Postman leaving packets & parcels in unsafe place, ALDERSHOT

[justys1985]

I have been finding my packets and parcels which don't fit into my postbox (I live in a block of flats and the postboxes are located downstairs next to the exit) laying on the floor next to the bin or underneath my postbox. I am very unhappy with this, if the parcel doesn't fit into the postbox the postman should leave a note to say I need to pick it up from the sorting office. The main entrance to the building is not always locked so very often I would find my parcels propped on my front door, which I didn't actually mind too much as there is a small porch with a separate door that leads inside my flat. But now it seems that even if the main entrance is unlocked, the postman doesn't bother to go to the first floor where my flat is, he dumps my larger items of mail underneath the post boxes and leaves. Anyone could pick them up thinking it's rubbish and bin it, or worse - take it away without telling me.

I had a very similar problem at my previous address also in Aldershot, where the postman would leave my mail which didn't fit through the door on my doorstep, which was actually outside, or behind my wheelie bin. My mail was left in the shed once, the postman never left a note saying it was in a 'safe place' and I reported it missing, just to find it sitting in the shed a month later.

Up to this date since moving to Aldershot I have also had 2 valuable items posted to me through Recorded Signed For go missing without a trace.

I have NEVER experienced such a terrible, lazy and casual postal service anywhere before, not elsewhere in England nor abroad. I have repeatedly complained to Royal Mail about this, only to receive an apology (worded in the exact same way, most likely copy & pasted) but absolutely no improvement in the local postal service whatsoever. I have managed to catch one of the postmen on one occasion and asked them why do they leave my items of mail in an unsafe/unprotected place, and their answer was that it must have been somebody else's shift and they hurried away. I have also noticed that postmen in Aldershot wear plain clothes which is odd to say the least.

Now I ended up having my valuable or large items sent to a friend'a address in Alton as I can't get them delivered to my work. Thankfully my friend doesn't mind but it's not right that I don't feel safe having my important mail posted to where I live.

I am feeling pretty helpless and don't know what else I can do here. Would writing a letter of complaint to the actual sorting office here in Aldershot help, or would that make my situation worse and make a few people angry?

[DGP1]

Talking to the postman is usually the first thing to do but because they seem to be casual staff delivering yours then I doubt that would make a difference, telephoning the DO and complaining to them might be better, they should place a card on the frame telling people to follow procedure and P739 all undeliverable items and return them to the office. Then there's customer services but you may be better trying the Twitter account, @RoyalMail because they seem to be a bit better at dealing with problems.

[delboy1969]

It absolutely appals me customers getting service like this, it is just bone idleness whether it be a Royal Mail or casual employee, just no need for chucking parcels willy nilly. In RM's defence can I just say we are not all like that!

[justys1985]

Thank you for your quick responses. I'm not on twitter and not planning to be and I am assuming you need an account on there to contact RM customer services. I can never catch the postman because they always deliver when I'm not in, and like I said, when we spoke to one they were quite rude and said it wasn't them. I am assuming there is some kind of a manager in place who hired the staff, so maybe if he knew what kind of service they provide he would sort this out? Is there any way I can find out their name and how to contact them? I am expecting a few more deliveries (birthday gifts) and I am really scared they will be dumped on the stairs or the floor again...

[DGP1]

Thank you for your quick responses. I'm not on twitter and not planning to be and I am assuming you need an account on there to contact RM customer services. I can never catch the postman because they always deliver when I'm not in, and like I said, when we spoke to one they were quite rude and said it wasn't them. I am assuming there is some kind of a manager in place who hired the staff, so maybe if he knew what kind of service they provide he would sort this out? Is there any way I can find out their name and how to contact them? I am expecting a few more deliveries (birthday gifts) and I am really scared they will be dumped on the stairs or the floor again...

Depending on the size of the office, there could be 1 manager or 12, so there's not one person we could tell you to talk to, as I said, you could try phoning the DO and talking to the manager who is available. Maybe you could call into the office and talk to the counter staff but remember that you'll only be talking to staff so it's not worth getting angry with them.

[kawoxux]

I know it shouldnt happen at all, but I would definitely leave a post it note saying not to do it, that would stop the problem in the immediate short term anyway, hopefully..

But if they havent got uniform it sounds like theyre probabaly casuals who will get zero training and are paid cock all and it probabaly is someone different most of the time

[justys1985]

There is lack of training, and then there is ignorance and not giving a toss about other people's property. I work as a contractor (not for Royal Mail) and I have to work my hardest to even be considered for a contract extension or a pay rise. No matter how low the wage one should still do their job properly and with common sense and I do not support making excuses such as lack of training or low wage for people who are blatantly being disrespectful ar*eholes. One would think that Royal Mail cares about their reputation and performance but they don't! Just like the government. Oh well, I will be writing a letter of complaint to RM, maybe if it's in the Mail it will make a difference. And I might leave a post it note on my post box but from now on all the important bulky mail will be going to a different address where the postman actually cares about his job.

