I’m not talking about who at home does the greating but if you’re sat at home at say 8pm and someone knocks the door without prior arrangement – would you answer it?

Seems a daft question to me, but speaking to my Mum today she NEVER answers the door unless she’s expecting a delivery and never in the evening. She’s not some frail old dear either, she’s a fit and active 60 year old, not scared of her own shadow. I asked her what she did if someone knocks “nothing, they soon get the idea” it seems this isn’t an unusual thing these days – not sure it’s because everyone’s got a mobile or because we’re a lot less sociable with strangers these days, but she says lots of her friends and most of our family won’t answer the door unless they’re expecting someone.

There’s a certain logic to it I suppose, in the last year ‘unexpected guests’ had been limited to Chuggers, Politicians and reps.

I never answer the phone at home, I do answer the door

Depends.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, possibly not.

Always answer the door but often wish I hadn’t. Living in the middle of a city means we get regular and persistent cold callers.

All depends on how they rattle the letterbox, some are too weak and not worthy of answering, some are too assertive and sound like trouble so get ignored, others are just right and sound friendly enough so I might answer them ones if I can be bothered.

I always do. Thinking about it now I don’t recall ever having an unexpected visitor at this house (eg friend or family). They will always message first. In the evening sometimes it’s a neighbour, usually a chugger, occasionally a delivery. Surprisingly large number of people coming to the wrong house too. Think I’ll carrying on answering it. You never know

Always answer the door, if it’s a cold caller I release the hounds.

We are pretty rural, rarely get anyone even coming down the road let alone knocking on the door. It’s usually one of the neighbours.

Nope. No one I know is going to turn up unannounced.

I feel like being rude to cold callers is less rude than cold calling in the first place.

Got a cancer research chugger earlier, she told me all about some awesome new drugs before I told her I already donate to them. She seemed vaguely pleased.

Cats protection league can do one though…

Only answer if expected or postie/delivery. Don’t answer phone either unless I know who it is

I answer the door to everyone.

I’m usually naked.

So that at least gives them a laugh.

I have a pre arranged doorbell code with my mates, any one else, esp in odd hours, it will be either be T.V licensing or some similar ****. (London life)

If I’m “not at home” I send the butler.

Yes, it could be a delivery, however I’m rarely home during the day, so that can be a pain having to collect from the sorting office, or in one case, a forty mile round trip to the depot because the courier used did not do weekend or re-arranged or alternate address deliveries.
Haven’t had charity people round for a while, they get sent away before they can start their spiel, I don’t do direct debit charity donations.

cctv, remote access via a handset and intercom, means i dont need to get up ans say no thanks to un expected visitors.

If we cannot see who is there from the window, we don’t answer the door. Similar for landline phone, we use a 24/7 answering machine, if we are in and we want to speak to the person beginning to talk, we pick up.

Why? We are both of a nervous disposition and really hate cold callers, of which we get many.

Sometimes I think maybe we should get a CCTV thing installed, but I’d rather it was made illegal for bible bashers and cold callers to knock on our door, if we sign up to a scheme and/or put something on the door.

I would love to have a note on the door that stated that an unwanted door knocker will have a bucket of old fish tank water thrown in their direction, but I fear this may have repercussions! 😆

Yes. But it’s always some arsehole

I pretty much always answer the door. With cold callers I find a slammed door in the face often offends.

Jehovah’s witnesses get a little extra treatment before the door is firmly shut.

Yeah I do.

It’s almost always a neighbor with a parcel they took in for us, or picking up one that we took for them.

Gates are always locked so nobody can get to the door. If the gates are not locked then anyone that does open the gate tends to not close it properly so we get horses or cows in the garden

So, not as strange as I thought then!

My wife does answer the door or phone unless she is aware of who it is in advance.
Drives me bonkers

Maybe. Usually check visually through peep hole and would probably not open to an unidentified caller.

We rarely get phone calls as no one really knows our landline number, there are periods when there is no phone connected to it anyway

Will answer if expecting a delivery, etc. Will deffo not answer if I see the caller approaching and they look vaguely salesy, religiousy, etc.

Never answer the landline though.

Yes. Always. Why expect the worst? It could be someone in need of help, a friend on a surprise visit, the “authorities” warning you to evacuate your house before the neighbourhood blows up…..

What’s up with people not answering the phone.

Are you all shy or something?

When I was assisting with the last National Census the pilot involved knocking on doors. A surprising number if folk simply ignored it.

I didn’t realise so many STWers lived in West Edinburgh.

Got a video doorbell a few weeks back, generally look to see who it is and decide if I can be arsed to reply.

Yep, but I always rue the decision as it’s always somebody selling something, religious types spreading the word or dodgy tradesfolk touting for work.

So I’ll stop answering the door methinks…

No, never, I open the window. If I want to talk to them they get told to wait. I then go out of the back door and go round to greet them.

Yes, always. It’s rue not to, and I can alsways politely tell cold callers to go away if nedessary.
Usually it’s a neighbour calling about a parcel or letting us know they’ll be away. We also hold some neighbours’ keys so they call on us if they have locked themselves out. That used to be common when they had teenagers coming home at all hours.

Yep buy more often these days via the Ring app. Good if I’m in the garden office or anywhere else.

I usually do (except halloween & the run up to Xmas) & if It’s a cold caller I say nowt & point at the sticker that says, ‘no cold callers’, then SLAM the door in their faces!

I don’t, no.

He does it for me..

This is pretty much exactly what happens when someone comes to me front door.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yjNbcKkNY[/video]

I always do. We don’t get really get any time wasters like that, it’s usually deliveries.

Did have a Jehovah’s Witness couple come by over three years back now and they still come by once a month. We yarn for a fair bit and rarely about religion, I’m sure they must know by now that I’m not joining..

I’ll answer the door but cold callers get a prompt ‘I won’t be interested’ why waste their time and mine on some sales patter I won’t be interested in? Anyway had one guy take umbrage and try to get in the house to argue – I literally had to shove him out of the door and lock it. I was pretty shocked, I did wonder if I would have been justified (legally) in beating the living **** out of him for trying to force his way into my home?

My door opens outwards, it’s proved useful in the past.

“Reasonable force” can be used.

No-one I know has my land line number, it’s for my internet connection. It’s permanently on silent so never gets answered.
I’m not a nosey/curious person so don’t bother checking the answer machine on it either.

I only ever buy internet products that have an Argos delivery option so a knock on the door will be salesperson or other form of pikey so I never answer. I know the knock of my two neighbours so
that will get answered.