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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not answer door to neighbour

362 replies

Koalababy · 17/02/2021 08:17

It’s 8 am and neighbour has rung my doorbell twice already. Have no idea what they want but I don’t feel like answering the door. They probably know I’m in which is why they keep ringing the bell but AIBU to ignore until I feel like it?

OP posts:
yearinyearout · 17/02/2021 09:54

Think I'd have opened the window and yelled "what now?!"

LST · 17/02/2021 09:54

I need to know what they want!

MsHedgehog · 17/02/2021 09:55

Have you opened the door? Did you find out what he wants?

Bentoforthehorde · 17/02/2021 09:55

Yes definitely might be an emergency.

You may not be aware that your hedge is distressingly unkempt, or a bird shat on their car and flew into your garden and must be found immediately.

Nme8961 · 17/02/2021 09:56

Who are all of these people whose first reaction would be to knock on a neighbour's door in case of an emergency....Hmm

Nme8961 · 17/02/2021 09:57

Please do update when you do speak with them and let us know the nature of this "emergency."

MrsFezziwig · 17/02/2021 09:58

We’re in lockdown and I live alone. Someone knocking on my door would absolutely be the highlight of my day.

Bluntness100 · 17/02/2021 09:58

It’s quite normal on mumsnet not to answer the door. In fact it’s the fashionable thing to do. You fit right in. The more your behaviour is isolating and anti social the better.

In fact if you opened your window and shouted fuck off at them you’d be applauded.

Bentoforthehorde · 17/02/2021 10:00

Oh actually I knocked on my neighbours door when I found a snake in my kitchen to see if it was theirs. It was. Have you lost any snakes op? 😁

Gubanc · 17/02/2021 10:01

Did you dare to leave your bins out or similar?

Snowwaiting · 17/02/2021 10:03

If one of my neighbours knocked at 8am I’d answer as they wouldn’t normally .. I’d be worried something was wrong - but then we do more or less all get on though one is a bit temperamental

SteveBrexit · 17/02/2021 10:05

Only on MN are people always at home and never too busy to answer the door.

MNetters rush out of the bath or shower, or out of the loo, interrupt everything they do, drop kids, food, animal, stop mid-sex, stop feeding baby, stop mid-work call, meeting or interview to frantically sprint if ever the phone or the doorbell ring 😂

Theunamedcat · 17/02/2021 10:05

Where are you parked

RaspberryCoulis · 17/02/2021 10:06

Well according to a post on here last week, you might be LITERALLY TAKING YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS if you open the door, it's the absolute height of reckless behaviour.

I think people who won't open their door are weird.

I think people who won't open their door when they have identified the caller is their neighbour are utterly fucking weird and utterly fucking rude too. HTH.

Cherrysoup · 17/02/2021 10:08

Can’t wait to hear what they wanted. If it’s to complain about something, I’d go ballistic on their arse for getting me out of bed.

AgentProvocateur · 17/02/2021 10:11

I was about to post, but @RaspberryCoulis has summed up everything I wanted to say.

lovethisjourneyforme · 17/02/2021 10:12

Last time my neighbour knocked on my door it was to tell me my garden was on fire, so I would probably answer. I have had a moaning neighbour before though and I did ignore her, she moved eventually thank god.

Bluntness100 · 17/02/2021 10:12

Only on MN are people always at home and never too busy to answer the door

You sure? Because to my knowledge there’s a pandemic on and many folks are at home.

She also didn’t say she wasn’t answering because she was mid shit or sex..

LaMarschallin · 17/02/2021 10:14

Bentoforthehorde

Oh actually I knocked on my neighbours door when I found a snake in my kitchen to see if it was theirs.

Smile

My neighbour's cleaner called round to our house once as she'd found a bat in the washing up bowl and didn't know what to do.

We've also had unexpected calls when a neighbour was burgled; twice people have returned our cat's collar; once someone had unexpectedly arrived to stay in the house of a dead neighbour (her mother) and didn't want people to think she was a burgler; we'd already been called on re the neighbour's death... etc

I'm of the school that hates not knowing and nearly always answers the door.

DH would happily never answer an unexpected knock but I think that's because he lived by himself for many years, got into his own routine and hates change and anything a bit unexpected. Even if it's good it takes him a while to settle into the idea.

He always answers the phone like he's expecting a death threat: "Hellooooooo...?".

EnglishRose1320 · 17/02/2021 10:14

I knocked on my neighbours door at 8 the other day, they didn't answer, I knew they were in. I never knock on peoples doors early but it was about the fourth day of their dog barking non stop in the garden from 6 onwards and by 8 I'd had enough, my son with asd was yet again clutching his ears and getting worked up. They clearly knew why I was knocking because 30 seconds later the dog had been let back in the house and all was quiet.

I think if I was dressed and decent I would answer the door at that time, but then my neighbours wouldn't knock unless they really needed to. If you know they are a pain I can see why you might ignore them.

MondeoFan · 17/02/2021 10:17

@WithinAForestDark

So funny

FossilisedFanny · 17/02/2021 10:18

My (lovely) neighbour often knocked on my door mainly because she had locked herself out and I needed to help her break in . I’m quite good at it Grin

She knocked on my door the last time to give me a spare key- I miss my house breaking days !

MondeoFan · 17/02/2021 10:19

My neighbours knock on my door couple times a week. But they are new neighbours and each time it's about something different. I always answer the door.

Bentoforthehorde · 17/02/2021 10:20

@LaMarschallin
How on earth did a bat end up in the washing up bowl? Is your ndn living in a castle?

Dasher789 · 17/02/2021 10:20

I answer the door when wfh but I wouldn’t answer the door at 8am. Anything before 9am is unacceptable unless my house is falling down in which case I would have missed the door and likely be unable to answer a knock at a more acceptable time.

Out of interest, if you can see your neighbour through the window, can they see you back?