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

Door is always locked.
I will answer but I live on a very busy street, if I lived in a quieter area then I'd have a chain.

"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."

Potentially yes, but in my experience unannounced callers have been delivering flowers, asking if they can leave a parcel for a neighbour, wanting to read a meter, a friend passing.

These are all valid reasons.

None of these would ring the bell in the middle of the night, in which case I'd lean out of the window to see what was going on.

I tend to always open the door.

The scariest was one night at around 11:30pm. I was playing on my game on the headset with friends. Kids were at their dad's. Someone brayed on my door, I opened it and it was a woman with a grazed face asking if I'd help her. She claimed she had just ran from the pub at the bottom of my road fleeing from her abusive partner. Having not long escaped my abusive ex, I told her to come in.

This was when I started thinking...shit. she had a tag on her ankle. I had stupidly left the party I was in on my game before answering the door. She then, after telling me what had happened, while I was making her a cuppa - told me she was from the roughest estate in the area.

In my head I'm secretly panicking. The doors were locked so he could not get in if he knew she was here, but that ultimately meant that I was locked in alone with her.
I told her I grew up on that same estate. I didn't, I was on the one neighbouring it, so was very familiar with the area and people living there, along with many friends still living there. I kind of hoped that would make her think I could give as good as I got. I couldnt, I'm tiny and weak as shit lol.

After she calmed down a bit, I called her a taxi and off she went. Extremely thankful that I answered the door that night.
I am pleased I did, but hope to god I never ever find myself in that position again. Anything could have happened. I got a good telling off from my friends when I went back to my game and explained what happened.

I still think about her and hope she found the strength to leave him.

Hmm - a story for which the police have NO reports; and for which there is no actual evidence. How unusual for the Daily Mail....

But I am absolutely and utterly fine with opening my door, in the dark, in the secluded area that I live in, because (a) they have to find my house and (b) that bloody big dog sitting behind me -baring his teeth quietly- grinning is such a disincentive.

As a scam it's a pretty poor one given that they have no idea at all who or what is in the house.

For most of us I imagine there is a middle ground between "yes I'll open the door to anyone" and "no I refuse to open the door to anyone ever unless they have a scheduled appointment"

I will make a judgement depending on a number of factors

@StillCoughingandLaughing Are you actually being serious? 😂 Sometimes I do that sometimes I don’t. And I doubt if the residents were mumsnetters they would answer even if I did that.

And no, shouting “police” though a letter box frequently isn’t appropriate.

Everyone opens doors. Only on MN do they require their own mother to give 48 hours' notice (minimum) notifying them of Intent To Knock.

I always tell this story on these crazy door opening threads... about 5 years ago I opened the door to a young lad and turned out he was scouting locations for a TV commercial. I let him in, he took some photos, and long story short, about 2 weeks later we had an utterly crazy day where the house filled with film crew, actors, advertising folk and caterers. We were paid handsomely for the disruption.

I appreciate that's less likely than Jehovah's witnesses, but it does happen.

If you knock in the middle of the night, I'll have a look from upstairs purely to avoid going downstairs

Does that happen often to you?

Is it just me who thinks the woman might actually need help? The dog was barking the whole time so don't think it was that what scared her...... she seems a bit frantic.

Unless I am expecting someone or a parcel, I don't open the door. We have all sorts of randoms knocking on the door trying to sell tomato plants, fish, random art, charity, electric tariffs and one known local who will knock on the door at 2am saying they have been burgled and need money for their children.

If someone knocks more than once I look out the window and then suss them out.

We live in London though, so the randomness level is quite high!

[quote Nicknacky]@StillCoughingandLaughing Are you actually being serious? 😂 Sometimes I do that sometimes I don’t. And I doubt if the residents were mumsnetters they would answer even if I did that.

