....or was this just a joke?

[BlueNeighbourhood]

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?!

Sounds like you had a funny and helpful delivery driver. He did what you asked him to do, he could have said no I have to take it back to the depot. You should text him and say thank you. It will probably lead to him being helpful again if you or your parents ever need a parcel left anywhere.

It was what the younens call bantz!

It's pointless complaining to Yodel as their drivers are self-employed. Yodel don't give a shit. One of their drivers called me a thick cunt and threatened to come to my home and kick my face in. They couldn't have cared less.

(NB I hadn't been rude, just asked why he had marked my parcel delivered when it hadn't been and nor had he left an outcard or even approached my house. He started yelling "Are you calling me a liar?!" so I said yes. After the "thick cunt" exchange, about an hour later he pulled up in his van, snuck up my front steps (I was watching) and quietly left my parcel on the doorstep.)

*youngens!!

It was definitely a joke because of the lol at the end.

It was definitely a joke because of the lol at the end. Yeah, that works!

"I'm going to kill you, slowly, painfully, you'd better start running bitch! lolz"

Maybe not!

As I said, given how it could be interpreted it is an odd thing to text to a complete stranger when it is your job you are messing with!

The whole thing sounds like a joke to me.

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!

I thought the same as this

If it had been "Leave £2,000,000 in used notes behind the radiator or you will never see your parcel alive" - that would be a joke.

A fiver suggests that he genuinely hoped you would leave an envelope in the shed with the cash in it, and if there wasn't one there, he'd take the parcel back to the depot.

I would think that he's banking on it being a comfy enough sum of money to extort, but not so much that people think it's worth complaining - or if they do complain, he can claim he was having a laugh. Even if someone left the cash, and he took it and they then complained, he could claim ignorance (Come on, boss! It was a joke - they never left any money and I didn't expect them to), or that he thought it was a tip (I said it as a joke, and that's how they took it, but when I saw the envelope I thought they'd given me a thank you).

I wouldn't be surprised if he's scammed a few people about this. He loses nothing if they respond the way you do, but he might just get himself a free pint.

See the cynic in me saw that LOL at the end as the cover up. The text where he actually asked for money and suggested that OP would be inconvenienced otherwise, had no LOL.

I’m not convinced that if she’d said “thanks for saving me the journey! I’ll leave the money inside the shed” he would have replied “hang on love, it was a joke! Don’t be silly!”

Like I say, a lot of chancers out there.

My ASD sister, my elderly mother who doesn’t really get this Innocent-smoothie-bottle style joking around in professional situations (they didn’t in her day!) my cousin with anxiety - all of them would have been uncomfortable with this. I think if joking, it was ill advised - taken 2 texts too far!

See the cynic in me saw that LOL at the end as the cover up

Me, too Elisandra. I think it was serious.

Though I can understand the OP not wanting to risk someone's job for what might be a clumsy attempt at banter.

I think it was serious.... But so he could wriggle out of it if complained about... It was 'bantz'....

If it was really a jokey situation... 8 could imagine.. A million quid in new fivers. ... Not £5......

Hes dishonest

He was clearly joking, even ended it with "lol".A bit ham fisted maybe but I don't think at any point did he mean to be taken remotely seriously

Blue what a weird driver!