Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is it rude to send a late night email to a business?

207 replies

YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 06:40

Just to clarify I don't mean WhatsApp or text or anything. An actual email.

I was up at 2 am, I remembered something and sent an email. Something along the lines of 'just to confirm the Birthday Cake we ordered has chocolate frosting but is a vanilla flavour cake'.

I just wanted to be clear because in the past, with a different bakery, we had verbally said 'chocolate frosting, vanilla cake' but ended up getting just a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

When picking up the cake, my sister was told 'and by the way, I don't appreciate getting emails at all hours of the night.'

Surely you turn off email notifications for you phone if you don't want to be disturbed. I don't think the Nigerian Princes and the 'Manhood extenders' are waiting for business hours to spam people's inboxes.

AIBU to send emails late at night?

OP posts:
Ohthatsabitshit · 23/10/2024 07:28

I don’t think it’s rude at all (though she was). Emails alerts can be easily controlled by the recipient.

DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 07:27

CommanderHaysPaperKnife · 23/10/2024 07:23

elderly parents who send emergency communications via email? Give over.

Edited
Show quote history

Elderly parents that might mean she has the phone switched on overnight and thus heard an email arrived and opened the phone to see what it was. Newsflash, not everyone uses all the functionality of their phones to set different levels of notifications overnight

CommanderHaysPaperKnife · 23/10/2024 07:27

DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 07:24

In that case I'd be aware that there is no universal view on this and some people will mind and others won't. That possibly doesn't help you know how to behave in a similar future situation but does make you aware that some people don't want out of hours business contact and may comment negatively about it.

Show quote history

what is the point of your replies asking her what the point is?!

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:27

LlynTegid · 23/10/2024 07:22

I don't think you should, because you should be trying to get some sleep unless you work nights.

It popped into my head and I knew I might forget if I didn't do it there and then.

OP posts:
Grapesofmildirritation · 23/10/2024 07:25

YANBU. Cake maker was the only rude one here. Calling at 2am would be rude. Text or WhatsApp a bit dicey as you don’t know if recipient is able to mute at night (eg might need to keep phone on for emergency calls). Emails I would think are totally fair game.

CommanderHaysPaperKnife · 23/10/2024 07:25

N27 · 23/10/2024 07:18

it would depend on the tone of the message for me.

if it was a sorry for the late email I’ve just had I thought it is definitely a vanilla cake isn’t it? Then no problem.

if it was worded rudely and/or requested a response quickly then I wouldn’t appreciate that being one of the first things I read in the morning

I think adding "sorry about the late night email" s worse if anything as it seems to add to the feeling of urgency.

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:25

N27 · 23/10/2024 07:18

it would depend on the tone of the message for me.

if it was a sorry for the late email I’ve just had I thought it is definitely a vanilla cake isn’t it? Then no problem.

if it was worded rudely and/or requested a response quickly then I wouldn’t appreciate that being one of the first things I read in the morning

I didn't ask for a response. I assume business people know to respond.

My communication can be a bit 'bare bones' which I understand can be abrasive but I try to be aware of this.

It was basically something like 'Dear Amanda (fake name), it was good to speak with you yesterday. I'm just writing to confirm that the cake has chocolate frosting but is a vanilla cake. Thanks. Yellow

OP posts:
DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 07:24

YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:16

I was just clarifying here because ( Istrongly suspect that) I am ND and social conventions sometimes pass me by.

Show quote history

In that case I'd be aware that there is no universal view on this and some people will mind and others won't. That possibly doesn't help you know how to behave in a similar future situation but does make you aware that some people don't want out of hours business contact and may comment negatively about it.

RickiRaccoon · 23/10/2024 07:23

You can send an email at any time. Don't use schedule emails. It's not reliable. Business needs to learn to manage their notifications. It's not hard.

Just don't expect a response back outside work hours. I had someone complain I never got back to them at a job. It was Monday morning and I looked and they'd emailed on the Saturday. (At this workplace I didn't even have access to my computer outside work hours.)

CommanderHaysPaperKnife · 23/10/2024 07:23

DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 07:21

How do you know it's unusual?
As you say it's personal choice, how do you know the consensus? Feel the need to be accessible sounds rather judgemental about people who operate their phones differently to you. Maybe the baker has elderly parents

Show quote history

elderly parents who send emergency communications via email? Give over.

