Am I the only person who never opens their front door to anyone?

[jugglingjugs]

I just heard my front door go, so I hid in the kitchen out of sight, no idea who it was but I'm now very curious.
I wasn't expecting anyone, if it was family I would have answered because they wouldn't come unannounced.
I also never answer my phone if I don't recognise the number. Is this just me or does anyone else do this?
I have never really thought about why until now.

I don't feel unsafe. I just can't be bothered to engage.

Really? 😂

I don't answer unknown numbers as it's 95% likely to be spam. If it's important they'll leave a message.

Since Covid, most of the delivery people just drop the parcel and run, not really giving you a chance to answer anyway. Also don't answer it if I'm working. Nothing to do with being nervous/scared though.

Huh? This place is weird. So many people here need help.

If you feel unsafe then use a chain or a ring doorbell.

If it's a delivery or whatever then you can, y'know, engage with the person like a normal human being. If it's a random person you don't want to deal with then tell them to go away.

I ignore unknown numbers unless I’m expecting a call-but no-one I know calls anyway really! Always Whatsapp or Facetime. They are always scam calls.

I answer the door but we live rurally and at the end of a dead end private lane so it’s only deliveries. I do have a look to see who it is first, just because all the people we know and the regulator delivery people use the back-so the front is a bit suspicious.

We had those dodgy doorstep sellers in the village recently (the ones that are sent in as gangs pretending they are part of a scheme) and the police advised to not open the door but to call it in. So for a little while we were only answering to expected deliveries. These people were really unpleasant though-one had spat in the face of one of the neighbours when challenged and they came back 3 times over a 6 week period. So it’s good to be wary.

I don’t answer the door when I’m WFH and on a call though-which annoys the delivery people but that’s tough. If I can be interrupted that’s fine but often I can’t. I don’t hide though.

I don't but I do have a violent ex and debt collectors in my past. It's weird because he doesn't know where I live (moved hundreds of miles away) and I've been out of debt for about a decade. But I can't shake it.

For me it's nothing to do with being unsafe or frightened or hiding from a collector like me mum.

My time is my time... I choose who gets it and who doesn't... Some dickhead knocking my door uninvited doesn't get to disturb me or have any of my time, they're not important enough to me.
Same as chuggers and anyone else in town centres, they don't get my consideration or time either.

I open the door, our doors are locked though, that's just normal house security

I’m the same as OP. I never answer the door unless I’m expecting someone.

My time is my time... I choose who gets it and who doesn't... Some dickhead knocking my door uninvited doesn't get to disturb me or have any of my time, they're not important enough to me.

Yep.

I would miss a lot of parcel deliveries if I didn't open the door.

I normally don't answer my phone from unknown callers, as it's mostly scam. I only pick up local phone calls or I'm expecting a phone call from GP or delivery of expensive item etc.

I'm the same OP.

I have C-PTSD (diagnosed) and any unexpected visitor/unknown number triggers the fight/flight/freeze response in me. I freeze.

All those who don't have any conditions that trigger that response: 'Bully for you!! Whoop Fucking Whoop!!'

I have a question for all those who are sneering at the 'not typical' response, how do you deal with SEN/ASD children?

Do you sneer at and mock them similarly?

I'm like this but I have ME. If someone's too chatty or won't take a hint that I don't have the energy to talk, it can take me days to recover so it's just not worth it. My friends know to arrange stuff in advance and that I don't do spontaneous energy expenditure! Far too risky health wise.

We got a new front door a couple of years ago and I got a spyhole put in so that I could decide whether to open it or not! We get a fair number of cold callers (despite a sign) so I don’t open the door to people I don’t recognise but I do answer to neighbours, delivery drivers etc. No interest in speaking to random charity workers, Jehovah's witnesses, Mormons, roofers, CityFibre workers, gutter cleaners etc!

I’ll usually answer the phone if it’s a local number but otherwise I’ll Google it and call them back if it looks like something genuine.

Get a ring doorbell like previous posters, them you can screen your door knockers like you cam screen callers. If it's a stranger with a clipboard and a high vis tabard it's a nope, if it's a stranger with a smile and cake it's a yep.

I don't answer my phone as I'm autistic and can't hear properly (auditory processing disorder) without being able to see someone's mouth. If it's important they'll leave a message and I can try and decipher it in my own time then either email them or get my husband to call them back.

The door I will answer as I order a lot of parcels.

Can you not hang out of an upstairs window to ask what they want or is this common?

https://who-called.co.uk/

Random phone calls I check on this site. My house phone sky have a blocking facility.

A lot of people have camera doorbell these days.

We dont lock our door until night time, but we live in a quiet Welsh village.

It's a well known thing on MN , so it must happen. I don't usually answer if I'm not excepting anyone. If I do it's usually cold callers.

I usually answer the door, although unexpected callers do irritate me. I never answer the phone to unknown numbers though (withheld or a number I don't recognise) - it is nearly always a nonsense call and they can leave me a voicemail if it is important.

My next door neighbour never answers her door. I know this because I end up taking in all her parcels. Then she doesn't answer the door if I try to drop them in so I have to text first or wait for her to collect them. It's weird but she's nice enough and it's no real hardship to me. Still makes me judge her a bit for being weird tho 😄

I certainly don't hide though.

I once refused to answer the door (it was 9pm) so they rang the bell again. I answered it and got a response of "aren't you going to let me in?" Yes because I'm really going to let some random person in.

It was the wrong house.

As I live in the ground floor, I get a lot of people for upstairs. But they do give the name of the person they're after.

Don't get cold callers.

I get a lot of unknown numbers mostly from the hospital.

It’s bizarre and very unusual for a fully functioning adult who (I assume - never wise here though!), holds down a job, raises a family, pays bills, speaks to colleagues/family etc.
Hiding from the door bell!!! Ridiculous.