not to want strangers knocking on my door?

[mrsjskelton]

Okay - this is all new to me. I worked full time over an hour away from home so was out of the house from 6.30am - 7.30am Monday to Friday.
I'm now on Mat Leave and I'm finding that people are knocking on my front door in the hopes that I'll give them money for something or other. Today was a breast cancer lottery.

I have absolutely nothing against charity - I pledge an amount every month to a chosen charity (even when I could really have done with the money myself!!)
But I'm the kind of person who can't just hang up on tele-sales people, can't walk away from street walking charity workers with the "gift of the gab". I listen to the people who have a big stand at the checkout and engage me in discussion because I hate the rudeness of just walking away. I usually listen and thank people and then say it's not for me, they are usually courteous and thank me for my time.

What I'm really struggling with is people knocking on my door. Why do people do this?? It's MY house and I shouldn't have people making me feel uncomfortable on my own doorstop, should I? What I want to know is whether IABU in putting a sign in the window such as the one I'm including in the post. I've had a really hard time in finding a sign that's not blatantly rude and verging on "get the fuck off my property". I accept people need to make a living so I simply want to say "no thank you".

Would you consider the sign rude?

So annoying. Yanbu. And they always leave the effing gate open too. We have a sign saying Stop No callers It is a criminal offence to ignore this notice. We got it from a guy cold calling Doesn't work. What I find even worse is the stream of endless junk mail we get. I was very proud that i trained DS (16mths) to pick it up and put in the recycling. Unfortunately, since he learned this, I've lost a Dr Browns bottle, various toys, a number of dummies and a bra!!

*no Cold callers!

We used to have some really lovely people from a leukemia charity, and once when I answered the door with a small blonde boy on my hip and the other clinging to my ankle (smaller brothers, I was looking after them for their Mum for a few hours, think i was about 13) he apologised profusely for disturbing me, and gave them both lollipops before disappearing.
However, we used to get some bloody cheeky JWs telling me about how sinful I was (I wear a pentacle and there's a horseshoe above the front door, because that's so evil)

Volunteers canvassing for a political party may have been told to knock on every door. If they look nervous please don't shout at them, it's fine to say 'i don't discuss my politics at the door.'

I have been a local councillor and knocked on doors to ask if there were issues or concerns residents wanted to raise. I don't think that counted as canvassing as it was offering a service rather than asking for anything.

I wouldn't mind a political party knocking. That's so rare and they're only doing it for your vote - they're not inviting me to hand over my cash, give away my credit card details or visit a Mormon church!

What about this one?

I have a sign saying 'No cold callers of any kind'

It seems to work.

I have also taken to returning all junk mail to sender. My recycling bag couldn't cope.

MrsJ - my ebay sign was only a couple of quid! My mother (in her 80s) has one too now. You could omit the part about canvassers if you wanted, but I think you can canvass for several things - public opinions as well as votes and fundraisers too I think.

Imustgo - don't worry, I wouldn't dream of shouting at anyone. I just pointed the notice out to her and she said it didn't apply to her, so I asked if she wasn't canvassing for votes and she looked surprised and said yes.

I have been pestered much less since I put up my notice. The downside is that when friends call they make a great show of checking they are OK to come in - but I point out that it is only uninvited people who aren't welcome!

I only realise our sign had peeled off when I got woken up by a Jehovah's Witness after a night shift last week. I was polite but she looked a bit scared and scuttled off pretty quickly - must be my "just woken up" face and crazy bed hair!

We now have the sign StayWithMe posted above, it's worked so far!

We have one of the polite 'No Cold Callers' ones. My neighbour has one that says "Would you give your bank details to a random stranger in the street?... Ringing the bell doesn't make you anymore welcome."

I love living in the countryside - no cold callers - ever!
But preciously when I lived in the city i would say I wasn't interested, repeat myself then say fuck off and close the door!

Urgh yanbu it fucks me right off. They are so pushy where we are recently and don't seem to understand no.

I had a bloke selling something the other day, I'd opened the door as I thought he was the postman . I usually ignore them. He was trying (vigorously) to open the locked porch door and giving me all the 'it'll only take five minutes' patter. I said no I'm busy, his response was 'yeah so am I love'. I just shut the door on him to his protests of 'come on I'm just trying to earn a living!'.

I've found the charity ones quite pushy too but the JWs round here are far less so, there are bloody loads of them roaming about my road but they are at least polite enough to take no for an answer!

