Fed Ex Drivers

So as a property manager I see my fair share of delivery drivers and on a rural residential route the drivers change with regularity. I have encountered the same experience with the majority of the drivers who have passed through this complex over the last 3 1/2 years. And this is not exclusive to Fed Ex, to UPS, DHL or any other delivery company I have seen.

Whenever we get a new driver it is inevitable that they stop by my office one day with an arm load of packages. They hand me their clipboard or electronic scanner/signature pad and ask for my signature. I have developed a standard response to this, which is to state, "Oh, I didn't even know I had a package coming!" The driver typically responds with a, "Oh, can you sign for these? They are for residents in your complex." I try to politely explain that unless I have been notified by a specific resident that a package is coming I can't sign for it. This uniformly results in disappointment on the part of the driver, which would be fine if they were disappointed and went on about their day but they don't. It is uniform across the board that they begin to argue with me about why I should accept them. One of the first things that comes up is they tell me, "But I already left a note of the door of the unit stating that it is here in your office." Which of course meets with a not so warm response from myself, "Well, I am sorry but that has no consequence on what I have already told you. Unless they have made arrangements for me to accept their package I cannot take it." This is when the drivers get testy, "Well if you aren't going to accept the packages I am not going to go back and replace those notes (Stern look on their faces)." This is the point where I start to get annoyed and start to toy with them, "Are you implying that if I did receive them you would go back and replace those notes?"

Driver, "I am going to leave those notes there and all your residents who's packages I have here are going to be calling you anyway!" (Another stern look)

Me, "Well great! In that case there will be a group of us calling about your lack of customer service skills! Oh, and I will make sure that the residents are upset and want to know where there package is, after all you have left them a note stating that the package was delivered somewhere besides the shipping address without the shipper or the recipients permission." (Said with a mocking smile).

Driver, "Come on man, I have already scanned all of these packages and everything." Now there is discernible pleading in their voice.

Me, "I am sorry, but neither a note or the scanning of a package changes an existing policy." This time I try to genuinely be pleasant.

From here there are 2 different responses. They will either ask me, "Are you serious?" As if the entire conversation were a ruse just to mess with their day. Or, they get upset and will take off in a huff. Some will leave my office door wide open, other will slam the door, some have openly and blatantly cussed at me, others choose to flip me off as they walk away.

I have tried other things to try and prevent this encounter. When I have seen a new driver in the complex I will try and stop them and introduce myself, and tell them of the policy to try and save them the effort of coming to my office and having this same conversation. Some ignore me and we still have the same conversation in my office and other just get upset with me on the spot.

I am not sure what the delivery drivers think they are going to accomplish by having this time of attitude. It seems apparent that each of them have an agenda when they behave this way and I believe it is to coerce me to accept any package they bring by but this type of attitude is counter productive.