Or is this a complete outrage?!

[Feelingveryranty]

This sounds like bullshit but I promise it’s not.

I ordered some fancy, hand painted furniture a few months ago. The delivery date was booked in for yesterday, to coincide with our building work being at a stage that could accommodate a furniture delivery (eg room had actually been built, floor down (albeit covered to protect it), base coats of paint done.

Anyway furniture company came to deliver, as agreed. I receive a call during a meeting from the man saying “we are not delivering the furniture as the room is not finished”. I asked him to explain. He was very rude and explained there were people painting the ceiling and a floor cover on and he just wasn’t going to deliver. I said I would call the head builder as they knew they were coming and would vacate, but that wasn’t the issue, the issue was they didn’t want to put their furniture in a room where ceilings were being painted/the floor was covered/it’s not finished. He said he would come back next week or later when it’s fully finished.

Is this…is this ok?! Surely this isn’t ok? I was in a meeting and was shocked so agreed but it’s been 24 hours and now I’m raging. It’s infantilising and potentially sexist to boot - it’s my fucking furniture! I paid a lot of money for it and surely it’s my bloody decision if I put a sheet over it to protect it or let it get ruined?!

What do I do?!?

I agree it’s your furniture to do what you want with. But I think they’re actually doing you a favour by delivering it next week so I’m struggling to see why you’re quite so worked up about it.

There’s probably some clause in the contract between the delivery co and the furniture co that they can’t deliver to unfinished rooms. I expect they’ve been stung before by people having stuff delivered to unsuitable places and it then being damaged.

Did you tell them you could come home right away and sign for the furniture? Too you said you were in a meeting so, even if you stopped the meeting immediately and left right away, the time it would take you to get home would most certainly have impacted their later deliveries to other customers. I’m not sure that was a realistic option in all honesty. They can’t wait around for 15min plus waiting for you to show up and sign.

I also don’t blame them not wanting to risk the nanny to sign for them either. All it would take is for you and nanny to say they just dumped the furniture off in a building works zone without a care for the risk of damage and it’s not something you’d approved in writing, so you want to exercise your right to reject the furniture and get a free replacement.

I personally would not be upset. You’ve gotten your delivery date moved for free to a time where the furniture is less likely to be damaged by builders working in your home. It seems very a win win solution to me.

Some very weird replies here! Delivery man could easily have asked the nanny to sign for it. I'd be fuming too. Its op's choice when and where she wants her furniture to be delivered!

I disagree about the floor. There was a cover on floor. Not sure if it’s plastic or cloth. He’s carrying heavy furniture. Surely you can see that’s potentially dangerous he could trip or slip. You haven’t disagreed there’s workmen and their ladders etc in room - dropping in empty room v carrying around stuff is very different. If you had been there he could have left it all outside on doorstep and got you to sign for it. Or asked you to move the cover, ladders etc so he could go in. You weren’t there. If he falls damaging furniture you would complain, if he falls injuring himself you aren’t paying his wages for 3 weeks off work.

They would have been there for some time assembling I could have come home and signed.

So he wasn't just a delivery driver? He wasn't just going to unload the furniture and run? There were two people (at least) and they were going to have to work in a room that wasn't ready to receive the furniture, with other people's equipment around, possibly other people working around them? Not surprised they declined to do that.

If they were assembling it on-site I would guess that they've decided that the space isn't safe for them to work in/they can't guarantee that the furniture won't be damaged. If I were you I'd look at this as them doing you a favour. They are taking away an expensive item and storing at their expense until you are actually ready for it. I've had furniture delivered mid-renovation before and it is a pain keeping it pristine and it does get in the way of trades.

I find this very strange. You have ordered it and paid for it, and it's the company's job to deliver it.

The state of the room is nothing to do with them.

It they are worried that it might get paint on it and you might pursue them for damages, then they can take a photo of it when it's been delivered.

I would be fuming at this.

They would have been there for some time assembling

Ive just noticed this. This only makes the safety arguments other posters have raised even more valid. The room was already not very safe for delivery people to carry and move heavy furniture into it. But you add in the requirement to also assemble the furniture in a room with builders, ladders, the ceiling being painted above them as they work. That is pure madness. They definitely have to right to reject that room for unsafe working conditions for furniture assembly.

I disagree about the floor. There was a cover on floor. Not sure if it’s plastic or cloth

it’s neither. It’s a black attached floor over the original floor. It’s completely secure and not a health hazard.

the builders were going to vacate the room for them to have space to assemble and there were no tools.

I get that it seems preferable that they are delivering it next week but that’s not the point actually, it’s about being told. There’s also an issue re heavily pregnant and due date but that’s not really related to this, it’s more just about my personal timings and wanting the furniture in situ.

@MsTSwift
i never ever call sexism but it was his entire tone of voice and attitude that made me feel like a “silly little woman” and I can’t imagine hiM having spoken to my husband in this way. I will get my husband to stay home for delivery next week.

Ok so were they delivering furniture or were you expecting them to assemble it onto a floor covering with building equipment in?

Surely delivery next week is better once it is done

But I imagine it is partly liability for goods and for not wanting to work assembling in the room

Ask them for a refund since they've refused to deliver you your goods or to specify an alternative delivery date. I don't think 'when we feel the room is ready' is acceptable. Is it an independent company? I would ask to speak to the owner about it. Or was the owner also the delivery person?

