Talk About Over Reacting!

When I got home from work this evening I decided to order a pizza. I ordered from the same place that I always order from. Their phone system shows up the address and phone number and I've been ordering from them for years and they know me.

When I called this evening to place my order, I remembered that the front entrance is under some kind of construction and the inside and outside doors are taped off and have those hazard cones in front of them with huge notes on the doors to either use the side or back entrances.

So I mentioned to the guy on the phone that the driver will have to go to the back of the building and phone me to let me know he's there because there is no intercom system back there, and I would go to the basement and meet him at the door.

He phoned from the front doors wanting me to come down. I told him that he has to meet me at the back because of the construction that he could plainly see.

Anyway, I gave him directions on how to get to our back door and told him I would meet him there.

When I got down there there were 3 guys standing at the door. I initially thought it was the driver and 2 tenants who happened to be coming in at the same time.

WRONG!

They were all from the pizza place. I can't be sure, but it looked like one of the guys was trying to hide a black baseball bat behind him.

Despite being a loyal customer for probably 5 years, they thought I was going to mug the driver because he had to go to the back door!

lol...i guess in this economy you can never be to safe.

Fast food places often have a high turnover of staff, so they may not have known you were a regular customer. I can't really fault them for being cautious of a backdoor meeting.

Well, I guess people can't be too careful right?

Originally Posted by missymotus

Fast food places often have a high turnover of staff, so they may not have known you were a regular customer. I can't really fault them for being cautious of a backdoor meeting.

Click to expand...

So many pizza delivery people have been attacked and robbed, I don't blame them a bit.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

So many pizza delivery people have been attacked and robbed, I don't blame them a bit.

Click to expand...

We had a local pizza guy robbed and beaten by a local high school varsity football player. He's now on his way to prison for a few years.

Stupid people!

A guy I dated in high school was a pizza delivery driver and had a gun pulled on him once and another time someone attempted to carjack him.

Then again, that was in Gary, IN.

Originally Posted by missymotus

Fast food places often have a high turnover of staff, so they may not have known you were a regular customer. I can't really fault them for being cautious of a backdoor meeting.

Click to expand...

It was the usual guy who answered the phone and took my order. We had a bit of usual banter when I was placing my order. So they did know who I was.

I do understand the need to be cautious, but 3 guys and what appeared to be a baseball bat?! I can see maybe having a buddy with him waiting in the car or something, but there were 3 and they were at the door ready for a battle!

I still think it was overkill, especially considering they could see for themselves that the front entrance was torn up and barricaded off with all kinds of tape, hazard cones and notices telling you to use the back door.

You know what? I would have praised them for being that concerned for their driver, and let it pass.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

You know what? I would have praised them for being that concerned for their driver, and let it pass.

Click to expand...

Agreed. Also, how do we know that something didn't happen recently to one of their drivers that brought about this action. Sometimes we are not privy to the reasons why things are handled in certain ways and can only make assumptions based on information that is not complete.

A couple years ago a pizza delivery lady was murdered not too far from where I work. The killer admitted to purposefully ordering the pizza so he could rob and kill her. I'd be armed too if I did that job!

There's places in my area that pizza delivery people aren't allowed to deliver to.

Sad that it's come to that, but I agree that the 1st priority of the company is for the driver's safety.

Cheryl

Originally Posted by mrblanche

You know what? I would have praised them for being that concerned for their driver, and let it pass.

Click to expand...

I didn't phone them and complain, and I didn't say anything to the driver either. I just simply posted a statement here about what happened because 1. I thought it was funny and 2. I thought it was a bit overkill to have 3 guys, one seemingly armed with a baseball bat, deliver a pizza to a regular customer.

As I said, I understand being cautious, but when they saw for themselves that the front door was barricaded off and that no one could go in or out and there were instructions to use the back door, the other 2 guys could have waited in the car near by.

For all they know I could have thought that they were going to mug me! Not that I did, but 3 guys showing up at your door, one with a bat, could be pretty alarming to someone.

Originally Posted by Sneakymom

There's places in my area that pizza delivery people aren't allowed to deliver to.

Cheryl

Click to expand...

Same here. We have some really bad areas that even the cops won't go alone. A Chinese restaurant delivery guy was killed last year on the job.

However, I'm not sure that I would have opened the door to three "delivery" guys when I'm only expecting one. I understand they were being cautious, but I would be too.

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

Same here. We have some really bad areas that even the cops won't go alone. A Chinese restaurant delivery guy was killed last year on the job.

However, I'm not sure that I would have opened the door to three "delivery" guys when I'm only expecting one. I understand they were being cautious, but I would be too.

Click to expand...

That is exactly what I thought, especially if one is hiding a bat behind his back!

Yeah you told them that the front door was barracaded off!

I could see if you had asked them to go to the back door when the front door was perfectly operable.

I myself would have been pretty afraid to see three large guys standing outside my door with baseball bats and a pizza.... I would have slammed the door and hid inside. I hope you didn't tip him for his overkill.

makes sense to me

I understand that it was funny for you, but since they went do the back door (which had open access to anybody coming out of your apartment complex...at least that is the way it always worked with any apartment complex I've been in) that makes it a little different. They didn't know know WHO was going to come out before you so he had back up. I don't see the harm in this and this certainly wasn't a reflection on you, so don't worry about it. I'm glad they actually sent back up.

Originally Posted by calico2222

I understand that it was funny for you, but since they went do the back door (which had open access to anybody coming out of your apartment complex...at least that is the way it always worked with any apartment complex I've been in) that makes it a little different. They didn't know know WHO was going to come out before you so he had back up. I don't see the harm in this and this certainly wasn't a reflection on you, so don't worry about it. I'm glad they actually sent back up.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand you.

The building I live in is a security building. The outside front doors are unlocked and lead into an area that has a board listing the apartments and an intercom. You dial up and the person you are dialing presses a button to open the inside security door. The person then enters into the building and can roam around.

However, to get out, there is no such security feature. You simply open the doors to leave the building.

The back door is just a locked door leading from a lighted up parking lot with security cameras, into the building. But there is no intercom system access back there. Which I think is dumb because that is where our visitor parking is.

Anyway, regardless of whether they came to the front or back of the building, there is a risk of people exiting the building while they are outside waiting to gain entrance.

I know it's not a reflection on me personally. I just simply think it was an over reaction to having to go to a back door of a building, especially in light of the fact that they could plainly see when they got to the front of the building that the patio area in front of the doors was dug up and there was all kinds of tapes and warnings to not use that door and instead to use the back one.

Honestly, I prolly would have thought twice bout opening the door.

I mean, yes the request to go to the back door was unusual and precautions should be taken.... but as a woman confronted by 3 men, one with a baseball bat, I would have been slightly put off.

I can totally understand them wanting to protect themselves, but did they think of how it would look on the opposite end? I don't care if one of em had a pizza box or not.....another had a baseball bat. That's kinda scary IMO.