Ring the doorbell or knock?
By mommyboo
@mommyboo (13174)
United States
July 29, 2012 5:32pm CST
Do you prefer that visitors to your door ring the doorbell or knock? I had an incident lately where package delivery people are not doing either one and so I find UPS or Fed Ex has been by Lord knows how many hours ago!
I usually ask my friends to text or call me when they are on their way AND to knock loudly in case I'm in the back. Of course I realized I can't hear a knock OR the doorbell if I'm outside in which case visitors usually will start talking to me through the fence if they hear kids in the pool.
The only time I might want someone not to do either is if someone inside is sleeping, and then I leave a note on the door. My friend keeps a sign outside that says 'don't ring bell, baby sleeping'.
1 person likes this
16 responses
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
Well, obviously they want people to knock somewhat quietly, not ring the doorbell lol. Since I have had sleeping babies, I totally get this, and I want people to adhere to it. If you wake my baby and she starts screaming, I will not be happy, especially if I put her down for a nap 20 minutes ago. I used to threaten my older kids and tell them if they woke their little sister, they would then be responsible for her for 20 minutes while she screamed, cried, and yelled and they were to change the diaper or her outfit if it needed it and hold her or carry her around and not even talk to me for those 20 minutes as punishment for waking her up. Each of them only did that a few times so it was a good threat.
Generally, a knock is not loud enough to wake a baby sleeping somewhere else in the house (but you can still hear it if you know someone is coming), but these days you can wire doorbells so you can hear them all over the house, and that's usually what people don't want if a baby is sleeping.
@BabyCheetah (1911)
• Australia
30 Jul 12
People need to ring the doorbell so we hear it. But good thing with out doorbell is that we can move it and hide it in a room and bury it so it can't be heard if someone is sleeping or doesn't want to be bothered. After all if people are rude enough not to call before coming over that's just bad luck 
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
Usually people who don't call or text (or have a prior engagement with me) and come over unannounced will stop by to no cars in the driveway, which means we are all out and gone having a life somewhere else. Doesn't matter how loud or long you pound on the door, nobody is there lol. Sometimes neither of us come home all day either so sitting and waiting is just a waste of your time, not mine.@BabyCheetah (1911)
• Australia
30 Jul 12
HAHA it will be a very expensive trip to come out and then you will have to actually find where I live, might take a few years of pounding on doors
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
30 Jul 12
I prefer people to knock seeing as I do not have a doorbell!
We live on an acreage and work from home, so we usually see them coming first from the garage or if we are down the back, then they have to yell for us. Most times though we know people are coming, so we are ready for them. We rarely get surprise visitors.
I send parcels out every day all over the country so I am always getting order notes that I have to put on the parcels for the couriers when they deliver. Like please do not knock as young child sleeping, leave under the stairs, behind a tree or out the back. All sorts of things. 
We live on an acreage and work from home, so we usually see them coming first from the garage or if we are down the back, then they have to yell for us. Most times though we know people are coming, so we are ready for them. We rarely get surprise visitors.
I send parcels out every day all over the country so I am always getting order notes that I have to put on the parcels for the couriers when they deliver. Like please do not knock as young child sleeping, leave under the stairs, behind a tree or out the back. All sorts of things. @mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
LOL! My mail lady hides parcels that don't fit in the mailbox for me behind a trash can that I have in front of my house under an eave. I had an incident where a gift I had bought never arrived in a box and we figured that either the package was misdelivered or someone stole it because it was out in plain sight.
@RawBill1 (8531)
• Gold Coast, Australia
3 Aug 12
Dealing with parcels that go missing is a regular part of my job. Thankfully we do not have too many that go missing, one every few weeks or so out of the hundreds that we send out over the same time. Most times they turn up eventually if they go missing. If we have to resend an order we make sure that it goes with tracking so that we have proof that the customer received it.
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
1 Aug 12
If I had my choice about things, I would actually admit that it wouldn't bother me at all to disable my doorbell. The reason that I say that is because of the fact that my children's friends love to come down here and just ring the doorbell over and over again. This is something that drives my dogs absolutely nuts.
