How many times...

R0ot

... Do you ring the doorbell? (Dirty minded ones that thought it was something else, for shame!) Inspired by this thread.

It happens often to me in the home that I live in. I'm a very big fan of computer games for those that don't know me. And I have got a headset that pretty much drowns out all other sounds but that from my computer, in short you'd have to make a lot of noise to get my attention when the headset is on.

Now some times when i'm in the middle of say something important in a game (/me waits for the people that say "WTF is important about a game") and suddenly because theres not a lot of sound from the computer I hear the doorbell, now i'm not expecting anyone and nobody has rang my mobile (which I can see) so because I am entwined in the game I ignore it. Then comes a second ringing and a third and then repeated pressing of the doorbell, i've only ever moved once to someone that continued to ring the doorbell and it turned out to be some of my sisters friends. At this stage you'd think the person ringing the doorbell would cop on and say to themselves "Hold on maybe theres nobody in, maybe they are sleeping, maybe they DON'T WANNA ANSWER THE FECKING DOOR!, or something else, but NO they continue to ring the doorbell, and when its at night time and my room light or some other light is on random strangers come up to the windows with the lights on and proceed to bang on them.

I'm just wondering what other people do when they call to peoples houses, do you ring until you get an answer, are you a 1 ringer kinda person who gives up right away. Are you ignorant enough to try the door handle or knock on other windows of the house? [/rant]

Mahatma coat

The technique that I use is
Ring bell once, or give 5 knocks (Tap,tap,,taptaptap)
wait 30 seconds
Ring again or 3 knocks
15 seconds more

No answer, bugger off to next door.

As I've said before anyone who sits on the doorbell should be taken out and shot, by what logic do peope think you are more likely to buy their tat if they piss you off before you open the door?

Anti

Usually start with a quick buzzzzzzz. Then a few knocks in a few seeconds if you dont hear any movement after that. If you dont, the people either dont want to be disturbed, or are asleep. Or possibly out.

Pherekydes

After 2 or 3 (thousand) rings on the bell I assume people are occupied like the OP so then I bang on the front windows, usually with a key. If this fails to work I navigate to the rear if possible and bang on their kitchen window, if that's in the rear. Then I try the back door handle. Then I run off. Before the cops arrive. (This is all tongue-in-cheek)

Seriously, my step daughter had a boyfriend who used to sit in his car and sound his horn rather than get out and knock. Now that's ignorance.

Shiva

Slow coach wrote:

Seriously, my step daughter had a boyfriend who used to sit in his car and sound his horn rather than get out and knock. Now that's ignorance.

As it says in that old email joke listing the 13 rules for dating my daughter....

"If you pull up and honk the horn, you'd better be delivering something, 'cos you sure as hell aren't collecting anything"

Ayup....thats the height of ignorance.

I had a canvasser call to the house the other day, and my 5 year old step-daughter was dancing around to some music in the front room. Admittedly, it was a little louder than she needed it to be, but it was by no means obnoxiously loud.

The canvasser started her spiel with "Hi, I'm sorry to disturb you, but we're canv....." then paused, got a frosty glint in her eye, and asked me if I'd "mind turning down the music so she could hear herself speak".

Guess what happened next ?

LovelyTom

more than once is just rude in my opinion

Kiith

I'd ring it once normally, then if there was no answer, i'd generally do a shorter 2nd ring. Then leave.

Binomate

Knocking in a violent matter shouting "HELP, HELP" usually gets their attention.

Mrs_Doyle

I'll ring once, give it a few seconds, if I think there is someone in, but maybe didn't hear the door bell, I'll ring a second time.

I still live at home with the folks, along with my brother and two sisters.

My house is very, very noisy, so sometimes we don't hear the doorbell ringing and end up missing a caller.

My boyfriend always rings my mobile as he's approaching the door, cos he knows that ,odds are, I wont hear the door bell.

The Bollox

well I ring once, have a look in the stain glass to see if there are any shadows moving, if after 10 secs there is no movement I do a slightly longer ring, wait a few more secs and then walk off feeling hurt and offended

Mossy Monk

Three times. You didn't provide this option in your poll so I selected Atari Jaguar.

Gran Hermano

Binomate wrote:

Knocking in a violent matter shouting "HELP, HELP" usually gets their attention.

Personally I find "FIRE, FIRE !!!!!!!!!!" better

angeldelight

It depends whose house it is tbh... if it's a stranger and I was going canvassing or something, which I haven't done in years, I'd ring/knock once, wait about 30 seconds then leave. If it's family or a good friend probably ring, wait and see if there's movement, try again and leave after that.

My dad has got into the habit of giving this lady that comes around our estate with her kids at the weekends money, selection boxes for the kids at christmas, old clothes etc. Personally I wouldn't purely because she rings the doorbell and holds it for ages, then after about a minute she does it again. If I'm at home on my own I don't answer, so about 10 minutes later she sends one of the kids back to ring it again!

luckat

Twice. Once, then a second time in case people didn't hear. Then I go away if it's not answered, assuming that either they're not in or they don't feel like answering the door.

I was taught that twice is polite, on the logic above. Mind you, I give a fairly tentative ring or knock in the first place.

I don't have a doorbell or knocker on my own house, and find that the only people who keep pounding if it's not answered after two sets of knocks spaced, say, 15 seconds apart are beggars. With beggars, I answer and give a couple of euro sometimes and not others.

biko

Mossy Monk wrote:

Three times. You didn't provide this option in your poll so I selected Atari Jaguar.

Same here. If I know the people well I will try the door after the first bell and walk into the kitchen and have a tea while I wait for them to finish playing/sexing/whatnot.

jellie

Once. Unless im not sure if the bell worked, or if i can hear people inside & think i might not have knocked loud enough, then ill try one more time.

r3nu4l

If I don't get an answer after the first two rings (about 30 seconds waiting) I try the knocker once. After that I bugger off...

...come back and pour petrol in the letterbox and throw a match in. If I hear a commotion in the house I know they were in all the time and just ignoring me. That'll teach 'em.
/looks for 'evil' smilie button.

The second part of the above post may be less true than the first.

The Bollox

luckat wrote:

With beggars, I answer and give a couple of euro sometimes and not others.

NOOOOOO! don't you WATCH South Park? if you give them money there'll be more of them!

Archeron

Twice with a 15-20 second gap and then just leave. Although if I press a bell and hear a "bing", I usually keep my finger on the bell for about 20 seconds, as the "bong" doesnt come until you let go, so it makes them think their bell is gone wonky.

AlmightyCushion

I usually ring about twice maybe a third time at the most. If they don't answer after that they're either not, don't want to see you or have gone deaf. Either way ringing the doorbell a million more times isn't gonna change that.

Kojak

Mossy Monk wrote:

Three times. You didn't provide this option in your poll so I selected Atari Jaguar.

Same here, although some times I will press it continuously until someone answers the door.

azezil

Depends how much I wanna get in, for example if I'm going over to a friends place who should be expecting me I'll practically break the door down!

If its just some randomer I've called by, like perhaps with a survey, I'll just ring / knock once.