AIBU to be freaked out by delivery drivers doing this

[Sunnyoctday]

Been ordering stuff online for years...various companies....no major issues. During COVID generally deliveries fine...knock, wait, socially distanced handover...cheery banter about weather etc.
In last 4 weeks though on 3 occasions with 3 different drivers from 2 companies....
First thing heard is door being opened..parcel put into hall..door slammed shut. No knock, no bell...
On second occasion I called out to driver to say why didn’t you knock and wait..why did you let yourself into my house...his answer..it’s a porch ( it isn’t) ...you should lock your door ( hubby had gone out into garage so door wasn’t locked)...he was rude and patronising that I was not happy that he simply let himself in.
On 3rd occasion the door was locked. The driver was trying the door handle numerous times...eventually he banged on door really hard repeatedly and seemed very impatient when I opened it,

I have never experienced this in all these years- then 3 times in as many weeks.

AIBU to think delievrry drivers should not let themselves into your home unless there is explicitly a notice to say leave in porch etc ( if you have one)...is anyone else experiencing this weird new behaviour..is it a new thing? AIBU to say it is scary and weird to have random strangers trying to get into your house

If the door is unlocked then it's not unreasonable for a delivery driver to think it is a porch door.
Lock your front door.
Aren't you concerned about your safety? Your families safety? Wandering children and/or pets?

I'm amazed that anyone would leave a front door unlocked.

We had some building work done a year or so ago, and when the builder brought an invoice round part way through it on a Sunday afternoon he just opened the door and walked into the house! He said he thought I'd be ok with it as he's done building work here. He was an intrusive dickhead in other ways too, I'm glad the work is long finished.

Please lock your door OP!!!

We live in a naice London neighbourhood which unfortunately has a high rate of sophisticated burgulary. One evening recently DH was away on business, neighbours were away on holiday. I was midst watching The Fall and so somewhat tense. I had checked on DCs in bed and was kneeling right by the front door, stroking our elderly dog who, whenever DH is away, sleeps on our front door mat. Suddenly some fingers appear through our letter box literally a couple of inches from my face.

I screamed so loudly, leapt up and immediately pressed the panic button by the door which enables the alarm. When this happens internal and external alarms sound loudly and the floodlights on the perimeter of the property turn on. An automated recording plays telling the intruder STOP, they are an unwanted intruder and the police are on their way. I look at the monitor and there is a shocked man frozen on the driveway under the spotlights. I then spot the calling card he had pushed through the letter box and realise it’s a cheeky delivery driver pulling a fake delivery stunt. Feck knows why he fingered the letter box rather than just post the card through. Don’t think he will be doing that again, poor bloke.

Keep your door locked.

All the people saying keep yur doorlocked.Thats a given.But on the rare occasion you dont, IT STILL DOESNT GIVE THE DELIVERY DRIVER THE RIGHT JUST TO WALK IN TO YOUR HOME

@BorderlineHappy

All the people saying keep yur doorlocked.Thats a given.But on the rare occasion you dont, IT STILL DOESNT GIVE THE DELIVERY DRIVER THE RIGHT JUST TO WALK IN TO YOUR HOME

Totally.

People are just batshit...

"If you haven't put up physical barriers to someone doing something, that means there's nothing wrong with them doing it" is a VERY slippery philosophical slope.

All the people saying keep yur doorlocked

I think you mean - The people saying LOCK YOUR FUCKING DOOR FOR FUCKS SAKE

I am surprised this thread got so aggressive... isn't it only early afternoon in the UK? People must be day drinking...

Because of Covid, delivery drivers don't need signatures so yy the way they deliver has changed in the last few months. We do have a porch so they just open the door and leave in the porch or if we know a delivery is coming, we leave the front door open so they can just drop in the porch. Delivery drivers don't have time to work out which houses have porches or not so they're obviously assuming that most do, and hence they're letting themselves in/trying the door.
tbh I think it's impossible for you to let every possible delivery driver know your preferences so the only way you can manage this is to lock your door or put a sign saying delivery drivers please knock and wait.

Have you watched the filM Sorry We Missed You.
Heartbreaking film, very insightful about the Pressures these drivers are put under

@BorderlineHappy

All the people saying keep yur doorlocked.Thats a given.But on the rare occasion you dont, IT STILL DOESNT GIVE THE DELIVERY DRIVER THE RIGHT JUST TO WALK IN TO YOUR HOME

No of course not but he probably just opened the door and put the package inside. Some people have an outer and an inner door and leave the outer one unlocked for that purpose.

