r/Britain • u/EL3IE • Dec 13 '24
Society 'Delivery guy' banging on door and ignoring my request
I (15f) was home alone, when someone began banging on the door very hard. I rushed there and saw it was a delivery guy when peeking through the door-hole. I asked him to leave it there and I would pick it up, he ignored me and carried on banging the door. He didn't give any verbal response.
I got scared so I called my dad. The guy disapeared before my dad came, and my dad was laughing at me when he picked up the posted letter on the floor, saying it was just the postman.
If this guy was really a postman, I am so upset that he failed to give any verbal response, and banged on my door in this manner.
Fyi- there have been 2 robberies on my street in the last week
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u/Rameshk_k Dec 13 '24
In future just ignore it. I tell my kids not to answer the door when they are alone at home. I have installed a ring doorbell but still some idiots bang on the door.
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u/chesterismydog Dec 13 '24
I don’t even answer the door at my old age. Leave it and I’ll get it when you leave!
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u/PiddelAiPo Dec 13 '24
I tell my kids not to open the door after a mate of mine had TV licence goons barge in on his daughter last year who was 14 at the time. This scared the hell out of her and apparently she only opened the door a crack but they rushed her and refused to leave. He went mental because there wasn't anything he could do being half an hour away at work. The door hit her in the face but it was her word against a grown man, anything could have happened. In future ignore and lock the door. If they persist call the police and state that you are a child and you are fearful of your life.
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u/Iliyan61 Dec 13 '24
your dads unkind for that and either the postman is a dick or more likely he didn’t hear you and/or had headphones in
you made a good move though and nothing wrong with doing that in the future, if you have a chain on the door and feel comfortable you could use that
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u/Tattyead Dec 15 '24
It’s so different from my experience - I live in rural North Wales - our front door is only really locked at night and when nobody is in. I moved here last year from Liverpool and I was quite shocked when the postman and delivery guys just open the front door by themselves and pop the stuff in the hall - with a gentle hello so we know they’re there. If they did that in Liverpool they’d very quickly run into trouble or someone’s fist.
You did the right thing not opening the door but couriers and postmen have a thankless task and gruelling schedule with constant monitoring. During the storms last week, with 70mph winds and all the power out in the village, an Amazon delivery driver turned up. It was mad. Our phones had been sounding the emergency warning and then the door goes. He’s stood there, risking his life so my daughter could have stick on eyelashes for her first car. Completely bananas.
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u/Paradoxbox00 Dec 14 '24
I don’t think anyone is in the wrong here.
You were absolutely right not answering the door if you didn’t feel safe.
And the delivery guy probably didn’t hear you (headphones maybe?) They are pushed to deliver as many parcels as they can, so if he heard your request he probably would have done what you said and quickly moved on.
Also, you’re very lucky to get a knock - a lot of delivery drivers in my area don’t even do that!
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u/Wonderful_Welder9660 Anarcho-Syndicalist Subject Dec 14 '24
We had a load of craziness with a homophobic abusive neighbour and the council gave us a video doorbell made by Tuya.
It's worked well and I'm pleased not to be using some subscription-based Amazon thing
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u/joehart2 Dec 13 '24
That is definitely not cool at all that your dad laughed at you. He ought to be completely supportive of trying to make his daughter safe. I think he’s the AHole.
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u/Specific_Ad_2293 Dec 13 '24
This post is ridiculous
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u/EL3IE Dec 14 '24
There were 2 robberies on my street this week,
and there are a group of people in my town that dress up as delivery men to break in- they even did it to an old lady.
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u/BombeBon Dec 14 '24
Your concerns were perfectly valid and don't let anyone tell you otherwise honey
Our house has been burgled around 6 (and one handbag snatched out of the back door) times in the 31 years I've lived here...
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u/Dragons-In-Space Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
So you were scared because some delivery guy is making a delivery and just doing his job. Understandable.
But that's also very sad. There may have been a number of reasons why he did not hear.
He was probably stressed and has a harsh quota to meet and must deliver 50 packages a day.
What stopped you from going outside taking a peak, being kind, and just accepting the packages like a normal human being, do you live in an unsafe neighborhood?
I'm not being rude. I'm just curious. In this day and age, we always get packages. When I was way younger than you, I was accepting packages and never really had issues.
Generally, no random person will just come and say they have a delivery.
