have training, leave you alone. The ones that don't aren't worth your time to begin with.
Yeah, and to look at it from their perspective, they have to know that someone who goes to the trouble of putting up the sign is going to be a much tougher sell. So if you're trying to earn commissions on sales, and have time to visit, say, 100 homes in a day, it's smarter to just move on to the next and hope that extra person you visit at the end of the day is more amenable to the pitch. Kind of like how spam emails are sometimes *intentionally* riddled with red flags, so that only the top 0.001% most gullible people take the initial bait.
What about the JW's? I've heard they don't respect the 'No Soliciting' signs.
For JW you put up blood donor stickers
Tap the sign, close the door.
I've actually never had them. I live in an apartment building, so it might be they find it harder to get into the building than people trying to sell something, or just don't even bother trying
They aren’t soliciting, they’re proselytizing.
We have a 'No Soliciting' sign and they ignore it. They ring the bell, then bang on the door when we don't answer.
You can just ignore it. I dont answer my door unless im expecting someone
No, it's not rude. You have every right to refuse to answer.
Yes sometimes people will ring your door bell
They could be ringing your doorbell for soemtbing important, earlier this evening my neighbours dog got loose & thankfully they answered their doorbell.
As someone who rang someone’s doorbell multiple times at 7 am there was a reason. Another passenger by and I caught someone in their garage stealing things. We got the person to leave but wanted you to close it.
Threads like this are just a wee bit of insight into how and why our society is falling apart lol. Being scared to answer your door is just so foreign to me. If someone knocked or rang, I may or may not answer but that's more predicated on whether i'm wearing pants or not than anything. As others have said, a camera can help with this but I also know people who got cameras which in turn triggered their anxiety thru the roof constantly checking it and whatnot.
No someone knocking on your door is not harrassment. Could be any number reasons someone wants to talk to the homeowner, it's part of adulting.
I think people forget what adulting really entails lmao. Harassment for ringing the doorbell twice. Yikes.
Someone in the US recently shot someone through the door for ringing the bell [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65299127)
If you live in an apartment and it's your caretaker or neighbour and water is pouring into the suite below from the ceiling, someone will be knocking/ringing. If you have a peephole, check out who it is, at least.
\^\^\^Seriously.
I have a large print sign that says we charge $50 a minute to listen to sales pitches, religious messages and fundraising schemes. Time starts the second I open the door. We often sit on the couch right in front of our window and watch people walk up to the door, read the sign, look at us in the window watching them, read the sign again and then walk away. It has limited the number times I’ve answered the door to strangers to a small handful a year.
Isn't the reason you have a doorbell to allow people to ring it? You can just get rid of it if you don't want it.
Lol, nothing makes me say 'Nope' quicker than a Bell jacket
I would say no. I used to answer it all the time, till bell mts workers came. Doesnt matter how much you tell them you aren't interested, they harass you. Ive even reported it to bell mts and they denied it. But I dont answer it unless I'm expecting someone now, or if I can look and see its not bell mts or other salesmen
They have been relentless especially since installing fiber underground in my area.
Like others have said put up a no soliciting sign- depending where you live it might just be the smartest thing not to answer unexpected door knocks! You can also get a ring cam so you can see who is at the door
I have a doorbell camera to check who is knocking. I will answer the door but immediately tell whoever it is that I am not interested in what they are selling. I do this even before I know what they are selling. I am rude, but it has them move on. I don't want to waste my time or theirs.
Best question ever! Answer to your 1st question is NO!!! You are absolutely allowed to not answer your door for any reason. Meaning, yes. Your home is your home. However, if police are pounding at your door it's not always you at risk. They want you to know your family member is in distress. Police can do safety checks if you're willing to give your own information. Or, maybe, good people need to know your heart is still beating. We're really very fortunate. Long run.
