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AIBU?

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Original poster

Milk delivered earlier - is this unacceptable?

196 replies

rathertakenaback · 09/07/2021 07:45

We get milk delivered once a week (only two of us, apart from DD who is here about 2 days a week right now). We don't use a huge amount of milk, so have 4 pints delivered on a Monday morning. In reality this is usually delivered at about midnight on the Sunday, sometimes later.

Yesterday morning (Thursday) I opened the door to find a milk delivery - delivered 4 days early. I rang the company up to query this (it's a medium sized dairy, not a one man set-up), only to be told that they are delivering Monday's milk early so that staff can watch the football!

I'm not a huge football fan myself, but even I've been watching the England matches, so to some extent I get this, but 4 days early?! The milk had also stood outside in quite a warm place until nearly midday as I've booked this week off work, and I actually didn't have a reason to go out until later in the morning. In fact, it's lucky we were here at all as we had planned to go away.

AIBU to think that this is not on? Yes, I know it's only 4 pints of milk, but delivering early to me implies a few hours or one day earlier. They should at least have informed us of the change in delivery day! (But if they had emailed an excuse like that I'd have been on the phone telling them that it's not on!)
They've been a bit flakey before (not leaving milk in the specific place requested with the result that it's been stolen), and after making changes to the delivery because of the football I'm wondering whether to kick them into touch!

OP posts:
Original poster
rathertakenaback · 09/07/2021 09:12

@caughtinanet digital detox while not working! He does need to be more vigilant though. And will be having rice pudding very soon!

OP posts:
thenightsky · 09/07/2021 09:14

In a similar vein there's a milkman who delivers in this road about midnight and on a hot night I hear him and think that the milk will be well on the way to being sour by morning.

Mine used to do that, screeching tyres as he handbraked turned onto the gravel, heavy metal rock music blaring out. Woke the whole street every other night. I had to cancel him.

Bagamoyo1 · 09/07/2021 09:18

I’d freeze it. Then get it out as and when. It’ll be fine till your next delivery.

nettie434 · 09/07/2021 09:18

I support the company. I'd much prefer to get my milk early (with an option to cancel if I thought it was too long before I'd need it) than to open the door on Monday only to find there was no milk because the worker had decided to stay at home on Sunday and phoned in sick.

It's really hard being a milk delivery person. They work long and unsocial hours. I'd be surprised if they will get paid for Sunday. Milk and More decided not to deliver on New Years Day this year. No choice for the delivery people and they weren't paid.

Mogloveseggs · 09/07/2021 09:19

I'd cancel. We tried McQueens they were rubbish and I hated the fact that they took the money before the deliveries so if they messed up (which they did often) I'd be waiting for a week for them to rectify the money.
Ask on local Facebook for a local service you'll get a much better experience we did.

caughtinanet · 09/07/2021 09:20

[quote rathertakenaback]@caughtinanet digital detox while not working! He does need to be more vigilant though. And will be having rice pudding very soon![/quote]
Isn't he lucky to have that option.

I assume you don't have school age children with covid related emails from the school or any other life issues that need to be dealt with. I'm sure I'm not the only one who doesn't have the luxury of being able to switch off emails for a week

GaspGulpScream · 09/07/2021 09:21

@Bunnyfuller

Nope, I would cancel. They surely have some employees who don’t want to watch football? Or can manage to not drink alcohol while they do?

Imagine this in other sectors ‘sorry, you can’t come into A and E, the staff want to watch the footy’ ‘No, I’m afraid there won’t be trains on Monday morning - all the drivers are getting pissed for the match’ ‘please keep your children home today as we won’t be in, the football, you know?!’

Vote with your wallet.

But they are not working for the NHS or train drivers, so annoying when people make silly comparisons Their bosses have tried to do a nice thing, just accept it for what it is
4PawsGood · 09/07/2021 09:23

Why do you say They should at least have informed us of the change in delivery day!

in your OP, when they had emailed?

