Getting back home, you see your door left wide open, what's your reaction to it?
By williamjisir
@williamjisir (22819)
China
December 4, 2010 7:15am CST
Background: Today is December 4th, 2010. It so happened that one of my colleagues wanted to use my apartment for fixing the Internet connection problem that he had this afternoon, as we share the same Internet connection by using a router. With this router in my apartment, several families share the Internet for less fee. Something went wrong with his connection. So he came to me and was trying to fix it by himself. He came with another colleague who was asked to help him. They both came at a time when I had to leave soon. Therefore I told them to lock my apartment door when they were done with it.
Now it is evening. I came back to my apartment after five hours only to find that my apartment door was wide open. I was surprised at this and was wondering how come they did not close my door and lock it as I told them. My first reaction was to check whether my valuable belongings were still safe, especially my laptop and cash. I felt relieved when I saw them safe and sound in the place where they are supposed to.
I was wondering whether I should go and tell this colleague of mine about it, who is also my good friend. I did so. I think that it is better to let him know about it so that they will be more careful next time not to leave my door wide open when they have the same problem once again. In fact, I have left his family a key of my apartment when I am away for my long vacation.
When I went to his apartment to tell him about this, he said that he closed it. But later he figured out that he might not close it tightly. That was the reason why.
Still I am glad that I have made it known to him as well as his wife in the hope that there will be no more such thing happening again. I don't expect my valuable stuff to get stolen.
Now my question for you is:
What's your reaction to this case when your door is left wide open without your friend's locking or closing it?
Will you go and let him or her know about it? Do you feel embarrassed doing so?
Thanks so much for taking your valuable time to read my latest discussion and respond to it. Take care!
7 people like this
16 responses
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
6 Dec 10
Hi jisir, if such situation were to be happened to me I definitely will let the person who is responsible to get the door closed nicely to know the whole thing. So that he would be more alert to make sure that whether the door is closed safely when leaving the residence with no one inside. I don't hope the undesired thing would happen again next time.
I don't think everyone is as that lucky as you, yet to have all the important and valuable belongings safe and maintain unchanged in their original state even the door was left wide open for quite some time 
It seems that the public security is really good in your place. Or might be it's so fortunate that there isn't any culprit passing by that moment.
Since I trust the person and more than willing to let him or her to have my door key and get in and out of my house whenever there is a need, therefore there isn't any thing which we couldn't get to know each other's view point better frankly. It's sure that I would like to let him or her to know in a courteous and hearty way so that both of us wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Take care and happy posting 
I don't think everyone is as that lucky as you, yet to have all the important and valuable belongings safe and maintain unchanged in their original state even the door was left wide open for quite some time It seems that the public security is really good in your place. Or might be it's so fortunate that there isn't any culprit passing by that moment.
Since I trust the person and more than willing to let him or her to have my door key and get in and out of my house whenever there is a need, therefore there isn't any thing which we couldn't get to know each other's view point better frankly. It's sure that I would like to let him or her to know in a courteous and hearty way so that both of us wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Take care and happy posting
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
7 Dec 10
The public security is really good in the building where I live on campus because it is a building for teachers only, but if it is a mixed building with the students, then it is hard to say. Years ago, one of my colleagues who lived in a building with the students got her laptop stolen by one of her students who used to go to her apartment very often. So everything is possible. I still have to be careful. Thank you for the nice response. Have a good time, lkbooi.
1 person likes this
@lkbooi (16070)
• Malaysia
15 Dec 10
It's really safe to live in a building where all the residents there are teachers. They are nice and trusty professional people and nothing to be worried even the door is opened occasionally. But it still needs to be alert that there might be visitors who are not well behaved like what you had mentioned above. I hope your careless colleague will get your door closed safely next time to avoid any undesirable incident happened.
Have a nice day 
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
18 Dec 10
Hello lkbooi. I hold the belief that it is better to be careful than not. I do wish that he will be more careful anytime he uses my apartment for the connection while I am out. Enjoy yourself.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
5 Dec 10
He did forget to lock it firmly that the door was left open, which was terrible. How come he was so careless! Take care, jornz.
