Ring doorbell hell!

[Biddums]

Hi all,

My neighbors door is right next to mine with only a brick between them. They have just got a ring doorbell (2 days ago) and I hate it!

Not only is the noise bloody annoying but it's covering my door. There is no way they can set it up to not cover both doors, they are just too close.

I don't like the fact whoever comes to my door is now on their bell cam. I also feel uneasy about the fact my kids will be on there, because you know kids leave the house, my house!

I'm pissed off that anything I buy, like a new TV, they will see and be able to have a good nose. Because they can rewatch and bloody pause.

So I need Mumsneters help. How do I go about this? Do I talk to them? How do I word it? How do I tell them that the bell they paid for has got to go? Do I offer to pay for it?

What if they say no? Do I have a leg to stand on here?

Or do I just get a family member with face covered in the night to nick it and smash it? Yes ring do replace nicked bells but not unlimited. I could get it nicked time and again.

AIBU here? Should I just accept that this is the way now? People videoing your door and kids? Idk I just feel they were wrong to get it without asking if I minded.

Funny enough a family member asked me if I wanted one about a year ago and I said no because it would invade my neighbors door.

[quote Biddums]@Beautifulbonnie, nothing in between? Did you miss where I asked if I should offer to pay for it? So they are not out of pocket.

They seem nice so hopefully will understand where I'm coming from. I'm not going to be threatening them. I will ask them to remove it and explain why. I will offer to pay for it.

If they don't and I have no legal way to protect my children from being videoed, yes I will get it removed myself. And the replacement to boot. However that will be if everything else fails.

@emilyfrost, I'm not paranoid, it's right out there in my face. Also I said on here I want it gone because I'm venting. I'm not going to be rude to them over it.

However it will be going, in the end one way or another. [/quote]
Ahhhh you’re that sort of person, in that case I hope they record you destroying their property and get you arrested for criminal damage.

You have been offered many suggestions on how this ‘issue’ can be solved but you are uninterested in compromise as you only care about getting your own way.

If there is CCTV in your street, that will pick up the same info. I really doubt they are watching video replays of your children going in and out when they see them in real life.
My uncle's neighbour said to him the other day "Ooh, you have a lot of visitors". He is in tier 2 and had a few health visitors as well as the family in his bubble, plus 2 builders working on a shower room. He really doesn't care what they think and if they report him for Covid violations 😂. Are you worried about Covid violations OP?

I rarely look at who's coming to the door on ours, generally only if they ring the bell and I'm too far away to answer quickly in person. We have a big garden and a garden office where I work so wouldn't hear the door go anyway.
We don't record, spy on people or anything like that and anyway there's these great big see through things on the front of my house that are quite good if I want to see what's going on outside.
I don't understand why you wouldn't just talk to your neighbour if you are concerned, that would always be my first step. Mind you I'm one of those annoying people who always introduces themselves to their neighbours when I move in and talks to them on a semi regular basis and definitely would talk to them if there was a problem.

Where did you say you would pay for it? What if YOU smash it?

I assume you own the road outside your house?

Again you’re writing on a public forum. That you will commit destroy property. Which is a criminal offence. You can’t be serious. Mumsnet isn’t that anonymous. Some woman once wrote about her child and she had the police turn up. From worried mumsnetters (though this was a few years ago now)

Do you own the property outsider your house?

As in I take it it’s not a road or a pavement? You have the deeds which prove that you own the land?

It's free security for you. If you/ the kids/your home is targeted you will be glad of it.

@Beautifulbonnie

Where did you say you would pay for it? What if YOU smash it?

I assume you own the road outside your house?

Again you’re writing on a public forum. That you will commit destroy property. Which is a criminal offence. You can’t be serious. Mumsnet isn’t that anonymous. Some woman once wrote about her child and she had the police turn up. From worried mumsnetters (though this was a few years ago now)

Do you really think that MNHQ will pass on the OP's personal details and that the Police and Tom Cruise will turn up on her doorstep for Pre-Crime?

I suspect your comings and going are not as interesting as you seem to think they are. You would be extremely unreasonable to arrange for it to be stolen or damaged. Won't be hard to work out who's behind it, I hope they notify the police of your actions.

Honestly Op. you sound a bit unhinged.
You're planning to get a family member round to vandalise the door bell which they will clearly know was you.😳
Going to war with your neighbours is stressful and horrible. I'd avoid it where possible.

my neighbours have put a shield either side of the camera so tgst it only covers their entrance.
when I look around in my area (mostly terraced houses with pairs of doors next to each other)

@goopsoup

Yikes, I've often got something from my car at night when I'm scantily clad. I would definitely feel inhibited by this.

