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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to complain about royal mail not delivering my parcels?

51 replies

otchayaniye · 17/07/2011 08:57

even though the postie is deaf?

We live in a building with about 40 apartments and used to have a fantastic postman who would know neighbours and leave parcels with them, come up the lift and knock on our door with Signed For items etc and was generally extremely helpful. He was sacked.

New postman (in last 2 weeks) has left 4 'While You Were Out' cards even though I've been in each time (maternity leave). I caught up with him on the last occasion and gathered that because he is deaf he can't ring our door bells and so leaves all the parcels at the depot (no fun driving there every sodding week with a toddler and no place to park) and just brings the cards. So I will never get a parcel delivered and neither will our neighbours. I do a lot of eBaying and Amazon stuff as I have a toddler and am 8 months pregnant.

I don't get it. It's a breach of contract, surely? Why has the Royal Mail put him on a beat he can't fulfil?

But I can't shrug off the feeling that I'm going to come across as Larry David in a Curb episode.

OP posts:

Sirzy · 17/07/2011 09:00

Of course you should complain. The person posting the parcel has paid for it to be posted to you not for it to be left in the depot. They should always attempt to deliver it.

I assume they know this postman does this - otherwise surely someone would notice the parcels not taken out? - so they Either find another postman or send the parcels out separatly.

HoneyPablo · 17/07/2011 09:04

I don't understand why being deaf stops him ringing doorbells. Can he not speak either?
Complain to Royal Mail.

ZillionChocolate · 17/07/2011 09:10

I second the "why does being deaf prevent him from pressing a doorbell button?" question. If he's not up to the job then he shouldn't be doing it. Complain!

maxybrown · 17/07/2011 09:11

Because, Honey, it will be a speaker system and he won't hear people answering the bell presumably!

Sirzy · 17/07/2011 09:11

I assumed that was because in an apartment block it was a case of ringing the buzzer then waiting for someone to talk via the intercom so he couldn't hear?

maxybrown · 17/07/2011 09:12

and so if you are just at someones front door maybe he can lip read, but not over a speaker system. Seems a silly round to out him on though - but guess RM will tell you you can arrange for redelivery - wonder if it would be same postie then

Andrewofgg · 17/07/2011 09:12

This is becoming prevalent. Many of them just can't be bothered. So they drop the card instead.

HoneyPablo · 17/07/2011 09:15

That makes sense now.

kaid100 · 17/07/2011 09:16

Why does being deaf stop him ringing the doorbell? He could still press the button or knock on the door, and if no-one arrives within 40 or so seconds he'll know no-one is in. Being deaf doesn't affect this at all. To be fair, there might sometimes be situations where he doesn't hear the householder shout "hang on a mo, I just need to find the door key" but that doesn't affect the vast majority of situations.

kaid100 · 17/07/2011 09:18

Ah- just read about the fact it has a speaker system. With some discussion between residents and the Royal Mail, it would be easy to work something out. Why doesn't he press the button and then say "post" a few seconds later. The householder can then pop downstairs.

minibmw2010 · 17/07/2011 09:18

I was in our hallway one day when the post came through the door and there was a red card with 'no-one home' ticked ... The look of horror on his face when I opened the door and asked where my parcel was and why had he not rung the bell was priceless but seriously it turned out he hadn't even bothered to being it with him

MummysTooTightToMention · 17/07/2011 09:25

They've done this to us too, with parcels and recorded items.

I figured they were maybe under pressure to get finished on time, but still complained.

Original poster

otchayaniye · 17/07/2011 09:33

There was a Panorama on this some time back, I gather.

Yes, he could actually treat each apartment as a house and actually come in and knock on the door, like you would with a row of houses.

It's not an onerous job, two stories, with a lift, about 30 flats in the building (houses outside) and he could treat each as a 'house' and knock on the door. Or do as you say, ring the bell.

He can speak a little. Not loudly and I accept that he may not want to bother with buzzers.