I think it’s fine given they had emailed and given you the chance to reject the change.

MrsSkylerWhite · 09/07/2021 09:23

Ask your husband to go to the shops and buy more milk on Monday, if you need it as it’s down to him.

Not sure what top you have but green freezes, no need for waste.

youngandbroken · 09/07/2021 09:25

I think because they did send more than 1 email to inform you that you can't really say anything - I understand that your husbands on leave and not checking his emails but that isn't the company's fault and they wouldn't have known, if their method of communication is via email then they have in fact done their bit. Obviously if you've had issues before now and your not happy with the service you are more than entitled to cancel future deliveries but other than that I don't think there's much to be done.

rathertakenaback · 09/07/2021 09:26

This reply has been deleted

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Panda368 · 09/07/2021 09:26

We get McQueens and I got this email - the milk we get always has a really long label time from the day of delivery - its about 10days usually so thursday to thursday should be more than fine. And if ever unsure it's really easy to tell if milk has turned.

I expect they canceled the monday deliveries to get round drivers calling in sick at no notice and no-one getting their milk.

LadyDanburysCane · 09/07/2021 09:29

This sort of thing is why I don’t have my milk delivered. I used to have a delivery 5 days a week with a pint a day (extra on Fridays) on my doorstep by 6am. Then our milkman retired and the new one didn’t deliver until after we’d gone to work so the milk was in the sun all day. I tried returning to deliveries when I was a SAHM but deliveries would only be twice per week and at around lunchtime. I don’t have room to have more than a couple of days milk in my fridge (we use a LOT) so I stick to the cheaper option of getting it from the supermarket. Plus I wanted the milkman for the better environmental impact of glass bottles but deliveries of four pints or more are in plastic anyway……

I don’t know anyone who will be able to have time off to celebrate the football anyway!

godmum56 · 09/07/2021 09:34

[quote rathertakenaback]@DinosaurDiana yes we can, and I think that's what I'll be doing from now on. [/quote]
I but cravendale or tesco's filtered. It is not UHT or anything but has a really long shelflife

Sandinmyknickers · 09/07/2021 09:34

So you gave contact details for an email you dont check or didnt bother to read- not really their fault.

As for the milk- just transfer some of it to a smaller bottle, freeze it and then put it in the fridge to defrost the evening before you think you will use up the last of the milk. This really is first world problems. You dont need to glug milk or waste tons of it. I would have though given the past year if various isolation/unable to get delivery slots, most people had at some point already done things like this

diddl · 09/07/2021 09:37

[quote rathertakenaback]@diddl he didn't see them until after the early delivery. Yes, he maybe should have been more on the ball, but he hadn't been on his computer or phone as he's on leave and wasn't checking them as regularly. [/quote]
Ah sorry I misread/misunderstood.

Thought he had seen them but not bothered to read.

Flibbitygibbit · 09/07/2021 09:38

Can you stick it in the freezer if you have room, milk freezes well

lovelybitofsquirrell · 09/07/2021 09:42

Seems like fuss about nothing.
they emailed, your DH fault for not checking.

Its 4 pints of milk, not a huge tesco delivery.

FishintheStream · 09/07/2021 09:58

We don't use a huge amount of milk, so have 4 pints delivered on a Monday morning

Focussing on the wrong part here, but does anyone else think 4 pints is a lot for 2.3 people?

DP and I have 1 pint on a Wednesday. We freeze about a quarter of it and defrost on Sunday, as it doesn't last the week...

Notwavingbutdrowing3 · 09/07/2021 10:05

It's lovely the milk company are giving Monday (which will really be early hours sun- Monday overnight) off to their delivery and yard team for this once in a 55 year final. It makes business sense as there will be a few over the limit still that would call in sick...

Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest volume deliveries so hard to tag a huge volume of extra stock deliveries on those days, usually they don't deliver sundays anyway. They should have planned to deliver extra on Tuesday - a day late - rather than 4 days early s they are perishables.

