about this person phoning me/ calling at my house?

[mangoparfait]

Brief background - recently I put in an insurance claim for some damage to my home. The insurers instructed loss adjusters who said they'd send someone out. Apparently they did, although I wasn't aware (the damage is externally visible so they could see it without coming in to the house. The Loss Adjusters then said the works were all agreed, and asked me to send payment of my excess.

Because the details were a bit vague (I asked them for more info, they said I should contact my insurers) I emailed insurers to ask for confirmation of what was going on, and about the excess - as they'd previously told me to pay when the work was done, or to them. Just wanted to get a clear picture!) Anyway, this was a couple of weeks ago, the insurers have changed handler so they've not come back to me. The damage isn't getting worse, nor likely to, and is not causing any issue to me, so with Xmas and everything I've been really busy and not chased it.

Last week I had several missed calls from an unknown no/ mobile no I didn't recognise. These continued over the weekend, plus another couple today. No voicemail. Over the weekend I was out both mornings; my younger DC advised someone had rung the doorbell / knocked both mornings (DC hadn't answered). Elder DC happened to be at home this morning when there was a knock again. Turns out this and all the phone calls were from the contractor who the Loss Adjusters had apparently instructed, as he wanted to start the work...

I have raised this with the Adjusters, who just said as they hadn't heard from me, they told him to contact me direct.

But they'd not told me he would be contacting me or even who he was. And even then I rather think turning up at someone's house 3 days on the trot is a bit much? Is it just me? I'm a single parent and feel really uncomfortable with this, and with this man who thinks he can just come round anytime now being the one who does the work. However the adjusters clearly think I'm making a fuss about nothing - AIBU?

I've had contractors who have been genuinely BAFFLED that in our home there is often no-one here during the day. What do I mean they can't pop round some time on Tues/Weds as I'll be out? They need to get with the times TBH. Many households don't have someone in them during the daytime any more. My DDs school could do with this information as well

for goodness sake, he has tried to hone you and call at your door, either you want the work done or you don't, you run the risk of not getting anything done or being charged for wasting the contractors time if this continues.

I should add you are arguably wasting this guy's time and he probably is awaiting payment for getting the work done. He's got a business to run and can't be expected to chase you all the time.

YANBU and I'm at those saying your being U.

What kind of thicko would, after failing to make contact/arrange a time and date with someone, just turn up at their house on the off-chance?

And, probably more to the point, what kind of thicko would not either contact you themselves to tell you to expect a call, or instruct their contractor to make contact/arrange a time and date in order to start work?

I'd put in a complaint to the insurers. Head office.

Headline...''Man tries to do his job' 'You'd rather it didn't get fixed? YABVU.

I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a tradesperson to leave a voicemail if they have actual business with a householder and need to arrange a convenient time/date to start a job. It's not unreasonable not to want to answer the phone to unknown numbers these days either, it's a pita constantly fending off salespeople or scammers. I just assume unknown number, no voicemail - clearly not that important to them that I get back to them.
The answering of the door is a bit more tricky; if the contractor is a legitimate business man, why hasn't he put a business card (you can get a couple of hundred printed up very cheaply) or letter headed note or even just any bloody note through the letterbox saying who he is and asking the OP to contact him? Seems there's as much fault on his part as the OP and I understand the OP not wanting her kids to open the door to strangers if they're alone but if she's there she could use a chain or stopper and ask for id.

And, probably more to the point, what kind of thicko would not either contact you themselves to tell you to expect a call, or instruct their contractor to make contact/arrange a time and date in order to start work?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the bloke has tried to contact the OP to arrange a date/time? It's not his fault that she refuses to answer unknown numbers

I always wonder how people who don't answer unknown numbers etc cope when hospitals etc try to make contact as their numbers are usually withheld.

Onion, to clarify, I meant 'turn up having failed to arrange a slot.' All he needed to do was leave a voicemail so the OP would know who he was and why she should contact him. I'm much more likely to assume that repeated calls from an unknown number are nuisance calls than a contractor.

I do think the insurers were more at fault, though; as someone else has pointed out, contractors may not want to get that involved as their relationship is with the insurer, not the householder.

I think it's very normal to turn up at someone's house if they don't respond to phone calls. It's not just police who have legitimate reason to knock on people's doors. It's not actually wrong to knock on someone's door to see if they are home. It's not an attempt to intimidate, it's just a knock on the door. You don't have to let anyone into your house. You just step outside and close the door behind you.

Hospitals, doctors, schools and emergency services can and do leave voicemails just like normal business people do and I've never known them to withhold or hide their number. It's a public institution not MI5. Why would they? They also text.

What happened before the days when everyone was 'connected' 24/7? People would write and leave notes through the door or leave a message on the answerphone.

