Would you please stop.

[FredinFL]

Okay, true story, first time it happened was CHRISTMAS EVE. I go to the door, it's 4:30AM, I DO NOT want the kids up yet, kwim? no one there. Now I'm thinking, what kind of jerk does this on Christmas Eve? What kind of psycho have I ticked off? This happens intermittently for months, yet only in cold weather, in the spring, it stops. In the winter it starts again. Finally, we think of replacing the door bell...never happened again. Apparently the doorbell was getting wet, then when it rained it cause the bell to ring.

Maybe this is your problem?

 

[klj27]

Okay, true story, first time it happened was CHRISTMAS EVE. I go to the door, it's 4:30AM, I DO NOT want the kids up yet, kwim? no one there. Now I'm thinking, what kind of jerk does this on Christmas Eve? What kind of psycho have I ticked off? This happens intermittently for months, yet only in cold weather, in the spring, it stops. In the winter it starts again. Finally, we think of replacing the door bell...never happened again. Apparently the doorbell was getting wet, then when it rained it cause the bell to ring.

Maybe this is your problem?

I wish! But I saw them tonight with my own eyes and sometimes they get frustrated that we ignore them and knock on the door.

 

[Aisling]

I confess I used to do that with my friends all the time when was a kid. We lived on the 16th floor of a high rise building, we'd have one kid hold open the elevator door and a kid stationed at every apartment to ring all 12 doorbells at the same time, then run like crazy into the elevator. We'd close the door and press stop so we could stay on that floor and hear everyone come out at the same time!! Then we'd move down floor by floor until we got to the second floor, doing the same thing. We couldn't do it with the first floor apts because there was a doorman and security cameras on the first floor lobby area. But that was ok because there were only 4 apts on the first floor lobby.

 

[klj27]

I feel for the OPs obvious pain, but really? Ding Dong Ditching is just kids being kids. There are far worse things they could be doing. Of course it's immature, that's the point. Try not to take it personal and remember it's just silly kids who are probably bored.

OP, I do hope you feel better. My heart does go out to you. I hope you get to a point where you can laugh it off and not let it get you so unnerved. Personally, I'd have some fun of my own trying to catch the little suckers and give them a taste of their own medicine.

I agree except that at Christmas time they broke an expensive lawn decoration. To me that is vandalism, which is more worrisome.

 

[FredinFL]

Well, that just stinks. Can you get a cheap video surveillance camera to catch them in the act? Then, when you press trespassing and harassment charges, you can ask for the price of the system.

 

[MiniGirl]

I feel for the OPs obvious pain, but really? Ding Dong Ditching is just kids being kids. There are far worse things they could be doing. Of course it's immature, that's the point. Try not to take it personal and remember it's just silly kids who are probably bored.

OP, I do hope you feel better. My heart does go out to you. I hope you get to a point where you can laugh it off and not let it get you so unnerved. Personally, I'd have some fun of my own trying to catch the little suckers and give them a taste of their own medicine.

I posted once about my irritation when it was happening to us, and I was flamed and told to lighten up. It was just kids being kids, etc. Well, maybe I am getting old and crotchety, but I don't like it. My dh has a long commute and has to go to bed really early and wake up really early. I'm talking 2 am sometimes. When people keep ringing our doorbell and keeping him awake, it bothers me. I want him alert for his long commute -- esp since he was involved in a roll over accident a few years ago.

OP, we installed motion sensor lights, and it hasn't happened since.

 

[sunnyday123]

I am not a fan of dingdongditch by any means, and I don't think it's just kids being kids and should be allowed. The last time it happened I went out my back door and around to the side of my yard with my very big, very black dog.

They came up my driveway again, and when they got to my porch, I let her go. All she did was walk up behind them, and let out a little, albeit very deep, "Woof", and I'm pretty sure one of them cried.

Never happened again. I thought that was pretty bad until I read about the BLIND person with the 12 gauge. Seriously??

 

[Aisling]

We called it ring and run here in NYC.

 

[disneyfans95]

A few years ago my totally blind friend was getting dingdonged without the door bell always on nights when her husband was working. Usually my friend was still up. She called the police more than once but lived 20 miles from town so by the time the police arrived the dingdong person was long gone.

