One of my neighbors has a doorbell. I know this not because I was told, or because I walked by it and saw it installed, but because Quick Replies is turned on.
Quick Answers is an automated feature that allows the doorbell to play a short message if the doorbell is not answered within a set time.
The default message is in a whiny American voice: “We can’t open the door right now, but if you want to leave a message, you can now.”
It’s a phrase that’s permanently etched into my brain, as my neighbor’s doorbell rings out several times a day, at maximum volume.
Seriously, what’s the point?
By default, the quick reply is played after 10 seconds, which is a stupidly short amount of time. I’m not sure if it’s possible to get the notification, pull out my phone and open the door in that amount of time.
And the system isn’t particularly smart. If you manually open the door like a normal person at home, the timer will still expire and the message will play.
Anyway, if we stick to the default timer, which my neighbors clearly did, that 10 seconds doesn’t give you enough time to get to the door to open it. So, if you’re inside and you’re running for the door, there’s a good chance that whoever called you has already left.
Even if you’re not really home, what’s the point of having this message play automatically? Do you know how people know you can’t open the door? This is when you don’t physically open the door.
Turn it off
It’s quite unbelievable how loud the ringtones can be, and during the summer months I woke up to this bloody message blaring. I got close enough to run over, tear the bell off the wall, and press it.
If this is a feature, why not choose a different default volume instead of the normal full volume? If a bell has to speak for itself, at least do it in a whisper.
In fact, just turn it off
Listen, you really don’t need the doorbell to talk to every single person who calls your home. It’s just annoying to everyone around you. It is much better to handle it manually: if someone calls you, you can use the application to send an answer. And if the caller is missing, who cares?
Check out the video history and it’s obvious you know someone or it’s a courier whose package was waiting. Don’t recognize the caller? I’ll bet you good money that someone tried to sell you something, sign you up for a charity, or fill out a survey. Who wants a message from them?
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