The plus point is they will scare any potential burglars from your house as well, for free. although my bastard burglars broke in from the back door

Someone local to us put a recording in our group which shows a thief with his face covered putting a hand over the Ring doorbell while his companion thieved. They are wise to them now and many are not put off, they just cover more of their faces.

We have tried one but it didn't work very well, however we do hear the one on the other side of the road very clearly.

This has to be a wind up?!

Saying it will be going one way or another is threatening behaviour and I don't blame them for wanting a ring doorbell camera living next to you.

And I actually laughed out loud reading how you believe you can control your neighbours actions. It's their home and they are allowed to have a doorbell.

Thank goodness you are not my neighbour!

I think they might be receptive to blocking your side out, if they haven’t already. Why on earth would they want everything buzzing and ringing in every time a neighbour comes or goes, would drive you mad.

Yes go for the balaclava'd up friend to pinch it until they can't get any more. On a serious note...I honestly would

Where I live, people are putting up six feet fence panels between their doors and the neighbours' doors, which I think makes the point about maintaining privacy rather well.

@JamieLeeCurtains

When I’m bored with my current area I want to move to yours. I love six feet fences.

You can create a privacy area from the app, perhaps ask them to block out your side so they'll only see their door. There are privacy laws for this type of thing, no idea why people are so apathetic when it comes to privacy. It doesn't matter if they don't give a shit about when you arrive or leave it's about your right to privacy.

OP, if you tell your neighbours you want them to remove it and they refuse and then the doorbell mysteriously gets ‘liberated’ repeatedly (by your relative in a balaclava ), do you not think it’s possible Next Door might put 2 & 2 together?!

You sound a little... um... emotional.

‘One way or another it’s going’. You ain’t The Law my love!

I'd hate this. No one should be recorded without their consent when leading their private lives at home.

Stop causing yourself so much angst! Just go round and speak to them. You may find they have already blanked the app on your side so they can't see anything. They may already have it set up to only record when someone rings their bell. They may not realise how loud it is. Stop arguing with people on here and just speak to them!!!

I think this can be resolved very easily.

What you need is something like a wind chime that will move, or a garden ornament that moves. Hang it outside your front door on your side.

This will encourage them very quickly to reposition it as it will be triggering it constantly and will drive them potty.

If they ask you to remove the object I'd refuse and say that as it's in your side and the recording shouldn't be covering your home then it's their problem to sort out.

Encourage them to get a swivel bracket so it can be mounted (on the single brick if needs be) and angled away from your door towards their side of the house.

@goldielockdown2

I'd hate this. No one should be recorded without their consent when leading their private lives at home.

But as many people have said previously, she doesn’t know she is being recorded, they could have it set so it only works when the doorbell is pressed, they could have the privacy setting set so it doesn’t cover her property, they could have it set that it’s only a live feed and nothing is recorded. Problem here is the OP doesn’t know, doesn’t want to know and only wants ‘it gone’ even if the neighbours have done nothing to invade her privacy.

A crazy neighb had a video and monitor pointing at the backs of our houses- it was very invasive.
She had one out the front too.
I’d HATE it.
I’d definitely put up some sort of screen between the doors.

On a plus point, Chris Watts, Family killer was caught on his neighbour’s security camera, and the sight of Watts watching it, looking like a cornered rat, glistening with anxious sweat and pallid with fear was a Karmic moment.

It only records sounds of you speak to them through the doorbell. As some have said you or your family aren't that interesting to look at I'm sure . The sound can be turned down on the bell . What about people with cameras in vehicles I have a camera in my car no one can force me to remove it as it's activities when near as does the door bell also there are two different tones on doorbell to indicate whether people are walking past or approaching your door

Molly the not knowing is one of the reasons I gave the opinion I did.
Hopefully this will be resolved by way of the neighbours reassuring her that they have indeed adjusted the settings so they don't invade the OP's privacy.

@Biddums you cannot tell them it has to go! Don't be so ridiculous, you can ask and they can refuse. If it then gets damaged or stolen, they will clearly know it's you, even if you think you are being clever by getting someone else to destroy/steal their property.

It's their property, they can have a Ring Doorbell if they want one. If YOU don't like it, put up something at the side to block it - or perhaps just be less fucking paranoid?!

Like I said, we have one - I don't use it to spy on my neighbours! If they came to my house and told me "it had to go" I would laugh in their faces and shut the door.....