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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

....or was this just a joke?

38 replies

BlueNeighbourhood · 02/11/2018 14:12

I was having a parcel delivered today, at my parents house but my parents were going out. Yodel have the ability to send a text message to the driver so I decided to send one:

Me: Hi Driver Name. You have a parcel to be delivered to address here which is my parents house. If they are not at home, please could you leave it in the coal shed near to the front door and put a card through to advise. Many Thanks, BlueNeighbourhood

Driver: Cost you 2 bags coal

Me: (a bit confused) Haha if there was any coal in there you could've taken it!!

Driver: Cash then £5 or you go to location 20 miles away (I actually work in this location)

Me: I'll go to this location. I work there, thanks.

Driver: Not fair I get you barred lol

I stopped replying at this point. How would you guys have taken this exchange?!

OP posts:
Disneyfan18 · 02/11/2018 14:15

It was light hearted but I guess you could still complain.

PuppyMonkey · 02/11/2018 14:15

I’d assume it was an attempt at witty banter from the driver. More to the point though I’d be confused about where my parcel was actually going now. Confused

PossibiliTea · 02/11/2018 14:15

Definitely light hearted but have they actually left it or taken it to the location? I think I’d just want my parcel delivered!

catchyjem · 02/11/2018 14:16

Your first message back to him started haha, so I think he took that as a signal to have some banter. As long as he delivers the parcel I'd just leave it at that.

WhatToDoAboutWailmerGoneRogue · 02/11/2018 14:18

I thought the first response about the coal was a joke, but I’m confused about the rest of it Confused Is he joking?

FishesaPlenty · 02/11/2018 14:19

Thick attempt at banter. As long as you get your delivery then forget about it.

Original poster
BlueNeighbourhood · 02/11/2018 14:20

It's been delivered, fortunately after all of that my parents were at home so it didn't need to be left anywhere.

I did take the first message as a joke, hence the haha about the coal. It was the second one about money or the threat of taking it back to the depot for me to collect (which wouldn't have mattered as it's a couple of minutes from my workplace).

I haven't put in a complaint and don't intend to I just wanted peoples opinions on if they'd have taken the full exchange as a joke, or just the first message about the coal.

OP posts:
Alfie190 · 02/11/2018 14:20

It would depend on what actually happened to the parcel. If it was left where you asked then it was banter.

Ellisandra · 02/11/2018 14:21

I don’t it sounds that much of a joke actually. If it was, he should have dropped it at there being no coal. Plenty of people would take that seriously and be very uncomfortable.
I wouldn’t report just in case it was a joke - but I’m 51% thinking it wasn’t.

ThunderInMyHeart · 02/11/2018 14:22

I'm more worried about where the parcel is going.

I'm also not sure if it's 'banter' or the guy actually wants a bribe.

PuppyMonkey · 02/11/2018 14:23

But there’s a lol on the end of his last message. The lol indicates he’s joking.

Original poster
BlueNeighbourhood · 02/11/2018 14:23

It did make me wonder if he'd done this sort of trick to people before and charged them £5 for changes to their deliveries or different addresses and the like.

Hopefully not! I'm not going to complain as clearly the posts on her show it can be interpreted in different ways, personally I thought it took an odd turn with the "£5 or it's taken to a location" sort of thing.

OP posts:
IAmNotLikeThem · 02/11/2018 14:26

He was probing to see what would happen.

PossibiliTea · 02/11/2018 14:28

I wouldn’t be happen about the “£5” text, they should have just followed up by saying where it would be left after the first joke

Oysterbabe · 02/11/2018 14:32

He was obviously joking.

Maelstrop · 02/11/2018 14:35

He shouldn’t have said £5 or it goes to.....Weird and a bit threatening. Some people would’ve taken that seriously.

QueenofallIsee · 02/11/2018 14:36

I don’t think he was joking! I’d be inclined to complain but then, i really really hate yodel so I might be biased

Minniemagoo · 02/11/2018 14:38

Logically surely it has to be crap joke/banter. If you weren't at home and he was leaving it in the coal shed how were you supposed to give him 5 pounds?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 02/11/2018 14:39

It doesn't matter if he was joking, it's stupid way to put your job at risk!

Original poster
BlueNeighbourhood · 02/11/2018 14:44

If you weren't at home and he was leaving it in the coal shed how were you supposed to give him 5 pounds?

We were just saying that at work today. You know, if he'd said £100 I may have taken it as a joke, but £5 is an odd number to demand for a joke isn't it?! Then again I'm trying to pick apart the inner mind of a man so who knows!

OP posts:
Ellisandra · 02/11/2018 14:45

Minnie OP said ‘if’ they weren’t home. So could have been they could be in then going out - so could leave £5 in the coal shed. It sets up a situation where they might think “I’ve got £2, I leave it as a tip to say thanks”.

I think most people wouldn’t risk thar kind of banter if it really was a joke, for fear of complaint.

Which makes me think it’s carefully worded to be jokey, so that if there was a complaint, they could say it was a joke.

I know I sound joyless, but there are plenty of chancers out there.

It’s just not good to joke like that. What if there was coal in the shed? You could feel really uncomfortable having to articulate no you can’t!

PuppyMonkey · 02/11/2018 14:47

I don’t see how anyone could interpret this seriously.

He’d established a silly “rapport” with you about the coal. You had said ha ha. He was continuing the silliness.

If you’d said “What?” Or maybe “eh?” after the £5 cash comment, he’d probably have ended it and said “just joking” but you sort of continued it by pretending the other delivery location would be ok with you. And he’s joked about having to bar you then - WITH A LOL ON THE END.

If you make a complaint about it, you’ll look like an idiot imho.

Original poster
BlueNeighbourhood · 02/11/2018 14:51

PuppyMonkey - did you actually read any of my previous comments?

I never said I was planning to or have complained - so trying to get on your high horse about the idiot I would look is futile as I am not complaining to the company - but stick that in there for jokes hey instead of actually reading and taking on board what I said.

I also didn't pretend the other delivery location was okay, because it was okay? If it was delivered to the other location I would have picked it up on Monday at work.

Seriously, did you read things before posting?!

OP posts:
PossibiliTea · 02/11/2018 14:54

Blue I was thinking that Hmm Op. ever said there was going to be a complaint! The driver is lucky they got some banter back, there are people who would have complained at the first response

PuppyMonkey · 02/11/2018 14:56

I did read it all OP. I actually thought you were only joking about it being ok for the parcel to be dropped at the second location - maybe he thought you were joking too then.

I know you said you didn’t intend to complain, but lots of others on here continue to suggest you do - so I was just adding my view that you shouldn’t.