To say that this is why people don't answer doors

[RachelGreep87]

There a number of scams such as this one where a "damsel in distress" will get into your house and do god knows what.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9244545/Moment-woman-caught-doorbell-cam-trying-way-house-shouting-need-help.html

All of you devil-may-care door openers are potentially welcoming this into your home.

There is no reason to answer the door to unannounced callers.

YABU - I am willing to gamble my life and answer the door at anytime
YANBU - Not answering the door if I'm not expecting anyone

That's just silly (the 'willing to gamble my life').

You just pop the door chain on and ask what they want.

Literally everyone I know in real life does this.

I mean I wouldn't answer the door in the middle of the night if I wasn't expecting anyone, who would get out of bed for that? But in the day, sure, I'm a devil may care door opener.

Yeh, someone knocks on the door, I open it.

I would answer the front door and NOT consider it gambling with my life. I might take a glance out of the window first to see who it is.

I am not clicking on a Daily Mail link but can imagine.

Where's the vote?

Its only on MN I have ever heard of anyone not answering their door.

I don't even lock my door, most people just knock and walk in, including postman, couriers, neighbours.

But surely that’s the equivalent of saying you will never go in a car because you might be involved in a serious accident.
I think more people are injured in cars than by unexpected visitors.

OP, yep, your ability is assess risk is fucked. But your ability to be scared witless isn't.

Would rather be me and just capable of opening a fucking door.

I don't answer the door to unexpected callers 50% of the time, but it's more becauU can't be bothered as it's usually people I don't care to speak to e.g. canvassers, jehovahs witnesses, etc (pre-covid).

I don't fear for my life if someone I'm not expecting knocks the door - unless it's datk out .

Yes, every time I answer the door it occurs to me I’m “gambling with my life”.🙄

In the real world, the door chaps and the majority of people answer it.

Slightly different when it’s 5am and someone’s screaming for help.

I don't answer the door if I'm not expecting someone. Years of experience has taught me that it's never anyone worthwhile. If it's someone who knows me, they'll either phone or text ahead, or in an emergency shout who they are through the letterbox.

Somebody shouting through my letterbox would really freak me out!

I wouldn't open the door, just call through it.

I don't open the door, unless its someone im expecting - these days it's either a food delivery or some Amazon crap !

OP are you Moss from the IT crowd by any chance?

@Sparklingbrook

Somebody shouting through my letterbox would really freak me out!

Well yes, I would be more freaked out at someone shouting through my letterbox than knocking on the door

Exactly @ZeroFuchsGiven. Although I have a locked porch so I might not hear them. I may have missed a lot of letterbox shouting.

@WorraLiberty

That's just silly (the 'willing to gamble my life').

You just pop the door chain on and ask what they want.

Literally everyone I know in real life does this.

And if it was the middle of the night you would, or I would anyway, open the window and ask what they wanted!

I did answer the door one evening to a woman hammering on it saying help help, I live next to a park and thought she had been attacked.She stumbled into my hall sat on my stairs to catch her breath as she sounded like she had been running.

That was when the smell hit me like a truck and I realised I had let in the local alcoholic woman who demands money from you. Luckily she left of her own accord but not before pissing herself all over my carpet. It was a great lesson to learn.

We now have a Ring doorbell, it has rang at 6am with a man asking us to phone for a taxi on his behalf. I told him I could see at least 4 people in the park walking their dogs from my bedroom window and he could ask them instead. My house does not face the road and you cannot see my house from the drive way entry. It was strange that he chose my drive say over the 8 houses opposite my drive way entry.

I don't open my door to anyone but I do use the Ring doorbell to speak to unexpected visitors.

Yes iIn the middle of the night I would lean out of the bedroom window and see who it was and what they wanted.

I look through the window. And open the window to talk to them if I'm not too sure.
If you knock on my door you're greeted by the sound of my 45kg rottweiller jumping from the middle of the stairs and shoulder barging the door so I think that would do the trick.

It's people who leave their door unlocked that amaze me.

YABU.How do people get the meters read?

Surely it depends on where you live, though.

get into your house and do god knows what

They could run the hoover round and unload the dishwasher and maybe a bit of dusting. That would be a big help.

@WorraLiberty

That's just silly (the 'willing to gamble my life').

You just pop the door chain on and ask what they want.

Literally everyone I know in real life does this.

Do they? Well I also exist in real life and I don't.

One fortunate side effect of covid is that people haven't been cold calling - I think we've only had one since the first lockdown started.

I do not want to be disturbed by people wanting money when I am at home. Tradespeople shouldn't need to cold call, if they are any good they'll always be busy by word of mouth, and if they are new, they can just put something through the door. There is never any need to disturb people. The thing that really gets me is when they can see you are working/on the phone, and still ring the doorbell! Entitled idiots.

I don't have a door chain but sometimes open an upstairs window and ask what they want. They are usually abusive when I say it's a no cold calling zone, which tells you all you need to know about them.

I have a sign for cold callers-works a treat, never get a knock from them at all. It was cheap as chips on Amazon.

@TakeTheCuntOutOfScunthorpe

I don't answer the door if I'm not expecting someone. Years of experience has taught me that it's never anyone worthwhile. If it's someone who knows me, they'll either phone or text ahead, or in an emergency shout who they are through the letterbox.

Exactly. The ‘I don’t know anyone who doesn’t answer the door’ comments on MN are typical of certain corners of this site, where no one can understand that other people have different lives to them. Maybe if I lived in a little village where people were ‘popping in’ all of the time it would be different... but I don’t. I plan for the live I have, not someone else’s. My closest friend in geographical terms lives 20 - 30 minutes walk away; why would she make an hour-long round trip to ‘pop in’ when she could just call or text?

If someone rings my doorbell and I’m not expecting them, it’s not going to be a lovely surprise visit from a friend or neighbour armed with drop scones. It’s going to be a salesman, the god squad or someone after my vote or signature on a petition.