Wish postman/woman would leave it

[Riseandshinee]

I have been sleeping in a lot lately and can’t change this too much and I know it’s no one else’s fault but I need the rest.
the postman has knocked on 3 separate occasions, always early in the morning and then posted a postcard through my door to book a redelivery. I did but there were no time slots. Maybe I’m just tired but door knocking sets me off, I cant answer the door. The books I bought were cheap. Before anyone asks, no, I am not and will never be able to go to a collection point and I won’t be discussing why, I just can’t

Did you pay for delivery multiple times?

Indeed, you paid for the items. You possibly paid a delivery charge on top. However, it seems your postman has tried his very best to deliver them. Would you like him to continue everyday until it suits you to open the door? Do you have a friend or relative who could accept delivery on your behalf? Do you realise that your reluctance to answer the door and accept delivery is possibly delaying delivery of parcels to other customers? Driving up the cost of delivery for other customers? Do you realise it's not good for the environment to have this parcel being driven around endlessly?

Lots of online retailers allow for delivery to inpost lockers - any near you you could use? If you have agoraphobia then that won't work, but it's another suggestion.

It’s paid. And just because you’ve paid a company for delievery doesn’t mean the postie will keep trying forever, surely they’ll return to sender at some point but you’ve been given lots of good options for you to explore by PPs.

Posties would far rather leave the packet than a card. Carrying undelivered packets around is a real inconvenience and, of course, they have to do it all over again the next day. Unfortunately, leaving a packet in an 'unofficial' safe place is a bit of a gamble for the postie. If it isn't actually secure and the packet disappears (or the householder falsely says it disappeared - which happens too) then the postie could get written up by the Delivery Manager. Customers are not always understanding of this and blithely order items without a thought as to whether delivery can be effected and then complain when it isn't. In this case, your best option would be for redirect to a neighbour because if the postie can't make a safe delivery, your books will be held at the delivery office for 3 weeks and then returned to sender.

I know of a postie who lost his job because he had an arrangement with the customer on a rural route to sign for items and put them through the door. To save the customer traipsing down to the office to collect. There was nothing on paper, it had been agreed verbally.

This arrangement went on for ten years, until one time where the customer got a delivery of currency and denied they received it. Even though the postie had scanned it and signed for it and put it through the door.

They then denied that they ever had an arrangement with the postie. He knew them for ten years, watched their kids grow up but in the end a 30 year career up in smoke for 600 euros.

There's a lot of people who think nothing of clicking the button saying "item not received" thinking there are no consequences, there are. It's not worth their job to go against Royal Mail procedure for people who can't be trusted.

@Riseandshinee

ironic user name ?!?!

you say you 'can't answer the door'. Why not?

if you are disabled, temporarily physically out of action, ill etc or had a newborn etc. I'd happily have your parcels delivered to me.

Because I don't want to put them out or go to the sorting office I TRY to get deliveries when I'm likely to be home.

when I came home from hospital with very limited mobility they would knock like the house was on fire then leave, not a moment for me to get to the door! I just put a note on the door 'please DO NOT KNOCK DELIVERIES NEXT DOOR (with an arrow).

it largely worked.

If you're ordering things to your home address OP I'm not sure what you can do about this, postman is obliged to deliver them and to try again to deliver them if there's no answer - that is what a home delivery is. I'm not sure what the price - cheap or not- has to do with anything really as it it won't fit in the letterbox or the method of postage is trackable and requires a signature or to be handed to the resident (as most seem to now) then there's no getting around that.

Some couriers will let you designate a safe place to leave the parcel but the downside if that is that it's at your own risk, and they will still knock first regardless.

Someone else can collect from either the depot or a collection point for you if you order online, they simply need to take your ID with them when they do it. Is that an option?

Alternatively if it'd just books, maybe an ereader/kindle or download digital copies. No door knocking required.

I’m somehow gobsmacked by that simply because I have NEVER signed any signed for letters. Even when said letter has been handed out to me!

I once received a letter from France that needed to be signed for. They hadn’t received the doc proving it had been signed. It caused no end of issues, even though I had confirmed I had the documents in my hand! I had never been asked to sign anything….

Your postie is wrong. As long as a parcel doesn't need a signature, they can leave it in a safe place:

https://www.royalmail.com/receiving/change-your-delivery-options#:~:text=Use%20the%20Royal%20Mail%20App,and%20easily%20accessible%20for%20us.

Tell that to my postman who leaves them in full view on the doorstep, no note through the door and one soggy calendar later.

Sorry what I meant is that I thought the custom here was for the postie to sign in 90% of cases so I wouldn’t have thought anyone would have got into trouble for that.
The customer was an arsehole though….

You can literally request a safe place to leave items on the re delivery website. Deary me.

Yes I’ve requested a safe place recently too. they ask you to agree it’s at your own risk etc.

Just leave a note rejecting the delivery and he will stop.

This happened pre-Covid, the rules were relaxed during the pandemic. But if a postie leaves an item in a safe place without a paper trail, i.e. where the customer has selected a safe place online for that item then they could potentially lose their job.

They are not trying to be awkward, they are just trying to keep themselves right.

She'd miss the delivery for the delivery box too though.

OP if you can't take in or collect deliveries, you'll have to stop ordering them. The postie is only doing their job.

Do you get on with neighbours or have a friend who could take it in? Sometimes you can arrange deliveries to another address.

We have a parcel box by our front door, that is masked from the road by shrubs. Invariably the postman will leave parcels there without even knocking. Although I appreciate not everyone lives in a residence that is suitable for this.

It is SO tiresome when the OP ignores all sensible practical suggestions and responds only to a post for which she has a smart answer.

Don’t think Royal Mail or Parcelforce are allowed to leave parcels?

Amazon will. Can you order from there?

Yup.

Speak to them and ask for parcels to be left, say you will take responsibility. I have a note in a plastic wallet asking for deliveries to be left. Works 99 per cent of the time. Obviously not if it's a new phone etc.

You didn't pay for your own personal postal service to come at at convenient time for you though.

Leave a nearby window open, with a note on the door saying 'place parcel through window'.