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AIBU?

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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:
Ineffable23 · 23/10/2024 06:44

Entirely reasonable for a business like this.

I try to be careful for AirBnB where they are likely to have to keep their notifications etc on in case of a problem at the house.

Otherwise I expect people to set up their business so they deal with issues at a time convenient to them if they are texts or emails. Phone call would obviously be a different matter.

AlertCat · 23/10/2024 06:44

No. What would be unreasonable is getting annoyed by a lack of response.

The business owner here is being unreasonable. I would think an email is less intrusive than other forms of messaging because you can actively choose when to check them. And as you say, switch off all notifications that you don’t want to receive! You can’t dictate when your customers are allowed to write to you- loads of people will email out of business hours because they’re at work themselves in business hours!

Latenightreader · 23/10/2024 06:43

I receive work emails sent at all hours and would think nothing of it. Whatsapp or texts are more intrusive and woyld expect daytime/early evening only, but I wouldn't think twice about email. Interested to see other opinions!

Teaortea · 23/10/2024 06:43

That's their problem!
I receive all sorts of emails in the night, bank statement notifications, payment receipts from big businesses.
I also run an online business and have email notifications turned off, easy.
Personally I use the schedule option if I'm up at 2am, schedule the email to send at 8am if I'm in doubt about the recipient.

GrowThroughWhatYouGoThrough · 23/10/2024 06:43

I work nights so always email at random times 🤣

ChaToilLeam · 23/10/2024 06:42

No, I quite often send late emails because that’s when I have time. I don’t expect a reply right away. Sounds like the bakery was really arsey.

LateMumma · 23/10/2024 06:42

Not at all, isn't that the advantage of email? Text/whatsapp at that time would be rude, but I'd expect people to only check email when they're working or able to respond