I receive a fair amount of parcels and packages and the drivers don't always knock or ring, it doesn't bother me as long as they leave it in a safe place.

I keep my frontdoor locked. I did have a delivery driver put something through the window once, I was in the back garden and didn't hear the door. Caused confusion as it went behind a chair and I didn't see it so when it showed online as delivered I made a complaint. I did a search when they told me what happened and I felt a bit of a fool.

I'd prefer that to them leaving it on the pavement outside my door or missing them tbh but I can appreciate that some people might not be comfortable with it

YANBU. I'm a delivery driver and it would never occur to me to open someone's door! 🤣 That's horrendous! I wouldn't view it as a crime, just unbelievably rude. If someone's doors open I do leave it on the door frame but still knock or shout. Not just let myself in!

Oh for fucks sake people READ THE OP'S POSTS BEFORE COMMENTING WITH YOUR INCORRECT ASSUMPTIONS!!!

You and your DH are perfectly entitled to leave your door unlocked while you pop all the way to the garage without a stranger letting himself in the door

I do agree with the people who say the problem is the delivery firms not giving them enough time to deliver. Also covid policies now mean a photo in an open doorway is required to prove delivery... but presumably the intention of that policy was that the occupier opened the door not the delivery person

As for all you "he hadn't got time to wait for people to shuffle to the door" - have you any idea how horrendously abilist and ageist you are being?? Do elderly people not deserve deliveries because they'd shuffle too slowly to the door? Perhapd you'd prefer my 78 year old dad to have to go que at the Royal mail sorting office when he's at home all day for deliveries?! People who have any sort of mental or physical disability that means it takes them time to get to the door, sorry loves, you're going to have to go to the depot if you're not okay with random delivery drivers entering your house without your permission or necessarily knowledge??

Have a word with yourselves.

I don't agree with the banging on the door but if you have a front door and a porch door and he leaves it only in the porch I don't see the issue

Usually they just knock and leave it on the doorstep. No need to open the door.

Once we came back to find a box on the doorstep and the cat sitting on top of it. It had been put down as “handed to resident”

Completely off-topic, but why are so many posters using double punctuation marks? Are they the same posters name-changing or have we had an influx of posters from somewhere else? Between the all caps and the !!! and the ??? it's like reading a teen forum rather than MN.

@AnneOfQueenSables if you're referring to my post it's to show how incredulous I am. Although I feel it loses some of its impact if I have to explain it

And I haven't name changed in a few months.

I also find the idea of locking yourself into your house both depressing and scary- what if there's a fire?

My door has a thumb lock so you need a key to lock/unlock from the outside but not from the inside. You need a solid door with no glass though so that a burglar can't just break the glass and reach through. I think it might be a fire safety thing as it was fitted by the council.

We have a door that nobody could open from the outside, great thick solid oak.
They knock and leave the parcel on the step. By the time I open the door they are in their car/van and ready to go.

@AnneOfQueenSables

Completely off-topic, but why are so many posters using double punctuation marks? Are they the same posters name-changing or have we had an influx of posters from somewhere else? Between the all caps and the !!! and the ??? it's like reading a teen forum rather than MN.

Fair point..I do this ......more to indicate a rather light hearted train of random thoughts. My mum was an English teacher so I will take feedback in future to stick with correct usage and not be so immature🤗

I love that they just do that , saves having to log off from work calls and deal with barking dog etc

@StripeyDeckchair

If the door is unlocked then it's not unreasonable for a delivery driver to think it is a porch door. Lock your front door. Aren't you concerned about your safety? Your families safety? Wandering children and/or pets?

I'm amazed that anyone would leave a front door unlocked.

Here’s the thing though: ( please check and feedback if my punctuation is still incorrect🤔) how do they know the door is unlocked and therefore a porch if there is no note outside? By trying to get in . Even on that last delivery when the door was locked, someone trying to get in freaked me out, they did not ring the bell first. They just kept yanking the handle then got grumpy with me because they then had to ring the bell and wait till I opened the door ( in that case about 10 secs) Why do they think they should just try to open doors if they’ve not expressly been indicated that it is ok?

I don't think you are being unreasonable to expect them not to open your door. Our door is always locked and can't be opened from the outside without a key, so this has never happened to us, but I am surprised they even try to open doors, I would have thought that wouldn't be allowed.