Yes, they do bark when someone knocks on the door as well, but it isn't nearly as annoying when someone knocks as when they ring the bell.
1 person likes this
@doroffee (4222)
• Hungary
30 Jul 12
I prefer the ringbell, unless it goes wrong... because it's louder. Not crazy loud (and doesn't bother neighbors), but louder than a knock, and when I'm home, I tend to watch TV, lsiten to muxic, so I need something loud enough for me to hear.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
3 Aug 12
There are times when I couldn't hear the doorbell or a knock - sometimes we have music or tv on back here quite loud. I would like a security sensor or something maybe that either shows a small video of the front driveway and door so I'd see someone approaching the door, or a sensor that blinks if someone is at the door - no noise, just a visual alert lol.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
29 Jul 12
hi mommyboo well I live in a room in a retirement center so when our door is closed I really prefer people t o knock and let me getup and let them in unless its my son whom I told to just walk on in if the door is open and call out if its not in case one of us two are not quite decent. lol lol
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
LOL! I cannot imagine ever just walking in someone's room at a retirement center UNLESS they were expecting me and the door was wide open! I don't even just walk into a room if I visit someone at the hospital UNLESS the door is open and they see me.
@dodo19 (47336)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
5 Aug 12
For me, it doesn't really matter. I don't really have a preference. Sure, when my daughter is sleeping, I prefer if they knock, but I'm not going to be upset, if they do ring the doorbell. The main reason being is that we don't have a sign on the door or anything like that.
@wonttakelong (3555)
• United States
2 Sep 12
I dont really have a preference although sometimes the doorbell startles me and I wish they had knocked instead lol
when my hubby worked nights though I asked people to call ahead or knock so they didnt wake him up
I do know a couple of people that have long term illness that have notes posted outside that say do NOT ring bell, patient is resting
@jugsjugs (12967)
•
29 Jul 12
I will say that as long as I can hear them at my door, then that is all that really matters.Also as long as they wait for me to get there it is ok, as I take my time to get to the door nowadays.I prefer people to call me before just turning up, incase I am asleep, as that way I know I will hear them as well.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
I entertain a lot of kids (my daughter has a lot of little friends lol) and I almost always hear the door if it's one of the kids because kids are consistent... they run up to the door and start banging on it and keep right on going for several minutes while you are trying to throw on clothes and run all the way from the back of the house to the entry where the door is lol.
MY friends aren't quite as obnoxious although if I don't get there within a minute or two they will knock a second or third time. One time I opened the door and my friend had her hand right at the level of my face about to knock again. Funniest thing ever!
@homeshoppers (6166)
• Philippines
30 Jul 12
we don't have doorbell though they didn't knock the door but just calling out my name if its post man nor whatever delivery would it be, our gate is not locked coz there's 6 door apartment inside the big gate so we just close it but not locked and in case there's delivery they can just go inside and call the name of whoever have the delivery.
1 person likes this
@me123party (487)
• United States
30 Jul 12
Dear
I prefer people to use the doorbell. Its a better noise then someone loudly knocking at the door. I mean compare the noicse. A chime vs a hard knock?! We have a doorbell and a knocker on my door. Those signs ar ehelpful though. Yes it is fustrating when i am in the backyard and i dont hear the doorbell. If im exepting someone i will put up a note saying out back or somehing like that.
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
2 Aug 12
I try to take my phone out with me if I go in the back because I can't hear anything from the back yard. I don't like leaving the door open, although I have occasionally if I know a friend is stopping by and I know I will be outside. I only do that for close friends though, what a fright I would have if I saw a stranger walk out my back slider lol.
@qazkurei1 (2)
•
30 Jul 12
It depends, if there is a doorbell then I would rather press the doorbell than Knock.
@ReViewMeMedia (3785)
• United States
30 Jul 12
I tend to ring the doorbell instead of knocking, that way I know someone will actually hear me.
@mrswhitfield (2044)
• Indonesia
30 Jul 12
I prefer knock. cos bell is too noisy and sometimes shocking when sleeping.
