Page 7 | Tesco driver said I wasn't disabled

Sara450 · 2023-09-18T20:31:36+00:00

I had a delivery from tesco today. The drivers always bring it up to my fiat on the third floor. I ordered via whoosh today. The driver text me "I'm here. Come down." I said "could you please bring it up, I'm unable to come down due to my disability." He said, "come down." Then he phoned me and said he'd leave my delivery on the street if I didn't come down. I phoned my neighbour and she went out for me. He said to her "she's not disabled she's walked down the stairs before." I'm so upset (maybe I'm being an idiot) but, I have MS and sometimes I'm okay, sometimes I'm not (I'm not today) 😔 Aibu to be annoyed at this?

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 01:32

oakleaffy · 19/09/2023 01:29

Good for you, @TorqueWrench

I know a Driver who worked in Lockdown, and he says people {the general public} can be really arsey and entitled, and treat a driver as if he or she is like a minion to do their bidding.

Some can be lovely, though.

A coal merchant we had was obviously in serious pain from many years of carrying heavy sacks- He retired a short time after due to arthritis.

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The guy that trained me in that job ended up leaving due to dodgy knees and back. He was only 41.

herewegoagainfriends · 19/09/2023 01:36

I would order normal Tesco and put in the notes that you are disabled and need extra help. Honestly, the normal Tesco drivers are so lovely.

They stopped taking groceries into flats as standard during Covid but never stopped doing this for vulnerable people - it was an exception for those who needed it most.

They always delivered to flat doors as standard for everyone where there was a lift or it was a small order.

Never used Whoosh before. If it's outsourced to Uber, that explains the different standard.

As for not being disabled enough - I have a friend who sometimes uses a wheelchair all day and sometimes can walk with a stick. Disabilities present in different ways on different days. It doesn't make you any less disabled.

That driver needs some training... I'm not convinced Uber will give it to him, but he was 100% in the wrong for how he treated you.

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 01:38

We were supposed to do 15 jobs a day around Birmingham. Shift was 7am-5:30pm but this included 45 mins break and also the morning vehicle checks which often involved waiting for an available forklift truck to rearrange the order of items as I came to know which areas to do first.

It always ended up being 12-13 hours. If a poorly wrapped pallet fell apart we had to get in the back and restack/rewrap it, and this happened a lot.

momonpurpose · 19/09/2023 01:49

You are unreasonable if you don't get him fired! How dare he! I am so sorry this happened to you

redribbon1 · 19/09/2023 01:57

to be fair i would say the taxi driver is disabling with a stinking attitude. its unacceptable and all drivers should be forced to take inclusivity training and testing as part of the licence process.

givemeasunnyday · 19/09/2023 02:01

Of course YANBU. Report him, what an awful man.

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 02:42

all drivers should be forced to take inclusivity training and testing as part of the licence process.

No thanks. I don't want my ability to drive a truck governed by whether or not I agree a woman can have a 🍆.

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 02:46

It's already a much more diverse sector than the professional sector due to being less dominated by white, middle class men. No doubt a bit rougher around the edges but lots of Sikhs, Muslims, Romanians, Polish, Hungarian, etc. Possessing good written/spoken English is much less of a limiting factor.

therealcookiemonster · 19/09/2023 02:59

I've been in this situation with uber Eats before. I am sorry you had to go through it too. blast them on social media.

Lahdedahiam · 19/09/2023 03:15

Ikeepmybumcheekshidden · 19/09/2023 01:06

I have to get supermarket deliveries due to my disability as I can’t walk round supermarkets anymore.
However Asda & Morrisons just shove everything into crates and dump it in front of your doorstep! Meaning I have to bend over 85 times to pick each item up. It absolutely KILLS my back. I've called Customer Services for each company and they each just essentially shrugged their shoulders and gave me some gumph about cutting down on plastic.
Thankfully Ocado use bags which I'm incredibly grateful for. They always lift up each bag and hand them to me, too! Makes it 85 times easier!
I did ask a few of the delivery drivers for Morrisons & Asda if they could help me but they just said they're "not allowed"

Morrisons give me bags fir home delivery

Roselilly36 · 19/09/2023 04:37

I have MS too OP. So sorry this happened to you. I totally understand how you feel

TibetanTerrah · 19/09/2023 05:47

TorqueWrench · 18/09/2023 23:46

She wasn't physically able to go down!! What on earth is it you find so hard to understand about that FFS. If he's not able to go upstairs then he's in the wrong job.

He's able to fulfil all the requirements of his job description yet he's in the wrong job?

Or is it actually that you should read the terms and conditions to ensure that they meet your requirements?

Where exactly in the terms and conditions does it say he has to say THIS to the neighbour?

I phoned my neighbour and she went out for me. He said to her "she's not disabled she's walked down the stairs before."

The conversation should have gone, if indeed he's not supposed to go upstairs:

Him: I'm so sorry, I can't come up the stairs with your shopping, can you try and send a neighbour down?
OP: Oh, I didn't know, give me a minute. <asks neighbour to go down>
Him to neighbour: Thanks, sorry about that, it's policy.

