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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:
NeedACleverNN · 28/04/2016 07:33

My postie deliver parcels.

In fact one time I didn't hear the door knock and went after them two doors down.

Apologied and he said no worries and handed it straight over.

If I'm not in he will leave it in a safe place for me (by agreement)

Yodel usually leave them in safe places for me too

WellErrr · 28/04/2016 07:39

Yes I'd complain.

Mine is great, they just leave them in the porch or on the car seat.

Greyponcho · 28/04/2016 07:41

I once approached our RM postie after he'd delivered a 'while you were out' card while we were in, he made the excuse that he didn't have the parcel with him, it was a card he 'forgot' to drop off the day before Hmm.
Think I should just be grateful that where I live now the post mostly small packages & occasion cards isn't getting nicked being 'mislaid'

Minisoksmakehardwork · 28/04/2016 08:07

Our postie tries to make sure people are in first before dropping a card. He has a van though so anything too big to carry down the road gets left in the van until last and then he drives the van to the house and knocks. If he's already established no one is in he just leaves a card. I luffs our postie. He's a good one.

ratspeaker · 28/04/2016 08:09

Round here the parcel delivery and actual post are 2 different things.
If the parcel delivery person , who has s usually in a van, doesn't get you in ( they oftenp come just before 9 ) the card goes out in the normal post. Which tends to come later, on foot.
So the person delivering the card never actually had the parcel

thecatsarecrazy · 28/04/2016 08:16

Happened to us once. Card was pushed through the door and dad opened it and said we are here. Awkward looking postman then tells us we will have to pick it up.

TheHiphopopotamus · 28/04/2016 08:26

Complain OP. It's sounds like he can't be arsed carrying the parcels around.

Not the same thing but I had a post woman put a card through once and I hadn't heard her knock as I was in the back. I saw the card and opened the door and she was two doors down. As she came back past my house to get off the street, I asked her if I could have my parcel and apologised for not answering the door. She absolutely fucking flipped and started ranting that I was making her late for picking her kid up and threw my parcel at my feet.

I was like Shock

Shosha1 · 28/04/2016 08:27

I complained last month after we had a card everyday ( just moved and ordering quite a bit of stuff)

I had actually caught the post woman and she said our bell didn't work ( it did)

After having to go 10 miles each time to pick parcel up I complained.

And the only one I've had since us when we were really not in.

Walkinglikeazombie · 28/04/2016 08:37

My DH is a postman and just like ratspeaker said you have vans delivering large parcels (or even small ones if there is too much post to be carried).

If van driver was unable to deliver the parcel, they would leave the card to the postman to deliver it to you later on, so the postman never actually has the parcel with them in such cases.

shovetheholly · 28/04/2016 08:37

Buy a parcel safe - then there's no excuse!!

TheHiphopopotamus · 28/04/2016 08:40

walking why doesn't the van driver put a card through, instead of handing it to the postman? That seems like a ridiculous system.

GrinAndTonic · 28/04/2016 08:49

Our parcel man always delivered our parcels until we moved.
We moved around the corner from a low set house approx 10m from the road with no steps to a highset house with 16 steps and maybe 30m from the road (with a high fence).
He now refuses to deliver to our house as he states that there maybe dangerous dogs on the premises. I happily agree with that statement but he spent the past 12 months patting and playing with the geriatric arthritic toothless incontinent pugs at the old house and never complained once.
Interesting that.......

hefzi · 28/04/2016 08:54

You don't actually have to go to the DO/SO to collect a parcel, though - you can rearrange delivery online, on a day to suit you. I live in a city, and our postmen walk on their rounds - sometimes, they bring parcels with them, other times, just the cards: I assume it depends on how many parcels/how big etc they are?

I usually have things sent to work, as I'm mostly not around to open the door anyway. I try not to go to the DO, as it's now a £15 round trip in a taxi. You can have things delivered to a post office also - which really winds me up: there is a post office at the end of my street (maybe 75 yards away). HOWEVER that's not an option for redelivery/delivery - because the post code is a different number. Instead, it has to go to a post office 2 1/2 miles away (there are 3 post offices closer in total - one very close, the other 2 on a bus route) that doesn't have public transport options and goes through some shady areas if you walk. Or you can pay between £8 and £12 in a taxi for the round trip.