Friend got tired of it as it was happening 3 or 4 nights a week for several weeks. Her boys was mid-teens at the time an old enough to stay out of her way. Friend set up her 16 gauge shot gun at the kitchen table where she had straight clear shot at the door. She did check an make sure her boys was behind her before she fired.

She had to go buy a new door the next mornin but the dingdonger did not come back again.

Friends dingdonger did not ring once an leave usually stayed banging on door for as long as 30 mins but would not idenditfy self when asked WHO is there?.....VERY SCARY for a blind person.

yeah and this can't be true.. Sorry but I gave a true life LOL after reading this joke of a post..

Someone use a shotgun for a ring and run?.

 

[FredinFL]

I posted once about my irritation when it was happening to us, and I was flamed and told to lighten up. It was just kids being kids, etc. Well, maybe I am getting old and crotchety, but I don't like it. My dh has a long commute and has to go to bed really early and wake up really early. I'm talking 2 am sometimes. When people keep ringing our doorbell and keeping him awake, it bothers me. I want him alert for his long commute -- esp since he was involved in a roll over accident a few years ago.

OP, we installed motion sensor lights, and it hasn't happened since.

Old and crotchity nothing, little buggers are trespassing. It's rude and its wrong.

 

[Swan4Me]

I would disable the doorbell-seriously

 

[SookieStackhouse]

I've had it done to me before, it is a bit irritating but it could be A LOT worse... They could stay and want to hang out.

 

[donaldduck352]

I would have fun with them kids.Remember the movie Denice The Menace??

Put a tack with clear tape over the doorbell.Or,if ya gotta window on the 2'nd floor over the door and pour white paint on them.Put pop rocks allover the porch that way when they walk up quitely,it will scare the heck out of them......

I gotta hundred ways too have fun with this!!!

My fav would be light a pack of firecrackers,if legal there,and throw it out the window towards them..

 

[Malibustyle23]

I finally got a glimpse of them. It happened about twenty minutes ago and I was in my second story bedroom. I stood at my window after about five minutes I saw a kid with his hoodie pulled up sneaking towards our front door. I banged on the window and he along with some others took off running. They tried again five minutes later and I did the same thing. I counted at least five kids. We don't have street lights so it was hard to see them in the road but it looked like they were all over the street and their main convening spot was our next door neighbor. We have talked to that neighbor twice about this and he has said it is not his son. This neighbor is very nice, but ugh.

You have a second story!!!! Stalk for them at the window with water balloons then soak em! Then go to the suspects house and wait, when they come back drenched you have the proof. To make it even better fill the balloons with something gross ketchup, mustard, chocolate syrup, etc.

 

[CJBaby]

yeah and this can't be true.. Sorry but I gave a true life LOL after reading this joke of a post..

Someone use a shotgun for a ring and run?.

Didn't you read about the psychotic man who killed a child for something similar? As vexing as childish pranks are, only an extremely mentally unwell person would do something that could injure or kill a child, no matter how wrong their activity. We were all annoying kids once, even if some of us had better sense. An adult has no excuse.

 

[SookieStackhouse]

Dig a moat around your house, fill it with sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.

 

[DisneyChula]

Dig a moat around your house, fill it with sharks with laser beams attached to their heads.

Sharks are on the endangered species list so you should probably go with mutated sea bass!

Seriously though - I admit that when I was a young brat, I did it too - But we rang once and ran away hence the ditch in dingdongditch. This pack of mongrels sound a little more persistant (knocking on the door because you are ignoring them). I'm kinda shocked too that they came back after you caught them at the window the first time. It's time to face fire with fire. It might not be the most mature thing to do, but I would totally take some satisfaction with pelting them with water balloons from the second floor!

 

[Kimberly]

Sharks are on the endangered species list so you should probably go with mutated sea bass!

Are they ill-tempered?

 

[starwood]

We had a problem with these several years ago. DH was away and the door bell rang about 5-10 minutes after I shut off the light. I refused to turn the light on letting them know I was disturbed. I got up and sat by the front window in the dark (I had a feeling they would be back). About 1/2 an hour later I was just getting ready to give up when I saw someone with a hoodie pulled down over their face walking across my front lawn. I went to the front door and when I saw them stretching to reach my bell I threw the door open and yelled at them too get the lost and I had called the police. You never saw anyone run so fast in your life. I haven't had any problems since.

 

[DisneyChula]

Deleted - Double post. Sorry!