Instead, he made someone with MS feel really, really shit, and broke his employee Code of Conduct with the ableist words he chose to use.

Personally I think he was embarrassed that the OP in fact couldn't come down and he felt the need to explain himself to the neighbour.

WholeWorldsPivot · 19/09/2023 06:26

@Sara450 I agree with PP in that there is NO need for apologies here, PP. That guy is in the wrong and will hopefully learn more about disabilities and that they're not always visible, and not always for every minute of the day. I have epilepsy - 99% of the time I look fine, but if I have a seizure, well...

Anyway, take care, and I hope you have a better day today 💐

Willmafrockfit · 19/09/2023 06:50

that is appalling,
i hope he gets it in the neck

ValkyrieAssassin · 19/09/2023 06:59

PurpleButterflyWings · 18/09/2023 23:39

PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE stop apologising @Sara450 You have done nothing wrong! ❤

Yes this!

Flopsythebunny · 19/09/2023 07:10

TorqueWrench · 18/09/2023 22:07

I think it's important to ascertain exactly what the driver is obligated to do.

I used to deliver pallets in a truck and was strictly not allowed onto residential properties for insurance purposes. My employer took it extremely seriously and regularly checked the 360° cameras on the truck and also the location of the ipad. I saw three people sacked in the six months I was there, two of which had tried to be helpful to the customer.

Almost daily I'd have people shouting at me because I wouldn't wheel it 20ft into the garage, despite my pointing out that the camera pointing at us was a live link to the office. Some people expected me, a lone female, to somehow get a washing machine up to the third floor! Often they'd not read the small print and had trusted the word of the spotty youth on the sales floor who had no idea how it would be delivered nor any authority over the couriers.

Almost every 10 hour shift became 12-13 hours due to the customers arguing and making me wait halfhour before signing for the goods. Got so sick of it I quit halfway through a shift in the end!

I know food deliveries are a bit different but the regular guy going out of his way doesn't necessarily mean this guy needs to. Maybe he only gets paid by the delivery and has just completed three deliveries to top floor apartments. Maybe his bad knee now hurts.

I fully retract the above if it's a contractual part of the service but I've also been the driver getting treated like a skivvy by members of the public who have neglected to plan ahead, so I see both sides in many of these situations.

Which part of your story has anything to do with this delivery driver telling the op that she isn't disabled?

Zonder · 19/09/2023 07:48

comedownwithme · 18/09/2023 23:45

@Zonder

They use a third party as well. A lot of the delivery drivers for one are signed up for all the apps and take their pick of the jobs (in busy cities anyway) so there is no guarantee OP wouldn't come across him again.

That's really interesting. And makes things more difficult.

Emz6103 · 19/09/2023 08:10

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 01:18

I'd never comment on a disability, both out of decency and also because it's a surefire way to lose your job, but the situation that caused me to quit halfway through my shift was in some ways similar.

I arrived at a home to deliver a washing machine. I was stressed before I even arrived due to the difficulty I had getting through the estate in a 26t truck. It's the responsibility of the customer to inform the courier of any access restrictions/relevant factors but of course most didn't read the terms. We were allowed to refuse to attempt delivery and it could be rebooked for redelivery on a 7.5t van for a small fee if the driver didn't feel it safe to attempt.

On this particular job, however, it was an estate with a one way system and it got progressively narrower. The house was situated down a street with a sharp bend and an 'unsuitable for HGVs' sign which was helpfully only visible past the point of no return.

Having attempted the delivery it was now my responsibility and any damage to the truck or 3rd party property would be on my head, with me contractually having to pay the excess on any insurance claim (about a week's wages). So I was sweating about getting out unscathed before I'd even rung the doorbell.

On arrival, a woman answered the door and said she wanted it in the garage. I informed her it was a kerbside delivery and she quickly became rude and obnoxious. She then made me wait for 10 mins whilst she called the retailer, which was pointless as they had no authority over me. I waited as I really didn't need the hassle of a complaint and also because I needed to get the pallet off to make room for my collections.

After repeatedly telling the retailer that I couldn't deliver onto private property and that there was no chance of me pushing the pallet up the slanted drive on my own they finally relented. She then spent another five mins berating me before calling a neighbour.

Neighbour took ten mins to arrive and then started the whole argument from scratch which wasted a further five mins. I was only scheduled 15 mins per delivery and had by now been there for 30 mins with the pallet still on the kerb and unsigned for. This meant I'd failed my kpi's and lost my bonus.

I eventually ended up breaking the rules and helping push it up the drive. The customer then said "see, that wasn't so difficult" in a really smug tone and I was really losing my cool by then, knowing I could still lose my job and wishing I'd not helped.

She then said she wanted to sign using her own pen as so many people must've touched mine. A whole ten mins later she returned with a real smug look and spent ages pretending to read the docket before signing. At this point I'd been there almost an hour and finally decided that no shitly paid job was worth this and I reloaded the pallet back on the truck. 😂 She said "you can't do that" and I said fucking watch me looool.

