Postmen's 'Sorry, you were out' cards: have you been misled?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... isled.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A reader, writing a letter to Tuesday's Daily Telegraph, claims that she consistently receives "sorry, you were out" cards from her postman, even though she works from home

She writes in her letter: "One morning, I cornered him and politely asked why he never knocks to see if I am in. I discovered that not only does he not knock, but he doesn't have any of the parcels with him."

She claims the postman told her that he is only allowed to post three parcels per street or shift. Anymore, and a van delivers the parcels.

"To avoid this, when the postman picks up his batch of letters to deliver, he is also handed a collection of "Sorry, you were out" cards to post through our letter boxes."

Royal Mail deny this could ever happen, because the vans deliver parcels and packets at the same time as the postmen. It would be van drivers – if anyone – who put a "Sorry, you were out" card through a resident's letter box.

Also, they deny any postman – in a van or on foot – would ever deceive a customer in this way.

But have you ever received a "Sorry, you were out card" when you were in fact in the house? Do you believe you now have to collect more letters and parcels from the sorting the office than before?

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Comments

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I often receive a 'Sorry you were out' card and I work from home also - though on some occasions I need to go out. One memorable occasion, when I was having some work done on my house, the front door was open, the carpenter was setting up his work bench by the door and the postman walked in front of him, to drop the 'Sorry You were Out' card, through the letter box!
Sally Young


This has happened a number of times to me. The last time I managed to catch the postman who insisted that he had rung the bell. I then rung it for him demonstrating that not only could I hear it as it was so loud but there was a good chance that most of my street could.

He fled.
John


I too have the same problem. One day I was sat in my living room when I heard the letterbox on my front door. I went to collect my mail and there was a "sorry you were out card". Clearly, they had not knocked and were rushing round my estate as quickly as possible get home. I did mention that this happened a lot to me and that I was not happy about it.

The next day I got an angry and aggressive postman at my door arguing with me about my complaint. Apparently, the people who posted the letters the previos day were not the normal delivery guys, but why do I have to go through such threatening And intimidating behavior on my doorstep?
Paul matthews


A few years ago my postie did exactly this and I, too, cornered him 10 minutes later when I happened to see him outside again.
He insisted he rang the doorbell but I didn't answer. Then, because I'm a journalist in the area and he knew who I was, he started verbally abusing me and laughing in my face.
I reported him... and never heard another thing about it.

[FellChair]

Well, they wouldn't be honest as to why they didn't come to the door would they?

"I was busy rogering the gardener in the rose garden, how very inconsiderate of the postman to deliver a packet when I'm getting a good seeing to"

Felicity Henderson Blanchart-Jones

"I was so pissed from drinking pimms the night before I simply couldn't get out of my four poster bed. Any decent postman should know it's bridge night at the WI on Tuesday and should not attempt to deliver packets on a Wednesday. The service is a shambles!!"

Harriet Turner-Smith

[pinstripe]

I like nothing better than leaving a sorry you were out card for every single packet, so I can then have the pleasure of carrying them all round my whole delivery. Sometimes I even take an extra pouch along with my trolley so I can fit them all in. I mean it's not like our deliveries have got 30% heavier in the last 10 years. Why can't they let us have this fun along with all the Spanish Practices I keep hearing about.
Telegraph and Mail readers please note the use of sarcasm in my post.

[banner18]

What a load of cack!! Funny how they were never doing any of the following isn't it ....

Vacuuming, showering,bathing, stood next to the washer, headphones on, screaming kids next to them, sat with the telly too loud, music on in their back room, hanging their washing out, asleep, in their back room with about 3 shut doors between us and them, not forgetting those that are generally just a bit deaf.

I hear their crap, saying that they didn't hear my knock, then I show them my twenty layered mound of skin on my knuckles due to knocking the hell out of their doors a hundred times a day.

I'm sick of their stupid porches with 2 thick pvc doors to get a sound through, no door bell in sight or one that doesn't work. How hard do you knock on their flimsy windows before it cracks, trying to make them hear from their kitchens?

I am going to invent something called a letter box air horn. When you have a parcel, you go to the door and open their letter box, stick the horn through and let it rip. There'll be no questions then, will there??!!!

