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Original poster

Can someone provide a logical explanation..

19 replies

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 20:37

And ease my silly anxious mind?

I’m sat quietly watching tv and I hear the front door handle go. No one knocked before or after trying. This freaked me out a bit so I ran upstairs (likely they just walked back off the drive) to the bedroom window to check.

I’m hanging out of the window when I see a car in front of my house but no lights on. So I assume the person who tried my door is still standing on my drive. I can’t see them but I do have a porch blocking the right side view so shout “hello” nothing.

A neighbour on the other road was reversing anyway blocking the other cars movement. When it’s parked the other car drives off, still no lights on?

I check and there’s no parcel, I’m not expecting one either. My doorbell is working fine so why didn’t they use it?

I’m not normally so easily panicked but yesterday I was giving my daughter a bath and the doorbell rang. Again not expecting anything or anyone so just ignored it. Then they tried my door handle! I went to the bedroom window as my daughter is only little so don’t want to leave her completely. And it was a neighbour with a parcel (It wasn’t my parcel, it was for a different addressee and house number)

I don’t know if this added to my anxiety but this has made me feel so uneasy and anxious. The only thing I can think of is they had the wrong house. But how did they realise that so quickly!? Why is it suddenly okay to try peoples door handles?!

OP posts:

StarsAreWishes · 08/02/2022 20:40

Yesterday, neighbour with parcel, was probable going to leave it inside the door if you hadn’t answered.

Today, did you check your doorbell? Maybe it isn’t working?

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 20:47

@StarsAreWishes

Yesterday, neighbour with parcel, was probable going to leave it inside the door if you hadn’t answered.

Today, did you check your doorbell? Maybe it isn’t working?

Yeah I figured the neighbour with the parcel would have just left it inside the door but I think that’s a really odd thing to do? Maybe it’s just me but I’d never try an open someone’s door that I didn’t know? I just think the trying of the door handle has triggered something in me maybe and it’s just so odd it’s happened to me two nights in a row.

Yeah I checked the doorbell it’s working fine. It’s not electronic or anything so doesn’t have any connection/battery issues

OP posts:

NuffSaidSam · 08/02/2022 20:52

Is it possible that it wasn't the door handle either time, just another noise? Did you see the handle move or just hear it?

MummyNWife · 08/02/2022 20:56

How strange

I do remember a few weeks ago, Amazon knocked on the door and I was upstairs. I can see the front door From my bedroom window. Amazon man tried to open my front door by trying the door handle ! The cheek

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 21:00

@NuffSaidSam

Is it possible that it wasn't the door handle either time, just another noise? Did you see the handle move or just hear it?

It was definitely the door handle. I was perusing Netflix so there was no sound from the tv my sofa is right next to the living room door way right next to the hall and it’s a very noisy door handle (one of those upvc doors with 3million kinds of locks on) i It was the same noise as my neighbour yday, who I know tried it with good intentions but still freaked me out.

Because the tv was silent I could hear them walking on my stone driveway so there was definitely someone there.

I just really hope they had the wrong house and quick as a flash realised it’s and tried to run aaay embarrassed. That makes sense right?
It’s not like people are going to try one random house with all its lights on at 8pm to burgle are they?

OP posts:

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 21:02

@MummyNWife

How strange

That’s so weird! I can kind of understand if you have a porch. But they can’t just go around trying door handles! What if someone has a dog that manages to get out? What if they’re stood there naked just because they like to?

OP posts:

MsMeNz · 08/02/2022 21:05

Yeah that's scary, we have a ring camera that helps pick up this type of thing puts my mind at ease more

SlidingInto2022sDMs · 08/02/2022 21:07

Trying the door handle is weird. It would rattle me too. I don't know anyone who'd do that unless it's a thing among certain neighbours to walk into each other's houses after one or two knocks.

I'd keep your doors locked and keep an eye out for any odd behaviours. Better safe than sorry.

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 21:15

I’m so glad it’s not just me that thinks trying someone’s door handle when you don’t know them is weird.

I might get a ring doorbell actually! I have a few odd things happen but it does turn out to be mainly delivery drivers. When DD was a baby baby she was napping on me after many hours of screaming. I already preempted this and put a note on the front door saying to leave parcel outside, it was right at the start of covid so most were just abandoning them anyway, Amazon decided to ring the bell regardless. Then when I didn’t answer, walked round the side of my house (gate was broken off at the time) and knock on my patio doors!! It gave me such a fright!

