Is it unreasonable to be angry about being lied to by a bin man?

I don’t often get really cross about things, but yesterday morning at 9.30am I was furious.

I was on my way out for a run* and before I left the house I put out our Christmas tree for collection, along with the recycling. I did it just in time as a couple of minutes later one of the men from the special Christmas tree truck came into our square. He was clearly on the prowl, looking out for trees.

Christmas trees

Our house is one of the most visible in the square. It’s called a square, but it’s more like a long cul-de-sac really. As you turn the corner into it our house is at the far end, so it and the tree can be seen very easily. I could see two or three other trees just from where I stood at the door to our house as well.

Now last year we had a few problems with our tree collection, namely that it didn’t happen, despite several calls to Bristol County Council, so I was pleased to see them making the effort this year. I stood and watched as the truck came backwards into the square.

About half way in there is a kink in the road, and obviously the driver was completely hopeless as this seemed to fox him completely. A couple of the men got out to have a look, decided it was impossible, (despite the regular bin men and recycling truck managing it easily on a weekly basis), got back in the truck and drove off.

Initially I gave them the benefit of the doubt, thinking they might be going to turn around and come in forwards. Ours trees were practically within spitting distance after all – it would have only taken a couple of minutes for someone just to grab them and chuck them in the truck where it stood.

I followed them.

They turned back out onto the main road, but rather than turn around, they started to drive off.

I chased them.

One of the bin men got out to pick up some trees at the side of the road.

“Excuse me” I said, sounding rather pompous but feeling scared, “you are going to come back for the trees in Harwood Square aren’t you?”

The bin man visibly sagged and looked annoyed.

“There weren’t any there,” he said, lying through his teeth.

“Yes there were,” I said, getting cross, “mine was there and there were at least two others.”

“Well I didn’t see any,” lied the bin man again, starting to get my goat.

“Yes you did, you just walked around the square and looked at them all, they were right there in front of you.”

The bin man sighed heavily.

“Fine,” he said, “I guess we’ll have to go back then,” as though it was entirely my fault for not just shutting up.

“Please do.” I said, sounding more and more like Penelope Keith in To The Manor Born, and I strode off, trying to look authoritative.

I then spent about half an hour complaining to my running buddy about the inefficiency of the bin men, in an aged Tory way. It was all very unflattering.

Am I being unreasonable to be so cross about being lied to by a bin man?

*Honestly I was. I’m not even kidding.

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15 Comments

  1. 12 January, 2014 / 12:29 pm

    I’d be annoyed! That is ridiculously lazy of them!

  2. 12 January, 2014 / 12:53 pm

    That would infuriate me too. I hate being lied to, especially when it’s that blimmin obvious. They just couldn’t be bothered to go and pick up the trees. I’d tweet this link to the council…

  3. 12 January, 2014 / 1:02 pm

    I could of written this post myself last week, the house across the road is currently empty but the previous occupants had filled the recycling bin with food and other non recycling stuff. So hubby put them both out(currently attracting wildlife) with a view to asking them to empty them both…on doing so he got laughed at and they said it ‘was recycling’. Quite obviously it wasn’t and the recycling lorry wouldn’t have touched it either. One quick annoyed tweet to the council and it was sorted within a few days but quite why I had to go down that route was beyond me. So a wasted trip a few days later the same lorry came back, guess I know where my council tax goes now. Sorry rant over, I totally get where you are coming from though.

  4. Simon Howes
    12 January, 2014 / 1:11 pm

    Good for you! Stick it to the man!

  5. 12 January, 2014 / 2:03 pm

    Ha! That would have seriously irritated me too! We are very lucky with our bin men and postmen in our road – they seem to go out of their way to provide a service and as such we always tip at Xmas! Looks lies yours will be missing out! lol x

  6. Tanya C
    12 January, 2014 / 2:19 pm

    That would annoy me too! I had to report a missed bin this week. really annoyed as they said I didn’t put it out…um yes I did, it was the big blue bin right next to the big blue tub you emptied!! grr

  7. 12 January, 2014 / 3:17 pm

    Hope you didn’t give them a tip at Christmas!

  8. 12 January, 2014 / 3:45 pm

    I’d be annoyed too….You were not being unreasonable at all! It’s their job which they seemed too lazy to do! I would of complained to the council too…

  9. 12 January, 2014 / 6:27 pm

    Grrrrr! I would think the same! I hate how we have to leave our bins in exactly the right place otherwise they will just get ignored. Also, if the bin is even slightly over-full that the lid won’t shut properly…..that is also ‘against the rules’!!!

  10. 12 January, 2014 / 8:39 pm

    I don’t think you’re being unreasonable, and I’d certainly be emailing this to the Council. Sheer laziness!

  11. 12 January, 2014 / 9:52 pm

    I’d be LIVID and running after them is SO what I would do too! xx

  12. 12 January, 2014 / 10:21 pm

    Oh my gosh, I would have been raging!! And I’m quite sure I wouldn’t have been nearly as polite as you. Good on you for standing up to him, the idiot.

  13. Jonet Middleton
    13 January, 2014 / 10:31 am

    You were absolutely right to be cross and very brave to tackle them too! Ps. well done for being able to run and talk at the same time!

  14. 24 January, 2014 / 10:47 am

    No not at all unreasonable, frustrates me immensely the extra bits and pieces they fail to clear up as they go. If it’s not their job to clean up bits of rubbish that float out the bins and trucks as they go – it damn well should be ;) x

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