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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Today I was leaving the house as the postmas posted 3 'sorry you were out' cards through the door

93 replies

VirginMaryWearsPrimark · 11/12/2009 21:36

Not only did he not press our doorbell but he didn't even have the parcels.

Is it some cost cutting thing so they make us collect them from the depot?

OP posts:

paisleyleaf · 14/12/2009 13:27

Consumer Focus were talking about this very thing on radio 4 earlier, and said it will also be on tonight's Panorama.

ln1981 · 14/12/2009 14:25

This happens round here too-most annoying! Even worse when you are actully in and when the time they said that they called hasnt even passed yet!! Round here its more likely ot happen on a Friday for some reason, and you always have to wait 24hours. Collection is only open for 3hours on a sat and its always busy, so no point.

To be fair though, our regular postie isnt too bad but you always know when they have changed...

JustAnotherManicMummy · 14/12/2009 14:33

Some of them are right lazy buggers.

I think there are pockets where they are paricularly bad. Sadly I live in one.

We once collect 7 parcels from the collection point (I kid you not) after receiving 1 "sorry you were out.." card. Some were nearly 3 months old.

I've tried to complain, but I just get "maybe you thought the cards were junk mail" or "maybe you didn't hear the door bell".

I live in a 2 up, 2 down so I'm never further than 5 metres from the front door and I have a feckin' English degree... so I can read and tell junk mail from RM calling cards.

Bastards

CMOTdibbler · 14/12/2009 14:33

My postie is fab, and even if someone else does actually miss you, our sorting office has it's own free carpark and is open from 7am, so no real hassle. The CityLink man will come back later with a parcel for us.

Parcelforce on the other hand will stuff a card through with narey a knock

Fibilou · 14/12/2009 18:11

I ordered a pair of diamond earrings once from an online jewellers. They weren't a fortune but they were £50 so not something that you don't mind getting nicked. Anyway they were sent signed for delivery.

I found them outside my house, clearly packaged "Hot Diamonds" and the signed for bit poked through the door with a signature scrawled on it. On closer inspection the postman had forged a signature in my name and had passed it off at the depot that I had signed for it.

I wrote a really shitty letter of complaint and didn't even get the courtesy of a response.

ChrisMissWooWoo · 14/12/2009 18:22

round here in SE London, if your parcel is too big for the letterbox you have to go and collect it. They don't ring the bell, they don't bring the parcels.

It's a fucking pain quite frankly esp at this time of the year.

yes yes I know it's not postie's fault that they don't have enough staff but ffs anyhow

StewieGriffinsMom · 14/12/2009 18:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

monkeyfeathers · 14/12/2009 20:38

we don't seem to have a regular postie. Or we have a succession of short-lived posties. We literally never get the post at the same time of day. This sometimes happens to us too. I'm usually sitting in the livingroom with the baby (as I'm on maternity leave) where the postie can see me when it happens. They definitely don't knock.

We've also noticed that any mail we get that it obviously a greetings card arrives with the envelope ripped a little bit in the top, non-stamped corner. It's ripped just enough for someone to have had a peek in to check for money. No one ever sends us cash in cards so whoever's doing it is inevitably disappointed. A number of DVD/videogame shaped parcels from play.com have also mysteriously gotten lost in the post too.

I used to live in a block of flats next door to the depot. We'd never get any mail addressed to our flat, but plenty for people in other flats in the building/flats in the next building/flats in a completely different street/etc. Actually we once got a card addressed to a completely different town (in Wales when we're in England) with a completely different postcode.

Actually, just watching panorama, it seems our erratic post could well be due to living at the end of a route.

BalloonSlayer · 14/12/2009 21:04

Blimey on reading this I think our postie must be fab and must give him a tip. (Even though he does light a fag just before getting out of the van and exhale two massive lungfulls through our letter box as we tend to be the first house on the list.)

I once had appalling service from those wankers Parcelforce when I had paid for next day delivery through Amazon. I complained through Amazon and received a refund of my delivery charge immediately, which surprised me.

Seriously, if you are paying Amazon for next day delivery and do not get that because the postman did not ring your doorbell when you were in, it's worth a try. You have paid Amazon, not the Post Office.

