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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Waitrose delivery man just walked straight in?!

218 replies

Brighton5555 · 23/11/2017 12:17

Hello just wanted to hear other peoples thoughts on this. Use Home shopping for food very often, have used all the usual chains such as Ocado, Sainsburys and Asda and decided to give Waitrose a shot with their £20 off your first shop offer...

I booked a early delivery for this morning 7-8am. The guy came within that time, took forever to bring the shopping over from the van to my door, I always order roughly the same amount and I’ve never know it to be this long!

More unnerving was the fact that when he first came I met him at the door he dropped some bags at my step and told me he was off to bring more so I went in closed my front door as I have a toddler running about and a elder son getting ready for school and was standing in my kitchen unloading the bags when he walked straight in the door without knocking which was firmly closed and stood in my hallway with some more bags in his hand.... it made me feel pretty uncomfortable and no other delivery driver has ever done that...

Then I start to smell a lovely aroma of fabric conditioner to see it’s leaked all over a bag of produce which can still be used but all the packaging is slippery and coated in it ... no bottle of fabric conditioner to be seen ..

He informs me on the last bag about the leak and that he is unable to give it to me but he’s going to refund the couple bottles of bleach that he can see have also got covered in the conditioner ... regarding the bag from the kitchen he said take that up with the local branch..

I was expecting Waitrose to be better all round and to be honest they were the worst so far! Even worse than asda and that’s saying something !

Have emailed customer services but surely they aren’t supposed to walk in a closed front door without knocking and without asking ...

OP posts:
NatMatCat · 23/11/2017 13:19

Well I guess if you said to leave it on the doorstep then he should have left it on the doorstep. But it's hardly the crime of the century that he forgot and brought it into the kitchen. We all do things by habit sometimes and he didn't break the door down or anything.

NotACleverName · 23/11/2017 13:19

Congrats on potentially getting the driver into trouble at work. But hey, at least you got some free chocolates and flowers out of it.

why is it that many of you have jumped to negative assumptions about me instead of just giving an opinion on what I wrote

Maybe it's because you're coming across as being unnecessarily difficult and also due to your oh-so-edgy usage of the term "triggered", maybe?

teaandtoast · 23/11/2017 13:21

I must stick up for Asda home delivery here and tell you that it's been a good service for me.

VladmirsPoutine · 23/11/2017 13:22

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

PumpkinSquash · 23/11/2017 13:22

Why were you unloading your shopping in the kitchen when you hadn't received all your items? It doesn't work like that

Exactly, how was the delivery driver to know she just wanted them left on the doorstep as she was unpacking and for him to go?
You're mid delivery. You've deliberately shut the door on him when he said he was going to get more bags. Was he supposed to know that he had to wait there until you finished unpacking the other half? It could have blown shut for all he knew. It's not like you didn't know he was there, and instead you decided to unpack what you did have before going back out for the rest never mind the fact he'd just be stood out there like a lemon not knowing whether to leave them and go or bring them into you.

Figgygal · 23/11/2017 13:23

I expect this is the first time you have experienced this as it is the first time you have ever closed the door again the minute the bloke turned his back. Maybe I will close the door next week when I get my delivery and see what he does.

If you have to shut the door because your kids are running around don't order shopping at that time of day and you are in a rush.

Poor guy is carrying your shopping and you have shut the door I expect he didn't know what to do either.

Mia1415 · 23/11/2017 13:24

I think you are getting a bit of a hard time here OP. I don't let delivery men in my house either (due to the dog mainly). However I wait in the porch (with the front door open) and they just hand me the bags.

ThoughACandleBurnsNoOnesHome · 23/11/2017 13:24

Call me cynical but it sounds like the OP has complained in Waitrose before and knew exactly what she’d be given if she complained! She only used ten because of the £20 off deal and has used very other delivery service!

Waitrose are well known for giving out flowers and chocs to appease people who complain. As someone who used to work there, it’s most likely the driver hasn’t got into trouble and that they just just recognise your kind OP and wanted you to go away.

derxa · 23/11/2017 13:25

He should have just slowed the van as he passed and hurled the bags onto the step whilst shouting 'shopping m'lady!' Grin Thanks for the laugh OP

TieGrr · 23/11/2017 13:26

Meanwhile there's a Waitrose manager getting ready to post on "The worst complaint you have ever received" thread.

Sarahh2014 · 23/11/2017 13:28

Defo dont see a problem.yabu

RolyRocks · 23/11/2017 13:33

As someone who used to work there, it’s most likely the driver hasn’t got into trouble and that they just just recognise your kind OP and wanted you to go away.

Really pleased to hear that. Would have hated for this poor driver to get into trouble for absolutely nothing at all. Hate entitled people like this.

