To put in a complaint about the postman.

[Februaryblooms]

Not the biggest problem in the world but has become a nuisance.

One of the local postman has taken to dumping a load of the multiple neighbours post through our letterbox on a regular basis. This is no doubt due to laziness as he can't be bothered to sort through the mail and walk the short distance to access the other flats round the back through a large gated (but always open) pathway. I've caught him in the act three times and addressed it each time, he apologies but continues to do this when he thinks we're not home and seems to be annoyed that I pull him up on it.

Our door is clearly numbered and he can't plead ignorance, for example we are (for the sake of the thread) number 135 and he's posting letters for 131, 138, 140 etc.

I've just caught him coming up the drive with a handful of post ready to insert it in the letterbox, again. I opened the door as he reached it at which point he looks at the post, puts all of it back in his bag bar one letter addressed to myself and hastily hands it over before walking off with a face like a slapped arse.

I don't want to get somebody in bother for something so trivial but if he's doing this with other people's post I suspect he may be doing the same with ours, and I'm expecting some important referral letters for DS.

AIBU to go into royal mail when im passing on monday and lodge a formal complaint?

I would complain but I know what you mean about not wanting to make him lose his job. The postman signed a signed for parcel and popped it in my letterbox. I was pretty shocked. When I went on to see the tracking there it was. I had been at work at the time. I definitely didn't sign for it.

my friend live sin a similar block to yours op always getting the post for round the back which is accessible they just cant be bothered and theres been different posties doing it

Just keep all the post in a bag, and each month dump it in to the postbox and repeat a month later.
People will complain about missing post and Royal Mail will take disciplinary action against him.
It's harsh but it's the only thing that will work.

I'm probably being silly not wanting to refer to him by his skin colour, it's because I know people can be a bit dickish and pull the race card. He clearly has an attitude problem so I wouldn't put it past him accusing me of being racist and singling him out if it got back to him.

OP when I was a teen we had a postman who did that so my family took to putting the mail back in the postbox. One letter came back to our house 3 times so on the third time I wrote something on it telling the postman to post it at the correct house.

More recently a neighbour complained about the postman not delivering mail everyday. Royal Mail accidentally addressed the outside of the envelope to me and as the letter wasn't addressed to my neighbour personally, I didn't hesitate to reply agreeing with my neighbour.

@Februaryblooms all my lazy postman have been white and I live in London. I guess your postman must have learnt this trick from a colleague.

I'm also in London and this particular postman is black @TwoRoundabouts

It doesn't sit right with me to refer to him as such when I speak to royal mail, I think that's because of my DM's tendency to refer to black people by their skin colour even when not appropriate. For example "I was talking to a black lady on the tube"

It makes me cringe for some reason

OP if you know dates plus times of when he delivered other post then just state that. They will soon work out which lazy postman isn't doing the deliveries.

Incidentally I've never come across a lazy postwomen...

Just keep all the post in a bag, and each month dump it in to the postbox and repeat a month later.

I wouldn't so this, because I would hate someone to miss a hospital appointment/ meeting with social services/ universal credit interrogation/ job interview (or worse - job offer!), child access appointment, court appearance etc through no fault of their own.

I also suspect that knowingly holding onto mail could be an offence.

Start by giving the date then if they ASK for a description then describing his skin colour is just that. It’s a fact.

But yes, you need to complain. The idiot was given a chance to do his job properly and he chose not to. He could be causing other people all kinds of problems on top of your inconvenience.

If he doesn’t want to do the job properly, plenty of others will

FFS some people make idiotic suggestions.

Clearly it would be really awful to hang onto other people’s mail for a month. It’s not their fault you have a postman who doesn’t actually want to deliver the post.

If it was me I’d take the mail in next time and tell them you’re done asking him nicely.

I always go round and post the neighbours mail that comes to us, I'd like to hope they'd do the same.

DS has paediatrician and physio referrals coming by post and I'm constantly wondering whether they've been 'lost' or shoved elsewhere because he can't be arsed to post things properly.

There's just no room for laziness when people's bills/medical/official letters are concerned.

He is a git.

I'm going to put a note in the window making it clear I'm aware that post is being deliberately wrongfully delivered so not to continue to post anything that doesn't have our door number on it through the letterbox.

Yes complain. DH is currently a postie whilst he waits for a new job to start. He’s had a couple of occasions where he’s had two bundles of letters and posted next doors but he always knocks to rectify.

I’m surprised people are saying complaints get nowhere. He’s always talking about how people are dragged into the manager’s office for every little complaint, including one where a postman couldn’t give someone directions!

The only thing I would say is they are put under an awful lot of pressure to be back from their route in the most ludicrous time frame. What yours is doing is 100% wrong but it’s a job that really does push people to the edge.

It is illegal to deviate mail.

His job, read envelope, put envelope through corresponding letter-box!

He is persistently flouting the rules surrounding the legal protections of the royal mail.

If posties are under ridiculous pressure (with I believe many might be) then complain about that too!

Honestly, if someone can't be bothered to do their job, they don't deserve to keep it. It's a job, not a God-given right. I'd complain.

If you don't know his name, describing him to the best of your ability is all you can do. His skin color is just part of the description, along with hair color, approximate age, body shape, etc.

If (when) it happens again, tell all the neighbours why you are dropping their post round and encourage them all to complain, harder for post office to ignore. Personally I would write on each of the envelopes 'this does not say -your address-please deliver correctly' and put them all back in the post box. We have at least one postie who signs for our post - have tackled him several times but just laughs and says he's trying to be helpful! Main post office not interested, according to their system they have a signature (non descript squiggle) and our surname and just don't get it was not us who signed. Caused a real problem when one signed for package was empty and from sellers point of view we had signed for it and didn't raise an issue for 3 days (because we were away).