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Ding Dong… DING Dong… DING DONG!

Posted by LindaMattacks on March 10, 2010 · View Comments 

Have you ever had that with your front door bell ringing? Do you stop what you’re doing immediately, think: “I wonder who that could be?” Then leap you to your feet to go and find out? Do you pride yourself that you can tell by the nature of the ringing as to the type of caller you might find there?

Do you ignore it? Do you have a peep hole or entry phone with camera? Or do you position yourself so that you can see who is standing at the drawbridge to your castle but they can’t see you and then decide whether or not to answer?

Let’s have some fun and test it out:

One “I mean business” ring (normally week days; rarely afternoon): Wear the uniform of their trade: Postie with recorded delivery or an item that won’t go through the letterbox, meter man/ woman (if unanswered, often followed by: “I’ll just have another go” ring) – I’m cool about them: They have a job to do ;-)

One, two or three “I mean business” ring (weekday evenings): Utility sales reps – Smart, young or young-ish with clipboard – did they not see the notice at the side of the door: ‘Door to door sales? Please don’t ring’ – If they can’t read what faith do I have in their company as a potential supplier :-( ???

One “more tentative” ring (Saturday morning is a favourite round our way): Person or persons (I’ve noticed they’ve often taken to having a young child with them) wanting to convert you to their religion – What do they think they’re doing (however they dress it up) if not door-to-door sales???

An “I’ll try any bell that looks like it may work and I mean business” (seasonal; evenings Monday to Friday and Sunday afternoons seem favourite): Election campaigners – smart-casual; clipboard-toting; more mature: “You can trust me” – My ballot box will see the way I vote and you’ve left it way too late to influence that!

Anybody any other dead give-aways?
Linda
PS: Have you noticed how rarely it’s someone you actually know … and would welcome a break with at that particular time? :-(

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  • Ok I need a doorbell as the dogs bark at everything however flashing bells are really pricey and I am too Deaf to hear a normal door bell. Anyone any ideas? Angie
  • Do you know any clever geeks, Angie?

    I found this:

    http://www.zen22142.zen.co.uk/Circuits/Misc/dea...

    Or these are each £52.95 + £4.50 p&p:

    http://bh-designs.co.uk/doorbell_alarms.htm

    And there are several cheaper ones on the RNID site:

    http://www.rnid.org.uk/shop/products/doorbells/

    Hope this helps
  • Hmmm

    Our business partner Howard is the only person who invariably rings the bell and then follows up with the knocker. I get so irritated by it - it feels like he is saying, hurry up and answer, that the next part of the ritual involves me opening the door and deluging him with a stream of abuse.

    I think I might have hurt the feelings of the relief postman a couple of weeks ago :(
  • Our house is the kiss of death for doorbells - I've lost count of the number we've installed, heard them work for a few weeks, then die regardless of fresh batteries, etc.

    Far more effective are our three dogs. The old girl is deaf but the other two can hear a fly f*rt from 50 yards up the road and anyone approaching the house sets off very loud barking.

    And growling dogs straining at their collars with the front door open just far enough for their slavering jaws and big white teeth to be seen, doesn't half help get rid of unwelcome callers ... that's worth more than a doorbell any day.
  • I wonder if anyone's created an automatic response of a (big) dog barking whenever the doorbell rings?

    Not as good as the picture you paint of the real thing yet it might be a neat deterrent to an unknown caller...
  • I think that has been done - probably in the USA. You'd have to ensure there was a selection of different barks on it - if someone were to call back later and hear exactly the same sounds they'd realise it was a recording.

    If no such product exists here, however, maybe that's another project for BOTBers? Rottweiler barking would be good (Sarah's pooch can help there) ... great wheeze, especially for pensioners/lone women, etc...hmmmm....*makes note to discuss marketing plan with Emily*
  • Lol, my pooches are all sleep and very little bark unless I am taking the butter away from them!
  • joe
    We always played that when living in Norfolk but instead of a doorbell made people walk the gravel to the back door (we had a 'please call at the back door' sign on the front) and used to try to guess by the speed/noise of the crunching oh and the reaction of the dog!
  • Good harmless fun! I wonder if that made callers feel privileged (less formal "we trust you yo come round the back") or lowly ("you're trade - you don't come to the front door") ???
  • We have a home-made doorbell which comprises a proper old fashioned servants bell connected to a long chain by the front door. So when someone pulls on the chain the bell jangles. I should mention that the chain has a brass elephant keyring on the end.

    This leads to two scenarios: in the first instance visitors don't see a conventional doorbell, aren't sure what the chain (or elephant) is and knock. Usually they don't knock hard enough to get heard above the background noise level.

    Alternatively, parcel delivery men, who usually arrive at around 7.30am, have delivered to us before, know about the bell and procede to pull the chain. And then pull it again because they like the noise. And then just in case we didn't hear it the first two times they do it again.

    In fact it's only when the bell rings once briefly that I know there's someone I know at the door!
  • From this and bits in some of your earlier comments it sounds like your house has a lot of TLC Maggie and is a real home...
  • Thanks Linda! Yes, a lot of TLC and a lot of work, but I love it and all its quirks!
  • Linda you have forgot the ring from the courier. It's the long continuous one that suddenly stops when the courier removes his shoulder from the doorbell. By the time your head stops ringing he is halfway down the street with your package. ;-)
  • Kev - I see you're looking well these days... :-) Must be all that legging it away from unanswered doors...
  • Ah: That'll be the "I really, really mean business'" one then - sorry ...
  • I might be me missing something you've said in earlier posts, Morag, so I'm not sure whether your son is a youngster or a young adult (when does that transition happen these days?) but I do appreciate the idea that he is so protective of you - whether it's warranted or not... Bless him.

    Whether or not he sees himself as your 'man' in his eyes... how you handle that as he grows and turns his focus to people of his own age... Whatever - he'll be around and meaningful to you a LOT longer than the postie and the meter reader... and maybe the boyfriend and he could become mates of a sort....
  • Morag
    Tom is 9 and very small for his age, Linda - which is a good thing, given the speed at which he hurls himself at the front door to announce his arrival. He and the boyfriend have a good rapport, centring round WWII planes ... which is really annoying when bf turns up at 9.15pm, I'm starving and all they want to do is talk planes!
  • Morag
    Only three people ever ring my door bell

    1. The postman
    2. The meter reader
    3. My boyfriend

    When my son comes home from school, he prefers the "throw body against the door, in case it happens to be open" approach. I always cringe.
  • Tim
    Found this amusing. For us it is the travellers who want our metal/scrap if we don't put it away quick enough :)
  • Hi Tim - and thanks, it was meant to be a bit tongue-in cheek ;-)

    Ever thought of 'collaring' them and saying: "Okay: £50/ £20 (or whatever) and it's yours..." ???
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