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lying customers

Postal workers discussion forum. Discuss the day to day life in a Blue Shirt.
postmanplod2025
Posts: 99
Joined: 03 Jun 2025, 17:07
Gender: Male

lying customers

Post by postmanplod2025 »

Just looking for different peoples advice about lying customers, the ones who u have delivered a parcel to a safe place and deny getting it in the place u put it , i think we are given bad advice, we take a photo of the safeplace to leave a parcel but we are then told to put a red short notice telling them where it is, ive had a few customers saying oh whats this i can't find anything at my side door or in my back door,

its hard to remember every parcel u deliver but if u put a safeplace notice through it means automatically the customer is at it and saying they dont have it,

what do u do in this situation, im not so sure leaving a short notice is the best advice to tell them where it is, when the pda should be enough u would think seems to confuse some customers into lets deny we got it
TooManyLoops
Posts: 128
Joined: 11 Oct 2016, 19:28
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by TooManyLoops »

Unless it comes up on the PDA, I don't leave them. Not worth the risk
yellowbelly
Posts: 3626
Joined: 23 Jun 2015, 15:51
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by yellowbelly »

postmanplod2025 wrote:
25 Oct 2025, 17:50
Just looking for different peoples advice about lying customers, the ones who u have delivered a parcel to a safe place and deny getting it in the place u put it , i think we are given bad advice, we take a photo of the safeplace to leave a parcel but we are then told to put a red short notice telling them where it is, ive had a few customers saying oh whats this i can't find anything at my side door or in my back door,

its hard to remember every parcel u deliver but if u put a safeplace notice through it means automatically the customer is at it and saying they dont have it,

what do u do in this situation, im not so sure leaving a short notice is the best advice to tell them where it is, when the pda should be enough u would think seems to confuse some customers into lets deny we got it
There are some dodgy customers, but it doesn't 'automatically mean the customer is at it'

I've had situations when a partner/secondary school age kids/mother in law looking after the dogs etc. have seen the 739 recovered a parcel, took it in then not told 'Mum' it's in the house or they've got it.

Also there are such things as porch pirates regrettably.

The PDA safeplace and picture by itself is not enough, a 739 is also required. For example Moonpig 'surprise' birthday parcels sent by a relative won't be known about by the recipient because they didn't order it, so don't get a text/email, same with Granny sending young Tommy a tracked birthday present via the Post Office.

If a customer still says they haven't got it, raises a complaint - whatever - then that address goes on your hitlist for never 'safeplacing', 739 twice and bring it back.
TopperGas
Posts: 3282
Joined: 13 Feb 2021, 22:46
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by TopperGas »

postmanplod2025 wrote:
25 Oct 2025, 17:50
Just looking for different peoples advice about lying customers, the ones who u have delivered a parcel to a safe place and deny getting it in the place u put it , i think we are given bad advice, we take a photo of the safeplace to leave a parcel but we are then told to put a red short notice telling them where it is, ive had a few customers saying oh whats this i can't find anything at my side door or in my back door,

its hard to remember every parcel u deliver but if u put a safeplace notice through it means automatically the customer is at it and saying they dont have it,

what do u do in this situation, im not so sure leaving a short notice is the best advice to tell them where it is, when the pda should be enough u would think seems to confuse some customers into lets deny we got it
If you've taken a photo surely your manager just contacts the customer and points out to them where the parcel was left, or are you saying the customer is stating DoR after being told where you left the parcel?

I had a guy yesterday turn up saying he's checked with his neighbour next door and they didn't have his parcel, I told that wasn't surprising as I left with his next door but one neighbour as per the 739. He sheepishly replied that his daughter just said it was as his neighbours and he never personally checked the 739.
Last edited by TopperGas on 25 Oct 2025, 21:16, edited 1 time in total.
Clappedoutpostie
Posts: 1235
Joined: 05 Nov 2021, 21:46
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by Clappedoutpostie »

Should have a marker on the address for a certain time period after a claiming not to have received.


Whilst we are on the subject it’s the ones that come chasing u down the street waving the 739 without even reading it that do my head in.
postmanplod2025
Posts: 99
Joined: 03 Jun 2025, 17:07
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by postmanplod2025 »

no there is people who are at it, ones that take the parcel then deny they got it because they want to put a claim in and get either a refund or an extra item so dont be so naieve, just like some people say they didnt get their fries with their big mac and they did and then go up and get an extra helping
Hitcher
Posts: 1460
Joined: 20 Sep 2009, 09:59
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by Hitcher »

If that happens then always leave them card and take it back to the office.

