Postman smashing on door and shouting

[OttilieStonelady]

I live in a house with other people. Someone else had something sent to them by a family member so neither of us knew it was arriving. He's not in. Postman came to door to drop off. Saw me upstairs and I swear was banging on my door for 5 minutes so hard it sounded like he was going to break in. Rang the door over and over and over banging in-between. He disappeared, I guess delivered neighbours post then came back and banged on my door again, then next again, then back to me again. He even shouted 'i can see you'. I can't leave when I'm in the middle of presenting to people, especially not senior management, presenting extremely sensitive data. It's not a big house so he would've known I'd have heard him. WIBU not to open the door? Was he BU to keep banging aggressively on my door? All round a weird experience.

@Viviennemary

The postman was at work trying to do his job and was thwarted by OP. The house was a private dwelling and not business premises. If folk want to be obstructive twats that's up to them.

You've never worked a day in your life have your dear?

@youvegottenminuteslynn oh absolutely, as noted twice already in this thread. Next time I’m stood at your door, noting the cosy glow of lights being on and someone home rather than no one in (just the telly left on for the dog) I’ll absolutely knock a bit quieter imagining you WFH, a superhero in your cape and loungewear, not answering the door due to giving their presentation to 500 students on how to save the world from rapists, child offenders and murderers, before quietly writing a P739 and slipping away without disturbing you.
I may even put a note in our works suggestion box.

@HalzTangz

The employer would have heard the constant banging. She should have said her apologies, muted, opened window and told him to leave on the door step. A 30 second interuption is better than people trying to hear a presentation when someone is banging and ringing doorbells for 5 minutes

Or the Postman could’ve done what most postmen do, which is followed the process in place for them, by popping a card through the door when he got no answer.

Just because you can see someone is at home, it does not automatically mean they are available to answer the door to you. As many examples in this thread have shown.

The postie (especially a floater) would not know she was WFH or whether she was a SAHM or someone on unemployment.

Someone WFH is doing just that - WORKING
A SAHM could be in the middle of breastfeeding.
An unemployed person could be in the middle of a job interview

None of your examples give the postie any right to hammer at someone’s door repeatedly, especially when there is a simple card leaving process in place for them, if they get no answer.

I'd contact royal mail and report him, honestly. If you're working from home you can hardly go answer the front door, especially for a package that isn't yours. If you don't answer then he should take it to the delivery office, the end.

I have noticed this since COVID with both postmen and deliveries from Hermes etc. I have severe anxiety and people hammering on my door is a huge trigger. I have tried putting a sign up and they just ignore it. It's my house and it's up to me whether or not I wish to answer the door at any time..

Why would you not signal to the postie to leave parcel outside until your ready to go down or just go down and excuse yourself from work colleagues ..
It only takes two minutes right 🤷🏽‍♂️

@nannykatherine

Why would you not signal to the postie to leave parcel outside until your ready to go down or just go down and excuse yourself from work colleagues .. It only takes two minutes right 🤷🏽‍♂️

I'd explain for the hundredth time on this thread but I really can't be arsed.

[quote outofservice]@youvegottenminuteslynn oh absolutely, as noted twice already in this thread. Next time I’m stood at your door, noting the cosy glow of lights being on and someone home rather than no one in (just the telly left on for the dog) I’ll absolutely knock a bit quieter imagining you WFH, a superhero in your cape and loungewear, not answering the door due to giving their presentation to 500 students on how to save the world from rapists, child offenders and murderers, before quietly writing a P739 and slipping away without disturbing you.
I may even put a note in our works suggestion box.[/quote]
How dramatic 🙄

HalzTangz

"The employer would have heard the constant banging. She should have said her apologies, muted, opened window and told him to leave on the door step. A 30 second interuption is better than people trying to hear a presentation when someone is banging and ringing doorbells for 5 minutes"

Once again, OP had no reason to expect postman to behave like that, so had no reason to take preemptive action to make sure he didn't do it!!!

Do you normally go around making sure all men you encounter never get annoyed so they don't shout at you?

There's no way OP would be getting this kind of scolding if she was a man whose work presentation was interrupted.

[quote outofservice]@youvegottenminuteslynn oh absolutely, as noted twice already in this thread. Next time I’m stood at your door, noting the cosy glow of lights being on and someone home rather than no one in (just the telly left on for the dog) I’ll absolutely knock a bit quieter imagining you WFH, a superhero in your cape and loungewear, not answering the door due to giving their presentation to 500 students on how to save the world from rapists, child offenders and murderers, before quietly writing a P739 and slipping away without disturbing you.
I may even put a note in our works suggestion box.[/quote]
Christ you're angry aren't you?

Or you could knock like a normal, reasonable postie then if the person doesn't answer the door, follow the well established procedure your employer has in place for unanswered deliveries and get on with your working day just like OP needed to do. Not be angry about it like you or aggressively knock repeatedly and shout like OP's postie.

Your anger and sarcasm are frankly quite bizarre when you don't know what jobs people do.

