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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think my postman is taking the pee?

51 replies

Middleclassmumnetter · 27/04/2016 22:02

Yesterday I was sitting in my car outside my house reading mumsnet catching up on emails while the baby slept. Standard.
The postman arrived and swiftly put a letter through my front door, then moved on to the next house, without noticing me in the car.
It was only once baby woke up and I went in that I realised it was a parcel card saying it couldn't be delivered. He definitely definitely didn't knock or ring the bell, and already had the card (that I thought was a letter at the time) in his hand, put it straight in letterbox, turned around, walked off. So it must have been pre filled out.
So basically he had no intention of even attempting delivery of the parcel, and I don't believe even had it with him.
So I had to go in to town and collect it this morning.

DH said that a few days prior he'd been in the kitchen and seen postman (orange hi viz vest) approach door and post letters. Amongst them was a parcel card. Again no knock or doorbell. DH actually went out and caught up with him to retrieve parcel and was told he'd have to go to depot. DH was a bit Hmm but wasn't 100% sure that the card wasn't already on the mat before postman delivery, so let it go.
Thinking about it, we've 'missed' a lot of parcels in recent months (DD's bday party; lots of Amazon orders of party paraphernalia delivered) and I've been to depot 4 or 5 times now.

AIBU to Make A Complaint about this? If I'm going to have to drive in to town, park up and go to the depot every time I get a parcel that's too awkward for the postman to be arsed delivering, why am I paying p&p? I might as well just do click & collect or go to the bloody shops in person?

OP posts:
Eminado · 27/04/2016 22:04

I have often thought they do this (Yodel I am talking about you) but have never been able to prove it.

YANBU to complain.

RebootYourEngine · 27/04/2016 22:04

There used to be a thing when posties didnt take parcels and only took the card. I would complain.

MaryPopped · 27/04/2016 22:05

I wouldn't be surprised, but our amazon tends to be delivered by their guys not Royal Mail.

PeaceLoveAndJaffaCakes · 27/04/2016 22:19

Lots of them do this IME Angry

starving · 27/04/2016 22:19

This happened to me once when I was in the house. I caught up with the postie and he told me that they don't routinely take out the parcels for delivery, just the cards as otherwise it makes their bags too heavy. Confused What do people pay for when they are sending a parcel? Delivery??? I did put in a complaint though.

Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 27/04/2016 22:26

reboot there used to be a thing when posties didn't take parcels and only took the card
Do you mean they are "allowed" to do so by Royal Mail, or it was a common ploy by lazy postmen/women? I'd be angry at either!

mary many of these were 3rd party sellers via Amazon. One was a beautiful party dress that my I had made for DD (not Amazon). Party on sat. Parcel card arrives on Fri, so I have to rush to town morning of party to retrieve it, really could have done without having to do that Angry.

OP posts:
Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 27/04/2016 22:28

starving X-post. I sort of wondered if this might be the case. So yes, what on earth is the point of a mail delivery service then?! If I have to collect anything that's too heavy or awkward for them to carry!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 27/04/2016 22:29

What was the outcome of your complaint?

OP posts:
SelfRaisingFlour · 27/04/2016 22:31

I was once in the hall by my front door when a "you were out" card was posted through the door by the postman. He definitely hadn't knocked.

YouMakeMyDreams · 27/04/2016 22:31

My ex is and they are most definitely not supposed to do this. Definitely complain.

Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 27/04/2016 22:41

dreams thank you, good to know.

Armed with this knowledge, I shall be complaining!

OP posts:
deste · 27/04/2016 23:22

I passed a postman today who had a parcel about 20"x14" approx in his bag so they must be delivering parcels.

SingingSamosa · 27/04/2016 23:33

My postmen always deliver parcels (I have about three or four regulars) to me. If I'm not in then then they leave them in my porch (I'm very rural). If they are recorded then they sign them for me to save me having to go into town and if they are special delivery (which has to be signed by recipient) then they usually go off and do the rest of their round and try me again on the way home!

fixyourgardengate · 27/04/2016 23:40

Complain. I hate it when my colleagues do this. And do it via Customer Services so it is properly logged, not via your local depot.

