Why don’t (some) delivery drivers ring the fucking doorbell

[fencedispute2024]

I’ve missed another delivery this morning as apparently I wasn’t in.

i was in but the deliver driver DPD chose to only knock quietly on the door. If he’d rung the door bell it would have alerted me on my phone/watch and I would have answered. Now I have to wait until Monday to get a parcel that I needed for this weekend, which I will then have to return as I’ll have to go to the shops now to get said item.

although perhaps I’ve just answered my own question as no doubt the return will have to be done via DPD thus creating more chargeable work for them.

Because they haven't got time to wait. They knock, wait 5 seconds then mark it as "nobody in". If you live in a block of flats chances are they don't even bother ringing as it takes a lot longer to deliver.

The DPD driver around here doesn't even try to deliver. They seem to just take all parcels to a local drop shop and you have to then pick them up.

I have no idea why some don’t ring the Ring. Same happens here. It’s bizarre. Maybe people don’t think they are recorded unless they press the button.

I work from home but am often on telephone calls or Teams meetings. We have a Ring doorbell and Chime.
Nobody will use the doorbell and it’s clearly visible. They knock on the door and if I’ve not heard it (I’m upstairs) then I find a calling card through my letterbox.
I know delivery drivers are on a high target timeframe but it would be quicker for them to press the doorbell and let me run downstairs to answer it rather than knock, wait, write on the card…

DH had words with our postie over this. He refused to ring the doorbell and knocks like a mouse. We live in a 3 story house so often miss him, hence why we got a ring doorbell. Postie said that he refuses to ring Ring doorbells as he doesn't want to be recorded!!! It's his literal job but apparently he doesn't ring any one who has a camera doorbell. I'm not sure he realises that IT RECORDS HIM ANYWAY!!!

Round here, when we get a takeaway delivery, the rider rings your phone instead of pressing the flipping door bell. Just come to the door and I'll take it, we don't need a chat about it first!

You have to go up a footpath to get to our house. I know when anyone comes up the path as the dogs tell me. Amazon in particular keep delivering to a particularly nasty neighbour who we avoid on police advice despite this being noted on DHs account. Every time they have to redeliver. Occasionally their nice lodger finds the parcel a few days later so we end up with 2 of whatever.

Ours isn't even a Ring doorbell,.it's an old-fashioned one. What annoys me is the delivery drivers who neither knock nor ring and just leave the parcel by the door. Just bloody ring the bell!

Even worse when they leave your parcel on a random step, and a back door step at that and you either have to go hunting for it or put it on your town fb group to see if anyone recognises it.

The best one this week I've come across is at my workplace. I'm the holder of the company credit card and we purchased a book for research project. We couldn't get it anywhere other than Amazon marketplace seller. The courier claimed we were out at 11:30 am when Reception of huge building is definitely fully functioning. Ahem, what a dead giveaway they never actually tried.

The film 'Sorry we missed you' highlighted the way delivery drivers are treated. The laws around parcel delivery needs to change. The minimum should be that you are told the parcel company and have to acknowledge this before paying for any online order. At least then Evri aka Hermes and the other spiv companies would have to improve.

I am disabled and have really clear delivery instructions to accommodate that deliveries need to be made to the rear. Doesn’t stop them knocking on my front door though!

We have a door knocker. One of those stupid things with like lion or something with a ring in it's mouth. I'd say it's obviously a door knocker.

But nearly all delivery drivers don't use it. They tap lightly on the door. So unless you're directly standing by it you would never hear. Especially upstairs where I usually am.

I just don't understand why? Maybe a lot of them are from countries where door knockers don't exist?! They can't find a bell but just don't see the knocker?! It's all a big mystery!

I notice this more and more, they don't bother to even check if you're in now just leave it

I’ve put a shiny brass sign on the door that says PLEASE RING THE BELL - it works most of the time.

Delivery driver yesterday looked really hot and sweaty and when I sympathised regarding the heat he told me that the van (that he has to pay the company £250 weekly to rent) has no airconditioning, and also that he is expected to deliver heavy two-man packages on his own.

I sometimes get drivers who do really annoying things (like fling a package into a flowerbed for me to find by accident) but I always cut them a load of slack because they are so badly treated by delivery companies and have such an insanely fierce requirement to work at speed.

Aaarrgh! I am trying to return a faulty item. Evri is the chosen courier by the seller. 3 times I have booked the collection. I have noted that it is outside my front door. It’s a big parcel, you cannot miss it. On each occasion I have been in the house with 2 dogs who will let me know if anyone is at the door and I don’t hear the ring doorbell or don’t notice my notification on phone and watch. 3 times they have said I was not in and they have not collected the parcel!!!! I don’t get the refund unless it’s returned (understandable). It’s infuriating.

I have the opposite to this. Delivery drivers ring my doorbell, knock the knocker and then bang on the glass. My house is small, and even if I'm in the garden I can hear the doorbell.

Maybe as many doorbells don't bloody work. So you have to ring the bell, wait and decent time then knock and wait again.

Seeing as multiple drop drivers get about 40 p a delivery they need to be pretty fast.

And n you have customers moaning that ringing the bell to deliver your takeaway has to woken sleeping kids. Whereas u can have phone on vibrate

I prefer that they don't ring the bell, and luckily for me, most don't. Occasionally my dogs don't hear drivers approach so they aren't startled and it saves us all from the barking. (Detached rural house, so they don't bother any neighbours.)

I have a Ring doorbell and parcel delivery box, so there is no need for them to knock or ring as I get alerts if someone comes to the door and they have a dedicated safe space to leave parcels. Even the postman leaves Signed For parcels in the box, which I appreciate.

If you have a smart doorbell and don't have alerts set, perhaps consider turning them on if expecting an important or time sensitive package.

Maybe he's on MN and knows people don't answer the door

😆

Just out of curiosity - does anyone have a NDN who taps on the door quietly like you couldn't hear it if you were 3 feet away, rather than using the knocker?

Mine taps - dunno what happens inbetween-- then BELLOWS at me thru a closed door 🤷‍♀️

Most of the time it was to retrieve the parcels she didn't answer her own door to, because she didn't hear them 🤯

I don't answer for anything or anyone now unless it's expected - other NDN will texts me because he's at work and I'll put it in his hall (spare key)

Ours rings the doorbell (Ring, so goes off on my phone), knocks the door,rattles the letterbox, then, if not answered in 2.5 seconds, they knock the window!
Amazon guy once let himself in the front door and pushed the parcel into the living room!

I was a delivery driver for 3 years, in my experience probably 10% of people answered them, complete waste of time! I didn't bother either generally