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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Shopping delivery driver wouldn't come to the house and left crates 1/4 a mile away. AIBU to keep the empty crates?

30 replies

pastabest · 09/02/2021 16:43

The delivery driver just refused to come the final leg of the journey to my (very rural) house. We've had a 20tonne delivery in earlier today with no issues and the bit he refused to do is absolutely passable and well gritted.

Fine - I'm generally happy to go and meet delivery drivers and do it regularly in winter if they ring me as I understand some people aren't confident driving in snow.

So I packed the two kids into the car and drove (in my non 4wd drive up the hill he was refusing to come down) to meet him only to find he had dumped the crates on the side of the road in the snow and gone.

AIBU to keep the empty crates. They look very handy for toy storage

OP posts:

Glittertwins · 09/02/2021 16:44

Keep them!!

ChonkyChook · 09/02/2021 16:45

I'd say it would be very kind of you to clear up this man's fly tipping, take the crates away to whenever you see fit and not mention to his employer that he dumped them on your property.

callmeadoctor · 09/02/2021 16:50

Absolutely keep them, next time you could then put your empty ones and and driver can just swop them.

Gribbie · 09/02/2021 16:53

I moved house using tesco crates - they're fantastic.

Riv · 09/02/2021 16:54

Are you sure they were there with all of your order intact when you got there? Nothing nibbled by passing wildlife or snaffled by passing people?

listsandbudgets · 09/02/2021 16:56

Well he clearly didn't want them did he? I mean who leaves things they want to keep in the snow by the side of a road?

I suppose you could email the supermarket and tell them that if they want them they'll need to send someone to your door to collect them by ex date otherwise you'll assume that they were a gift and / or fly tipping you had to clear.

nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 09/02/2021 17:00

Oh I'd absolutely tidy away the crates that he fly tipped and of they make an issue of it, well you couldn't very well carry them and the shopping could you? Last you saw of them, they were right where the driver left them.

Original poster

pastabest · 09/02/2021 17:01

@Riv

Are you sure they were there with all of your order intact when you got there? Nothing nibbled by passing wildlife or snaffled by passing people?

I could see him disappearing around the corner across the fields about another 1/4 a mile away so I've literally missed him by less than 60 seconds. I had two children in wellies and strapped in the car in about 3 minutes flat (this isn't my first time doing this!) so he was only waiting about the same amount of time it would have taken him to turn round in our yard and me to take the delivery in normally.

Stuff in cardboard is looking a bit soggy now I've got it in the house and the snow that squished through the holes in the crates has melted though.

OP posts:

RedHelenB · 09/02/2021 17:05

Lucky your delivery wasn't cancelled lije another poster. One if the downsides of being rural. You would be unreasonable not to give them back next time you have a delivery though.

MissMarpleDarling · 09/02/2021 17:06

I know lots of people who would want a refund as they wouldn't have been there when they got there. Of course keep the boxes they are yours now.

BorderlineHappy · 09/02/2021 17:08

What crates?

MintyMabel · 09/02/2021 17:18

A 20 Tonner will generally manage better than a lighter truck as they have bigger wheels and weight behind them.

We had a Sainsbury’s van stuck on the road out of our estate this morning. There was snow but the road had been kind of cleared so it was slippy. They have relatively small wheels so not great in snow. Can’t really blame them for not wanting to risk it.

Definitely keep the crates!

Beautiful3 · 09/02/2021 17:48

He was probably worried about getting stuck in the snow, as you say theres a hill for him to drive down then back up again to leave. Their delivery van's don't have great wheels, they're small. Keep the crates and call it a gift!

Riv · 09/02/2021 17:54

Wow! You are fast!! And in “impassible snow “ without four wheel drive! I am impressed.
I know it’s probably a pain but I would let the original sender of the order (supermarket?) know about the soggy cardboard boxes. Hopefully the food / whatever inside is ok?
And yes to keeping the crates if you have a use for them. The driver clearly wasn’t bothered that your shopping could have been spoiled or stolen, so they can’t be too concerned about the loss of a few crates.

ZoeTurtle · 09/02/2021 17:57

I would be giving them a very thorough clean. Nothing to do with COVID, just god knows where they've been and how infrequently (if ever) they've been washed.

NavyBerry · 09/02/2021 18:01

So odd. Was it his last day at his job?
What if you didn't have the car?
He missed the whole point of delivery

Keep them of course. They can be handy.

wifterwafter · 09/02/2021 18:10

Phone the company, tell them you haven't received a delivery to your doorstep, explain what has happened and see what they say.

dancinfeet · 09/02/2021 18:49

I would complain, what if you had been self isolating and unable to leave the house?! Keep the crates.

Original poster

pastabest · 09/02/2021 18:51

I'm not particularly annoyed, you live somewhere like we do and you accept that things aren't always done by the book. I'd much rather he did what he did today than refuse to deliver it at all which is what often happens.

We are 2 miles from the nearest main road, he was nearly at the end of our 2 mile long road that only leads to our hamlet of 4 houses. The chances of it getting stolen by anything other than buzzards was extremely slim.

My AIBU was if I can now claim the crates as mine given he wilfully abandoned them with no concern for their welfare. On the many other occasions in bad weather when I've picked up from the road end and they have left crates with me for ease I've always given them back as I feel I've only taken temporary custody of them.

Wow! You are fast!! And in “impassible snow “ without four wheel drive! I am impressed.

It wasn't impassible at all. It very often is but due to the other heavy (and very important) delivery we were expecting today we gritted the road extremely hard on Monday before the bad weather came and the road is beautifully clear. If it was one of our usual drivers he was probably expecting that the hill down would be difficult as usual (last week we had to push the delivery driver out with a tractor) but today, for once, it wasn't.

OP posts:

Phyzzy · 09/02/2021 18:54

They always used to leave the crates here, I just kept them in the garage and swapped them over the following week.
That all stopped with covid, they won't leave them now.

TheSpottedZebra · 09/02/2021 19:00

I'd have to weight up how much I wanted the crates vs how annoyed I was about the food left in boxes/ wrecked cardboard.

Those crates are REALLY useful for sowing seeds and similar though...

User478 · 09/02/2021 19:07

In our university halls there was a massive stack of crates that you could help yourself to. The drivers weren't allowed to bring their vans in so they'd just leave you with a stack of full ones and take some empties away.

bloodyhairy · 09/02/2021 20:10

I've had to phone Tesco to nag them to pick up their crates, when the delivery driver has been in a rush and left them before I've unpacked. So I doubt they'll even notice they're gone!
They're a bit ugly though. I wouldn't use them in my house personally.

Riv · 09/02/2021 20:43

I was meaning"impassible" in the delivery drivers head, not in reality. You did say you had had a really heavy truck down there today and had been careful to ensure it was actually as clear as could be.
I was also genuinely impressed at your speed, not being sarcastic. You really are prepared and on top of this! Getting children into wellies and in the car would take me more time than it took you to do the whole operation. I think I'm a little bit awe struck.

AnnaBegins · 09/02/2021 20:59

They make great camping shelves as they are stackable! Also used them at uni to create a faux double bed extension

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