Would be nice if the PDA popped up with a message for these types of customers though.
menditsa
Posts: 371
Joined: 22 Jun 2024, 08:06
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by menditsa »

yellowbelly wrote:
25 Oct 2025, 18:51
The PDA safeplace and picture by itself is not enough, a 739 is also required. For example Moonpig 'surprise' birthday parcels sent by a relative won't be known about by the recipient because they didn't order it, so don't get a text/email, same with Granny sending young Tommy a tracked birthday present via the Post Office.
Had exact this with a new agency DPR driver yesterday, nice enough lad asked if he was getting on ok and this came up in conversation.
Can't blame the lad, went out with another longer serving agency driver for 2 days then thrown out on his own on day 3.
twoloops
Posts: 1987
Joined: 24 May 2017, 20:52
Gender: Male
Location: Sheffield

Re: lying customers

Post by twoloops »

Not in, take it back is the right answer :wave
BenacreNick
Posts: 1146
Joined: 18 Jul 2022, 13:27
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by BenacreNick »

No Twoloops, because you have the same problem the next day.
michael147
Posts: 82
Joined: 19 Jul 2007, 22:51
Location: TURIN

Re: lying customers

Post by michael147 »

Work in a rural area and a couple of crackers spring to mind.
left parcel in an outhouse on top of a pile of logs, next morning pleasant enough older couple one a journo one a head of dept at a local school `we cannot find it (left note with exact description as i have stated).
Walked round side of house to outhouse there was parcel exactly as i had left it!
Left parcel in a garage, which was in itself locked but had a large cat flap (more suitable for a dog) at the side so slid parcel in no problem, about as safe as you can get.
Next day my cover rang me saying he was at the property and couple (both professional people) were asking where the parcel was?
I said its in the garage as my note stated, he replied `they say it cannot be as its locked` Me `have they CHECKED the garage`?
They had not, assumed i had made a mistake and they really needed it (this happened on a Saturday before a BH).
Cue an interesting conversation next time i saw them when they said could i not just leave it at the front door (house on quite a busy B road, no porch, weather problems, could be out all day) as they did not use the garage.
This all seemed rather irrelevant as its next to the house, they have the keys and its a secure locked location, as i explained.
`Yes, but we did not get it and it caused a problem` they retorted.
The problem was as as i told them that ,they simply would not believe what i told them!
Hitcher
Posts: 1460
Joined: 20 Sep 2009, 09:59
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by Hitcher »

BenacreNick wrote:
26 Oct 2025, 06:20
No Twoloops, because you have the same problem the next day.
Then you leave a second card - how's that a problem?
heraldmoth
Posts: 690
Joined: 22 Jun 2014, 15:58
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by heraldmoth »

Get a com or PHG to check the gps of the delivery, if it shows where you said it would be u get to move on with your life. Customers are at it look at the claims paid out especially by senders
richietns
Posts: 1070
Joined: 17 Oct 2011, 18:09
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by richietns »

Because the jobs hard enough nevermind taking shitload of parcels back for next day.
TopperGas
Posts: 3282
Joined: 13 Feb 2021, 22:46
Gender: Male

Re: lying customers

Post by TopperGas »

michael147 wrote:
26 Oct 2025, 07:17
Work in a rural area and a couple of crackers spring to mind.
left parcel in an outhouse on top of a pile of logs, next morning pleasant enough older couple one a journo one a head of dept at a local school `we cannot find it (left note with exact description as i have stated).
Walked round side of house to outhouse there was parcel exactly as i had left it!
Left parcel in a garage, which was in itself locked but had a large cat flap (more suitable for a dog) at the side so slid parcel in no problem, about as safe as you can get.
Next day my cover rang me saying he was at the property and couple (both professional people) were asking where the parcel was?
I said its in the garage as my note stated, he replied `they say it cannot be as its locked` Me `have they CHECKED the garage`?
They had not, assumed i had made a mistake and they really needed it (this happened on a Saturday before a BH).
Cue an interesting conversation next time i saw them when they said could i not just leave it at the front door (house on quite a busy B road, no porch, weather problems, could be out all day) as they did not use the garage.
This all seemed rather irrelevant as its next to the house, they have the keys and its a secure locked location, as i explained.
`Yes, but we did not get it and it caused a problem` they retorted.
The problem was as as i told them that ,they simply would not believe what i told them!
Amazon and Evri are making doorstepping the norm, I'd imagine one day we'll all be told to doorstep in lower crime risk areas as RM are losing so much work to the competition, what's the point in RM hiding parcels/taking them back to the DO when the competition just leave it on doorsteps?