[DGP1]

I am going to invent something called a letter box air horn. When you have a parcel, you go to the door and open their letter box, stick the horn through and let it rip. There'll be no questions then, will there??!!!

But you know that they'll then complain that you where too loud (I know that it's happened to me before...............You sound like the police ).

[Thorby Bislam]

And how many have doorbells that dont work ? Loads of them.
I see loads of houses where there is a card stuck on the door or in the window, saying;
"knock on door. Bell doesn't work" or somesuch thing. And some of these cards are fading
and yellowed with age. Obviously been there years.
Now ask yourself this; how many people cant even be bothered to put a card up ?
And how many of them are Telegraph readers ?

[saru]

On packets one Xmas I delivered to a house at 7.30 am....lights blazing, noise coming from inside, no answer to my 2 rings of the bell & a knock on the door, so I knocked louder & tapped on the glass pane with my pen. The door flew open & the lady of the house shouted at me to stop making so much noise, I was going to wake the baby up.

I had a packet for them a couple of days later, same scenario, so a normal knock on the door, no answer...docket left.

[Lincox]

Got a bollucking from one woman for pushing door bell twice. Apparently it woke her baby up that was asleep in the pram/pushchair in the hall. We also need to be able to see through doors. Xray glasses not on uniform inventory lists. God how did Royal Mail forget these.

[opgpat]

i usually knock n' ring twice while listening for any movement from inside before writing out a card. Did this one day and was just wrting in the details after the second round of knocking when the door swung open violently and a Chinese man in his vest and pants appeared and shouted in my face - 'I'M IN DE TOILET!'.

[Spedley]

I often deliver cards from the previous day when the driver was unable to gain entry to leave it himself (because nobody was in).

I can't say I've ever heard of a 3 parcels per street rule but it would be very handy although some streets are hundreds of houses long.

One of the most common complaints I get (and I don't get many) is knocking too loudly - how am I to know you aren't in the garden but waiting behind the door? The only real reply is "sorry, I'll try not to disturb you next time!"

[rhino49]

This item was covered on Radio 2 today on the Jeremy Vine show with a discussion and phone in, for about 20 minutes at approximately 12:35 - get it up on iPlayer listen again - interesting stuff.

[shelanda]

Our PHG was sent out to do part of a delivery he got back and someone came into callers handed over docket left and said 'the postman did not knock I was in all the time' he looked her straight in the eye and said 'Oh yes I did' he said she was shellshocked! But got no argument, this happens a lot too!!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

story has been updated

Royal Mail accused of misleading customers with 'Sorry, you were out' cards http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... cards.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Royal Mail has been accused of misleading customers by allowing postmen to deliver “Sorry, you were out” cards when householders were actually at home.

It is alleged that postmen routinely use the notes to avoid dropping off parcels, forcing residents to travel to their local sorting office to collect them.

The Royal Mail would be in breach of its postal licence if this were the case and could face a fine, postal campaigners have warned.

Postcomm, the industry regulator, said it would investigate any incidences where consumers believed they had been cheated.

The alleged practice was highlighted in a letter to The Daily Telegraph, which prompted scores of other readers to complain about similar experiences over deliveries.

Victoria King, from south London, said: "I was standing in my hall, ready to go out, when one of these cards dropped on my door-matt. I know he did not knock.

"I ran out the door and chased the postman down the street, but he told me I had to go to the depot because he didn't have the parcel. It seemed bonkers."

The Royal Mail, which is embroiled in a row with workers over pay and conditions, insisted that any postmen that failed to deliver parcels were breaking its guidelines and would be disciplined.

"This is most certainly not a policy of the Royal Mail," a spokesman said.

[bandit1157]

a customer of mine mentioned the Jeremy Vine show today. i can't believe postmen would be that stupid, it's so easy to get caught. if the packet is to big or there's too many to carry just leave them for the driver. dim might pull his face but mention overweight bags, cutting off, overtime or better still ask the dim for advice and watch his expression go blank then you will get the usual answer "oh leave it for the driver then". or could it be an official rm operation to clear the backlog.

[Stormproof]

The Royal Mail, which is embroiled in a row with workers over pay and conditions, insisted that any postmen that failed to deliver parcels were breaking its guidelines and would be disciplined.

Its ok for managers to leave them sitting in the office for days on end though!