As I frequently work from home, I've got one very similar to this on the letterbox.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/140440771448?adgroupid=13585920426&hlpht=true&hlpv=2&rlsatarget=pla-131843275986&ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F1%252F710-134428-41853-0%252F2%253Fipn%253Dicep%2526icep_id%253D67%2526mtid%253D1673%2526kwid%253D1%2526crlp%253D50600204586_563391%2526icep_item_id%253D140440771448%2526itemid%253D140440771448%2526icep_meta_categ_id%253D11700%2526icep_etrs%253DY%2526icep_epid%253D-999%2526icep_ctlg%253D-999%2526icep_cond%253DNew%2526targetid%253D131843275986%2526rpc%253D0.14%2526rpc_upld_id%253D62436%2526device%253Dt%2526icep_msku_flag%253Dn%2526icep_cbt%253Dn%2526adtype%253Dpla%2526googleloc%253D9045648%2526poi%253D%2526campaignid%253D207297426%2526adgroupid%253D13585920426%2526rlsatarget%253Dpla-131843275986%2526gclid%253DCLKt5tKZxsoCFUa4GwodR8UI4A%2526srcrot%253D710-134428-41853-0%2526rvr_id%253D972251974178&adtype=pla&ff3=1&lpid=122&poi=&ul_noapp=true&limghlpsr=true&googleloc=9045648&device=t&chn=ps&campaignid=207297426&crdt=0&ff12=67&ff11=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff14=122&viphx=1&ops=true&ff13=80

It has stopped all but the most determined, tbh. The best laugh I've had in ages was when the reps for the RSPCA turned up, and I let our extremely noisy but affection dog out to greet them. He jumps up when excited, and licks any piece of exposed flesh. :-D

Sorry, mega long link there, don't know how that happened.

I had a sign and people still knocked the jeveroh witnesses were the worse. She started using my letter box to make noise and woke my baby up i was livid..they knew i was catholic as i had told them. Lucky we don't get cold callers in my new area.

I like the sign that shadow linked to above, a nice clear message.

You need to get past thinking that ignoring sales people is rude , it isn't. Brief nano second fake smile, keep eye contact fleeting, move eyes to whats in front, mutter No Thanks and keep walking. Most people will walk past and not acknowledge them at all, which also isnt rude.

I never, ever answer my door unless I know it's friends or family there. We have a safe place for deliveries that I always pop in order notes and that covers it. I have no doorbell either.
We live in a ground floor flat and when I am studying at the table next to the window I watch cold callers peering in through my glass constantly. They are so rude. I feel no guilt about ignoring them.

I work from home (when not on mat leave), so I get them all. I bloody hate them, so annoying interrupting my work to harrass me for money/religious fervour. I have two signs up, one on the letterbox, one right underneath the bell. They still ring the bell. Excuses I've heard include:

• I can't read
• I have dyslexia
• It's dark
• I didn't notice
• Nothing, they did it anyway.

One arsehole chugger knocked on and tried his chirpy spiel with me, holding the baby whose feed he had interrupted, looking daggers at him. I gave him my usual line of 'I don't sign up to anything at the door' and the cheeky fucker said 'well can I come in then?'. I said no. He looked positively shocked. No, strange man trying to extort money from me, I'm not going to let you into my house at any time for any reason, but especially not while I'm by myself and I'm trying to feed my cranky infant son. Just piss off!!

I know some would consider it rude to just close the door, but I'm seriously getting to that point. I think it's far ruder to interrupt your quiet enjoyment of your own home and home life to ask you for money.

Jezebel I am posting from the countryside here! Cold calling is not exclusive to the urban dwellers!

I look through the peephole and don't answer the door.

I have a job which requires me to call to people's houses. Sometimes they aren't expecting me.
I'm not selling anything, I do a government job, basically I'm collecting data.
Anyway. I think it's very bad manners to ignore someone who is knocking on your door. I have a lot more respect for someone if they just answer the door and say a polite no thank you. If I call to a house and no one answers, I am required to call back 4 times or until I speak to someone. So you'll get rid of me a lot sooner if you just answer the door.
Personally I never entertain anyone who calls to my door. I never buy anything or sign up for anything, but I find a firm polite no thank you works perfectly.

I have a large glass pane in my front door - so I can see who's there...

.....they can also see me quite plainly (unless I keep the blinds down) and I still refuse to answer it

I don't care who you are, I have not invited you to knock, thus it is up to me whether I answer or not.

OP really?
Then again my home is literally as rural as you can get! The nearest 'town' which in my idea of town is very small is a 7 mile drive.
If they came out here they'd be wasting their time I only have a couple of neighbours then the next people are well over a mile walk