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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this customer service was appalling?

98 replies

Breathe57848 · 08/02/2022 12:27

Ordered some furniture online to be delivered to my home in a flat a few floors up. We have a lift but the delivery driver refused to come to my door and left it in the communal entrance downstairs. I was unable to come down as I have a baby here and would need both hands and strength to carry to box up in the lift. Annoying, but not actually my AIBU...

I complained to the furniture company because I wasn't aware this would be a problem abs it was stated anywhere. I've ordered from them before and stuff came direct to my door. They've always seemed really good so I thought they would be on my side re the delivery.

Instead, the person replied and suggested I leave my baby for a few minutes to go and collect the parcel.

AIBU to think this is appalling?

I wrote back and said as much and they replied "it is only one suggestion".

OP posts:
BigbreastsBiggerbeard · 08/02/2022 12:49

Where is the furniture now, is it still downstairs in the communal entrance? Presumably you didn't sign for it, so it's not officially been delivered?

Tothemoonandbackx · 08/02/2022 12:53

That's terrible, I don't understand the types of businesses that still do this sort of thing, especially with the power of social media now. I wouldn't collect it, it hasn't been delivered. They should bring it to your door. How lazy to not get in the lift too, it's not as if they were going to have to bring it up flights of stairs. I certainly wouldn't be using them again either.

Hottattie · 08/02/2022 13:05

I used to live in a 3rd floor flat with no lift and had no issues with deliveries being brought to my door, sounds like a delivery driver who couldn’t be bothered. Saying that, if it’s not heavy just go get it you can leave your baby in their cot for a couple of minutes.

Wafflesnsniffles · 08/02/2022 13:08

I wouldnt have a problem leaving a baby for a few minutes tbh. As long as baby is safely in their cot/pram/pushchair - they'll be fine. Especially if they are having a nap.

Original poster
Breathe57848 · 08/02/2022 13:13

Good grief, I'm not leaving a child alone on the flat while I go numerous floors down! What if the lift got stuck or something! I would never do this and I'm shocked anyone else would!

OP posts:
Original poster
Breathe57848 · 08/02/2022 13:15

The furniture company have been emailing me saying that it's standard practice for delivery companies not to bring things upstairs. They say last time when it came to my door the driver must have broken company policy!

They also suggested a neighbour look after my child abs say they are parents themselves! I don't know my neighbours, but that isn't the point!

OP posts:
Inspectorslack · 08/02/2022 13:16

I never had heavy furniture delivered upstairs unless I paid extra.

Lockheart · 08/02/2022 13:19

@Breathe57848

Good grief, I'm not leaving a child alone on the flat while I go numerous floors down! What if the lift got stuck or something! I would never do this and I'm shocked anyone else would!
Which is it, numerous or a few?

Your baby will be fine in their cot in the 5 minutes max it would take you to go and get it.

Hellocatshome · 08/02/2022 13:22

So is it a few floors or numerous floors? Despite it perhaps being bad customer service what are you actually planning to do? Arguing with them over email or whatever is not actually achieving anything.

xILikeJamx · 08/02/2022 13:22

Put baby in the buggy, go down in the lift with buggy, shove the box into the lift, go up, push the box out of the lift, wheel buggy out of the lift?

Seems like it would be less hassle than all the emails and posts here

MichelleScarn · 08/02/2022 13:24

@xILikeJamx

Put baby in the buggy, go down in the lift with buggy, shove the box into the lift, go up, push the box out of the lift, wheel buggy out of the lift?

Seems like it would be less hassle than all the emails and posts here

Star precisely this!
pinkyredrose · 08/02/2022 13:27

Surely you could've got it? Don't you ever go to the loo or make a cuppa while your baby is asleep?

Cas112 · 08/02/2022 13:29

@Wafflesnsniffles

I wouldnt have a problem leaving a baby for a few minutes tbh. As long as baby is safely in their cot/pram/pushchair - they'll be fine. Especially if they are having a nap.
Pardon?
Original poster
Breathe57848 · 08/02/2022 13:31

@pinkyredrose

Surely you could've got it? Don't you ever go to the loo or make a cuppa while your baby is asleep?
Yes I go to the loo and make a cup of tea - those things take place inside my home!!