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
11 Mar 11
Hi. williamjisir. I would surely say something to him about this. I would feel a little ashamed about it though. But I will tell him how I feel so that he can be aware of my opinion about my door being left opened. It was very smart of you to have checked around your apartment to make sure that everything was there as it was supposed to be. This can't be a mistake again, so stressing this to your friend will make them more aware. He should make sure that your front door is completely closed and locked tight. You told him to make sure that the front door was locked, then it should have been when they left from your apartment. A small careless mistake could have caused your laptop and your cash to be stolen. I am glad that everything was left as exactly as it were supposed to. I would have felt terrified if I saw my front door opened when I came back home. All kinds of scary thoughts would have been playing throughout my mind.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
29 Nov 12
Hello cream. Sorry for the late response. Now it is two years since it was posted. Ever since then, I have been careful not to give my apartment key to anyone for the sake of safety. Thanks for the response and take care.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
7 Dec 10
If I came home and found the frontdoor open, I would be nervous when I entered the house, because there there could a burglar inside, and (s)he might harm me if I show up unexpectedly. When I was sure that there was no one in the house I would check everything carefully to see if anything was missing. If everything was okay my reaction would probably be a feeling of relief and anger at the same time. I would definately tell me friend why I am angry and tell him or her to make sure that the door is closed next time. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but if it happened a second time I would ask to have my key back.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
9 Dec 10
It is well said that everyone makes mistakes. It is human for us to make mistakes, but if we draw the lesson, no more similar mistakes will be made again. Thank you for the response. Take care, Porcospino.
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
5 Dec 10
Hello my friend williamjisir Ji,
Seeing after very very long time. With tregards to my reaction, I would have gone, in case something would have gone wrong, but nothing wernt wrong so I would have avoided, I do not want that my friend should remain guilty, next thing, eeven if somthing would have been missing, I would have thought it never belonged me, so it wa staken away byu someone. God id is great and would always replace with better one. let's always be positive even under horryfying condition, as we can not do anything other than reporting to police. Why not learn from ' THE BISHOP AND CANDLESTICK' story.
May God bless You and have a great time.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
6 Dec 10
Hello friend. Long time no see. I am very happy to have read your response here. You are right that things would be different if we think about it in a different way. Be blessed.
1 person likes this
@maygodblessu44 (7336)
• India
6 Dec 10
Hello my friend williamjisir Ji,
So nice of you for accepting my views positively. I am also happy that we are again united. Thanks. Take care.
May God bless You and have a great time.
1 person likes this
@arkadeb313 (593)
• India
3 Jan 11
Hello williamjisir, I think that in that situation will not be able to remain so cool as you. In spite of my embarrassment, I will have confronted those who acted so carelessly. I might have lost my temper and would not have tried to suppress my feelings to them. When you are responsible for other's things, it is your duty to be doubly sure that it has been done properly how engrossed you may be. To me this is unthinkable. The person may be a good friend of mine, I will think twice before trusting him again. And it is better to let them know so that they are more careful the next time. You are so lucky that you found everything ok, which may not have been the case and might have ruined your year end and the beginning of the next.
Same thing happened to me but it was me who was responsible for the incident and it took place some ten years back. I went out keeping the door of my flat wide open for almost six hours. How could I do so, I could not explain, even today. After my return I too found everything ok. However, I remain careful to prevent its recurrence.
Though you have already chosen the best response, I am adding my comment as I could feel how one feels when he founds himself in that situation.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
28 Nov 12
Hello arkadeb. I am so sorry for the late response to your response to my discussion. I appreciate your comment to it. Have a good day.
@carolbee (16230)
• United States
4 Dec 10
Hi williamjisir,
Good to hear from you again. I would have handled it one of two ways: would have informed my friend about leaving the door open immediately or I would have waited until he needed to use your computer again and then tell him it's probably not a good idea since the front door was left wide open. I would definitely let the friend know, as you did. Good to hear nothing was taken from your apartment.
Take care,
carolbee
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
5 Dec 10
Hello carolbee. Nice to read your response. I am glad that I am lucky everything is safe. One of my colleagues' laptop was stolen by her student who used to visit her and was sold by the student. It was discovered later, but the teacher was given half the money of her newly-bought laptop. So it is always better to be safer than never. Have a good day, my dear friend.
@AmbiePam (91942)
• United States
5 Dec 10
I came home once and my front door was open. It was night, and I probably should have had someone go inside with me to make sure no one was in it. But at the time I didn't care. I went in and looked in my closets, and checked to see if anything was missing, and to see if there was evidence of someone having been there. There wasn't. I found out later the maintenance man had come in to check my smoke alarm.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
6 Dec 10
So it is good if we know who has come to our house when we are not in. If it is someone we know, nothing will be lost. Have a good day, AmbiePam.