I applaud RM for giving him a job, but they have to make it so he can do his job!

OP posts:

HoneyPablo · 17/07/2011 09:44

Then it's not actually his disability that is affecting his ability to do his job, it's his laziness. There is no excuse for that.

Original poster

otchayaniye · 17/07/2011 09:51

Also, when I caught up with him, he was on the second floor of a council flat delivering mail to upstairs flats. But I guess because we live in a listed building with a buzzer and an intercom we're a bunch of posh wankers who don't require that service.

It's so annoying, I hate the inflated postage some sellers charge on eBay (I sell too and often charge too little) -- then add to this actually not getting it delivered to your house.

OP posts:

maxybrown · 17/07/2011 10:33

lazy then - complain! And say, why does he never ever have any parcels with him and that you are ALWAYS in when he has left the red cards.

My postie is great, we get loads of parcels and what he doesn't bring is brought by the van later on

FabbyChic · 17/07/2011 10:39

YOu should complain if he cannot do his job properly then he shouldn't be doing it, as an aside they now cannot leave parcels with neighbours.

Firawla · 17/07/2011 10:42

yanbu i would complain. its not on to say he is never going to bring parcels, and you all have to get it from the depot! ffs.. royal mail is supposed to be a delivery service to your front door, not a 'collect from the local area' service.
having to collect sometimes because youre out is okay but not having to do it as a rule

FessaEst · 17/07/2011 10:52

Could your block look into having one of those parcel locker things put on the outside of the block? Or is there anywhere he can access without getting hold of a resident?

I recently had a similar problem of being left cards all the time (after our old postman just put thinkgs by the back door) and as I had been doing shopping for new DC and have an 18 month old, I got really stressed at having to head to the depot every few days. i left a not on my door explaining I was really struggling and detailing a place he could leave things, and this is what has happened ever since. I appreciate it's a bit different with flats. I would definitely complain if I know he was making NO attempt to deliver them, toehrwise what on earth is the point of paying for home delivery on things?

agedknees · 17/07/2011 11:20

I received a card saying they could not deliver a parcel when I was in. I phoned to complain and was told that Royal Mail no longer delivers parcels to multi occupied premises ie apartment buildings.

I explained that sometimes we do get parcels delivered, but was told that they must be delivered by a 'nice' postie.

Interested to know if anyone else gets parcels delivered in an apartment block.

Smellslikecatpee · 17/07/2011 11:53

I really think you should complain, post-persons like this give them all a bad name.
Ours is great. [sorry!]
I work from home a lot so have become an unofficial drop off point for a lot of the neighbours, he has gone to the trouble of actually leaving his mobile num on a card so that I could call & he could pop back .
And we?re not in some little village where everyone knows everyone.
We really notice when he?s off because suddenly we get lots of cards, and I too have opened the door as the card is been pushed through. . .

Original poster

otchayaniye · 17/07/2011 12:58

"I phoned to complain and was told that Royal Mail no longer delivers parcels to multi occupied premises ie apartment buildings."

Good God, really? But they delivered no problem with the good postie (the previous ones before I went to live abroad for a few years were hit and miss and I caught them out not carrying parcels with them a few times, but other times they did deliver)

What did they say?

It's such a shame they sacked the really good postie.

OP posts:

helenthemadex · 17/07/2011 13:03

I thought when you had one of those cards you can ask for it to be delivered another day

pretty bad that they are not providing the service they are being paid to provide

SardineQueen · 17/07/2011 13:07

Royal mail no longer deliver to multiple occupancy buildings?

For fuckity fucks sake.

Original poster

otchayaniye · 17/07/2011 13:34

"I thought when you had one of those cards you can ask for it to be delivered another day"

Thing is, if he has admitted that he won't deliver parcels, then redelivery is pointless. Plus I pay first class/signed for/whatever for that service. Not to eff about calling for redelivery and to stay in again!

OP posts:

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