Milk delivered earlier - is this unacceptable?

[rathertakenaback]

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!

I think this is why milk deliveries are dying out. We have tried three times over the last 20 years to establish a regular delivery (three houses, three different companies). Every time it has been the same, missed deliveries, early deliveries that sat outside to spoil, the wrong products delivered (whole milk or semi skimmed instead of the skimmed we prefer), or items not delivered. All this for a product that costs more than the supermarket equivalent.

I've given up now. I can get 4 pints of organic skimmed milk from the supermarket for less than the same amount of bog standard milk from the dairy and know it's not been out of the chill chain for longer than the 20 minutes it takes me to checkout and drive home.

@rathertakenaback YANBU to be annoyed, but I would let it go this one time. Also, why does your husband not read his emails? What's the point in having an email address if he's not arsed to read his emails?

Maybe get the email address for the dairy delivery company changed to yours. I assume you read yours yes? ....

I don’t know what people get milk deliver these days tbh when they sell it at the supermarket.

The only reason I could image is they want to support local small business’s?

Freeze some of the milk, lambast your husband for not reading his emails and get on with your life. It’s a storm in a milk bottle.

@FishintheStream we would get through the best part of a pint a day just on cups of tea for me and dh.

I only just realised from reading this thread why I got so much milk! I didn't read the email as they go to my shopping/ junk email address. I think it's pretty common not to read all emails especially if nearly all of them are marketing. Important stuff for school/ work etc goes to a different address.

I did think it was a bit ridiculous to not work because of football if I'm honest but whatever. For me it was a bit of a last straw though as the time it arrives is so erratic and it's more expensive than local competitors. I've been lazy about organising a different milkman but I'm definitely going to change now.

[quote rathertakenaback]@caughtinanet yes he is. Our DC are grown up, so what is your point other than being needlessly snarky? It's a shame you consider your children to be such a chore. [/quote]
Way to misunderstand, I'm saying quite the opposite, reading an email is the very opposite of a chore. My phone chimes, I look at the screen, see what the email is and either read or don't. It literally takes 2 seconds.

If you don't have children at school you won't appreciate the constant worry that the next message could be from the school notifying of the need to isolate and collect a child asap, if only parents that position could switch off messages for a week

I had the same email from McQueens (on Tuesday night). I was expecting a double delivery this morning and woke up to exactly the same as usual 🤔

Just freeze until your normal delivery day 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’m not seeing the drama here

@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.

Ah yes, milk and a&e, those two things are totally comparable..

How ridiculous of them! Of course complain.

They are being stupid, more and more people get milk from supermarkets, the empty shelves-no slots threads are gone, why on earth would they want to lose customers that way?

Rescheduling in itself is fine, but the way they handled is bonkers and unacceptable.

I had a milkman for a while when I first had ds. A milky knocked on my door and I signed up wanting to support a traditional local business. It was a pain in the arse with late/early deliveries, use by dates etc. At one point when I queried it they did offer me long life cartons ??? And I was paying twice the amount for this inconvenience. I lived a 10 minute walk from a large supermarket!! I cancelled. And never looked back. Who doesn't have access to a local shop/supermarket/ garage etc or drive/walk past said places most days???

On another note, milk that has been frozen - and then thawed out again - is rank. It tastes watery....

@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...

Surely that depends on how much you drink, use in cooking etc. 4 pints really isn't that much if say you have porridge a few days, make white sauce for recipes. Have it in tea, coffe etc. I would say 1 pint between 2 people a week is less common that 4 pints.

1 pint for 2 people works out at less than 50ml a day each.

All this cancelling normal life the day after for football is bloody absurd!! The football isn’t on on Monday morning, so there’s no reason why the milk shouldn’t be delivered as normal. The football isn’t even on at midnight on Sunday when they have delivered previously. Seriously, if you have work booked for Monday you adapt your football celebration/crying plans to fit. You don’t piss off your paying customers (that’s your source of income btw!) to accommodate a 90 minute sports game that’s happening the day before.

It seems a bit odd to get milk delivered separately. I just get 8 pints as part of my weekly Sainsbugs delivery.

Well we get a monthly supermarket delivery for cans and frozen stuff, and then a weekly veg box and milk delivery, so it works well for us. Mainly motivated by trying to cut down on plastic, and the milk comes in glass bottles.

Rescheduling in itself is fine, but the way they handled is bonkers and unacceptable.

