Having read a lot if the comments on here I felt that on behalf if the delivery drivers I needed to clarify a few points. I honestly feel that if the general public using AO understood what the delivery drivers have to go through more than half of the complaints regarding them would not be made. My husband has been working for AO as a delivery driver for only a short period of time. Not only has he has been subject to abusive and threatening beahviour from the public but it get no better from his employers either!!! AO drivers are self employed!!!!! They start work at 5am in the morning and most nights are lucky to be home by 8pm. Yes unfortunately sometimes you delivery does not turn up in time, why?? Because they are given the route they have to follow by people that do not know the areas you live in. The vans are loaded in order of drop according to the route they are given to follow and no matter how bad it is planned they are not permitted to change it. On several occasions my husband has been given a route that on a normal day not allowing for traffic the journey should take 30 minutes. They are given 10 minutes to get there!!! Now as they are self employed they are charged for everything. If they were to attempt to fit your washing machine when you have a leak any damage that could be caused which you will undoubtedly put a claim in for has to be paid by the drivers!!! Not the company. So if they are refusing to fit things it's because they are trying to protect themselves. They are not refusing to do it to annoy you or be difficult. Have you ever tried lifting an American Fridge freezer up a flight of steps??? You wouldn't do it yourself so I can't understand why you would expect other pepole to do it with No Lifting equipment because they are not provided with any........Do you no that every time you complain about something that is not in the drivers control they stop the drivers from working for a whole week! My husband will not be working for them for much longer due to how they are treated. Only the other day the breaks on the van his was given to drive failed. He was lucky to stop without hurting anyone or himself. When he called to tell them they needed a tow truck there response was can't you just do the last few drops on the van first? Obviously he refused to put his life or the public at risk. Guess what he didn't get any work the next day! I understand that none of this is an excuse for being rude. All I ask is that if your delivery driver refuses to deliver or fit. The chances are it's because he has calculated the risk of either hurting himself by lifting beyond what is resonable or the are too many issues that could result in him being charged hundreds if pounds if something goes wrong.