To complain to Royal Mail even though the item was delivered?

[MowldyStupidAndAssive]

I sent a gift to a friend yesterday. She lives in a house that's converted to flats with buzzers for each flat and a letterbox for mail that just goes into the shared hall. Items have mysteriously vanished from this shared hall before so I sent it via Special Delivery to make sure it was handed to her in person. Friend was working from home and listening out for the buzzer as I told her to expect something.

She found it half an hour ago on the floor in the shared hall. It had been signed for with the letter X (I've checked the tracking and it is indeed just an X) and then just shoved through the letterbox without her buzzer being buzzed.

I'd have sent it normal first class if I didn't care about it being handed to her personally FFS.

Luckily she did receive it but it was just luck, and that's not the service I paid eight bloody quid for!

AIBU to complain about not getting the service paid for even though she did actually get the item?

PS I know items weren't being signed for due to covid but for Special Delivery they are meant to be handed to the resident in person, I've checked the Royal Mail website. There is also meant to be GPS data on where it was delivered which isn't appearing when I check the tracking so I don't think it's been treated as a Special Delivery item at all...

At the moment nothing is being signed for due to covid. They may ring and wait for a reply then note down the name but not always.

Yes, when the item is Signed For, but when it's Special Delivery the rules are different and items should never be just posted through a letterbox. They are meant to be scanned at the point of delivery and GPS data uploaded to the tracking.

Might as well see what they say. If what they've said should happen even in covid times hasn't.

I would complain. If it’s a lazy delivery person it flags it. If it’s not laziness and a resourcing issue instead, if flags it.

Ive had a parcel like this during covid and they did indeed just write "X" on it and shove it in the porch.

Honestly, I would leave it. I know it's not the service you paid for, but the item arrived which is the main point.

As a member of the public, you don't get to see the GPS data, thats only available to management.

YANBU to complain that your parcel was just dumped in her hallway though. That shouldn't happen.

Royal Mail have went to hell recently, I’ve an e-commerce store and the amount of lost items is shocking. Also things being “signed for” but not actually delivered

Things aren't being signed atm but posties ARE still going out of their way to ensure items go to the right person. I had my passport delivered yesterday- the postman knocked at the door, waited for me to open it and then left it on the mat and took a photo of me holding it to say it had been delivered! Definitely complain.

Yes I would request the cost of the special delivery back if they have not handed it to the resident when they're supposed to. You might get your refund back in the form of stamps rather than cash so have a think about whether you're happy with that before speaking to them.

Word of warning about complaining to royal mail. I've had a nightmare after a complaint I made with similar issues and was targeted by a disgruntled employee. I Live in a similar building to your friend and despite being home all day every day on maternity leave, we would only receive mail one day per week. All of the mail would have stickers claiming the staff could not gain access on the other days. This was a blatant lie as the door would constantly be jammed open and when it wasn't, I was always home as were another few neighbours to answer any buzzer. After watching them a while, It turns out they would deliver to one building per day to save them the effort of all the stairs.

Anyway one time I was waiting on baby item being delivered and I desperately needed it for the following day. I knew that the post man would pretend he couldn't gain access so I sat outside waiting for him. I had tracking from the company I purchased it from and I knew they had the parcel and it should be delivered that day. He walked past the building and I asked him for the delivery and he claimed he didn't have it! I showed him the tracking calling him out on it and eventually he "found" it in the back of his van along with the rest of that weeks mail.

I decided I'd had enough at this point and emailed a complaint regarding the use of stickers and pretending they couldn't gain access and was given a generic customer service reply regarding a completely unrelated issue. I escalated this further and I'm guessing I was heard as a few weeks later I saw the same mail man now working for a new courier. I felt awful as I probably cost him his job when all I wanted was my mail to be delivered on time. Then strange things started happening at my home.

First I heard my bin moving on a non bin day. Looked out the window and caught a glimpse of a similar mail man figure wandering off into the distance with it, never to be seen again. I then found nails under my car tyre one morning. I would go weeks and weeks without mail and as I result I missed some very important hospital appointments. A few other random things happened but I had absolutely no proof it was him so nothing could be done. I would randomly see this person in my street late at night with no apparent reason for them being there. Eventually I moved house and the nightmare was over but I often think about how it might have escalated if I had stayed there. Thankfully my new mail man is lovely and I've had no problems since then.

