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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my postman is up to something?

77 replies

Kabooooom · 20/08/2012 14:17

10 days ago, it was my DS's birthday and his Great Grandparents and Great Uncle live a long way away, have no idea how to do internet banking etc, so stick to what they usually do and send a Birthday card followed by a letter including Birthday money. One card was received, yet the other one and the money still hasn't.

Also, I booked train tickets last Thursday and paid extra to have them recorded delivery and arrive the next day. I still haven't received them either. As I need them for in a few days, I rang Virgin trains to find out what is going on. On the tracking system it says that the postman had tried to deliver on Saturday, but there was no answer. This is bullshit, as I live in a block of flats and he buzzed my door to get in on Saturday and delivered junk mail through my letter box (the only thing I have been getting for 2 weeks, apart from some Birthday cards, two still not here, along with the money, and another letter I have been waiting to receive confirming direct debit payments). So, because it says he attempted to deliver, I don't get my money back for the recorded delivery and they gave me a number for Royal Mail to ring.

So, I rang them, and they told me the same thing and said I should of received a red card through the door to inform me of an attempt at delivery. I never got this. The best they could do after telling them everything, about other letters not appearing etc, is offer me a redelivery slot and report the fact no card was left, and ask the sorting office to check for other mail which could be there to be delivered at the same time.

AIBU in thinking that something fishy is going on with the postman? He didn't even turn up for 5 days the first week. No one in the block received a thing. And now letters/cards are disappearing and he is lying about attempted deliveries. I am tempted to pull him up about it the next time I see him and try and report this further. Or am I reading too much into it and should just leave it, pray it still gets to us, if not then suck it up, seeing as I actually don't have proof other than him lying about the tickets? I just don't understand though, why lie about it?

WWYD?

OP posts:
Original poster
Kabooooom · 20/08/2012 18:14

That's a good plan pluto. I shall do that once I get back from our holiday. No point in doing it sooner as I won't be here to look out for him or let him into the block.

OP posts:
Viperidae · 20/08/2012 18:16

When I am in my front room you can see people coming up the path but, as the house is quite high up, they can't see me. I have watched our postie come up the drive with just a couple of letters/cards in his hand but when I get the post it has a "We tried to deliver but you were out" card about a parcel!

LineRunner · 20/08/2012 18:34

So really, the cards should be saying, 'We have a parcel for you daaaahn the sorting office but have no intention of delivering it to your actual door, please come and pick it up yourself.' ?

Original poster
Kabooooom · 20/08/2012 18:40

Linerunner, that is when they can actually be bothered to notify you of something waiting for you at the sorting office.

It is a good job I didn't order the tickets a few days before we were due to leave. We would of been knackered.

Saying that, the tickets aren't in my hands yet, and it is only a matter of a few days now...I might camp out on the front waiting to pounce on him so he can't go back to the office with them again.

OP posts:
LineRunner · 20/08/2012 18:44

Kabooooom, We have started printing out a lot more barcoded tickets at home now, or collecting on arrival - it works for theatre, cinema, travel etc.

I think it'll become more common, as part of the 'convenience' is not having having to trust the royal mail. You do wonder if the CEO of royal mail actually gives a shit any more.

madbutnotbad · 20/08/2012 18:51

I had a postman that used to "loose" stuff, delivered to the wrong address on an almost daily basis and the final straw started putting post in some bushes in my garden! Anyway I reported him and we got a new postman who can read house numbers and actually gives you a chance to answer the door before he leaves a card! I would definitely complain otherwise it won't get any better.

GobHoblin · 20/08/2012 18:54

I had a running postman... he didnt stop just like forrest gump he is. He always always left mail/large envelopes/packets on my step. Would knock, drop it on step and jog off. I found packet of photos in the hedge, soggy parcels etc. In the end i got so cross i called and had a middle aged rant to the sorting office.
Within an hour he was on my doorstep. Asking what my problem was as he'd just had a bollocking. I was very intimidated!
His theory was as there was a car on the drive it meant someone was home, so he'd just knock and run on!
We have a new post man now, he's very lovely :o)

4boyzmum · 20/08/2012 18:58

I was once stood right next to my letter box when a postman slotted one of those red 'tried to deliver but you were out' notices thru my door. Having made absolutely no attempt to call. By the time id read the note, unlocked the door and gone out to call him back he'd sped off at about 50 miles an hour in his red van. Complained to Royal Mail but they said that a complaint has to be made twice before anything can be done about it. Dont know if thats true or not??

Original poster
Kabooooom · 20/08/2012 19:12

Linerunner, Unfortunately we don't have a printer, but I am considering doing an OU course soon so was thinking of investing in one anyway. Would be so much better in these circumstances, as the only risk is running out of ink!

Wow, I am shocked he came to have it out with you. I am glad he was replaced, the twunt.