How about setting traps for the naughty contractors "Home Alone" style?

[mazza111]

It's wise to set up a twitter account just for scenarios like this. I found the twitter staff very helpful and professional, and it did stop my daughter's problem for a couple of weeks.

[hantsman]

There is lack of training, and then there is ignorance and not giving a toss about other people's property. I work as a contractor (not for Royal Mail) and I have to work my hardest to even be considered for a contract extension or a pay rise. No matter how low the wage one should still do their job properly and with common sense and I do not support making excuses such as lack of training or low wage for people who are blatantly being disrespectful ar*eholes. One would think that Royal Mail cares about their reputation and performance but they don't! Just like the government. Oh well, I will be writing a letter of complaint to RM, maybe if it's in the Mail it will make a difference. And I might leave a post it note on my post box but from now on all the important bulky mail will be going to a different address where the postman actually cares about his job.

How about setting traps for the naughty contractors "Home Alone" style?

Have you writtern a letter to the actual delivery office concerned?

[fishtank]

No matter how low the wage one should still do their job properly and with common sense and I do not support making excuses such as lack of training or low wage for people who are blatantly being disrespectful ar*eholes.

I am surprised that one is so naive to believe that reward and training and professionalism are not linked since it is the cornerstone of the capitalist theory.
One wouldn't take £500 to one's local Bentley dealership and expect to drive away with a Continental GT but it would seem that one expects the best of service from the working classes and still pay the minimum of wages.
I don't support a lack of professionalism but occasionally one has to climb down from the pedestal of sanctimony and dip one's toe in the stagnant pool of reality.
Wasn't it that paragon of Capitalist virtue Sir James Goldsmith who said "If you pay peanuts...you get monkeys"...or in this case disrespectful ar*eholes.?
Perhaps in your letter to Royal Mail you could question the use of poorly trained,poorly paid casuals at a time when so many are desperate for secure,reasonably paid jobs since it seems that the crux of the problem is in fact the constant drive to reduce costs married to a frankly insane belief by both the business and customers that this should have no effect on quality.
Please believe me this rant is not personal and is simply a wish that customers would understand what this current race to the bottom will ultimately achieve...much more of the sub standard service you are receiving unfortunately.

[Militantdave]

i would like to make it perfectly clear for this MAIL RECIPIANT not customer. the customer and therefor the contract is with the one sending the item.

First,you only get one delivery point ,thats your post box.the guy who climbed the stairs to put them at your door was going the extra mile.Hope you tipped him well though i very much doubt it.

second,most people (nearly all)donot want to be bothered by a card and journey to pick up there parcels and demand that they are left .

third,yes your postie should take them back and issue you a card.And if you actually bothered to speak to him ,thats probably exactly what he would be doing.

fourth ,in my view the sooner we start surcharging people who are not home to recive these packets the better.or return them after 2 days like every other firm.

unfortunatly you are one of those sadly unrare bread that complain first then complain some more instead of simply communicating your wishes with the guy concerned

[justys1985]

i would like to make it perfectly clear for this MAIL RECIPIANT not customer. the customer and therefor the contract is with the one sending the item.

First,you only get one delivery point ,thats your post box.the guy who climbed the stairs to put them at your door was going the extra mile.Hope you tipped him well though i very much doubt it.

second,most people (nearly all)donot want to be bothered by a card and journey to pick up there parcels and demand that they are left .

third,yes your postie should take them back and issue you a card.And if you actually bothered to speak to him ,thats probably exactly what he would be doing.

fourth ,in my view the sooner we start surcharging people who are not home to recive these packets the better.or return them after 2 days like every other firm.

unfortunatly you are one of those sadly unrare bread that complain first then complain some more instead of simply communicating your wishes with the guy concerned

Hello dear Contractor Dave and thank you for your disgruntled response. A recipient is still a customer who can make a claim or a complaint, you know.

Firstly, the guy who's gone the "extra mile" to *climb* the stairs to my apartment with my mail did not do this to help me out, he did this because he could not be bothered to write a card out and take it back to the sorting office like a professional postman should. I didn't ask for it, yes it saved me a couple of 5 minute trips to the sorting office which is actually open in decent hours so I can pick up my own mail with no problems - thank you. Did the monkey who left my mail on the floor in the corridor also do me a favour, cos I would love to *tip* him for it?

Secondly, maybe I am in the minority but I actually prefer to have a card put through my door so I know exactly where the items that belong to me are instead of looking around the floor in the corridor or upstairs, hoping nobody took them.