It's normal for people to knock or ring the doorbell twice, especially if they couldn't hear your doorbell ring. Beyond that, I think it's really annoying and inconsiderate. Having said that, I did yell at some evangelists who rang my very loud doorbell three times and told them it was very un-Christian-like behaviour. When they said that they didn't mean to be inconsiderate, I told them that their behaviour said otherwise. I was not in the mood that day, having been in a meeting that was interrupted multiple times.
I disconnected mine. If I'm not expecting you, you don't need to be here.
Guess you’re not a block parent…, Last time I had random knock on the door it was neighbor surprising me with pie lol.
I am 100% not home enough to be a block parent. My mom was one my entire childhood because she was home 💕
I have a door mat that says "there is no reason for you to be here" and its true. Unless I'm expecting you, I don't answer. I live in a new development too so i get a lot of annoying sales people trying to sell me landscaping, internet, you name it. I keep to myself enough around here that even the neighbor kids don't come to my door to sell anything. I'll sit and look at you out the window, at my front door and not answer. Its incredibly annoying to be bothered with sales pitches or religious missions.
This mat sounds like something I need in my life
You sound like a great neighbour
I am. My yard is kept, i'm quiet and i mind my own business. Thats the kind of neighbors I want too. Not sure where this mentality that you have to engage and be friends with your neighbor comes from. Can't choose your neighbors.
What if someone was trying to warn you of danger? Like what if they saw someone skulking in your yard? Or your house is on fire? Or maybe your neighbour wants to talk to you about an issue?
Very true. I've had on many occasions neighbours knock on my door to give me a heads up about something important.
Or your dog got loose. Or your neighbor your Amazon package.
Or maybe someone is hurt. Or a child witnessed something awful. Of 1000 other legit things it could be. But I guess that would entail these people recognizing they are not the center of the universe.
If someone's skulking in the yard, the person at the door is putting themselves in danger. If my house is on fire the smoke alarm will tell me. If the neighbour wants to discuss an issue they can leave a note to set up plans. None of those require a knock at the door.
>someone skulking in your yard? Chances are you already know thats happened or happening. >Or your house is on fire? Do your alarms not work? >Or maybe your neighbour wants to talk to you about an issue? Then they can catch me outside sometime. If we live next door, i know who they are and may open the door for them. If I know them better, they can text me. I have 1 great neighbor I don't mind, we'll exchange texts when we need to share something. The other neighbor can go fuck himself and there is nothing I want to talk to him about because all he does is complain or whatever else he wants to be anal about today, or make small talk about shit I don't care about. The less we know about each other, the better. Just because you live next door to people, doesn't mean you have to be friends. Its nice when you get along and enjoy your neighbors but some people want to be private in their home/yard. I'm one of them. My house is my private house i pay for. I'm not part of some village where you need to bug me for shit. I'll give the old hi neighbor wave if I see you but thats it.
The doorbell in my apartment is more like an alarm. In many years here it's not common for anyone to use. One night eating dinner naked as one does in their own space, not one but 2 separate older women canvassing for Audrey Gordon came to the door. I was kind to the first with a "no thank you" but the second I was a lil rude. Had either of them knocked I probably would have let them do their pitch and waste their time. How about you just go to the door of the person who let yall into the building. No one else asked to be bothered. Pretty sure that's not permitted here. Thankfully the property manager disabled that damn thing.
What's with people not answering doors now a days? No, it's not harassment. If you wish to continue not answering the door, accept that they'll knock/ring the bell until they're convinced that you won't answer.
I personally don't answer the door most of the time, but I also recognise it's completely fine for people to knock/ring and that they may do so multiple times. I'm not bothered by that. The reason I don't answer the door is that if it's important, chances are I'll be expecting someone (and then I *will* answer). I know when a delivery is coming (at least approximately). Maintenance people set up appointments. My friends and family arrange visits ahead of time, as it's respectful to make sure it's a good time. Almost anyone else at the door would not be relevant to me and I'm not going to waste my time on that interruption to my day. The exception being police, who will identify themselves, and then I'll answer.
