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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

ExcuseeeeMe · 09/02/2022 00:04

Is this a precious first born by any chance ?

ClariceQuiff · 09/02/2022 00:05

Reading some of the responses on this thread, you'd think Grenfell had never happened.

I bet the people urging the OP to leave her baby alone at the top of the tower block wouldn't leave their babies to go to the shop round the corner. Because that's what it equates to in terms of how removed you are from the child if an emergency arises.

toddybell · 09/02/2022 00:16

Um, this a board called AIBU where people post things to chat about or let off steam. Not sure if you've been on here before?

If you're such a regular then you'll know that AIBU is a place where U people get their arses handed to them on a plate! Put the baby in a sling and go and get your parcels... we've all done it.

CatNameChange101 · 09/02/2022 00:28

What was the company? Can only definitively say if your being unreasonable when we see the T&Cs. But on the face of it I’d expect a bit of common sense when getting large furniture deliveries to a flat a few/numerous floors up.

givingupchocolatemonday · 09/02/2022 00:30

Ask a friend to bring it up for you. It's really not that big of a deal..
You could leave your baby in a safe place for 5 mins. What would you have done 20 years ago? Without Amazon

ladydimitrescu · 09/02/2022 00:32

I used to live in a top floor flat and I often ran down to grab a delivery and then back up. Only three floors though, and we only had stairs.
In the 2 minutes I was gone and still inside the building, my baby never managed to come to any harm inside her cot.
As others said - put the baby in a sling or buggy and use the lift. Not an issue.

givingupchocolatemonday · 09/02/2022 00:34

Wait... just take baby with you?
It's your parcel

Youarefakenews · 09/02/2022 00:34

I can understand the drivers issue. A great many times there are very limited places to park to deliver to places. This could mean them leaving the van blocking somebody or getting a ticket. You then have the problem of the van being damaged or broken into while he is delivering to you.

It may be something companies could look into going forward, perhaps charging a supplement for properties not accessible directly from the roadside. Then employ another person who can remain with the van.

EmiliaAirheart · 09/02/2022 01:13

Are you for real? Have you never heard of carriers?

It’s a rich to be aghast at how the OP feels when lots of other parents live on upper floor flats with stairs and multiple young bubs and toddlers, and still manage to not leave them alone.

EmiliaAirheart · 09/02/2022 01:14

Sorry quote fail, that was in reply to @CoastalWave

Yearofthetygerburningbright · 09/02/2022 02:04

Completely agree with the OP about not leaving a baby to go down to the lobby to retrieve furniture. I personally wouldn't unless it was the lesser of two evils in a real emergency. Anything could happen, including getting stuck in the lift, an injury, and attack, losing keys and not being able to get back into flat, etc. etc. as people have said. Mobile reception to get help could be poor, or mobile could've been dropped or stolen or damaged too.

And it's not the business of the company to make that sort of decision 'for' you anyway. If you haven't already, please name this company. Absolutely shocking customer 'service'!

Yearofthetygerburningbright · 09/02/2022 02:08

Now seen that people are suggesting the OP attempt to carry large furniture with a baby in a sling? Nah. Not unless she actually wants and chooses to herself rather than because the driver was lazy or in a rush or the company likes to discriminate against people who live in flats but couldn't be bothered to say so on their website - and many of these customers wouldn't be physically able to manhandle the furniture or have similar issue to OP. That is why we have delivery drivers who deliver singly or in pairs because they are physically able to do that kind of job!

Yearofthetygerburningbright · 09/02/2022 02:11

What would you have done 20 years ago?

20 years ago furniture companies, local or national, tended to delivery your furniture not only to your door but into the correct room and if something like a double divan that came in a few pieces, put it together. Some still do.

EmmaH2022 · 09/02/2022 02:12

This is shit service
I have lived on a high floor for years, no one has ever refused to deliver furniture

In my previous place, on the first floor with no, lift, I had some issues, but with a lift it's like, wtf?

How can they claim you've even received it?

SquirrelG · 09/02/2022 04:00

Customer service seems to be something which belongs to the past in many instances, people just aren't prepared to give good service.

I once had a man deliver furniture to our office - with only one flight of stairs. He moaned about it, told me about his bad back, demanded I get some people to help him then made them walk backwards up the stairs with the furniture. After I checked the boxes I had a big smile on my face when I phoned the delivery business to tell them half the stuff wasn't actually for us - so he had to come back and take it downstairs again!

That's not helpful to you OP, but I agree that it is bad service.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 09/02/2022 04:23

Lifts in flats break down more often than lifts anywhere else, so no I wouldn't be comfortable leaving a baby in a flat.

Testingprof · 09/02/2022 05:08

@ClariceQuiff

Reading some of the responses on this thread, you'd think Grenfell had never happened.

This is exactly what I was thinking. It didn’t take long for the fire to take hold in Grenfell either and many of these blocks have issues with their cladding as is widely being reported in the news.

I’m with the OP and wouldn’t leave a baby in the flat. I also agree with previous posters that the delivery drivers have delivered to the equivalent of down the road to a house. I’d be mightily annoyed if the delivered to the entry of our road as the circle at the end was too much of a hassle.

RedHelenB · 09/02/2022 06:01

@GuineaPigPosie

What if OP was in some way hurt, had to be taken to hospital, or something happened e.g. Stuck in lift and was unable to communicate that she had a baby upstairs in her flat?? Why would you leave the baby? I don't think you're BU, OP

If she was stuck in the lift of course she could communicate she had a baby in her flat. What if she was knocked unconscious in the flat, no one would know then? She could have put her baby in a carrier anyway but baby would be fine in their cot for a couple of mins .

LunaAndHerMoonDragons · 09/02/2022 06:35

Of course you shouldn't leave the baby, but I would have done what PPs suggested, got baby in pram gone down in lift, get package and pram into lift, go up, get both out. You haven't said why this isn't possible.

Soontobe60 · 09/02/2022 06:46

@GuineaPigPosie

What if the delivery driver got stuck in the lift and their van got towed away because it was double parked and they had 3 kids at home who were left fatherless and their mum was a feckless alcoholic and …..

The OP has said she lives on the 7th floor. She should have checked when she ordered whether they would deliver up to her flat door - most deliveries in central London wouldn’t do this purely because of the parking issue. She could have arranged for someone to be with her in the flat to either nip down to collect the parcel when it arrived, or to look after her baby whilst she did. Or pop the baby in a sling. Or buggy.

EezyOozy · 09/02/2022 07:34

I think you need to ask a friend (ideally with a sack barrow) to help you.

ItsCanardBruv · 09/02/2022 07:45

Pointless pontificating about this. Package was stolen 18 hours ago.

appleturnovers · 09/02/2022 09:41

@CatNameChange101

What do you call "common sense" though?

Because to me, common sense would be that if you paid for delivery to your address, you will get it delivered to your actual address unless clearly stated in large print at the point of booking delivery (especially if the same company has done this in the past).

But lots of PPs here disagree and think it's perfectly reasonable to pay for delivery and have it left nowhere near your actual address.

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