Thirdly, do I have to explain in simple terms to you that me and my partner are both in full time employment and therefore not able to be home all mornings and afternoons waiting for packets and parcels to arrive? I can see how an unemployed or retired person has the time to sit around and wait for their postman to ring the bell or knock on the door but I do not. Catching a postman is another issue, they don't wear a uniform or introduce themselves, and if you manage to catch one and ask them not to dump your mail, they'll say it was someone else's shift. Any other ideas?

Fourthly - for the love of God, really? You already charge for redelivery, is that not enough? It is your job to deliver and look after mail, YOU provide a service and YOU get paid for it - so DO IT. I would really like to see royal mail try charging people because they weren't home when their mail arrived, that actually made me laugh. As for other delivery companies, I recommend you research their delivering policies. Yes they charge a bit more, but there is phone and online tracking (proper tracking as in where your item is, not the highly uninformative "The item is being processed through our network" which normally means it's lost, anyway). They put a note through the door if you're not in and you can arrange a redelivery or a pick up free of charge. And they don't send it back in 2 days, they wait at least a week and will only send it back if you didn't contact them.

I find your arrogance amusing and misplaced at the same time, Dave. If anything, you should be embarrassed that all over the country, people receive a bad service and lose valuable items because of arrogant contractors who blame their shortcomings on low wages and lack of training. Look at yourselves, think outside of the box, how would you feel if something you waited and paid for never arrived, or was left by a bin like some piece of trash? We live in difficult economic times and royal mail made the mistake of hiring people who don't have the will or drive to do their jobs properly and with respect to other people's property. They say that a happy worker is a good worker but it seems that having a job, even if not permanent, during recession is still not enough to make some people happy and motivate them to do their best to keep it.

All my bulky mail goes to a friend's address now, she's got a lovely postman (just the one) and I had no problems since.

[justys1985]

It's wise to set up a twitter account just for scenarios like this. I found the twitter staff very helpful and professional, and it did stop my daughter's problem for a couple of weeks.

Just a couple of weeks? That's still not great!

[justys1985]

No matter how low the wage one should still do their job properly and with common sense and I do not support making excuses such as lack of training or low wage for people who are blatantly being disrespectful ar*eholes.

I am surprised that one is so naive to believe that reward and training and professionalism are linked since it is the cornerstone of the capitalist theory.
One wouldn't take £500 to one's local Bentley dealership and expect to drive away with a Continental GT but it would seem that one expects the best of service from the working classes and still pay the minimum of wages.
I don't support a lack of professionalism but occasionally one has to climb down from the pedestal of sanctimony and dip one's toe in the stagnant pool of reality.
Wasn't it that paragon of Capitalist virtue Sir James Goldsmith who said "If you pay peanuts...you get monkeys"...or in this case disrespectful ar*eholes.?
Perhaps in your letter to Royal Mail you could question the use of poorly trained,poorly paid casuals at a time when so many are desperate for secure,reasonably paid jobs since it seems that the crux of the problem is in fact the constant drive to reduce costs married to a frankly insane belief by both the business and customers that this should have no effect on quality.
Please believe me this rant is not personal and is simply a wish that customers would understand what this current race to the bottom will ultimately achieve...much more of the sub standard service you are receiving unfortunately.

I am not naive, nor do I deny that lack of rewards or training are directly linked to productivity. I don't want to be ignorant and say it is not my problem that royal mail won't pay more to their causal staff, but it doesn't happen everywhere (well, yet) and I still believe there are people out there who would KILL to get a contract job and they would work their hardest. Plus I absolutely don't see the logic in employing a bunch of muppets instead of one good postman, and struggle to believe it works out cheaper.

I would not say that I'm on some kind of a 'pedestal', more like on the receiving end and I had no positive results after contacting royal mail so far - or the actual contractors in question. Even if I do include the idea of hiring fewer people with the right attitude and a better wage in my letter of complaint to rm, it will stay the way it is and we all know it. They'll just keep increasing their prices every year and worrying more about their profits rather than the service they provide.

[justdeno]

I have never heard of RM charging for a redelivery, they have to keep the items for at least 2 weeks. I have on numerous occasions, had to take the same parcel to the address every day for a week. The person was not in even though they said they would be in, and asked for a delivery. As for the posties leaving your packets, they should leave a 739, and I pity the postie who dragged themselves up the stairs to give your packet(ungrateful) they did not have to,as your DP is at the lobby. I have had couriers leave my parcels on my doorstep(outside) in the rain(electrical) and be ruined. Just tell the DO to make sure ALL packets are 739'd or you can have them delivered to your place of work, like many people.