Would you walk to the corner shop to get something and leave your baby at home?

OP posts:
CorrBlimeyGG · 08/02/2022 13:35

Would you walk to the corner shop to get something and leave your baby at home?

How far away is this door?

DuchessAndThePea · 08/02/2022 13:36

It's not the corner shop - it's a few floors down. Imagine you lived in a town house which had several floors. What would you do with your baby then?

I get the frustration - I really do - but this slightly hysterical reaction isn't doing you any favours.

Dalooah · 08/02/2022 13:41

TBH I think some people don't have an understanding of larger apartment blocks- maybe OP lives in one of those. Where I lived in London, I wouldn't be leaving a baby in the flat, to walk 30/40m to the lift, then going down 7 floors to collect something that should have been brought to my door as it's perfectly reasonable to expect with a working lift.

twominutesmore · 08/02/2022 13:41

I do actually think that this is standard practice now for many companies. I have just ordered furniture myself and it says in the small print that they will only deliver to the door to the building. I think you may have had a generous member of staff in the past, or maybe things have changed with covid.

I guess your options then were to refuse it and order from elsewhere, assuming other companies would bring it up for you, or leave your child somewhere safe while you got it.

CoastalWave · 08/02/2022 13:43

@Breathe57848

Good grief, I'm not leaving a child alone on the flat while I go numerous floors down! What if the lift got stuck or something! I would never do this and I'm shocked anyone else would!
Are you for real?! I had two babies within 17months and couldn't carry both of them safely at the same time whilst managing the stairs safely - no lift in my flat.

I regularly had to leave both of them alone - one up in the flat whilst I took the first one down and then one got left in the car whilst I legged it back up to the one left in the flat. I was 3 floors up.

What if the lift broke down? Erm, USE THE STAIRS?!

Is this your first and only baby?! I'm sensing PFB...

RandomQuest · 08/02/2022 13:45

@xILikeJamx

Put baby in the buggy, go down in the lift with buggy, shove the box into the lift, go up, push the box out of the lift, wheel buggy out of the lift?

Seems like it would be less hassle than all the emails and posts here

Yep any reason why you can’t do this?
T00Ts · 08/02/2022 13:49

Can you run downstairs, put the item in the loft and send it up to your floor, you take the stairs and then meet it on the floor? You might need to run up the stairs.

If your kid is sleeping safely when you do it, I don’t see the risk really.

T00Ts · 08/02/2022 13:49

Lift, obviously. Not loft.

Eycaluptus · 08/02/2022 13:50

OP doesn't want to leave her baby alone in her flat. Lots of other parents aren't comfortable doing it either. It's not a completion on who has and who hasn't. That's not the point of the thread.

The response from this company is rude OP. Make a formal complaint. Is this IKEA? I had an ikea delivery dumped on my doorstep last week with half the boxes missing and no delivery note left. Unloaded the van before knocking and they didn't even wait for me to open the door before they had driven off, possibly because half of it was missing. I also had shocking customer service and no guarantee/time frame to get the rest of the order.

Original poster
Breathe57848 · 08/02/2022 13:50

@Dalooah

TBH I think some people don't have an understanding of larger apartment blocks- maybe OP lives in one of those. Where I lived in London, I wouldn't be leaving a baby in the flat, to walk 30/40m to the lift, then going down 7 floors to collect something that should have been brought to my door as it's perfectly reasonable to expect with a working lift.
Exactly this. A MASSIVE apartment block in London. I'm guessing the pp lives in a house somewhere and can't imagine that others live in huge high rises.
OP posts:
Hellocatshome · 08/02/2022 13:53

Exactly this. A MASSIVE apartment block in London. I'm guessing the pp lives in a house somewhere and can't imagine that others live in huge high rises.

I live in a house but through the power of my imagination I can actually comprehend living in a huge tower block. I still don't understand why emailing the company and posting on here is solving your problem. I also don't understand why you can't take the baby with you in the pram to use the lift to collect the box?

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