quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Video doorbells are very helpful. Ring, Blink, et al.

I get an alert on my phone when someone comes on my porch, and when someone rings my doorbell.

This allows me to pull up the camera on my phone, and see if it's someone I want to engage with, without ever having to open the door, talk to them, or even get off the couch (or even be there at all).

Same. I have little use for “my precious” but home automation is the main use. I love being able to talk to them without having to get up. Some recent applications for 2024:

1. Rings doorbell, I use app and enable speaker/mic combo. My first words “Can you not read? It says no soliciting on my door.” His response “Sir I’m not selling anything. I work on solar panels and your neighbors across the street :looks at this phone: Mr. And Mrs. X called me because they were still getting an electric bill so they had me out to check their panels”. My next response was priceless “You and them are both a bunch of dumbasses. Of course you are going to get a kwh bill, panels decrease kwh cost, but don’t eliminate it. Just because you have panels doesn’t mean you’re off the grid. You’d need 70 panels at least, a few power walls, an inverter and they don’t have that shit.” His response “Sir I can check your system for you to make sure it’s functioning properly.” My last response “kid, my shit works just fine, I didn’t call you, I’m not interested in the shit you’re selling, now get the fuck off my property, or I’ll call the Police because I’d bet both of my nuts, swinging, that you don’t have a soliciting license and that’s required by the city to cold call and offer sales, service, or anything else”. He damn near ran off my property.

2. A twenty something African American lady rings the bell. I wait, she rings it again, my response “Lady, can you not read? It says no soliciting on the door, and the sign is REAL BIG. What are you doing on my property?” Her response “Sir I’m not selling anything, I’m out here trying to talk about the election and get people to vote” blah blah. My response “Politics is sales lady, always has been always will be. Biden on a cracker, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts you are out here panhandling for the raisin, looking for a handout. I didn’t call you and ask you to come on to my property to talk about the upcoming election, nor solicit advice from the CommieCrat party about it. So get off my mother fucking property or I’ll call the Police Department and you can deal with them” Oh she was pissed, haha

3. I don’t know what this next guy was even peddling, I just wasn’t in the mood. It was a long week, work, mowing in 100 degree heat, lifting at the gym, doing PT for an injury I’m coming back from, etc. I have a boat horn for my ski, the little canister with the screw on red horn. I’ve just got into the habit of pulling it out of my glove on the ski and leaving it by the front door these recent months. So this guy rings the bell, I put the dog in a bedroom, shut the door behind me (she is a Mal and goes ape as she was trained to do when the bell rings), and grab my ear pro, enable mic/speaker and blow the boat horn through that speaker. I’m watching on my surveillance system, and this guy shrieked and ran off. I would have opened up the door and done it in his face but don’t want a civil case due to his loss of hearing

I’ve had solicitors case my house in January. Two white men, in their 50’s, ring the bell, look my home up and down, walk around the entire home, stand in the alley gawking at entire home, and it looked like some crooks casing a home in a movie, except it was broad daylight. I wasn’t home. Had I been, my braced and slung Scorpion would have been hanging at my waist as I answered the door. A big, pro, business like “NO SOLICITING” sign is on my storm door. If you ignore it, and bother me, it’s on you. I’m done putting up with these fuckers. I had a “solar panel cleaning business” guy drive up in his truck, park right in front of my house, and ring the bell 2-3 times. He came back 7 times. I called the PD, they weren’t much interested until I had video of each visit. They gave me a number to send them to so I texted each video with time stamps, from multiple cameras. They called his dumbass and I don’t know what the lady officer said but she called me back and said “That guy will NEVER come back to your house” so she must have chewed his ass after looking at the video. It’s one thing if they hit every house on the street with their bullshit, it’s quite another when they park right in front of your home, 7-8 times, and don’t hit another house on the street. I’ve talked to the PD at length and if I have to answer that door a single time, and it’s not a neighbor, the slung firearm will be on me, and I’ll be on camera 100% of the time if they claim I swept them. Shit the local PD told me without telling me to do it. One officer said “it’s your home and that is perfectly legal, they can’t do shit”.

A good friend of mine had 2 large Newfs that were each well over 100# each. She taught those dogs to growl at strangers at the door.

Standard line went something like this,
“Hi, I’m Joe with……whooo….do they bite?

Response, “They don’t bite me.”

Last time we were having dinner and got a knock. I checked the camera and saw it was anyone that I know. I excused myself from the table opened the door and said “No! Go away!” and closed the door.

The camera feed was still playing as i sat back down. The guy said “whu, what? You don’t have to be rude.” You know, he’s right. But we still laughed about it.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:
A good friend of mine had 2 large Newfs that were each well over 100# each. She taught those dogs to growl at strangers at the door.

Standard line went something like this,
“Hi, I’m Joe with……whooo….do they bite?

Response, “They don’t bite me.”

My wife's reply to a similar question, when approached by a shady looking character while walking our 212 pound English Mastiff in Lincoln Park, Chicago: "Only on command."

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:

Last week it was the bug people. The sales pitch was they would give me a 50% discount because they were trying to filling appointments in the area because the were going to be in the neighborhood taking care of other customers...

Its amazing there were also a few open slots in my neighborhood and we live on opposite ends of the country.

I had a young guy from a pest control company catch me outside one day . I see them in the neighborhood every now and then . Anyway , this kid obviously had some sales training because NO did not mean NO , it was just an opportunity to steer the conversation in a different direction . I always respect the fact that people are trying to make a living and cold calls are the hardest way , but I have my limits . When my patience runs out I just say " We're done here " and close the door or walk away ..