On the other hand, I am mostly too grateful that things aren't being sent by cheap courier to get really peeved at waiting a further 48 hours for something: Yodel often claim our street doesn't exist, and Hermes invariably do daft things like leaving parcels at the crack den up the road. I guess it's because there's always someone in - though for some reason, it's a right bugger to manage to pick up your parcel from there again Grin

Eminybob · 28/04/2016 09:20

My postie does deliver parcels. He leaves them in a box at the front if I'm not in. The Hermes guy leaves them in the shed.
I have had to go me pick a couple up recently but that's because they were signed for.

TrickyD · 28/04/2016 09:22

We used to have a lovely postman who hid parcels in a safe place when we were out. To tell us to look for a parcel, he would put one of his rubber bands on our doorknob.

Loljkwinkyface · 28/04/2016 13:09

I got one of the cards yesterday that said my parcel was in my wheely bin, I had to go and fish it out!

Walkinglikeazombie · 28/04/2016 13:34

TheHiphopopotamus I know, I've asked my DH a same thing.
Mostly because they want to finish as soon as they can and they tend to write the cards out once back in the office, so the card is usually delievered one day after delivery was attemped.

Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 28/04/2016 13:53

Hmm the van first followed by postie with card on foot sounds plausible initially, however we are always in in the morning. I'm on mat leave and DH works shifts so doesn't go to work until late afternoon. So if the van's coming round first, they're also not knocking/ringing!
Parcel safe is a consideration holly will have a look. Annoying that I have to consider one though, could understand the need if I was out all day every day, but since I'm usually in, I shouldn't have to!

OP posts:
oldjacksscrote · 28/04/2016 14:01

definitly complain, they should all have vans (unless on a town centre round) they usually park up and walk so no excuse for not taking the parcels.
We have an agreement with ours that they sign and leave them in the porch.

Marynary · 28/04/2016 14:11

I chased after the postman on one occasion when they delivered a card without knocking. They told me that they hadn't knocked because they didn't have the parcel. Apparently they had tried to deliver the parcel the day before. It's a stupid system.

RattusRattus · 28/04/2016 14:14

No missed parcels for me. Best thing I ever bought. iBin

Original poster
Middleclassmumnetter · 28/04/2016 16:12

Yikes! That's quite pricey, hopefully the complaint will have an effect. Going to email when baby next falls asleep.

OP posts:
smalllondon · 28/04/2016 16:34

Complain! For sure.

This happened to me last week.. Interlink were delivering a two large items from a well known furniture retailer and I was waiting in. See the Interlink van pull up opposite, guy waits 30 seconds or so then drives off and I get a text saying that my parecel hadn't been delivered as I wasn't in. He didn't even get out his van - just took a picture from his van of the front of my house to prove he had "been" - obviously just couldn't be arsed.

I phoned up fuming and ended up with a £50 refund on the item so it is worth letting them know.. You might get some money back.

BuunyChops · 28/04/2016 17:45

Re: the delivery was attempted the day before ruse.

Last year I worked from home for a few months; our house is pretty much open plan and I could pick up the letters from the mat without leaving my chair.

I didn't always pick up the post as soon as it arrived, and started finding red cards when I knew I hadn't heard the door etc; once or twice maybe I could have been in the shower or in the back garden for a few minutes but this was happening 2-3 times a week. (I was a mug- all my family were getting their stuff sent to me as I'd be at home to receive it--in theory. And we mainly shop online)

So one the day in question; I see the red card start to come through the door; open the door and say I'm here where's my package?

Get told the above, pointed out that I'd been in the previous day and the day before and there was no way anyone attempted delivery.

Complained and got my delivery money back from the company. Also got told the above from the customer services and asked why the hell that was thought to be an effective service; surely the van man should be leaving the card.

Got a lot of company speak and no real explanation. I make a point now of arranging re-delivery rather than collecting.

BuunyChops · 28/04/2016 17:45

Saying all that our Yodel/Hermes people are great........