AIBU to my garden is my business

[WaitingForMe]

I like to keep a tidy and ordered home. I sort post when it arrives; DH's goes in his inbox and mine gets opened, dealt with, filed, shredded etc. I don't buy things from Bettaware catalogues etc so they go in the recycling.

But I was feeling a bit guilty in case the person leaving it had to buy it and I was inadvertently hurting a small business. So today when I saw her drop it off I nipped outside and said I didn't want it and did she want it back rather than me recycle it as perhaps it cost her money?

She said to just leave it by the front door each time and she'd collect it in a few days.

I explained that while it was a catalogue to her, to me it was akin to rubbish and no it wouldn't be living there. She said I was ridiculous and would strike me off her delivery address. I thanked her and handed back the catalogue. She gave me a dirty look and called me a silly cow.

I really don't think I owe this woman anything and was trying to be helpful. I'm particularly confused that she thinks it's reasonable to leave a small bag of my rubbish in my garden on a regular basis.

I used to do Avon and I think betterware is the same. You do buy the catalogues. She could have been more gracious as you were doing her a favour!!

what Birds said.

Always annoying when someone calls you a cow though.

If you don't want it then you don't want it. What's the point in leaving it to sit in your garden when you have made it clear to her that you don't want it? She's making work for herself for no good reason.

Tell her you signed up to the mailing preference service and have a 'no junk mail or unsolicited catalogues/papers' sign up so she shouldn't be leaving it anyway (I don't know if you do, but I seem to be covering the houses of Mumsnet in signs today).

I had to stop someone delivering a free paper to us once, because he was just throwing it into the open porch and by the time we came home (wet, windy autumn) it was in bits all over the garden and stuck to the front door etc. It was in no state to read and just annoyed me.

You could (if you can be bothered) complain about her for being rude to you. Otherwise just keep chucking it in the bin if she keeps leaving it.

How rude of her! I'd be cross and I would try to report it to Betterware. I'm petty like that.

YANBU I always think those bloody Catalogues make it look like you are out. Plus I have left out as requested and they don't come back when they say they want to. I have enough to
Remember just getting out the door without that in the morning.

Stick a label on it Saying bugger off!

at "if you were really expecting a great customer service experience from a Bettaware salesperson, I think you are setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment in life."

I am on the mailing preference service for all it achieves. It'll go in the bin if it arrives again along with the takeaway menus.

I just thought it strange that she seemed to feel entitlement to step onto my property, dump stuff through my letterbox and then dictate its return.

I always forget when to put these things out and agree it makes it obviously look as though the house is empty if your house likes mine is straight on the pavement with no front garden.
I would rather they said "look at our stuff online and email me if you fancy anything.

YANBU - I left an Avon catalogue outside for 2.5 weeks waiting for it to be picked up before I dumped it in the recycling despite having scrawled all over the previous catalogue that I did not want to receive it. It makes the house and garden look messy.

It is akin to junk mail, I didnt request it so it goes straight in the recycling bin. Perhaps they ought to knock and ask first. I couldnt careless if they paid for them or not, it is junk.

Mailing preferance service applies to mail - not door knockers, leaflet droppers, local paper flingers and random teenagers asking your to sponsor them

I kept receiving Betterware catalogues despite never ordering anything. I drew the line when the saleswoman started dropping evangelical Christian pamphlets with them and started targetting my 10yo DD1 with rabidly evangelical 'comics'. I told her very ungraciously that I wanted neither her catalogues nor her bullshit dogma. Thankfully I seem to be off her delivery list now :)

I've got a 'no junk mail' sticker on my door and as far as I'm concerned it may as well say 'Please deliver junk mail here'...I ran down after the road to give the Avon lady her catalogue back but didn't make a scene as she had her children with her (and she accepted it back with no protesting).

I did once catch a junk mailer in the act and asked him why he'd put a flyer through my door when i had a sticker on it, he said 'this isn't junk mail!'. It was a glossy promo postcard for an estate agent - I told him just because it was shiny and printed on card rather than a piece of paper didn't somehow make it alright!

I don't get the Bettaware catalogue but if I did, it would go straight in the recycling. I have a tiny front yard and I don't want tatty catalogues in plastic bags cluttering it up, either!

It's only people trying to earn a living.

Yes so if somebody says "Look, I'm not going to order anything so why don't you take it back and give it to someone else?" why get sniffy and rude with them? You're saving them a book and a trip.

Fair enough but it's not that big a deal is it?

A small bag of rubbish?

Maybe if it was a small bag of dog poo or something.

I've been in this house for 5 years now, and have regularly received Bettaware catalogues. I have never bought anything, and last year, after finding that even when left outside, they were not being collected, I wrote notes in them informing the seller I was going to recycle any future catalogues put through my door.

I wrote the note 3 times in 3 separate catalogues, and finally began to recylce them. This last one I recycled and someone came to collect on a day when I was in. He was really angry at me, but I told him about the notes and that I was simply following up on them. Turns out there are 3 separate bettaware catalogue people all "fighting" over our street for their patch. I reiterated to him no catalogues or they'll get recycled, regardless of who is pushing them through my door.

It is unwanted, unsolicited catalogues full of tat and an intrusion!

Frankly, people who scream at people earning a living are the sort of people who have short circuits in the brain and think yelling at call centre operatives will have an immediate effect on Blue Chip Company directors .....