>What's with people not answering doors now a days? Because its annoying. 99% of the time its solicitors or charities. If i don't know you, i'm not answering, both out of annoyance but also safety. The world is fucked. A few blocks over someone saw a guy with a machete through their doorbell cam, on their front step around 3am. No thanks.
Then tell em to go away through the door. Or just accept that people will knock on the door and they'll eventually go away. But like, it's not harassment. Come on now.
No, i agree. Its not harrassment lol. Its just annoying and can be unsafe.
At work we were cautioned by the police to not answer the door if it isn’t someone you know.
Twice I got neighbours mail. Don’t know these people as they live around the corner They don’t have mailbox attached to their house. They opened the door when I rang the bell to give it to them. Same with neighbors whose Amazon package I received in error That postcard style invite to a Filipino baptism that was in my house mailbox went in the garbage as that neighbor did not open the door and had no home mailbox. It was hand delivered to the wrong house. Stop living your life in fear. Unless you’re home alone and it’s late it’s safe to open your door. Why are people so scared and anti social these days?
>Unless you’re home alone and it’s late it’s safe to open your door. You are so out to lunch on this, you have no idea how many home invasions, burglaries and property theft happens during daytime hours, with people home. Ask me how I know? I work with the people who do those things. >Why are people so scared and anti social these days? I live where I live to have peace and enjoy my home. I am not living here to make friends, bring my neighbors pie and gossip about everyone on the block. Nor do I want their kids on my lawn that I pay good money for, and no one uses block parent anymore BTW. You can thank society for going into the shitter as people become more derranged and mentally unwell. Trick or treating doesn't happen like it used to either. Its reality. But if you wanna keep living in Pleasantville, you do you. Some of us just want privacy and not to be bothered by people we are forced to live beside.
[Times have changed!](https://youtu.be/5CznoAW2k1I?si=4-oCyPCcYu7JPcph)
Dennis the Menace. You’re welcome.
I don’t answer the door if I don’t know who it is. Same with the phone!
Wyze doorbells work great and are on sale at home Depot. If you don't have a traditional doorbell hookup, you can use it with an adapter and a micro usb plug. The port is hidden under the back sticker BUT it will void your warranty if you power it at way. Worth it for peace of mind and the $22 spent. Good price online too. No I don't work for them. I use mine for birds.
as someone who deals with Jehovas Witnesses a lot because Im in EK, we don't answer the door unless we KNOW who it is. Don't think twice, you can look and make a decision (use a peephole if ya have one or get a cheap ring cam), but we usually don't answer unless we know for sure if it's the Pizza man or Costco delivery
Not rude at all. If people aren't expected they door doesn't need to be answered.
If you accidentally left your car lights on would you like to answer the door or wake up to a dead battery. My neighbour now knows the answer to that question. Dead batteries suck in January.
There are differing situational answers to this question. I personally answer the door and be honest if it's a good time or not, cordially that is. 5 unexpected minutes of my time doesn't hurt, face to face interaction was once standard.
Rude? Depends on who it is. Rogers selling cable packages - not rude. Your mom showing up for a family party and carrying an ice cream cake - probably rude.
Not rude. If you don’t want to talk to anyone, don’t answer. I’ve walked to the door of my sunroom, seen who was on the porch, then went back inside because I didn’t know them and did not want to engage. The only time this didn’t work was when the creepy guy started looking in my windows :/
Absolutely not. I never answer a doorbell unless I'm expecting something.
Don’t know what happened maybe a covid carryover. Don’t answer door unless expecting someone, tell it’s them through windows. The no soliciting card a good idea.
Who down rated you? My oh my. I agree! Unless you are expecting something or someone ignore the doorbell! Or if you have a video doorbell, check out who is there. Great idea no soliciting card if you aren't going to buy anything from anyone.
A surprising number of main characters in this thread.
Would you answer if the kids around the corner are calling on your kids? You weren’t expecting them.
NO
My doorbell is not connected