@TodayYearsOld

Word of warning about complaining to royal mail. I've had a nightmare after a complaint I made with similar issues and was targeted by a disgruntled employee. I Live in a similar building to your friend and despite being home all day every day on maternity leave, we would only receive mail one day per week. All of the mail would have stickers claiming the staff could not gain access on the other days. This was a blatant lie as the door would constantly be jammed open and when it wasn't, I was always home as were another few neighbours to answer any buzzer. After watching them a while, It turns out they would deliver to one building per day to save them the effort of all the stairs.

Anyway one time I was waiting on baby item being delivered and I desperately needed it for the following day. I knew that the post man would pretend he couldn't gain access so I sat outside waiting for him. I had tracking from the company I purchased it from and I knew they had the parcel and it should be delivered that day. He walked past the building and I asked him for the delivery and he claimed he didn't have it! I showed him the tracking calling him out on it and eventually he "found" it in the back of his van along with the rest of that weeks mail.

I decided I'd had enough at this point and emailed a complaint regarding the use of stickers and pretending they couldn't gain access and was given a generic customer service reply regarding a completely unrelated issue. I escalated this further and I'm guessing I was heard as a few weeks later I saw the same mail man now working for a new courier. I felt awful as I probably cost him his job when all I wanted was my mail to be delivered on time. Then strange things started happening at my home.

First I heard my bin moving on a non bin day. Looked out the window and caught a glimpse of a similar mail man figure wandering off into the distance with it, never to be seen again. I then found nails under my car tyre one morning. I would go weeks and weeks without mail and as I result I missed some very important hospital appointments. A few other random things happened but I had absolutely no proof it was him so nothing could be done. I would randomly see this person in my street late at night with no apparent reason for them being there. Eventually I moved house and the nightmare was over but I often think about how it might have escalated if I had stayed there. Thankfully my new mail man is lovely and I've had no problems since then.

Bloody hell!! Glad you are ok now, what a piece of work he was!

@shakeitoffshakeacocktail

I completely understand he must have been absolutely fuming to have lost his job over my complaint. I would have been too and it was never my intention for them to sack him over it. I just wanted my mail!

I'm just thankful I no longer live there, I was always looking over my shoulder any time I left the house. I'll never complain about anyone that knows my address ever again!

[quote TodayYearsOld]@shakeitoffshakeacocktail

I completely understand he must have been absolutely fuming to have lost his job over my complaint. I would have been too and it was never my intention for them to sack him over it. I just wanted my mail!

I'm just thankful I no longer live there, I was always looking over my shoulder any time I left the house. I'll never complain about anyone that knows my address ever again![/quote]
He probably should have lost his job to be fair. If someone's doing that regularly they're probably doing other stuff too. He could have been a bully on his final warning. You don't know. Don't feel bad, karma will sort it all out xx

I paid extra to have a parcel tracked to Australia. It was tracked as far as leaving this country, then nothing. When I compkained, I was told they tracked it as far as they could. Totally usekess, I will not be sending items tracked with Royal Mail again, and will use an alternative for anything expensive.

We have had similar and complained. Its one particular lazy postman who can't be bothered to ring the bell. I have stood and watched him!

Items of £100 left in shared hallway with easy access from the street if anyone was watching. Low crime area but it's bloody irritating.

I would complain.

I had a parcel thrown over the gate of what postie obviously assumed was my garden. Only it wasn't my garden it was the garden of an empty property whose gate happens to be attached to my house. The tracking info showed a photograph of the parcel balanced on the top of said gate and stated it had been left in my 'safe place'.

My regular postie was on annual leave that week. Think his replacement must've thought he was working for Amazon 🙄

Getting a bit worried now. Sent a parcel to Canada over a week ago. When I track it it says that it has left the UK. Then when I move over to Canada Post there is nothing. Last year when sending a parcel to the same address it took a least 2 months to get there but when tracking it online it did state where the parcel was. even though it sat there for weeks before being delivered

I'd complain, OP. And for what it's worth, in my area they apparently are doing 'signed for' mail again. I missed 2 parcels the other day (which previously our postie would just mark an X on) and had to go to the depot to collect (which is frustratingly doing limited opening hours so not ideal!!)

I'd tell them your mail hadn't arrived. Because it might not have done.

@Lincslady53

I paid extra to have a parcel tracked to Australia. It was tracked as far as leaving this country, then nothing. When I compkained, I was told they tracked it as far as they could. Totally usekess, I will not be sending items tracked with Royal Mail again, and will use an alternative for anything expensive.

This exact thing happened to me too. And every time I send a parcel to Australia I get asked if I want it tracked. Every time I tell them that they are asking me to pay for a service they are not really offering. It is extremely irritating. They pretend to be surprised each time I explain their product to them.