to not answer my front door just because someone is knocking?

[TimothyClaypoleLover]

Gas man knocking at my door to read gas meter. Didn't fancy opening the door as feeding baby and next thing I know he is knocking on the windows and coming round the back of the house staring in at me looking most disgruntled. Surely as a homeowner if I don't want to answer my door I can bloody well ignore the knocking?

YANBU, cheeky sod

YANBU

Unexpected callers really bug me

Especially the ones that won't fuck off go away

Ooh. Close, I'm south east coast but this was G4 in a black smartcar.

That would have been cool though

You are definitely not BU, what an arse!

< off topic >

OhChristFENTON, every time you post I snicker at your name. You're making me look crazy. Worried someone will peep through my window and see my giggling like a fool.

Glad to bring a giggle to you, Rev.

Arse! No YANBU. We hardly ever have a knock on the door from someone who isn't a cold caller. I haven't had anyone come in the back door but I have had people knock and ring repeatedly when I have had a baby hanging off my boob/desperately trying to settle baby to sleep/trying to grab a bit of shuteye in the early days when they're tiny. I have had people who wouldn't leave when I was clearly in the house alone trying to simultaneously breastfeed a newborn and do a toddler's bedtime routine (example, set to soundtrack of whiny toddler and howling baby: "oh it won't take a minute" "well I don't have a minute I'm really sorry" "oh i'm sure you do" "Er no I don't" "well can I come back when the children are in bed?" "Er no" "why not?" )

I'm luvly really

I'd answer the front door for the same reason that I'd tell small children the time and leave my seat on the bus to elderly ladies: because it's good manners.

And yes, often it's cold callers, but once it was my neighbour covered in blood and confused after she had banged her head: I hate to think what would have happened if nobody had answered her call.

Of course you do not have to open your door.

However, if it is obvious that there is someone in, is it unreasonable for the knocker to establish that the occupier is not in anyway in trouble?

An elderly person might have fallen and be unable to attract help.

I'm not saying this is what happened with the OP, but just that it may be something to bear in mind.

YANBU, I got sodding well tricked into answering the door the other night. While in the middle of bathing DS someone knocks on my door, I ignore it has DS too little to be left alone in the bath. Then the banging gets louder and constant. I can only assume one of my neighbours is having a real emergency or one of the kids playing in the street has seriously hurt themselves so grab DS wrap him in a towel and leg it down stairs only to be greeted by some prick trying to flog me loft insultation.

And the stupid thing is that the gas meter is actually outside the house visible from the road and accessible to gas men so he didn't even need to persist at trying to get into my house!

YANBU I got into the habit of not answering when I lived in a top floor flat in London. The caller was never for me. I could also look out of the window and check the driveway though.

Now that i don't live in London, I have to answer, but I get fed up of bolting for a delivery whilst feeding a baby / asleep while they were asleep etc but it was usually a parcel for the DC, so I shouldn't really complain. I don't drive so it is more of a faff to arrange redelivery or go to the sorting office.

My DF always used to enjoy calling on family/ friends without a warning phone call. I think unannounced visits are the height of bad manners, unless it is my friend who passes my house on the way to hers. She knows I don't usually answer my phone either!

Don't most people read their own meters these days and tell the company online?

I never answer the door without running upstairs to see who it is first. I never answer the landline either.