Ok I'm so mad right now….hoping the wise counsel of OzBargainers can come through for me.
Background: I rent an apartment in a luxury high rise apartment building. The building is inhabited by a lot of wealthy owner occupier retirees who have nothing better to do with their time than enjoying ruling over their fiefdom. Usually I just ignore their pettiness because I'm too busy working hard to pay my expensive rent and the location and quality of my apartment outweighs moving.
Current situation:
A few months back, the body corporate created a rule that no takeaway food delivery drivers (eg. Uber eats) were allowed past the ground foyer 24 hour concierge desk. We were instructed that we would have to come down and collect all orders instead of them being allowed to our apartment door. This was done in the name of "security". This pissed me off, but since I don't order food too often, I sucked it up and went with it.
One thing I do order online for delivery is Woolworths grocery orders. At the time however, we were told these were excluded from the rules.
Switch to today….I am at home on parental leave with my newborn baby, sleep deprived and my baby is not well. Woolworths order arrives. I buzz them up. On the way my driver gets abused by a neighbour on my floor (who I've never met). He is told he is not allowed up to make deliveries. i call the concierge immediately and they tell me the body corporate have just expanded the No Door Delivery Rule to include Coles and Woolworths orders. I tell him I can't collect the orders from downstairs because a) I can't lift the orders myself and b) I have a newborn baby so totally impractical for me to leave my apartment.
He tells me to contact the building manager but says there is nothing he can do.
I find out from him the apartment number of the neighbour who complained about me.
SO I'm obviously fuming but decide to take a deep breath before confronting my neighbour and sending an abusive email to the building manager.
What is the sensible way to deal with this? I order from Woolworths weekly. Can body corporates make rules like this? It's not in my rental agreement? Can I fight it?
TL;DR Body corporate of my luxury high rise apartment building where I rent has banned woolworths delivery drivers from delivering groceries to the doors of apartments. At home with newborn baby so can't collect from the lobby every time I order. Can I fight this?
UPDATE
As per PizzaBoy's advice (thank you!) I wrote to the building manager requesting documentation of this new " rule". I also added some commentary around my current newborn situation and requested a solution. Also put a few light references to my current physical "disability" (total truth as I have back problems now as a result of pregnancy/birth) because as per some comments on this thread suggested, there must be a potential discrimination case there too.
He came back with zero documentation and completely ignored that question - PizzaBoy originally suggested to me that it is highly doubtful they actually have this rule legally documented and binding. I suspect this is indeed correct!
He then proceeded to say he would grant me an "exception to the rule" and inform concierge that all grocery orders are to be allowed up to my door!
So massive win, though am still concerned about neighbours going off at my drivers but I figure if it happens again, I'll ask the building manager to deal with it since he granted the exception.
A big thank you to PizzaBoy who taught me to always ask for things in writing! And to everyone in this thread for your encouraging (and sometimes hilarious) ideas on how to respond. Rest assured if my exception is removed at any point I'll be taking a squeaky trolley down there, blocking the lifts and leaving groceries all over the lobby floor - all supported by a crying baby!
Given how painful these matters with body corporates can be, this would at least put you in a position where you:
* Are seen to be trying to work within the rules.
* In a position to politely ask anyone guileless enough to complain to your face to volunteer to help by taking over from the delivery guy. Put the clowns in a position where they're faced with either backing down, or be in a position where they may be expected to help going forward, I'd expect many to back off :)