I don't think anyone should imagine me wearing a superhero cape. I do think they should follow procedure if I don't answer the door and not assume I'm a lazy arsehole who can't be arsed to answer. And if I was said lazy arsehole... there's a well established procedure to follow.

Glad our lovely postie is professional about his job.

@OttilieStonelady I’m sorry but it will give me a bit of entertainment at work

@youvegottenminuteslynn no, not angry or sarcastic. Always wondered what people did WFH. Only know a police officer and chemical supplier still WFH, it’s been educational.

You should really complain otherwise you are just leaving him to carry on his behaviour. If he's delivering to you again so what, he'll be better behaved if the management are any good. If he's worse then you complain again.

[quote outofservice]@youvegottenminuteslynn oh absolutely, as noted twice already in this thread. Next time I’m stood at your door, noting the cosy glow of lights being on and someone home rather than no one in (just the telly left on for the dog) I’ll absolutely knock a bit quieter imagining you WFH, a superhero in your cape and loungewear, not answering the door due to giving their presentation to 500 students on how to save the world from rapists, child offenders and murderers, before quietly writing a P739 and slipping away without disturbing you.
I may even put a note in our works suggestion box.[/quote]
Or you could be less melodramatic and just use the process most posties use, which is to put a card through the door and leave it up to the occupant to rearrange delivery or come fetch it themselves.

[quote outofservice]@youvegottenminuteslynn no, not angry or sarcastic. Always wondered what people did WFH. Only know a police officer and chemical supplier still WFH, it’s been educational.[/quote]
I’ll absolutely knock a bit quieter imagining you WFH, a superhero in your cape and loungewear, not answering the door due to giving their presentation to 500 students on how to save the world from rapists, child offenders and murderers, before quietly writing a P739 and slipping away without disturbing you.

This wasn't sarcastic? OK then. Bizarre.

@HalzTangz

But you knew it was the postie and not the ex, you saw him from your window.

As for a parcel being left outside, yes your door might open outwards, all that would do is shove the parcel along a bit as you opened the door, it wouldn't prevent you from opening the door (parcels the postie's deliver are usually not overly heavy, heavy parcels tend to come by 2 men couriers)

This thread in a nut shell

"You could have just answered the door"

"Here are many examples of why that's not always possible. Even if it was possible it's not reasonable for the postman to have aggressively knocked and shouted"

"So why didn't you just open the door?"

@HalzTangz

Sorry, didn't mean to quote you there! I was going to answer the your point about the package being left probably being more about it being stolen than not being able to open the door but changed my mind!

@browneyes77 the postman in the OPs thread saw her in her property. He had an item to deliver. His behaviour wasn’t acceptable and he will possibly be reported. The red cards are ‘sorry we missed you’ the postman hadn’t missed the customer, he could see her. He shouted that he could see her. Why would he leave a card to say he had missed her at that point? He doesn’t know she is giving a presentation.
Delivery offices are offering a 2 hour collection window in some areas and the postman will want to deliver the item/leave in a safe place or possibly with a neighbour (although with covid, this isn’t always a viable option)
He is trying to save the customer the ‘hassle’ of going to collect the parcel.
Hopefully the OP WFH now has a sign prepared for when they can’t answer the door. I see a nice one painted on a piece of hardboard ‘in a meeting, leave by door, I am in and will get it ASAP’ and the hopefully OP will report the postie and the company will let their postal workers know there has been another shift in the way operations are carried out.

The red cards are ‘sorry we missed you’ the postman hadn’t missed the customer, he could see her. He shouted that he could see her. Why would he leave a card to say he had missed her at that point? He doesn’t know she is giving a presentation.

Did she answer the door? No. Was he able to give her the parcel? No. Then he ‘missed’ being able to deliver the package.

Whether he knew why she wasn’t answering the door is irrelevant. The fact is she didn’t. And therefore he would need to put a card through the door so that the occupant can make alternative arrangements.

He is trying to save the customer the ‘hassle’ of going to collect the parcel

I suspect it is more likely that he is trying to save himself the hassle of possibly having to re-deliver the item. Consistently banging on the door aggressively and ringing the doorbell and then coming back to do it a bit more, when he can clearly see the person isn’t answering, aren’t really the actions of someone who’s trying to do you a favour.

If you can see someone is in and after repeatedly banging at their door and ringing their bell, they still aren’t answering the door, then logic would suggest there is a reason that person isn’t coming to the door.

Hopefully the OP WFH now has a sign prepared for when they can’t answer the door.

Why should the OP be responsible for the behaviour of delivery people delivering things she doesn't know are coming and are not addressed to her?

The issue is with the postie being unnecessarily aggressive. Fix the problem at the source. Stop expecting others to accommodate shit and aggressive behaviour.

he was thwarated i tell you thwarted!

Posted this to the wrong thread initially.
Ring doorbells now give you the option of an auto message:

It doesn't even have to be work, you don't have to open the door if you don't want to, for any reason or none.

I think posties and other delivery people have got more insistent since Covid.