Also, every delivery I've had has involved me signing to say I'm happy with the condition of the goods when delivered. That is surely to guard against you saying later they delivered them with paint splashes on or whatever.

Setting aside him 'not giving you a choice' because no one here knows whether he was rude or you just didn't speak up: why isn't his solution the best one?

Now you don't have furniture in the way while the builders are in, nothing is damaged and they don't have to assemble the furniture in an awkward environment.

Given the solution of redelivering it seems sensible, why is it such a problem? Just put it down to a delivery man not being a great communicator- no big deal.

Absolutely this.

Sorry OP - (previous to the drip feed about some assembly being needed) I was agreeing with you. But further info changes the situation. I think you are lucky not to incur a 2nd lot of delivery charges

the builders were going to vacate the room

And clear out all their equipment? Ladders, paint tins and so on? How long would the delivery people have had to wait around while that happened?

this! It’s infantilising to remove the decision from me about my own belongings!!!!

Well, you are responding like a child, and have irrational expectations. I am gathering he is a proud craftsman and does not wish to see his work ruined by idiots who plan to paint around and over it. I expect he also does not wish to be assembling his work in such conditions. Perhaps it is paternalistic, but really I think he is saving you from yourself.

You don't own it until delivery is complete, which is why if it is damaged in transit you are not liable.

My guess is the installer/delivery people didn't want to put in the product as there would be a chance of damage from being moved or from the painting which you might then blame on them and demand a free replacement.

It does sound like they are quite used to dealing with these situations and dealt with it well by heading off later problems.

You suck it up. If paint dripped on your furniture or the furniture was damaged while moving it to lay the floor I'm sure you'd be screaming at him for delivering before the room was finished. I'm with him.

YANBU
OP bought the furniture and wanted it delivered on a certain day. Her money, her decision - not the company's FFS. The only exception is if they said it was unsafe to assemble in the OP's new room, but I don't think they did, did they?

Black what though? It’s not carpet or wood. I’d assume plastic. So potentially slippy. He is carrying heavy furniture. Plus I see updates you were expecting them to work for some time in a room building furniture with paint fumes. How was clearing supposed to work - no way would delivery people have time to wait while workmen moved absolutely everything. More like workmen would move stuff to side and you expected them to assemble in narrow area with risk of ladders toppling on them, nails on floor etc.
Delivery/assembly man is covered by health and safety - quite within rights to say this isn’t going to work we’ll reschedule.
When we have had a large bespoke leather sofa delivered they emailed setting out access requirements etc.

This is the floor stuff. It’s firmly attached and non slippery, obviously, as the builders are working there.

I can see most people think IABU which I guess I do accept but I think people should read what I’ve written and not sort of exaggerate or make stuff up.

they knew the rooms weren’t finished. There weren’t building tools everywhere there was a ladder and some paint! The builders were going to leave the room.

i do completely see that they must have had bad experiences but they know I’m working to the deadline of my due date and ultimately I need the furniture in there, and will cover it to protect it. What if the decorators won’t finish it by next Tuesday? Tbh it seems unlikely. They won’t bring it again? I can have the floor cover removed and have the room totally empty but if the walls aren’t papered then what? They refuse? I am surprised people think this is ok

also sorry I didn’t realise the assembly thing was relevant I wasn’t trying to hide it

If paint dripped on your furniture or the furniture was damaged while moving it to lay the floor I'm sure you'd be screaming at him for delivering before the room was finished

why would you be sure of that?! Because it’s expensive furniture so I must have money and therefore be a raging bitch?!

of course I would not be annoyed in that case - it would be 100% my fault

Some of the replies on here are batshit.

OP, I can understand the delivery people being a bit once bitten twice shy about it, if lets say they've delivered things in the past and the recipient has complained that they were left in a room under construction/ damaged etc. But as you say you'd explained the position by email in detail - this wasn't a situation where they needed to check either that you definitely wanted the item in that room and not a different room, or even whether you knew works were still ongoing (perhaps in a situation where you were overseeing a refurb remotely so thought it had all been completed). In those cases it would have been reasonable to check you were still ok with delivery.

Except it wasn't either of those scenarios. They were well aware of the ongoing (unfinished) works. You'd explained that to them.

And also - they didn't call you to check you were ok with it being delivered to that room, or to suggest it might be better to leave it, but to tell you they wouldn't be delivering!

I'd feel bloody pissed off about that too.

What next - they don't like the colour you've painted the room so tell you they won't deliver til you redecorate! Or if they think it's untidy/dirty won't deliver til you've done a good clean?

the builders were going to vacate the room for them to have space to assemble and there were no tools. that makes a difference again. They have to be happy to assemble in the space.

Does nobody on here want the OP to attach a photo of this piece of furniture - i am dying to see it?

But this isn’t some sort of horrible building site that’s dangerous.

it’s a normal room with windows in, a wooden floor covered in secure cortex and primed walls and ceiling. What’s unreasonable about assembling furniture in there? Surely it means they have less worry about damaging walls and floor whilst assembling?

he literally gave as one reason “the builders would have the move the furniture to take off the floor covering”. So?! They have to move all my normal furniture too!