Then came all the angry threatening calls from the office. I said fuck it and parked the truck up and got an uber. They said they weren't going to pay me for the rest of the week I'd worked and I said I'd forward the texts to the traffic commissioner where they'd told me I had to finish my jobs regardless of being over the legal driving hours.

I swore that day never to work with the general public and years on I never have. The whoosh driver was objectively wrong in what he said but it's incredibly frustrating to have to argue all day with people who expect things outside of your job remit. Especially when you're getting paid peanuts and working to a tight schedule. I now earn £50k driving heavy duty concrete mixers and it's 100x less stressful.

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Wow, I got angry just reading that, would have loved to see her face when you got it reloaded!! 😂! Wonder how many times these delivery drivers have heard "I'm disabled'
As harsh as it sounds people need to take some personal responsibility for themselves and maybe arrange someone to collect the shopping. As unpopular as this sounds I think she was BU asking the delivery driver to bring it up three flights of stairs....it's one thing for the postman to run a parcel up but quite another to expect someone to lug a week's worth of shopping up three flights of stairs. Again who's going to pay his bills of he damaged his back? After reading these comments about shaming on Facebook, Twitter, calling Tesco's etc I'd never take the job especially for £10 per hour! It's like a witch hunt for revenge smh. The government pay PIP for things like that, to help you pay for the EXTRA things you need maybe OP could pay a local lad A fiver a week to run up her shopping? Glad you don't have to take sht anymore in your job people forget delivery drivers have rights too, a right not to be injured at work.

C8H10N4O2 · 19/09/2023 08:19

Sara450 · 18/09/2023 22:46

I'd just like to update this thread by saying tesco have refunded me for my order. They've apologised and told me to take it to Uber if I want to take it further.

I won't order from tesco whoosh again. It's not worth the risk of getting that driver again. But I appreciate what they've done.

I think that is a weak response from Tesco. its not about the money, its about a service they claim to be offering but which is not reliable or trustworthy for their disabled customers.

If they want to subcontract deliveries to Uber for more £££ in the cash flow then they should be ensuring that the service is available to all customers or state outright that its a limited service and you need to be able bodied to use it.

CampsieGlamper · 19/09/2023 08:24

A neighbour had this in a flat in which we lived. Elderly disabled chap with terminal cancer, disabled wife who had very little English. The Tesco chimp would not take their groceries up in the lift."not his job" " not safe" " he could get trapped on the lift".
To cut a long story short I complained in their behalf to Tesco, DH took their groceries up in the lift. They got a written apology and £50.
They ordered from another supermarket thereafter.

C8H10N4O2 · 19/09/2023 08:26

As harsh as it sounds people need to take some personal responsibility

Right so disabled people need to take responsibility for their disabilities and not expect a publicly advertised service to be available to them in spite of disability discrimination laws? Nice bit of casual disablism there.

What Tesco (or in this case Uber) pay their drivers is not the responsibility of disabled customers. If Tesco don't want to deliver to people who are disabled then either provide the services or make it clear that disabled customers are not wanted.

If Tesco want to subcontract the service then they need to ensure the drivers are trained to the same standard as their regular drivers and at least keep their disablist comments to themselves.

Emz6103 · 19/09/2023 08:30

Chocolatepopcorn · 19/09/2023 00:56

He's in a minimum wage job delivering shopping. I think the onus is on the customer to organise someone to pick it up from the ground floor.

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Absolutely!! People forget personable responsibility, he may also have a hidden disability. Delivery drivers have rights too and that would include the right not to be injured at work or subjected to a witch hunt on social media.

Namechangedtoanswerthisone · 19/09/2023 08:52

Do Tesco delivery drivers also qualify as doctors now?

What an idiot. I hope he is disciplined and retrained for this.

oakleaffy · 19/09/2023 08:54

Emz6103 · 19/09/2023 08:10

Wow, I got angry just reading that, would have loved to see her face when you got it reloaded!! 😂! Wonder how many times these delivery drivers have heard "I'm disabled'
As harsh as it sounds people need to take some personal responsibility for themselves and maybe arrange someone to collect the shopping. As unpopular as this sounds I think she was BU asking the delivery driver to bring it up three flights of stairs....it's one thing for the postman to run a parcel up but quite another to expect someone to lug a week's worth of shopping up three flights of stairs. Again who's going to pay his bills of he damaged his back? After reading these comments about shaming on Facebook, Twitter, calling Tesco's etc I'd never take the job especially for £10 per hour! It's like a witch hunt for revenge smh. The government pay PIP for things like that, to help you pay for the EXTRA things you need maybe OP could pay a local lad A fiver a week to run up her shopping? Glad you don't have to take sht anymore in your job people forget delivery drivers have rights too, a right not to be injured at work.

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Absolutely!
It's not a delivery driver's job to yomp up stairs- they aren't servants.
Paying someone after all IS what PIP is for.

Nowadays people take to social media and screech to get money off and raise a stink - It's such a 'what's in it for ME' culture now.

TorqueWrench · 19/09/2023 08:58

I would absolutely not go 'above and beyond' for anybody that regarded me as 'a chimp'. No, sorry, find a solution yourself. I've fulfilled my contractual obligations.