OP posts:

LlamaLucy · 08/02/2022 21:20

Get hive cameras

LlamaLucy · 08/02/2022 21:20

Sorry - ours are Ring

PastelFlowerJelly · 08/02/2022 21:28

It could be two coincidental events and yes, it does rattle you. I had someone ring my doorbell in the middle of the night a few times (from the outer door to be buzzed in) and it scared me more than I thought.

I just really hope they had the wrong house and quick as a flash realised it’s and tried to run aaay embarrassed. That makes sense right

This is exactly what my husband did last week! We live in a high-rise building on the 7th floor. We sometimes stay with my parents in a similar high-rise on the 9th floor. He went to take the trash out last weekend and took the lift to the 7th floor by habit. He then tried using his key to unlock the door of the apartment on the wrong floor. By the time he realised his mistake, he heard someone inside the apartment coming to see what was going on so he ran off and took the lift back to the correct floor. He was slightly hungover and it's the middle of a covid wave so he didn't want to stay and try to explain to a stranger what just happened.

Trying to open a wrong door probably happens fairly often if someone is drunk, tired, lost, forgetful or in a daze for whatever other reason. Once you realise it, the instinct is just to leg it instead of having to face a potentially angry stranger or be accused of worse.

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 21:32

@PastelFlowerJelly thankyou very much for supporting my mundane theory!

I think I’ve always felt very safe here. It’s a very secure house, we have an alarm, the stone driveway helps because I can hear everything. But I don’t like that my house isn’t facing other homes and has high bushes around the drive so no one could see my front door unless they were at my front door.

Definitely going to get a camera of sorts for peace of mind as DH works away a fair bit.

OP posts:

Leftbutcameback · 08/02/2022 21:49

That would worry me. Sounds a bit strange especially the car driving away with lights off. I would get some extra security in place I think OP.

Leftbutcameback · 08/02/2022 21:52

Just a quick thought - you haven't set a delivery preference up with "leave in porch"? I know with DHL ect you can set that to be your permanent option and they may have thought it was a porch. Also is your house number clear even in the dark? Ours isn't and nor are any of our neighbours so very easy to get the wrong house for takeaway or deliveries.

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 08/02/2022 21:59

@Leftbutcameback

Yeah I thought the lights off was very odd! However, back in my logical brain, we have the insanely bright LED lamps in my road so they may not have noticed until the got to the main road.

I could have from a long time ago! And then maybe written actual instructions. House number is definitely visible we have two lights either side of the door with the number underneath one next to the doorbell. They’re both working, but it’s entirely possible someone just put the wrong house number as the address. We had an afternoon tea delivered the other week that was addressed to our house but not our name, which was honestly torture because I love a scone!

OP posts:

Blanketpolicy · 08/02/2022 22:09

...and it’s a very noisy door handle (one of those upvc doors with 3million kinds of locks on)

Was the door locked? Ours doesn't disengage the 3 million locks unless it is unlocked, when it is locked the handle doesn't even move.

If it was unlocked you would think if they went to the trouble of trying the handle they would have opened the door. Are you sure it wasnt something else?

I always keep our door locked, even though it is a nice enough area, now there are so many ring door bells our estate fb page is regularly showing opportinist thieves trying handles door by door in a street during the night.

EmpressSuiko · 08/02/2022 22:30

Get yourself a camera! We got ours second hand so it was really cheap compared to buying new and they are so simple to set up and connect to your phone. Hopefully it’s just an innocent mistake but there’s no harm in taking steps to make yourself feel safer.

Original poster

Ireallywantsomechips · 09/02/2022 08:55

@Blanketpolicy

...and it’s a very noisy door handle (one of those upvc doors with 3million kinds of locks on)

Was the door locked? Ours doesn't disengage the 3 million locks unless it is unlocked, when it is locked the handle doesn't even move.

If it was unlocked you would think if they went to the trouble of trying the handle they would have opened the door. Are you sure it wasnt something else?

It’s one of those doors that if you shut and you’ve forgotten your keys your screwed because one of the locks is engaged. The handle is still movable and you can open from the inside but not outside. Then when you put the key in to lock it fully the handle won’t move. Hope that makes sense!

OP posts:

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