ThoughACandleBurnsNoOnesHome · 23/11/2017 13:37

They’ve seen it all rolyrocks and will have seen the OP coming I’m sure

NotACleverName · 23/11/2017 13:38

he didn't break the door down or anything.

I could understand the OP's complaints if he'd karate kicked the door down and hurled each bag at her one by one. Otherwise? Definitely not.

myrtleWilson · 23/11/2017 13:45

Poor next Waitrose delivery man to the OP's house -he'll have to wait outside whilst OP unloads the first batch of bags, perhaps does a bit of a cupboard reorganisation, butters some toast and then meanders back to the front door...

Sc345 · 23/11/2017 13:45

Oh gosh! It's a similar sort of situation which has led me to post the "to think customer isn't always right" thread last night

OP, I agree the spillage was really annoying and am glad there was a resolution. I feel sad for the driver though, as I don't think people realise sometimes how impacted people can be by complaints. Some companies run a feedback rating system (might even be tied to pay structure) and complaints reflect negatively on them directly. I have had staff in tears over unfair complaints and although I know it's all part of the job and we train resillience.... I just think it's sad.

That said, I don't think genuinely poor service should be accepted either and must be raised.

Someone carried my shopping in for me once and I was delighted as struggling.

QuimReaper · 23/11/2017 13:47

Jenala (and OP)

One of the main selling points of Ocado (and presumably Waitrose) over people like Asda and Tesco is that they go the extra mile to deliver to your "bloody kitchen" (!) rather than point blank refusing to step over the threshold. (I've had an Asda driver take the crates to the front door but refuse to carry the next one an extra 8 or 9 paces into the kitchen where it would have been much quicker to unpack, which just struck me as kool-aid-drinking stupidity). Fine if you don't want it, but I assure you it makes most people's lives much easier. OP, since you (and Jenala apparently) are in the minority that don't want the food carried through for you, it does sound like an innocent misunderstanding.

Waitrose will definitely go above and beyond over complaints for a first-time customer in order to try and retain them: it's much cheaper for them to send flowers etc. than it is to lose a potential regular over a complaint.

PollyPerky · 23/11/2017 13:51

you were being a dick OP.

I hope you feel better.

QuimReaper · 23/11/2017 13:54

You're mid delivery. You've deliberately shut the door on him when he said he was going to get more bags. Was he supposed to know that he had to wait there until you finished unpacking the other half?

OP started out by saying she just shut the door firmly and he should have known not to come in because in 6 years of deliveries it's never happened; but waited until her subsequent post to add the helpful (crucial) detail that she'd explicitly told him to leave it there. Ours is not to ask why.

EmilyChambers79 · 23/11/2017 13:55

I can't fault Ocado. They offer to carry it all in the kitchen for me, though I feel bad so I take it from them at the door.

Always friendly, really good at refunds and customer service is second to none. Every six months you get a free gift, such as a block of cheese or a box of chocolates etc.

I unpacked the bags once and they had left a bag of liquid in that they use to keep the frozen items cold. It said not to handle with bare hands because of risk of burning and to dispose of safely.

I phoned them and they apologised, refunded the total shopping bill, sent us a £50 voucher and sent a driver to come and collect it. I didn't even phone to complain, I phoned to ask how to dispose of it.

Plus I find them way cheaper than Sainsbury's and Morrisons. I don't like Asda though.

MoistCantaloupe · 23/11/2017 13:57

Why did you even bother posting this on here if you have ALREADY complained to the company? You aren't really questioning whether you are being unreasonable or not, as that's a firm step to take.

Flowers and chocolates, hahaha.

snorkmaiden68 · 23/11/2017 13:58

I used to work in Waitrose and the delivery lads were lovely, mostly just young students trying to work their way through college etc.
I know exactly what sort of things the customer service complaints staff will say after they put the phone down! YABU. The guy did his job, management make millions, they won't care. Retail can be a tough job trying to please all the people all the time. Which is why I work in a school now.

IslingtonLou · 23/11/2017 14:02

You do sound like you were just out to get free stuff, there was really nothing to complain about. The driver was just trying to complete your delivery then move on to his other 20 of the day and not be late for each time slot. I assume you don’t get out much if this was such a massive, shocking situation for you!

Why did you even accept a 50% refund when there was nothing wrong with 50% of your groceries?

Also does it not occur to you that YOU were the one being rude by shutting the door on him? Knowing he’s only there to deliver your your food and go asap to deliver other customer’s orders on time?

You’re clearly one of ‘those’ people

Schoolisback1973 · 23/11/2017 14:02

So OTT you have been over this OP and then going as far as complaining to Waitrose!! You have time on your hands for sure!!

FreudianSlurp · 23/11/2017 14:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.