Can the people who don't answer calls from unknown numbers explain why?
I can't get my head around it at all
So what if it's an unsolicited sales call. You just hang up.

To go through life giving yourself all the stress and hassle of these sorts of situations to avoid listening to a PPI claim company is just bonkers

I'm kinda with the OP on this.

Claim on home insurance

Insurance company send someone out to assess the work (who OP doesn't meet)

Insurance company send a "yup it's fine just pay the excess" message to the OP but fail to list exactly what work will be carried out.

Basic rule is no one starts work until the specifics are confirmed. OMG what if their expectation is to only do X and Y and Z was never approved by the insurance company? OP has already paid the excess and so approved the work being done?

Pay nothing. Let no work commence until you have the specifics which have been approved in black and white.
OP has requested this from her insurance company. Wait for the information until allowing a contractor to commence

Doorstepping someone is harassment.
Ignoring unknown numbers is standard behaviour in this day and age.
Not leaving a voicemail means your number is treated with more suspicion.

The contractors shouldn't have the OP's details until she has approved the work to be done and paid the excess.

Can the people who don't answer calls from unknown numbers explain why?
Because I can't be arsed, and because anyone who actually wants/needs to get hold of me will leave a message, text or email.

It's not any stress or hassle at all, although thanks for the concern.

So the contractor is now harassing the OP?

Well, I've turned voicemail off on my phone so stick that up your treating with suspicion pipe and smoke it.

No stress or hassle here either, "leave a message, I'll get back to you" just as it says in my voicemail. This expectation that we have to immediately leap to be at the beck and call of our phones baffles me. Same with people who get annoyed if I don't respond to a call or text within seconds. My phone might be dead, I might be driving, I might be in the cinema or on a plane or at work or have left it at home that day or I might just not want to answer at that time.

Itsallaboutme I can guarantee you 100% if the police call you it will be from withheld/unknown number. If someone has blocked withheld numbers, there is usually specific phone within the control room to call out from. It would be a bit weird to list the hundreds of phone numbers for those working in offices, you would never get out of the door to deal with incidents and the reason you have ONE number to call in on is so that you have record of your call.

Leap what are you going to do to callers at your door? DNA test them? Ridiculous. If you are so suspicious of people at your door install a camera. And let's be serious, OP should be expecting someone to deal with this , the loss adjuster came and she let him in/dealt with him what's the bloody problem!!

Half an hour ago a man knocked on my door asking if Robbie lived here, he had his school bag in his hand and his daughter at the gate as robbie and his daughter had picked up the wrong bags, Robbie shouted over the fence he was next door and was just going back to the school to return the girls bag. - (totally failed with bold there, can't be bothered changing it but Robbie is not his name). I had no qualms about answering the door, if I did I would wonder what the hell was wrong with me, and today my neighbour popped round with her kids without making an appointment, totally fine, and I answered the door to delivery men twice with parcels for me.

She said she was at work so she couldn't have answered the Unknown number calls anyway. And she wouldn't have been able to ring back as she didn't know who it was!

When a number came up you could have rung it back though op

I love doing that

'Hello?'

'Hello?'

'Yeah?'

'YOU CALLED ME!'

Fizz i may be wrong but I read it as a number unknown to her, not actually an unknown/withheld number

Dolores, I never saw the adjuster actually. He visited without notifying me, I said that above. I also wasn't on notice that someone was coming to start work, especially as it hadn't all been agreed / no monies paid. I was expecting a call/ email from insurers, not a guy turning up on my doorstep or phoning me.

Some of the calls were withheld, some weren't. They apparently all were him though.

As for him knocking at my door, again as I've said, I WASN'T THERE! So I couldn't answer, and I'm quite happy my young DC doesn't when I'm not there.

That said, there are times when I don't answer the door when I am in; if I'm in the bath or shower, on the loo, or otherwise in the middle of something I can't just drop. I don't think that's unusual.

I grew up in a house where you had to go through a locked gate to get to our door, as such we never had people knocking (unless we inadvertently left the gate open).

I get this guy thinks he's doing me a favour. But it's not like I have a hole in my roof which is going to cause a major problem if not fixed asap. The job he is doing is very obviously not that time critical, and can wait til the New Ywar if need be. However as it is an expensive job, I suspect his keenness may be to clear several grand just before Xmas may be a determining factor.

Have you heard back from your insurance company to list exactly what work they have approved mango?

I've heard back from insurers; they have confirmed what is included, not everything that should have been so they will instruct another LA to visit when I'm there and check I agree everything. They'll also stipulate the contractor who phoned/ visited me should not be used, as they shared my concerns about his conduct, which they referred to as unusual.

So no developments before end of the year, but that's fine with me.