OP posts:
FrenchRuby · 20/08/2012 19:20

I knew someone who was a postman and he was so lazy he never used to post stuff, just dumped them in his friends car :o I couldn't believe it!

yellowraincoat · 20/08/2012 19:21

We live on (say) Smith Road. The next street to us is Smith Street. Ridiculous idea and we get loads of post for the wrong street (and I presume they get ours, since loads of stuff goes missing - when I ask them if they have it though, they always say no.)

Postman puts recorded and special delivery stuff through the door without asking for a signature.

It improved after I complained but still get the odd stuff that's for the wrong address.

DeWe · 20/08/2012 19:27

We had a year in which my dsis, me and my db didn't get any birthday cards by post that were obviously birthday cards (our birthdays are within a couple of months). They were being pinched at the sorting office level, our postman was fine. It doesn't necessarily have to be your postman, could be the local PO or the sorting office.

DontstepontheMomeRaths · 20/08/2012 19:27

Recorded deliveries for my flat are not delivered with my usual mail, a driver in a van comes by later in the day. No matter how small the item is.

I once had an item undelivered due to no answer, accept I was in Angry And they didn?t leave a card. I discovered it by phoning the sender etc.

I went by my local sorting office and they had the parcel there, I produced some ID and despite having no red card, they gave me my parcel. I believe they get sent back to the sender after a number of days if not collected. So I would suggest you pop by your local sorting office with some ID and see if they have the tickets there too. Not wait for them to redeliver it again.

I have had a lot of mail go missing since the postman changed here. Our old postie was brilliant.

FrenchRuby · 20/08/2012 19:33

That smiley is not meant to be there! I obviously don't think it's funny!

LineRunner · 22/08/2012 23:16

Another three days without any post, or any sign of the postman. Does the royal mail still actually exist??

Original poster
Kabooooom · 23/08/2012 14:42

I still have no money. But my tickets arrived yesterday by a different postman. A different postman who delivered a birthday card today also. So still awaiting on another birthday card, a letter confirming a direct debit set up and the money. Don't think I will have the money now in time for the holiday at least, and can't see it turning up.

OP posts:
JustFabulous · 23/08/2012 14:49

I was not impressed that we got someone elses post today.

Different name to me.
Same house number.
Completely different road.
A road that is quite a long way away from us.

Added insult to injury that we got no post for us and the post lady was annoyed that I gave her the post back.

littleducks · 23/08/2012 14:59

We have just moved. Previously used to get post only 3 times a week, clearly stockpiled as neighbours didn't get any on same days we didn't.

Passports were delivered last week via sign for it system. Just put through the door with no signature, I didn't complain as was glad to get them but it doesn't inspire confidence.

Original poster
Kabooooom · 23/08/2012 15:10

I have been talking to my family over this. I seriously will never use Royal Mail again. I don't anyway, as I usually drop things off myself and my family have agreed. We are just going to wait in future til we see each other. So that's one lot of families postage gone from them.

Most of my bills are now paperless too. I think it is about time that Royal Mail got what they deserve. I feel for the genuine workers though, but it can't carry on the way it is.

OP posts:
Justme23 · 23/08/2012 15:18

You have every right to complain to utilise that right and give feedback.

YBR · 23/08/2012 15:18

When they reorganised our sorting office and the Posties' walks some years ago, ours got a lorge red wheeled trolley to carry the post in. A couple of years ago I observed some yobs stealing items from the trolley - the Postie had locked it to a lamp post and was delivering down the road. Apparently the locks don't work.
I'm thinking that if the postie had already attempted to deliver and was taking them back to the depot that could be what happened to some of you.

Another thought: could the OP provide the GPs with some anonymous buisness-styled envelopes with typed address on? These would then be less vulnerable to theft than something which looks like a birthday card.

LineRunner · 23/08/2012 15:19

OP, My family feels the same. We stopped posting birthday money in cards a long time ago. I do as much by email, DD, SO and electronic transfer as possible.

I use royal mail for ebay but only because I'm posting relatively cheap packets eg t-shirts. It's money, tickets and vouchers that disappear.

Original poster
Kabooooom · 23/08/2012 15:27

YBR, they didn't send the money in a birthday card. What they do is send the birthday cards off, wait a few days, then write a letter, shove the money inside the letter, fold the letter and money up and then put it in an envelope. But they don't print off my address. Neither can I as I don't have a printer as yet, but I am going to get one when we come back from our holiday. Then from then on, everything including tickets etc will be getting printed offline.

OP posts:
enteramusingnamehere · 23/08/2012 15:40

Our postie is crap, never looks at the names on the packages, gives us our neighbours post, deliver peoples stuff to us who's in another village-wrong postcode, village etc, same house name! Lol!!! But I think they have timescales to conplete their round in, my theory is that it takes longer if they have to get signatures so get cards ready if they have a lot of post to deliver. It's bloody wrong.

LineRunner · 23/08/2012 15:43

I found a postman in a block of flats delivering post that was meant for a completely different block of flats. When I told him he couldn't have cared less.