RJnomore1 · 27/04/2016 23:44

We have two postmen - one in a van with parcels and then the letter postie on foot later on.

SingingSamosa · 27/04/2016 23:49

Oh, I should add that my postmen come in a van, as we are essentially on a farm route so they wouldn't be able to deliver on foot! I guess that means they can take as many parcels as they want!

I do have problems with Yodel though. They are always saying they've delivered/tried to deliver when they haven't. On one memorable occasion they didn't even bother coming to the house at all when I was waiting for a pushchair that was supposed to be delivered on a specific day. I'd been in the garden all day with the kids and I rang the depot to ask where my parcel was. First they said it hadn't arrived at their depot. Then I pointed out the tracking info. Then they said they'd tried to deliver but no-one in. I disputed this and then they said that it was definitely my house because they had a policy of having to write down door colours for non deliveries and mine was green! My door is brown...

Catzpyjamas · 27/04/2016 23:53

If we get a parcel card, it's always because the postie tried to deliver a parcel the previous day.

PigletJohn · 28/04/2016 00:07

My postman has a little red van and parks it a few doors away, so he does bring parcels.

Curiously though, he has very little stuff to deliver on a Saturday, but catches up on Mondays.

The "sorry you were out" is a well-known trick. Hermes don't do it because they only get paid once per parcel. So they leave things on the step.

TimeOfGlass · 28/04/2016 00:08

We have two postmen too - one in a van with parcels, and one with letters. I'm not sure whether they both drive about in the same van, but they tend to turn up within about 15 minutes of each other.

YANBU to complain.

ZacharyQuack · 28/04/2016 01:29

Dh used to get a lot of computer equipment delivered to our house while I was on mat leave. The courier company specialised in technical equipment, but our front path is up a slight hill with a short stairway to the front door so it's a bit of a faff to carry up gear. Several times I received a "you were out" card when I had been at home all day. Once I saw the courier van pull up and the driver start up the path empty-handed, so I got to the front door and opened it before he got there. He sheepishly handed me the "you were out" card and when I said no I'm home so you can deliver it now, he told me that he didn't have it, it was still at the depot! So I had him go and get it and deliver it that day, and phoned up to complain.

Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 28/04/2016 01:30

Your postman sounds amazing samosa

gardengate thank you for the tip, I will do it via customer services. I must admit, I probably would have just gone straight to the depot otherwise.

Although this isn't relevant in the slightest, we live quite close to some kind of post office distribution place (sadly not the same place that I have to go to collect the parcels from) and as parking is at a premium in this area, the postal workers all park in our cul de sac, all day long. I know they're perfectly within their rights to do so but it somehow adds insult to injury.

OP posts:
Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 28/04/2016 01:33

Amazing quack round of applause. Did that out a stop to the 'phantom' deliveries?
I kind of wish I'd chased ours down. It's a pity I didn't realise what he was putting through the door until a bit later.

OP posts:
Sorebigtoes · 28/04/2016 01:59

We used to live down a long, steep drive and our post was delivered every other day, without fail. We got loads of mail, so it can't possibly have been coincidence. Tried to complain, but was told I had no proof, so couldn't do anything.

SacreBlue · 28/04/2016 02:05

Yodel has done this so many times on me that I now ask companies if they use them before ordering, and if they say yes, I tell them I'm sorry, I would love to order from them but can't because of their choice to use a delivery company that don't actually deliver.

I once had three 'missed' deliveries when I was in (no parcel, no door buzz & once ran out of house to chase 'delivery guy' but he sped off as I ran out!) and was then told to collect from the depot (30 miles away) I told them to keep it, got a refund from the seller & told them I would not be ordering from them again while they used Yodel.

They got back to me saying they were in the process of changing their delivery company, they did & happy days I was able to order & actually receive my parcel.

I don't blame the driver as such because, as I understand it, Yodel pay shit wages per parcel. Yodel are just a crap company, to their employees & customers.

Defintely complain & explain why.

MooseBeTimeForSnow · 28/04/2016 02:07

Be grateful you don't live in Canada, where most mail gets delivered to superboxes. If the parcel doesn't fit in your box you might be left a key to a larger box. If not, you get a card.

It's a nice walk in the summer. Not so nice when it's -30 outside.