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
4 Dec 10
im sorry but id have lost it. id still be complaining to them for a while. id also be leaving my key elswhere when i went on vacation. with someone really responsible. this person seems very irresponsible. 
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
5 Dec 10
I agree that he seems to be very irresponsible. When I talked about this to my best friend this morning, he said the same thing as you do. Have a good day, my dear friend.
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
5 Dec 10
Hi williamjisir~ I would have been alot angrier than you were!
That is not something to take lightly. If I had come home to seeing
my door left wide open I would have freaked out! I would have been
scared to go into my apartment thinking that it was robbed! Well,
I live in NY, what else would I think? 
Anyway, I
would have immediately gone to my "so called friend", found out
why he was so careless, and taken the key back right away! I
wouldn't have given him a second chance to be that careless. That
is extremely serious to be that careless with your apartment!
The next time there is a problem with the Internet, let him wait for
you to return home! Get the key back, that was way too careless!
Anyway, I
would have immediately gone to my "so called friend", found out
why he was so careless, and taken the key back right away! I
wouldn't have given him a second chance to be that careless. That
is extremely serious to be that careless with your apartment!
The next time there is a problem with the Internet, let him wait for
you to return home! Get the key back, that was way too careless!1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
6 Dec 10
I agree that it was the way too careless. And just now I discovered another careless thing he did. One big window of mine in my bedroom was left open as well. I would not have discovered it if I had not walked up to my table next to the window because the window was covered by my curtain that I did not discover the window being open. It is so bad. I will have to let him know about it in case it rains and blows when I am away for my holiday in my hometown for one month. I don't want my apartment in a mess. Thank you for the response, my Opal friend. Have a good day.
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
4 Dec 10
Hi,
If I were to back home and see my house door
open widely,...for sure, I won't step in to the house, instead
I will make a phonecall to my husband or close
relative or either my neighbour,then get them to accompany
go inside the house to check out what is going on there.
FOr your case, you should let your friend know about
this incident. How can he be so careless after leaving your
house and lucky nothing are stolen. Or else, you will have a
big headache.
Just remind him to make sure the door is locked before leaving your house.
To play safe,it is better not to leave your house key with somebody
else,unless you really have no choice.
SOme people can be careless and don't pay much attention.
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
4 Dec 10
I have one key with him so that he can deal with the problem of his being unable to get online as the router is in my apartment during my absence from the school or apartment or anytime when he needs to fix it. I trust him as he is one of my best friends in the school. I guess that he will be more careful next time to make sure the door is totally locked. Have a good day, dear shia.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
4 Dec 10
An open door would freak me out. i would be second guessing myself that i left the door open. I know i would be more rersponsible than that, but the feeling of guilt would eat away at me. I would almost be afraid to go inside. i don;t know what i might find.1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
4 Dec 10
Luckily, I live on campus. Otherwise it is hard to imagine what will happen if my door is left wide open for five hours. Take care, sender.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
4 Dec 10
Later his wife came to me saying that he did not lock my door firmly that the door was left open. Luckily, the building where I live is the one where we teachers live. I am sure that it is a good lesson for me not to leave the apartment if I have to stay away from it for a long period of time. Also he will be more careful next time. Thank you for your response, babyEj. Take care.
@Bosniankid (11)
• United States
4 Dec 10
If I were to come home to my door being wide open I would be very angry. Of course I would let my friend know, as they did something wrong, valuables could have easily been stolen. It would not be embarrising to confront them as I think it should matter if your friend respects you enough to close the door.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
4 Dec 10
I did think about it before going to tell him about the open door because I do not want this kind of being careless to happen again so that I won't lose something. Once something is found to be stolen, it is embarrassing for both parties. Thank you for the response, Bosniankid. Have a wonderful day.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
4 May 11
First off, you are quite lucky that nothing was touched, destroyed or stolen while you were gone, as this would not be Good to come home and find the door wide open like this, and no one in there. I would have been like you and checked out everything. To go and talk to your friend was the right thing to do, and it could have just not been shut tight. Just make sure from now on to ask them to make sure to check the door before they leave next time to make sure it locks behind them.
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
21 Nov 12
I would certainly have made a point of telling him about this and I would have been extremely angry about the situation. To fail to take great care when securing the property is very bad. Imagine if you had returned home to find that someone had entered the premises and either stolen your property or caused major damage, would your friend have accepted responsibility for this?
I appreciate that such things happen even when leaving your own home, but I would personally be more careful where someone else's property is concerned.
