To think banging is so unnecessary

[DrierThanANunsNasty]

Several times this year I’ve had delivery drivers fully banging on the door like the bloody gestapo whilst also ringing the video doorbell - I also had one who rattled the letterbox and another who banged on the living room window all at the same time.

Now I know being a delivery driver is probably an underpaid job with tight deadlines, and I really do appreciate that. BUT is there actually any need to bang so loudly on the door? Especially when there’s a clearly working and noisy doorbell?

It sets off the dogs barking and I’m due a baby any day now, which is making me worried they’ll end up waking them up. It’s also not the same delivery driver every time, so it’s not like I’m renowned for being slow to answer or anything.

I’ve heard them do the same with my neighbour (a woman in her late 80s who lives alone) and I dread to think how she feels whenever someone bangs on her door like that.

So AIBU? Is it just delivery drivers in my area or does everyone else get bangers too?

YABU - Let them bang
YANBU - It’s so unnecessary

It's when they bang on the door and 15 seconds later they bang again. I can't physically get to the door that quickly. One driver did look a bit sheepish when I called out to him and said 'where's the fire' as he made such a racket.

I have the same shit

I’ll always watch on the screen to see when they’re nearby and stand at the door once they’ve got to a certain point. Often it’s actually me knocking on the side door (I live in an annex so there’s an extra side door) to alert them to where I am! But I do it softly.

I have on several occasions seen them coming and got to the door before they could start the banging!

The other thing that happens round here is they bang the door half down, but then also leave the package on the floor before you’ve got to the door.

We have a doorbell and a door knocker. Our Evri delivery person doesn't use either of them, and doesn't even knock on the door. So we have parcels just left on the doorstep in the rain. If we don't go out we don't know they have been delivered, because the 'proof of delivery ' photo is of somebody else being handed a different parcel. I have fed back on that several times... but it's still the same. I would rather have somebody bashing on the door than have a cardboard box left out in the rain for more than 24 hours.

Our doorbell doesn't work and we work in the back of the house - if someone doesn't knock loudly we wouldn't hear. As they don't know the circumstances in any house I imagine they just want to make sure.

This is odd, because I don't think I've noticed delivery drivers banging or rattling at all on my door! I buy a lot of stuff online and get a lot of deliveries but they generally just ring the bell. I do have an enclosed porch, though, which is usually unlocked, so maybe they don't bother to bang on the door because they know they can just leave the parcel in there if they don't get an answer?

I can see why it irritates you, absolutely. But given how poorly drivers are paid and the fact that they are often paid per delivery or have to complete a certain number of deliveries in a short time, I'm guessing they're doing it because the more noise they make, the quicker the recipient will answer. So rather than than ring, wait a bit, ring again, wait a bit and then start thumping on the door, they go straight to thumping on the door. So I think YANBU to find it annoying but I think perhaps YABU to blame the drivers themselves, rather than the employers who expect them to make eleventy-billion deliveries a day.

You need to put a sign up then. To be fair to them, the amount people order nowadays (me included) is a crazy amount and they will have very strict timeframes for getting everything delivered. Equally, waking up your baby from a nap is infuriating (I mean this honestly, the time is incredibly precious and needed for sanity!)

Don't you have a doorbell?

Lots of bells do t work and they’re on an incredibly tight schedule. Just leave a note asking them not to bang?

I am assuming you're being humourous in saying they can't read?

@JustFrustrated No, I'm not. I was really surprised at first but quite a few are not native English speakers and truly can't read the sign. Illiteracy rates in the uk are a lot higher than I thought.

yes! This drives me mad - I’m in a small house and it really makes me jump when they bang on the door so loudly. Just no need!

Having been an Amazon driver...

You soon learn to knock loudly, because of people who eventually answer on the third or fourth knock and tell you they didn't hear.

Or the arses who, when you go back later, say that they couldn't be arsed to come to the door earlier.

Or the WFH twats who eventually answer, wearing a headset and say, "Some of us are working!" That one happened a number of times.

I'd you have to go back again to drop off, it's extra work for no money. You wouldn't like to do an extra hour or two because someone didn't feel like answering!

Ours either bang, knock and ring the doorbell or go in stealth mode and silently leave it in the doorstep, nothing in between.

I understand but dislike the knocking but stealth mode confuses me.

My office looks out onto the road so I can see the van pull up and I start moving towards the door so I don't slow them down as I disentangle myself from blankets and cats.

Sometimes there's just a bit of rustling as I lie in wait for them, it's like they're trying to be ninjas. What's that about?