@onlyhereforthecake It’s unacceptable and bonkers to send emails to your customers mentioning what’s happening in advance and giving them the option to cancel?

Ok then

@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...

Me, DH and teenaged DS in this house. Since DD moved out our consumption has gone down. We get through an average of 16 pints per week!

Imagine this in other sectors ‘sorry, you can’t come into A and E, the staff want to watch the footy’

“You can’t come to A&E after being assaulted by your drunk partner when his team won/lost, because the A&E staff are hungover from celebrating/consoling themselves after same match.”

I

@TableFlowerss

I don’t know what people get milk deliver these days tbh when they sell it at the supermarket.

The only reason I could image is they want to support local small business’s?

Try thinking a bit harder!

I started having milk delivered when I moved to a small village as a single parent with a 3 week old baby. No shop in the village. Nearest shop is a few miles drive away. So much easier to have it delivered than going to the shop.

Also they use glass bottles. Much better for the environment .

And while everyone else was fretting about empty supermarket shelves in the first lockdown, I had a safe and ready supply of milk, dairy products, groceries, fruit veg bread etc ( most milk delivery services do a large range of products now).

@onlyhereforthecake

How ridiculous of them! Of course complain.

They are being stupid, more and more people get milk from supermarkets, the empty shelves-no slots threads are gone, why on earth would they want to lose customers that way?

Rescheduling in itself is fine, but the way they handled is bonkers and unacceptable.

How is it bonkers and unacceptable to email your customers telling them what is happening and offering them the option to cancel?

I would say that is a very good way of handling it.

@MotionActivatedDog

All this cancelling normal life the day after for football is bloody absurd!! The football isn’t on on Monday morning, so there’s no reason why the milk shouldn’t be delivered as normal. The football isn’t even on at midnight on Sunday when they have delivered previously. Seriously, if you have work booked for Monday you adapt your football celebration/crying plans to fit. You don’t piss off your paying customers (that’s your source of income btw!) to accommodate a 90 minute sports game that’s happening the day before.

This has been explained elsewhere as you don't understand how milk delivery works

It is a once in a lifetime event. England has reached first final of a big football match in 55 years.

Milkmen start their day 1-3am- they get to the yard and load up before setting off. There is no 8 hour sleep between celebrating the end of match at 10-11pm depending on any extra time- and a sleep before those milkmen or milk persons would go out again... Many of their workers- let's be real here many workers across the country! - will be celebrating or chatting long after match has finished . The difference is milkmen/Persons and other overnight delivery people will have no down time inbetween

We had national holiday for big royal events. This is one company recognising that majority of their delivery workforce will be celebrating a huge national sporting event- and will be tired , may likely have or wanted to have a few drinks , some may call in sick the next day or risk of DUI . The company is not required to give Monday morning (which is Sunday night to Monday morning for milkmen) off, other agencies won't but I don't doubt they are not the only company that will.

These big milk delivery companies are crap. I tried two and had numerous missed deliveries and ones so early (before midnight) that it was off by the time I got it and so late that I was already at work and it was rotten by the time I got home. I found a local milkman who doesn’t do the internet or even a mobile but is the most reliable person I’ve ever met. He even delivers in snow.

The milkmen I know do a delivery to my neighbour's on Saturday morning... I know this as it wakes me at 4am.

@caughtinanet

Why are so bitter? What nasty messages to write to the OP, as if her and her husband having some time away from dealing with general admin tasks is somehow a direct slight to you. I'm sure you'd love to be able to ignore emails but that doesnt mean you get to be bitter and nasty to someone who can. Are you also bitter and horrible to people who dont need to work? Or who get to go on better holidays that you? I really cant understand what point you're trying to make with all the "oh, other people would love to not check their emails but we've got kids in school and it's not fair wah wah wah!".

I'm in Scotland. My kids' summer holiday has started. I spent the first week not doing any admin at all. Didnt read emails, didnt even reply to text messages unless they had an actual purpose. Just took a week not dealing with my phone. Are you angry and jealous of me to? Going to give me a lecture about how hard it is for you reading emails so I should shut up about any other complaint I have in life?

I cancelled my mcqueens delivery because of their delivery times.

Some days the milk that was meant to arrive Monday was arriving at 7pm on Sunday in the summer. I work nights and when I returned from work at 8.30am the milk was warm and needed chucking.