Neighbour outraged I ignored the door

[Scrumbler]

For context I've lived in my home for 6 years, I have a baby and we get on with our neighbours very well usually.

Yesterday someone banged on the door a few times and I ignored it. I never answer my front door because everyone who I'm expecting use the side door. We get a lot of cold callers and religious people who knock alot so I will never answer it.
Today I see my neighbour and his son has a bandage on and I asked what happened, he'd had an accident yesterday in the street, my neighbour said his wife knocked on my door at the time for me to call an ambulance because she's panicked and left her phone in her house so I said I'd heard the knocking but didn't know what it was.
He looked at me completely gone out and then asked me why I'd ignored her. I explained I obviously didn't know it was an emergency or I would have course answered. But he told me I was selfish and slammed his door as he went in.
I carried on taking my shopping out of the car and then his wife comes out asking if I'd ignored her! I told her I don't answer that door and didn't know it was an emergency but she just went mad shouting how horrible that was and asked what kind of person doesn't answer there door.

I know their probably still shook up but I didn't know what had happened.
To clarify, their child seems fine from what the dad told me before he found out I'd ignored the door and turned out to be a very minor injury. I feel awful it happened but I didn't ignore them on purpose knowing they were needing an ambulance so I think they've been a bit over the top.

But OP explains that they generally use the side door. So feels more unusual on top of heavy banging. If there wasn’t another adult in I’m sympathetic I live on my own and would feel alarmed. I’m not at all liable to get scared about stuff but the neighbour sounds a bit over the top and could have been a bit less aggressive once they got the explanation.

Do we come with tee shirts or hats with "entitled" on?

@Cariadm Go see the last 7 words of my last post on here, and substitute the word 'themselves' with 'you', and 'million' with 'trillion'.

I dunno do you?

Omg over reaction! Neighbours used to OP using side door fgs. Why didn’t they just knock on that and call out.? They were stressed and need to take that on not have a go!

That word has become so over used.

As is usual with these kind of threads all the "I never answer the door/phone/text messages unless I get a written request three weeks previously" posters have responded.

@Scrumbler get a Ring doorbell.

If I was your neighbour I wouldn't be impressed with you either.

@youshouldnthaveasked no, so how do identify us, so you don't answer the door to us? If we shout police will you answer it?

@mustgetoffmn I know! It's just quoting @youshouldnthaveasked as she wouldn't answer the door to people they've said op YABU, because we're entitled 😂!

I only answer my door if I know who is calling or have delivery coming which I usually receive a text from beforehand. Too many cold callers and weirdo's around now. She is putting her guilt and the blame on you to make herself feel better. They sound batshit crazy and not your fault what happened. The door is there for a reason and there could be many reasons why someone does not answer, could be in shower, not dressed properly, on the loo and just could not be arsed or not in the mood. Don't worry about it they owe you an apology for shouting like maniacs but the good side of it is they will hardly knock again, don't overthink it.

I’m so sorry this happened to you @sianiboo.

The people on this thread seem to have no understanding of anything around this issue, other than their own ‘right’ to have a door answered when it suits them, and them alone.

Lots of love to you

That’s three more times a month than anyone knocks on my door to tell me my house is on fire, or that their leg is falling off and they need me to call the ambulance, or that an ancient fault line has been discovered in the middle of the street and we’re all going to sink into the earth’s core if we don’t run NOW.

In fact, it’s three more times than it’s ever happened to me.

I can't remember ever someone knocking on my door for a genuine emergency despite the tales on this thread of a solitary Granny sewing away in a blindfold in some darkened back room as the house roof blazes away like dantes inferno.

Tales? I assume you're not trying to suggest I made up what happened to me? I was a child, fast asleep in bed when woken by a parent to be taken over to the neighbour's house, and it was absolutely fucking terrifying. Good job the neighbours weren't the kind of people who refuse to have strangers in the house or we'd have been standing around in the freezing cold rain in our nightclothes while the fire brigade did their job.

@StaleCrumbs stop being disingenuous, how many non door answering people have had the same experience as saniboo?

I would move you will always be that neighbour now.

😆😆😆 This has to be a pisstake. You’d spend thousands of pounds and huge amounts of time undergoing one of the most stressful experiences in life because your neighbours were mildly pissed off with you?! 😆

@youshouldnthaveasked exactly not a hope in hell! Your original comment was so ridiculous, it's untrue!

Yes it probably is 😂

The people on this thread seem to have no understanding of anything around this issue, other than their own ‘right’ to have a door answered when it suits them, and them alone.

Quite a few of us here pointed out that it can be done safely.
Again. Answering door doesn't have to mean to open them. It's understandable people may not want to

I wfh and ignore my door all the time, honestly even more likely if I spotted that it was my neighbour. They’re lovely, but retired and I can only assume bored, as they knock to tell me the most inane things you could imagine. I chat away when not working, but if I am, and not expecting a delivery, I never answer.

762 messages and counting 😂🤣It’s kind of funny but a bit depressing too.

Haha, who would have thought it would be such a divisive topic 😂😂

I don't answer the door unless I'm expecting someone/a delivery.. I have it makes me feel anxious so I won't do it. I don't think your in the wrong OP

You have every right not to answer your door! If your neighbors can’t understand that, it’s on them. Taking out their fears over their son having been injured, is really misplaced anger.

I have a Ring doorbell so I can see who is at my door without going to the door. If it’s someone I know, I will go to the door. If not, I either ignore it or talk to them through the doorbell before I go answer it. Sometimes I’m upstairs, sometimes I’m not home, sometimes I’m in the back yard, or many other reasons I may have for not answering my door.

Where I live, there are lots of scams going on. Not long ago, there was a kid going door to door selling candy. As soon as the someone answers the door, several men come from around the corner of the house and force their way inside. They get really creative.

If someone was pounding on my door, I would definitely see who it was through my ring, not run to answer it, for my own safety, if nothing else.

Get a camera doorbell and then you can see who is approaching your door without getting up to answer it. Problem solved.