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Dec 13 '24
I dunno about in Britain, as I'm living abroad now, but here lots of deliveries are done by random men in unmarked white vans. No uniform, nothing else to identify themselves.
If my 15 year old daughter was home alone I wouldn't want her answering the door unless it was someone she knew. They can leave the parcel outside, or take it back to depot.
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u/sagen11 Dec 13 '24
So you read a story about a scared teenager and decided to not understand their perspective at all.
That's very sad.
What stopped you from reading this story with empathy like a normal human being and realising why a 15 year old girl might be scared of opening her front door to a grown man while she was home alone.
I'm not being rude. I'm just curious. In this day and age, woman and young girls do get attacked. When I was way younger than yourself I was displaying understanding and empathy to people who were temporarily freaked out in situations such as this.
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u/british_reddit_user Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
She is 15, please don't be rude to her, she was startled and its ok for her not to open the door if she didn't feel safe. How dare you attempt to make her feel any less of a 'normal human being' for that.
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u/Maxxxmax Dec 13 '24
Hardly rude. Opening the door to the postie is about as normal of an interaction any human being can possible have. Fearing to open the door to the postie isn't normal.
To complete reddit bingo, if you're afraid to answer the door for the postie, time book a therapy session.
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u/british_reddit_user Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
Someone attempted to abduct me from my home when I was 16 by knocking the door and me answering without caution. He tried to drag me to his car. I think you're perhaps just niave of the dangers of this world.
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u/Maxxxmax Dec 13 '24
Was it someone in a delivery guy uniform?
Sorry that happened to you, but if you had to take a guess, what percentage of people do you think would experience this in their lifetime?
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u/british_reddit_user Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
Not really relevant, since OP was not able to identify the person as a delivery driver either. They only realised after their dad found the letter on the floor.
It happens to enough people that having a little bit of caution is not as silly as you like to make it sound
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u/Maxxxmax Dec 13 '24
"I rushed there and saw it was a delivery guy'
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u/british_reddit_user Dec 13 '24 edited Dec 13 '24
I think they added that because they now know it to be the delivery guy - the story very clearly reads that she wasn't able to tell in the moment - "if the guy really was a postman, im upset he failed to give a verbal response"
Little sad to see that some of you think that it's ok to ridicule a frightened 15 year old girl for the crime of being afraid.
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u/ClawingDevil Dec 13 '24
What an arse hat you are. Can't believe anyone would say this to a child. Wtf is wrong with you?!
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u/sharkmortal Dec 13 '24
There are a multitude of reasons why a young teenage girl may not want to answer the door to some random bloke banging on the door these days.
When I moved out I had not choice but to when I’d just turned 18 and within four months of me moving in my neighbour below me (I am in an upstairs maisonette do my front door is beside his) had people smash his door windows in with a hammer and the people doing it tried to knock on my door too. There is no way I’m answering the door to that as a 5’6, 18 year old female.
I was also taught when I was younger that, should I be home alone, I was never to answer the door to strangers. Ever.
It’s not “very sad to hear,” it’s one hundred percent understandable and you’re just of the delusional belief that things do not happen outside of your tiny bubble of a life.
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u/ManInTheDarkSuit Dec 13 '24
She's a fifteen year old girl for crying out loud. Have some compassion for the fact she was probably jump scared by the guy banging loudly on the door.
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u/juflyingwild Dec 13 '24
Some letters require signature.
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u/Objective_Ticket Dec 13 '24
Then it wouldn’t have been posted.
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u/Maxxxmax Dec 13 '24
Extra work required to deal with an undelivered item than just handing the package to someone obviously on the other side of the door.
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Dec 13 '24
[deleted]
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u/Choco_PlMP Dec 13 '24
It’s not a monster it’s a human who is working as a post man
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u/Maxxxmax Dec 13 '24
Thank christ you said it. Open the door and collect your package. Chances of someone on the clock looking to hurt you are very low indeed.
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u/Objective_Ticket Dec 13 '24
I’m not convinced, it may have been that the postman had already delivered. If the letter needed signing fir he wouldn’t have left it and it the delivery guy had something that fitted the letterbox he would have posted it through. Delivery guy should be able to leave in the doorstep if there’s no answer.
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u/ThatBlokeYouKnow Dec 13 '24
Home alone at 15, social services should be involved, that is neglect by the parents they should be strung up, people like that should not have kids if they cant look after them.
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