To think the postman should not be shoving handfuls of marketing crap through my letterbox?

[KatieMiddIeton]

We are registered with the mail preference service because we don't want loads of unsolicited crap through the post and I always tick the no marketing by post box on any paperwork too. But my postie has been shoving handfuls of leaflets through my door on behalf of Royal Mail, on behalf of their paying clients. These are not even letters most of the time!

Today I had a parcel delivery and when I signed he handed me a handful of leaflets that were mine too. Apparently. These included an Abel & Cole flyer, Direct Line pretend cheque book and three other leaflets.

I now have to dispose of this rubbish. I get enough to fill a whole supermarket carrier each week.

AIBU to think Royal Mail should cease and desist? If not they run the very real risk of me shoving their unwanted leaflets in one of their letter boxes because it's a slightly shorter walk than to the recycling

Oh I just put it back in the post box at the end of my road!

Really? Even non-addressed leaflets? The advantage the recycling bin has over the pillar box is it has a slightly wider opening and I can get rid of the stuff more quickly.

I'd like to stop it arriving if I can.

I have got a bit of a name for myself in our village for running after the postman (often in my dressing gown) clutching a handful of unsolicited crap to give back to him.

I too am registered as not wanting un-addressed mail (they get arsey if you call it junk mail ) but if they change postman it all comes back again and you have to re-register every 2 years, iirc. I find it most irritating.

I keep a recycle bag behind my front door and in they go!

Do you mean register with Royal Mail? I'm registered with the MPS and it does seem to cut down on the addressed letter crap.

I do get a lot of Pizza leaflets and the like because I'm in the town centre but leaflets I'd assumed were from someone earning a few pence per leaflet I think are in the most part Royal bleeding Mail.

Good idea fuzzynavel but I have a toddler so letters from HMRC, bank statements and the like would go in the bag I expect.

I'd like to stop them getting into my house in the first place.

It's not the postman's fault ffs! He is hardly allowed to exercise discretion over what he does and does not put through your letter box!

So yes, I'm afraid I do think YABU if you frame the problem as being with the postie - less so to be annoyed that mail pref doesn't solve this problem.

i dont spose he wants to carry loads of marketing crap for miles, shoving it in each house

he gets paid extra to do it

Did I say it was the postman's fault Elaine? No I did not.

They are not letters. They are leaflets so are not covered by the Mail preference service.

No, but these posts about chasing the postman, and the thread title do sort of lay the blame at his door! And I can only assume he's doing what he's been told to do.

Katie- it did rather imply that you were blaming the actual postie, rather than the Royal Mail. He is just doing his job.

I didn't say anything about chasing the postman. I asked if the postman should be putting loads of crap through the door. I did not ask if he was to blame for the crap. I'm sure he plays no part in the decision-making process. I lay the blame firmly with Royal Mail.

I don't really care who's at fault - I just want it stopped.

If any of it comes from a company and there is a return envelope inside (preferably a postage paid one) stuff ALL the junk mail into that and pop it back into a letter box
Virgin and Sky may get the hint soon as every overweight prepaid envelope they get back costs them a pretty penny.

PS if RM did NOT deliver that stuff, stamp prices would go up. Take your pick.

Maybe I should have worded the thread title a little better.

Is AIBU to think that the postman (as a representative of Royal Mail only, and in no way responsible for the strategic or operational decisions of his employer, the aforementioned Royal Mail) should not be shoving handfuls of marketing crap through my letterbox?

There is no envelope because it is not letters. It is flyers and leaflets. Un-addressed.

save them up till you DO get one
I've got a Virgin "the occupier" one today
it won't fit through the large letter slot when I'm finished with it ;-'}

Hahahahahaha TalkingPeace

That is brilliant but still a fair bit of effort.

I've heard that the money RM get for delivering junk mail pretty much keeps them afloat, although personally I wouldn't mind paying a bit extra for stamps to stem the tidal wave of shite coming through my letter box.

Yes i'd rather pay extra. I value my time more highly tbh.

I think it's the paper equivalent of spam and there should be an opt out. I already employ the posting unsolicited letters back in their own envelopes (pre-paid/unpaid I don't care) but it's the piles and piles of leaflets that irritate the hell out of me.

yeah in this age where alot of the mail that you do need to get is sent by e-mail its the companys that pay royal mail to deliver this crap that keep them going. if they didn't deliver it we would end up not have any mail service at all still a fucking pain in the arse though! GRRRR

the junk mail subsidises the universal service that we only value at Christmas.
I hate the junk mail but I'd hate it more if I could not send letters to friends in remote places without paying £4.50 for a courier

YANBU OP. Its doing my head in at the moment too. Not least because I hear the letterbox and think 'ooh goody' only to find a pile of marketing crap.

Weirdly, when we lived in town, we never got anything like this from the postman whatsoever, but now we're out in the villages, its incessant.

Hmm maybe I am less tolerant of the argument about costs because I rarely post anything. I stopped doing Christmas cards last year and just make a donation to Shelter or Crisis and a local homeless charity.

I communicate mainly via electronic means the rest of the time or use couriers for flowers/parcels etc.

Maybe Royal Mail has had it's day and this tidal wave of postal detritus is the physical embodiment of a metaphorical death knell?

do you buy things online / over the phone?
what do you think will happen to the costs of the little things if the universal postal service were removed?

DH and I both run businesses from home.
Postal banking.
letters to HMRC
letters to and from overseas
how will grandparents send the birthday cheques if we no longer have universal post?

PS what I actually support is the post office being treated as an infrastructure industry with appropriate support in rural/outlying areas