The company did let you know OP by email so you could have cancelled and made other arrangements - it really isn't their fault your DH didn't read his email- but I agree they ought have titled it clearly though. Wasn't much of a turn around time tho between Wed nights result and Thursday early morning delivery!

My dad was a milkman (now long retired ). Back 40 odd years ago, when you bought milk from local shops every couple days, as they came in glass pint milk bottles and there were no supermarket home deliveries , it was an essential service . It's a more cut throat business now as they rely on being convenient & reliable for people for less margins overall (due to less volume and larger rounds) than before.

Dad got up at 1am to the yard to wait for it to open after the big delivery , he's help sort it out onto his float, and was finished & back at the yard by 8.15am every morning to unload empties, clean and put his float on charge for next day and home to us by 9-9.20am. Frusta abs Saturdays were longer days until 11-12am as most of bread and eggs deliveries and double U.K. for Sunday (no delivery day) happens then as well. We'd will then float to get up the hills when heavily laden Grin

I used to go out with him over school holidays, he carried a crate in each hand of 20 bottles to get to the houses away from the road that his float couldn't get near. You wouldn't have wanted to arm wrestle him, he was whippet strong, he ran with them to make sure everyone on his round got their milk before their day started and hopefully before their breakfast or work, they had milk coolers those already at work used, he's out the new milk bottles in.

Back then he was one of the eyes and ears of community, he's knock at the neighbours if a disabled or older frail customer's milk was left out from day before to make sure they were checked on if he was concerned (he's get handwritten notes when people were away) incase someone had fallen or was unwell. He even arranged for ambulances & police to be called on quite a few times as he could hear or see someone through letter box who was unable to get up and injured.

Every year at Christmas his customers gave him a supply chocolates (quality street Grin mostly!) as Xmas bonus that I swear lasted us until summer holiday! We had a cupboard specially for dad's chocolate gifts!

littlefireseverywhere · 09/07/2021 10:07

Yes, that'd annoy me. Almost better to miss out a week of delivery rather than deliver 4 days early. And why would you read those emails, I never do. We have a weekly vegbox delivery and if there ever any small changes to that delivery, they text - makes much more sense. No spam emails from them either.

Backhills · 09/07/2021 10:08

I think it's good that they've made some allowances for staff, but they should certainly have given you notice and the option to cancel if it doesn't suit.

Out of interest, why do you have the whole week's milk delivered on the same day? Our milkman comes three times a week and I have 1-2 pints each time. Depending on the weather, it doesn't always keep a full week.

Notwavingbutdrowing3 · 09/07/2021 10:08

@FishintheStream

We don't use a huge amount of milk, so have 4 pints delivered on a Monday morning

Focussing on the wrong part here, but does anyone else think 4 pints is a lot for 2.3 people?

DP and I have 1 pint on a Wednesday. We freeze about a quarter of it and defrost on Sunday, as it doesn't last the week...

No. I don't think that's a lot. Sorry, as you can tell I'm a milkman's daughter. I order 8-pints a week from supermarket delivery and also we buy another 8 pints in the week. We easily go through 16 pints... baking , hot chocolates, cereal or porridge, glass of milk or treat milkshakes , ummm... Grin
Babdoc · 09/07/2021 10:09

It seems a bit odd to get milk delivered separately. I just get 8 pints as part of my weekly Sainsbugs delivery.
15 months ago, before I got long Covid fatigue, I used to bung 8 pints in my supermarket trolley when I did my weekly shop in person.
It lasts for at least ten days in the fridge. And if I do (rarely) run out, I pick up a pint at the local village Spar. Why would you want a milkman leaving it to go off or get stolen from your doorstep?

Livelovebehappy · 09/07/2021 10:13

Is it Mcqueens? We’ve had exactly same thing. It’s madness. I’m a big football fan, but changing the delivery by such a big margin is out of order.