A Sign This Job May Be Wrong For You

(I’m an adult man living with my parents. My parents have gone on vacation for a week, and I am staying home to take care of things around the house. One day, a [Delivery Company] truck pulls into the driveway, and I head outside to meet the driver. The driver is not the regular driver for our route. Being a rural area where everybody knows everybody, this is kind of big news.)

Me: “Hi there. Is [Regular Driver] just out for today, or are you the new driver for our route?”

Driver: *getting out of his truck with a package in his hands* “He called in sick today, so I’m substituting for him. He should be back tomorrow. Anyway, I got a package for [My Dad].”

Me: “Thanks! I can grab it from you.”

Driver: “You’ll need to sign first.”

Me: *confused, because my dad never chooses the “must sign” option when he orders things* “Okay, I guess I can sign for it.”

Driver: *checks my signature* “Wait. You’re not [My Dad]? Is he home right now?”

Me: “No, that’s my dad, and he’s not home right now.”

Driver: “Oh. The package is in his name, so I guess I can’t deliver it until he’s home.”

(Before I could say another word, the driver put the package back into the truck, got into his seat, and drove off. Knowing that our regular driver was supposed to be back the next day, I decided not to call customer service, since it really wasn’t a big deal yet; my dad wouldn’t be home for a few more days, so he didn’t need the package right away. The next day, our regular driver was back in the truck, and I received the package with no issues. Out of curiosity, I asked him if [Delivery Company] had recently changed their policy on signing for packages. He started laughing, and asked what had happened. After I told the story, he explained that I wasn’t the only one who had had problems; apparently, the substitute driver had unofficially broken the [Delivery Company] record for most complaints in his first day as a driver… with nearly 30 complaints! He had refused to deliver ANY package without a signature from the person listed on the package, and he had even refused to deliver packages to businesses unless the business owners themselves signed for them. Naturally, he was fired as soon as he returned to the office at the end of the route, and [Delivery Company] lost a lot of money refunding the shipping fees for all the customers who called to complain. I guess I should have called customer service right away and saved my dad a few dollars on his project.)