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AIBU?

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Original poster

To report this postman?

29 replies

TheHouseOnTheLane · 06/10/2015 10:41

Today DH and I were waiting for some very important personal documents to arrive by signed for delivery. They were birth certificates that we'd sent to the government here (Australia) as part of our application for DD's citenzenship by descent application.

We knew they were coming because we checked online and it said they were due to be delivered today.

Anyway....we happened to be in the (rather overgrown and tree ridden) front garden when the postman came up the road and stopped his motorbike (they ride them here)...postman didn't see us...he was standing by the mailbox (one of those ones on a post by the public footpath)

We got up beside him and DH said "Have you got anything for me?" and the postman immediately sort of hid one of those "non delivery" cards under a pile of letters he had in his hand...postman then said "No...it's all in there." and gestured to the mail box (we found later he'd posted our ordinary letters)

So DH said "Oh right...ok, thank you."

The postman got back on his bike and rode off...then did an immediate U-turn and came back to us and gave DH the letter we were waiting for....and asked us to sign.

AIBU to think this was dodgy behaviour?

OP posts:
WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 06/10/2015 10:43

Either dodgy or mistaken.

MinecraftWonder · 06/10/2015 10:45

Dodgy how?

Sounds like the bloke got to the end of the road and realised he'd forgotten to give you something, so immediately came back and gave it to you.

Queenbean · 06/10/2015 10:47

I think I'm missing something - what about this was dodgy? He just forgot to give you the letter. He wouldn't be able to nick something that you'd have to sign for...

Sounds like you're adding the motorbike-riding bit to make him sound like some bad-ass scoundrel

WorraLiberty · 06/10/2015 10:48

It could have been a mistake.

Unless he's generally always shit (like my postman), I wouldn't complain this time.

I've had to complain about mine twice, because he leaves parcels on the doorstep without knocking or even putting a card through.

And I've lost count of the amount of miss-delivered mail we and our neighbours have received.

My DBS certificate ended up next door and my neighbour accidentally ripped it Angry

corlette · 06/10/2015 10:51

He forgot, turned around and came back. Nowt dodgy.

SmellsLikeMiddleAgeSpirit · 06/10/2015 10:57

I se what you mean, OP : perhaps he couldn't be bothered knocking on door and felt filling in card and posting that would be quicker. Silly though, because he'd have to come back and redeliver next day anyway.
However, he realised he couldn't leave without posting either the letter or the card or he may be in trouble, so returned. Silly behaviour; lazy certainly, but I wouldn't report just for this one thing.

On the other hand, perhaps he just forgot.

WorraLiberty · 06/10/2015 10:59

Queenbean but you don't know he's not a bad-ass scoundrel...

To report this postman?
JawannaDrink · 06/10/2015 11:03

Are people not reading the OP? He had already filled out a slip to say he couldn't deliver the signed for item, to save himself the bother of going looking for a signature. He purposefully didn't bring it to the post box. Postmen do it all the time, there are many threads on here about it.

Queenbean · 06/10/2015 11:04

Worra Grin

It actually reminded me much more of this milkman scoundrel, Pat Mustard

WorraLiberty · 06/10/2015 11:06

Yes but the non delivery cards have to be written on (to say if a parcel or letter) and dated.

So surely the OP and her DH would have seen him writing on it, if it was meant for them?

Forestdreams · 06/10/2015 11:07

We've caught ours out a couple of times putting the cards through without even knocking, then when we ask for the parcel he's had to go back to his trolley thing at the top of our road. The card was prewritten before he turned into our driveway. I assume he does that to avoid carrying the parcel on multiple days. But I can't figure out why your motorbike postman would do that.

MelanieCheeks · 06/10/2015 11:09

No, the OP says he sort of hid one of those "non-delivery" cards under his letters. We don't know if it was indeed one of those cards, or if it had any detail written on it. Maybe he always keeps one of those at the top of his pile for ease of access when he needs one.

usual · 06/10/2015 11:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

RattleAndRoll · 06/10/2015 11:15

Anyone who delivers anything to my door always has one of those cards ready to fill in if nobody answers. I'd say it was blank and just ready for filling in when needed, and just a mistake that he forgot your letter. Maybe it threw him when you both appeared suddenly and he got in a pickle and forget he had one left for you to sign?

Katedotness1963 · 06/10/2015 11:18

One time I stood at my living room window watching the postie walk down the path with the mail. When I went to pick it up there was one of those "attempted delivery" cards. By the time I got the door open the bugger had disappeared. I'm assuming he filled the card out in the office before he even left on his round. The parcel was small enough for the letter box but needed a signature.

TerrorAustralis · 06/10/2015 11:18

If you're in Australia, then no YANBU and this kind of stuff happens all the time. It's because of the privatisation of post offices and deliveries. They don't have enough time to do all their deliveries and don't even try to knock/ring. They just put the card in.

I've had the 'nobody answered' cards when I've been at home all day in a two-bed flat where it was impossible not to hear someone ringing.

You should complain.

Sparklingbrook · 06/10/2015 11:28

There's nothing to complain about though. How would you even word that complaint letter without looking a bit bonkers? Confused

ghostspirit · 06/10/2015 11:38

i dont get it was he not going to give the letter that needed signing for? but then changed his mind

Micah · 06/10/2015 11:43

Surely he would have just posted the non-delivery card through with your mail if he CBA knocking? What was he going to do, post the rest of your mail, wander off, then return with the card?

I would think signed mail is kept separate, so it may well just be he hadn't realised he had it.

Iliveinalighthousewiththeghost · 06/10/2015 11:54

If it were my postman/lady. I would just put it down to human error. I'm in the UK. But I don't know anything about Australia or him, even, so it's hard to judge really.

Gruntfuttock · 06/10/2015 11:54

I don't know whether "dodgy" is the right word. It's certainly bizarre. Did the postman not give any explanation when he came back with the letter to be signed, having done a u-turn? It's not as though you didn't know he'd had it in the first place. Your postman is very odd, if not dodgy.

Gruntfuttock · 06/10/2015 11:55

Actually, having said that (previous post), did your husband not query this behaviour when the postman returned?

Queenbean · 06/10/2015 11:55

I imagine that if you were the postman, standing at the door minding your own business, to have some man sidling up next to you asking what you have for him, having been hiding in the bushes probably put him on the back foot somewhat!

BitOutOfPractice · 06/10/2015 12:00

You're going to complain that you nearly didn't get an important letter - and then you did?

YABU

Allbymyselfagain · 06/10/2015 12:15

My friend just had her mobile phone stolen by someone popping out of her garden and saying have you got my parcel. Sent off for repair so no lock on it and now it's gone. All very dodgy signature unreadable and currently arguing over who has to replace said mobile but the appearing from your garden probably threw the postie