Video doorbell, so I ignore anybody I don't know.

If I'm approached by a solicitor when I'm outside, I might say "I'm hearing impaired. Would you mind writing your question for me?" That usually does the job.

Back when I was working on software development for telephone Central Office systems, we did a joint project with a team from Italy. My office mate, an Italian engineer, had an expression that he used when he was upset. English translation: "My testicles are spinning around like the rotors of a helicopter." I still remember the Italian sentence; it's a good reply to solicitors, who look puzzled, and then leave.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Video doorbells are very helpful. Ring, Blink, et al.

I get an alert on my phone when someone comes on my porch, and when someone rings my doorbell.

This allows me to pull up the camera on my phone, and see if it's someone I want to engage with, without ever having to open the door, talk to them, or even get off the couch (or even be there at all).

This is what I do. I tell them no, thank you. and they turn and go away.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:

The guy said “whu, what? You don’t have to be rude.” You know, he’s right. But we still laughed about it.

Nah he’s wrong though. He, not you, is the one being rude. That’s your property, not his. He was the one disturbing you and your family. If you request a quote or solicitation then no, if you do not, then the rudeness is on their side of the fence.

So far, these have been effective:

Every now and then it pays off for somebody . One day there was a knock on the door and I saw a well dressed young man standing there . He caught me on a good day so I answered it . He introduced himself and handed me his business card . He worked for Edward Jones and had just opened an office nearby . He said if he could ever do anything for me please feel free to call . I thanked him and dropped the card in the drawer of the hutch in the foyer . A year later we were thinking of changing our financial advisor so I dug out the card . We made an appointment and while we were talking I noticed his tie clasp . It was a Ranger Tab . Turns out he had served two tours in Afghanistan . We had some interesting conversations .

True story…
My ex father in law tried door to door cold calling for a while, selling grave plots.

He said it was a dead end job…

I still want to try the lawn sprinkler for those that can’t read the sign.

I guess I am just odd. Now days if you open the door , people rush in and do bad things. If you don’t answer people think no one is home and consider doing bad things. When my bell rings my dog greets them from inside in a very unfriendly manner. When I arrive , if it is not UPS or the like in Uniform with a truck then they get waved at from inside to go away.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Video doorbells are very helpful. Ring, Blink, et al.

I get an alert on my phone when someone comes on my porch, and when someone rings my doorbell.

This allows me to pull up the camera on my phone, and see if it's someone I want to engage with, without ever having to open the door, talk to them, or even get off the couch (or even be there at all).

Yep, I have google doorbell. I talk with them through it. Yesterday, some woman drove up and wanted to talk about whether we had a plan to vote. I don't know if she was for the Democrats or Republicans. I asked what she wanted to talk about. And then replied I do have a plan to vote. Thank you.

She stood there for a few moments then turned around back to her car. I like how I don't have to open the door or talk to them face to face.

I was an OTR trucker for many years. I once walked past an idling truck that had foam (oil+water) running to the ground. I knocked on the door, and the driver answered all pissed at me. I said he should check his engine before it seized. Not even a thanks for me taking the time to help him.

I must be honest, I get a similar vibe from the No door approaches crowd. Why are we now so offended by an actual human interaction? We will tolerate endless, probing marketing attempts from our devices, but we seem to get overly pissed at a one-on-one sales attempt. If I even have a conversation about something around my wife’s phone, her damn Facebook app picks it up and then I start getting ads on my phone, and I don’t even have a Facebook account.

We always talk about how much more civil our society was in the past, or how better it was for our parent’s generation. I know they had many more sales calls in their day. I don’t know, maybe we’re just collectively over marketed nowadays, and the door-to-door crowd is a very obvious one. Maybe it’s just that marketers use the “assumed sale” so aggressively that it’s a pain to deal with a person now. That is likely something that’s different from the past.

My doorbell rang this afternoon . I saw a young man standing about 8 feet back from the door so I went ahead and answered it . He introduced himself and said that he was with a tree service and basically was riding through the neighborhood looking for tree jobs . I have a VERY tall , VERY dead Poplar tree that is visible from the street and he zeroed in on it . I told him that I already have a guy lined up to take it down next week . He was very polite and thanked me , but he did try to get me to tell him how much the guy was going to charge me . Sorry , I don't play that .
I thought it was interesting that he rang the doorbell and then stepped well back from the door . That's old school stuff there .

Just watch out for the ones that convinces you to come outside, maybe into the backyard.

Our old neighbor down the street had a fellow wanting to buy his minivan parked behind the house.
The bad guys partner hiding in the car then went into the unlocked front door and stole his financial paper work and coin collection.

This man had taken multiple trips to the south to help rebuild homes after disasters until he lost his wife whom he had to feed through a tube till her end. A man of many tribulations. And so humble, local news covered it and he forgave them.
Anyway...

My wife had one dude ringing the doorbell and saw him through a side window hiding to the side of the porch, out of view from the door, waiting for her to open the door. It was getting close to dark. She called the police and said they needed to stop and question this guy before he gets himself shot. They found him a few blocks away and gave him a talking to and afterward followed up with my wife. Crazy.

Man it's probably been 20+ years since I answered the door, with the exception of UPS/FedEx. Even then I won't "answer the door", I'll either be out the door with it closed behind me before they get to the steps, or if not, exit and close the door behind me as they're walking back to the truck. I never stand in my doorway talking to someone.