Poledra · 14/12/2009 21:15

Just to help the balance, our posties are great - they always have the parcel with them and the cards are clearly scrawled on the doorstep. One of them knocked once, and it took me a while to get the door, so he was writing the card when I got there. He looked at my heavily-pregnant stomach, then at the Bloomin' Marvellous package and said 'Well, I should have worked out that it might take you a while to answer the bell!'

ParcelForce, on the other hand, have left a parcel containing a Nintendo DS on top of my stormporch! Granted no-one could see it, but could they guarantee the parcel was water-proof??

StrictlyKatty · 14/12/2009 21:29

I hope my Posty isn't reading this! He's really good Always brings every parcel with him and knows what you'd like doing with them if you're out. RM gets stick but I do believe it's the courier companies that are really bad, I'll hate Hermed and Home Delivery til the day I die

Concordia · 14/12/2009 21:32

we have this problem, it has happened loads of times. DH works shifts and i work part time so much of the day there is someone in. they hardly ever ring the bell, just post the cards through, even when we are really near the front door. one day DH ran round the neighbourhood chasing one of them until he found him and then he went back to his van to pick it up. it costs us time and money to go to the depot for no reason so it is very irritating.
in the past RM used to be really good, but i think it changed about 6-8 years ago. don't get me started on what happened when we triedto redirect our mail as we moved house.....
frankly, if they lose their monopoly it will be because they are a poor performing company who don't focus on customers and Adam Crozier should get his arse into gear.
we don't seem to have a consistent postie now which probably doesn't help.

nothingofthesort · 14/12/2009 22:51

This was on Panorama today. After watching that I did feel sorry for the posties. Looks like they are being overworked.

PurpleLostPrincess · 15/12/2009 08:53

Yes, I too watched Panorama last night and was gobsmacked at what they expect from the posties bless them! I don't understand why they've got rid of so many people, then expect the remaining workers to cover it all with no extra pay or hours!! The subject of this thread was covered too, seems we're not alone! And of course, there's a computer calculating the size of the routes they should be covering - are we being taken over completely??!!

In the meantime, we're waiting in all day today in case our much awaited parcels arrive - have a big sign on the door saying 'Please Knock LOUDLY!' but we'll see...

MadameDuBain · 15/12/2009 09:02

Yes I've had this. I wouldn't even mind collecting from the depot except it's bloody miles away - if I didn't have a car it would be hell (and if you've ever been at christmas it's awful, I once had to queue for hours with DC). For people who have no car or are elderly/disabled etc it's not on. Though you can insist on them bringing it.

Whenever I shop online I always specify "leave parcel in garden" etc. Our old postie used to hide parcels in the bin wrapped in plastic bags.

geordieminx · 15/12/2009 09:06

Mine does this too - It has got to the stage where I am seriously considering sending myself a parcel and then lying in wait for him with a sniper rifle makinbg sure I'd ready to chase him...

GrimmaTheNome · 15/12/2009 09:22

Our postie is good. He has once or twice signed for a letter and pushed it through - with a note on it saying he hoped that was OK. As he'd have been able to hear the dog he'd know we were not on holiday or anything. TBH I'd much rather he did this than not deliver it. And I know he only does this after ringing the bell a couple of times and waiting, because once DH and I were in but didn't want to go to the door.

ChristieF · 15/12/2009 12:25

This drives me mad too. Our delivery postie is not the postie who delivers the mail who is great. The postie who delivers parcels wants reprimanding. He routinely leaves parcels on the doorstep. He rarely knocks on the door. Many is the time I've come home to find a (usually expensive) parcel just sitting there waiting for anyone to pinch. How would I know it had even been delivered if it was pinched? He left a parcel on a neighbour's doorstep and they were on holiday at Disney in Florida. Someone opened it and looked through it but left it there. Often I or my son are in the house and he doesn't knock, just leaves parcels outside on the step. It seems they have too many parcels to deliver and can't be bothered to do their jobs properly. This never happens with courier service. I want to support Royal Mail but even after complaining twice I'm told that that's just the way he is! Unacceptable.

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