To think the postman was out of order

[Chocywockydodahhhhhh]

Knock on the door so answered and it was a postman with a parcel
Had quite a few delivered recently but have not been in which is not an issue as DH works just down the road from the sorting office so have just taken the card
The postman said “for future reference if you are not going to be in don’t have things delivered”
I said “excuse me”
Postman “it’s a waste of my time”
Me “well maybe there should be an option to have things stay at the sorting office until you can get them”
Postman “can’t you have delivered to a neighbour?”
Me “No as the last thing you delivered to a neighbour went missing”
Postman “Of bugger off then and be awkward”
Me “

My parcelforce bloke has got my mobile number, (been same guy for years so I’m fine with him having it). He rings me before he sets off and says, got a parcel for you, are you in this morning? I say yes or no, if no, he says, shall I bring it tomorrow for you? Perfect, it’s like my own personal delivery service. Saves him a wasted journey and loading/unloading and the paperwork that involves, and saves me missing it and having a journey to the sorting office which is ten miles away.

I love my postie. She’s an absolute sweetheart, the cats round here follow her it’s so funny. Think she must keep chicken in her pocket or something 😂
Her colleague is a good friend now and always stops for a chat. Used to have a misery postie but he got fired for stealing.

Op please report your postie. No need for rudeness like that.

Do they get bonuses or something for "more parcels successfully delivered"? I have a feeling I remember this being discussed before - not necessarily Royal Mail, but explained why some couriers feel the need to do all they possibly can to avoid having to take the item back.

I am kind of with the postman. They are lugging this stuff around for not great pay. I get that you can’t just wait in too and he was rude. Couldn’t you just have an agreed safe place? I just feel so sorry for my postman, out in all weathers. And their pay should be linked to thr Amazon boxes!

Do they get bonuses or something for "more parcels successfully delivered"?

It would be a good idea. Otherwise, the logical strategy for a courier would be to deliver "sorry I missed you, collect it from the depot" cards to all the recipients, without even bothering to take the parcels on the van.

Totally out of order, I would complain. I can understand his annoyance but you don't say these things out loud.

Also, it baffles me that postal hours in this day and age are still set to average working hours. It's a nightmare to manage!

@italiancortado because we can then get the parcel from the post office once the mailman has left the red card.

And as said by a PP, most online orders are dispatched within x days so no way of knowing exactly what day they will arrive. Do you suggest people only order online when they intend to be home for the next 5-10d, with no popping out to the shops or similar, no shower/baths etc in case the delivery arrives?

Weird thing to say. No-one can possibly know if they are going to be in!

Unless you have the exact hour that your package is going to get to your house, you could easily be out, or not hear the door.

Every postie I have had has been lovely. Yours sounds grumpy.

It IS a waste of his time, he is also carrying about your things needlessly.So while he was out of order I totally understand his frustration

It's not a waste of his time, its literally what he is paid to spend his time doing!It's his JOB.

Incidentally, why on earth do you keep ordering things when you know you will not be in to receive them?

Er what now? If I order something online, it could arrive any time in the next two weeks. Or the next three months, if its from Joom or wish or chinese ebay! Should I spend every morning of my life sitting by the door waiting for the postman?
Or should he just do his damn job and not be a dick about it?

@Judas, our catalogue delivery courier has our mobile number too, and messages to give a time that she is coming. She is only a mile away, but it still saves her time (and us!)

I confess, I would rather pay for my post: have it delivered to a central location, and then either I collect it or I pay to have it delivered. Then it's absolutely clear who's paying for the delivery, and I can choose to use the delivery service that does the job best.

Like almost everyone, I don't receive anything time critical by post so I'd rather have one delivery a week, or collect it when I'm doing the shopping. I have my Amazon shipments sent to a Locker near work, so the stuff that goes to home is just bills, admin and junk, none of which can't wait for a week. And most of that is either online or could easily be online; I doubt I get more than half a dozen items of non-junk post per week anyway, and the next time I have a "sign up for online billing on the remaining stuff" session that will drop still further.

The whole concept of daily postal deliveries to residential premises is from a lost age, anyway. Postcards from holidays are dead. Christmas cards are on life support (we send, and receive, about half the number we sent twenty years ago). Bills and stuff will all be online within ten years, and I will no longer sign up for any service which isn't online-only. Times change.

How very dare postman knock on doors and ring bells and attempt to deliver parcels to MNetters who have far more important things to do than answer the door

Yes agreed, how very inconvenient for them.

OP please don't try and get this man sacked. Can't you just have a word with him instead of reporting him?

So have you complained yet?
It's not a waste of his time - he's getting paid. If he doesn't like his job, he is free to look for another one.

I can imagine it is rather irritating for posties and couriers however it’s also a big part of their job so he certainly had no right to give you grief. I would complain.

I’ve had to complain to hermes today about our local courier. He never leaves a card so without checking online tracking, I would never know he’d been. When he knocks on the door he thumps so loudly it’s as if he’s trying to knock the bloody thing down, he also thumps just as loudly on the window! It made me jump out of my skin earlier. Also by the time I’d made it to the front door (so literally time frame of 30 seconds) he was already getting into his car! I had to shout him.

I was only asking. It wasn't a criticism.

I was only asking. It wasn't a criticism.

Clue: when a question starts "why on earth", it isn't a neutral question, it's a criticism.

Oh. Ok.

Thanks for the 'telling'

But like I said, it was just a question. Was never intended to be anything more.

Our postman is a lovely man. I'm always nonplussed when I answer the door because he has a parcel - he always apologises for disturbing me! I didn't realise he might be expecting a disgruntled person instead of a grateful one.

To anyone who is worrying that the postman will get sacked if OP makes a complaint: trust me, he won't. In my office we had a famously cantankerous postman for quite a few years - he was extravagantly rude to everyone, including his colleagues, and he quite often seemed half cut. Loads of people on his round lodged complaints about him, it made no difference. Eventually we got a new postman, who is lovely - we assumed the grumpy one had been sacked but I saw him on a different route last week so he's only been moved!

My work schedule is varied, I often leave the house early and don’t get in until late, and shopping is difficult, so I rely on delivery for many things. Thankfully our postie and local couriers are cheery and helpful - and our neighbours honest.

I live in a flat - no safe place - and always get it delivered to doddle (or did, they’ve shut it now), amazon lockers or similar if I can but it’s nkt always possible. Does that mean I should never shop online?

How very dare postman knock on doors and ring bells and attempt to deliver parcels to MNetters who have far more important things to do than answer the door

And how DARE a mumsnetter be a little annoyed that a postman was an arsey twat, because she hadn't waited in for 24 hours a day for the entire 10 days since she ordered her parcel, to save the poor hard-done-by fucker having to lug the parcel back to the sorting office! (Posties always have a van for delivery of parcels anyway, so I don't what his moany bitch-fit was about.)

Basically the postie was VERY rude, and had no business talking to the OP like he did, and he is very unreasonable.

As some posters have said, it is his JOB!