LlynTegid · 23/10/2024 07:22

I don't think you should, because you should be trying to get some sleep unless you work nights.

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:22

Kta7 · 23/10/2024 07:15

Schedule an email for 2am tonight to send her a link to this thread 😀

Grin
OP posts:
TwinklyAmberOrca · 23/10/2024 07:21

It's not rude at all.

All phones have a mute option over night so that was her silly fault if she didn't mute her phone.

Her response however was rude.

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:21

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 23/10/2024 07:14

Not at all. Only rudeness would be if you expected an out of hours response. It is the business's fault if they did not put their phone on silent while they slept.

No. I did not expect any immediate response, maybe some time during business hours or even the day after. Just something like 'yes, I can confirm your cake is vanilla with chocolate frosting'.

OP posts:
DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 07:21

LifeofBrienne · 23/10/2024 07:03

@DreamW3aver thahat’s unusual to choose to leave all notifications on overnight if the phone’s next to your bed. I know some people feel they need to be accessible to e.g. vulnerable elderly parents, but even then you could filter it to specific calls only.

How do you know it's unusual?
As you say it's personal choice, how do you know the consensus? Feel the need to be accessible sounds rather judgemental about people who operate their phones differently to you. Maybe the baker has elderly parents

BabyCloud · 23/10/2024 07:18

Someone peoples phones to ping their emails all night.
I wait until business hours.

N27 · 23/10/2024 07:18

it would depend on the tone of the message for me.

if it was a sorry for the late email I’ve just had I thought it is definitely a vanilla cake isn’t it? Then no problem.

if it was worded rudely and/or requested a response quickly then I wouldn’t appreciate that being one of the first things I read in the morning

BlastedPimples · 23/10/2024 07:18

Email at any time.

Business owner here has had a bizarre response. They're probably neurotically checking their emails at all hours and haven't turned off notifications.

Not your problem.

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:17

ThinWomansBrain · 23/10/2024 07:09

of course it's not rude

the recipient sounds unprofessional - a hobby baker attempting to run a business maybe?

Exactly this. A friend of a friend we wanted to support.

OP posts:
Sweetandsaltycaroline · 23/10/2024 07:17

oneleggedspider · 23/10/2024 07:11

It does piss me off a bit if I get work emails at that time, though I'd never mention it like that to a client. But it's easy to use schedule send, so if someone has chosen not to do that I think its a bit rude, given that these days emails often come through immediately to our phones just like texts.

I don't turn my phone off at night as I use it for my morning alarm, and I don't want to miss potential emergency calls by putting it on do not disturb. Its a bit of a faff to be turning email notifications off and on again every day, so I just put up with the odd late night emailer. I'd never be rude to them though.

You can use do not disturb, and have an alarm, and you can exclude certain contacts so "do not disturb except".....eg your family
(On my pretty basic samsung)

Blueblell · 23/10/2024 07:16

They are being weird!

Original poster
YellowPolkaDotBikini1980 · 23/10/2024 07:16

DreamW3aver · 23/10/2024 06:55

You've encountered one small business owner who doesn't like late night messages, it would be bonkers to extrapolate anyyhing from that.

All kinds of emails are all times of day, I'm sure loads of us have jobs where you start the day with all the emails that have come in overnight, that's perfectly normal but that's not what you have here. My phone notifies me of all messages if I choose to leave it on overnight it doesn't matter if you send me a text or WhatsApp or email its still going to chirp and no doubt that's what's happened here.

Anyway, total non issue, use a different baker next time if it's that big a deal

I was just clarifying here because ( Istrongly suspect that) I am ND and social conventions sometimes pass me by.

OP posts:
Geranen · 23/10/2024 07:15

And I certainly wouldn't be giving them any further business after getting rudeness like that.

Kta7 · 23/10/2024 07:15

Schedule an email for 2am tonight to send her a link to this thread 😀

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 23/10/2024 07:14

Not at all. Only rudeness would be if you expected an out of hours response. It is the business's fault if they did not put their phone on silent while they slept.