One of my neighbours has a Ring doorbell. I know this, not because they’ve told me, or because I’ve walked past and seen it installed, but because they have Quick Replies turned on.
Quick Replies are an automated feature that lets the doorbell play a short message if the doorbell is not answered within a set amount of time.
The default message is spoken in a whiny American voice: “We can’t answer the door right now, but if you’d like to leave a message, you can do it now.”
It’s a phrase that’s permanently etched into my brain, as my neighbour’s doorbell spurts that out multiple times a day, at maximum volume.
Seriously, what’s the point?
By default, the quick reply is spoken after 10s, which is a stupidly short period of time. I’m not sure it’s even possible to get the notification, pull my phone out and answer the door in that amount of time.
And, the system isn’t particularly smart. If you answer the door manually, like a normal person at home, then the timer will still expire and the message will play.
In any case, if you stick with the default timer, which my neighbours have clearly done, that 10s doesn’t give you enough time to get to the door to open it. So, if you are in, and are running for the door, there’s a good chance that whoever was calling will have gone away.
Even if you’re genuinely not at home, what’s the point in playing this message automatically? Do you know how people know you can’t answer the door? It’s when you don’t physically answer the door.
Turn it down
It’s quite incredible how loud Ring doorbells can be, and I’ve been woken up in the summer months by that bloody message blaring out. I’ve been this close to storming around, ripping the doorbell of the wall and stamping on it.
If this must be a feature, then why not have the choice of setting a different default volume for it, rather than the standard full-blast option? If a doorbell needs to speak by itself, it should at least do it with a whisper.
Actually, just turn it off
Listen, you really don’t need your doorbell to talk to every single person that calls at your home. It’s just annoying for everyone around you. It’s far better to handle it manually: when someone calls, you can use the app to send a reply of your choice. And, if you miss the caller, who cares?
Check the video history, and it’s obvious whether it’s someone you know or a courier with a parcel you were expecting. Don’t recognise the caller? I’ll bet good money that it was someone trying to sell you something, sign up for a charity or fill in a survey. Who wants a message from them?