And no, shouting “police” though a letter box frequently isn’t appropriate.[/quote]
Of course I’m being fucking serious. Why do you find that so hilarious? Surely it isn’t beyond your reasoning to work out that someone ignoring the door because they thought it was the Jehovahs or someone flogging dusters might be more inclined to answer if it was the police?

Something similar happened to my folks last week in Salford. 4:40am (mum doesn't sleep well) a woman knocked on the door. Mum shouted 'who is it?' and looked out of the window. She said the woman looked like she was holding bottles of washing liquid & was mouthing 'please, please'. Then tried the handle of the front door and pushed it. Luckily my parents always lock up well at night and the woman went away.

We went down the next day, fitted a ring bell & security lights for them and called the police, who are treated it as attempted break in because she tried the door. My parents are in their 70s & very frail. Christ knows what would have happened if my mum was less on the ball than she is.

@IncludeWomenInTheSequel

Everyone opens doors. Only on MN do they require their own mother to give 48 hours' notice (minimum) notifying them of Intent To Knock.

Well clearly not everyone does, or everyone on the thread would be agreeing.

I've never felt so daredevil and exciting - I answer the door all the time!

And here I was, thinking my life had gotten a bit dull...

@StillCoughingandLaughing Any need for the swearing?

I’m laughing because I didn’t need it suggested to me to shout through a letterbox. It’s you that needs to think more logically about why it isn’t always appropriate to be shouting through letterboxes.

Im getting to the not answering the door stage as Im getting several people a week delivering parcels for next door because they cant read the house numbers on a large white sign. Pizza deliveries at 10 pm are a particular favourite

If I didn’t answer the door I wouldn’t receive any deliveries. I never know what parcels are going to arrive. If it is someone I don’t want to speak to I will politely close the door. I wouldn’t invite anyone into my house that I didn’t know.

Gamble your life

[quote Nicknacky]@StillCoughingandLaughing Any need for the swearing?

I’m laughing because I didn’t need it suggested to me to shout through a letterbox. It’s you that needs to think more logically about why it isn’t always appropriate to be shouting through letterboxes.[/quote]
If a bit of swearing fazes you, you really shouldn’t be a police officer.

Okay, if I need to be thinking more logically, explain to me - what do you do if no one answers the door and it ‘isn’t appropriate’ to shout? Just shrug your shoulders and say ‘Oh well; we tried’? What do you do if there’s no one in, or they’re in the bath, or the garden, or drying their hair and can’t hear? Presumably you have some back-up plan.

@StillCoughingandLaughing What a bizarre attitude. I’m not suited to being a police officer because I don’t think it’s necessary to swear on a chat forum during a polite discussion?

I’m no snowflake, far from it and swear far too much for my own liking but I’m polite online. You should try that.

Unless I have seen someone going up and down the street very obviously trying to convert/ sell something/ chug in which case I might not open the door, I would definitely open it. If I was knocking on somebody's door and they were obviously in but not opening it i would think they were incredibly weird and rather rude.

I've never had cold callers anywhere I've ever lived - I think one salesman at my parents' house one time about 15 years ago... so this isn't exactly a massive daily common widespread problem.

I think if you're at the point of not answering your own door you have significant mental health issues to be honest and I'd find it hard to be persuaded otherwise. It's not rational to believe answering your own door puts you at significant risk or that most people are out to get you, massively inconvenience you, take your money etc. The exception is if you're a grumpy old sod who wants to be left alone - that I can understand even if I don't relate to it!

@Russell19

Is it just me who thinks the woman might actually need help? The dog was barking the whole time so don't think it was that what scared her...... she seems a bit frantic.

I thought that too.

[quote Nicknacky]@StillCoughingandLaughing What a bizarre attitude. I’m not suited to being a police officer because I don’t think it’s necessary to swear on a chat forum during a polite discussion?

I’m no snowflake, far from it and swear far too much for my own liking but I’m polite online. You should try that.[/quote]
Like your ‘polite’ laughing emoji?

If you’re so big on being polite, answer the questions I put to you.