To report this postman?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

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?

He wasn't going to bother to knock, and got flustered when you spoke to him. Then realized he had to leave either the letter or the card, so drove back. Not really dodgy, just a bit lazy. I wouldn't report.

I think he couldn't be arsed getting your signature and was about to put the card through and bugger off.

It'd be hard for you to prove though as he's probably destroyed the card he filled in,

This happened to me ages ago when I was waiting for a very time-sensitive parcel that I knew wouldn't go through the letterbox. I was home all day but he didn't ring or knock; I just found the card later when I checked the post. [still bitter] [needs a life]

My postman has done that...and more besides. Latest was trying to force me to accept the parcels of a hostile neighbor with whom I am not even on speaking terms and after, picking up on the frostiness, offering to go round to her house and reconcile us? I am sure Royal Mail would have something to say about it. Because he knows that I am one of the few adults at home in the weekdays, he sees me as a parcel depot for the road and is constantly trying to twist my arm and accept other people's mail from far and wide.

I imagine that if you were the postman, standing at the door minding your own business

In Australia post rarely put through the door. The OP described her letterbox as being by the footpath, next to their overgrown garden. Her DH was hardly 'hiding in the bushes' waiting to startle the postie.