Why do postmen mis-deliver?

[FedUpwithRblmnM]

I keep getting mail going missing, some of it's v important and has my DOB, NI number, tax code etc on them. I've complained and what happens is that the postman in question, goes off sick. This makes the delivery office even more busy. Would a postman mis-deliver mail for a customer who has complained in the past, on purpose, so that they can go off sick siting stress due to being investigated (for mis-delivering mail)? (Because they want that customer to log a complaint so they can go off sick while being investigated.)

In my street, there's lots of ppl who have said that they've received mail meant for others - say there's no mail for No4 but No 4 gets No6's mail, No6 gets No 8's mail etc etc. That's what happens but I'm just unlucky that my neighbours are ucktards and never return my mail.

[Snaggletooth]

Would a postman mis-deliver mail for a customer who has complained in the past, on purpose, so that they can go off sick siting stress due to being investigated (for mis-delivering mail)?

Royal Mail have sacked people before for not delivering the mail properly. Going sick with stress is not in itself a sackable offence, although in extreme cases it could lead to medical severance. So what you are alleging makes no sense.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

I keep getting mail going missing, some of it's v important and has my DOB, NI number, tax code etc on them. I've complained and what happens is that the postman in question, goes off sick. This makes the delivery office even more busy. Would a postman mis-deliver mail for a customer who has complained in the past, on purpose, so that they can go off sick siting stress due to being investigated (for mis-delivering mail)? (Because they want that customer to log a complaint so they can go off sick while being investigated.)

No. What you are suggesting would not work as the investigation would continue whilst they are off sick and if it was found to be deliberate they would be suspended and or sacked. Also repeated occasions of the same mistake could mean that they are on a dismissal warning. So from an insider your suggestion is not logical.

It's either a genuine error or there is some local issue that is helping the postie to misdeliver. Or its a lapsed round that multiple posties deliver on, and 20 years experience of delivering post these types of duties are the ones that have the most complaints/issues.

Your best bet is not to raise the issue with the posties, or customer services, but if you can ask to speak to a manager and get them to address the situation. In the past, they used to make notices to highlight issues like yours and that generally solved it.

[Stinkycat22]

Just this past Sunday I had a postie (being a Sunday I'm sure it wasn't one of the regular posties we get) deliver my tracked 24 packet to number 86 instead of my house number 98.

I live in a block of flats and the postboxes are all just past the entrance to the block. Address was printed so clearly legible. Luckily the pic was clear enough for me to make out the number on the postbox so I went to knock on number 86's door and the guy checked his postbox and there was my packet.

I complained via Twitter and was told postie might have read the number upside down. He took the pic with the address not upside down so how he didn't see that 98 was nothing like 86 escapes me. If the item hadn't been tracked I wouldn't have known it was delivered or where and not everyone is honest and they could have taken my stuff.

Was told an investigation would be done and of course I won't be informed of the outcome. It's the second time it happens since living in this block of flats.

The contents were sensitive data (not worth special delivery though) so I was kind of panicking at the possibility of them being stolen.

[yellowbelly]

Just this past Sunday I had a postie (being a Sunday I'm sure it wasn't one of the regular posties we get) deliver my tracked 24 packet to number 86 instead of my house number 98.

I live in a block of flats and the postboxes are all just past the entrance to the block. Address was printed so clearly legible. Luckily the pic was clear enough for me to make out the number on the postbox so I went to knock on number 86's door and the guy checked his postbox and there was my packet.

I complained via Twitter and was told postie might have read the number upside down. He took the pic with the address not upside down so how he didn't see that 98 was nothing like 86 escapes me. If the item hadn't been tracked I wouldn't have known it was delivered or where and not everyone is honest and they could have taken my stuff.

Was told an investigation would be done and of course I won't be informed of the outcome. It's the second time it happens since living in this block of flats.

The contents were sensitive data (not worth special delivery though) so I was kind of panicking at the possibility of them being stolen.

Ok, error by the postie in question, but as by way of explanation the postie might have grabbed the packet upside down, read it as 86 and then just not read the address again when he got to 86's door to take the photo.

When I'm taking a delivery photo, my aim is to get some sort of recognisable feature in the photo and not read the address again, but as I've got a regular round with relatively static population I'd hopefully recognise the name associated with the address beforehand.

As you've suggested being a Sunday delivery, the postie was probably not your Mon-Sat regular who hopefully wouldn't have made the error. The Sunday posties normally just delivered Tracked parcels not letters in most places.