This weeks Courier front page

[eastie]

Sorry you were out cards,
"complaints soar over cards put through doors by postmen while residents were actually in" ......Daily Mail

Yes sometimes customers ARE in but they have to answer the bloody door !!
Everyday I have one person who is in but doesnt answer the door.
WHAT THEY DONT TELL YOU IS :-
1/They had heaphones on and were singing at the top of their voice and couldnt hear you knocking and ringing the bell.
2/They were hoovering upstairs
3/Sunbathing in the garden
4/ asleep on the sofa
5/ Having a bath or shower
6/ doing Zumba upstairs to loud music
Do they actually think us postmen like writing a docket out and carry a packet for the rest of the loop rather than deliver the parcel ?

[motherhubbard]

Do they actually think us postmen like writing a docket out and carry a packet for the rest of the loop rather than deliver the parcel ?

No. They think you haven't bothered bringing the packet out in the first place.

[TheCobra]

Agreed, the front cover is riduculous.

There's always 2 sides to every story, I guarantee that 95% of postmen hate writing out a card and would much rather get rid of the parcel.

We live in a country now where it is so common to complain, so easy to do and of course 'the customer is always right' - even when they're wrong. The majority of these clowns will have been upstairs, in the bath/shower or are just half-deaf and then just want to blame someone else.

Unless there is one postman always getting P739 complaints, then I think that a large percentage of these complaints will be a moany customer rather than an incompetent postman.

Another point to make is, that if there really are a load of postmen that I'm not aware of, who really couldn't give a toss and just write out cards and quickly move on, then what do Royal Mail really expect when they've got us by the bollocks on rubbish little temporary contracts on short hours and squeezing as much as humanly possible (and more) into each delivery.

Yep, that COurier front cover has got right up my nose.

[newtimes]

The Courier July/August 2012 page 8 Article "Success on the cards"
"When it comes to P739s Stephen has a failsafe tactic. "I ring the bell and wait 15 seconds. If no one answers, I ring the bell again and wait another 15 seconds. Then I'll knock the door and wait 15 seconds more. Only then will I start filling in the P739.'

Page 7 "Myth Buster-It's not junk"
"85% of people are happy to receive door drops of interest"
note "receive door drops of interest"
does this mean 100% of people do not want to receive door drops of non-interest, that would then be junk mail.

"7% average response to door drops" that means 93% is junk mail

MYTH BUSTER ONLY 93% OF DOOR DROPS IS JUNK MAIL

for interest http://newsthump.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mr Rush]

Thanks, Courier:

Wait.
Knock on the door or ring the bell again before completing a P739 card if no response.

I heard last month an agency worker in my office got caught in a logic loop. His P&L partner went to find him after waiting twenty minutes and he was trying to get a signature - they were in but wouldn't answer. He didn't want to put a 739 through because, obviously, they were in. His more experienced colleague told him to "f*ck 'em" if they wouldn't answer. Of course, from behind a desk the customer is always right.

[fishtank]

Royal Mail should really make their minds up whether they want the revisions to work or they want us climbing up ladders knocking on bedroom windows.
I really couldn't care less whether someone is in when i card them,i ring and knock,very loudly(at the same time BTW "Stephen from the Courier" ) and if nobody comes to the door...i card them.
It's not my job to jump through hoops in case they might be doing the hoovering wearing headphones or out the back trimming their bush.

[Straight4ward]

It's not my job to jump through hoops in case they might be - - - - out the back trimming their bush.

Take a camera with you, there's probably a lucrative market for those sort of photos.

[delboy1969]

That myth buster thing made me chuckle, I hate delivering junk mail sorry door to doors to a customer when I have no other mail or just a parcel, I can whole heartedly say in 6 months of doing the job I have had a 100% response of 'oh that is rubbish' or something similar

The other bit really made us out as the bad guys. I knock wait a few seconds, start writing the card and knock again. Whilst I'm sure there are posties who don't bother to knock at all I'm sure these are the minority. Plus as has been said there is nothing worse than carting packages around all day especially if walking or on a bike.

[daveyeff]

Royal Mail should really make their minds up whether they want the revisions to work or they want us climbing up ladders knocking on bedroom windows.
I really couldn't care less whether someone is in when i card them,i ring and knock,very loudly(at the same time BTW "Stephen from the Courier" ) and if nobody comes to the door...i card them.
It's not my job to jump through hoops in case they might be doing the hoovering wearing headphones or out the back trimming their bush.

fnnarr fnnarr

[Dorset Plodder]

A fellow Postie gave me a tip......If you can hear loud music blasting out from the bedroom write "Loud Music Playing" on the 739! When they turn up at the Office to complain the PHG simply says, "Says here you had loud music playing...perhaps that why you didn't hear him"?

Once she even wrote.....Sounds of noisy love making coming from upstairs! Strangely enough that customer didn't complain!

On a serious point if the Courier winds you up just Refuse it like any other piece of junk mail. I've been doing it a long time and I finally got a letter from RM asking me if didn't want to receive the Courier any more. Talk about quick on the uptake!

[Grinder64]

On a serious point if the Courier winds you up just Refuse it like any other piece of junk mail. I've been doing it a long time and I finally got a letter from RM asking me if didn't want to receive the Courier any more. Talk about quick on the uptake!

Mine's returned in the usual fashion as has similarly been the case for aeons; here's hoping that they offer me the same option...

[General Mannerheim]

Or come on guys it's a reet riveting read!
Where else do you get to see so many happy faces and read such wonderful propaganda?
Don't say the Voice as there's some right miserable feckers in there,usually the guy on page two who looks like Uncle Fester.

[kmite]

Chased my postie down the road with my courier. Thought he had a big parcel for me

[General Mannerheim]

Chased my postie down the road with my courier. Thought he had a big parcel for me

Ohhhhh Matron!

[dvbuk55]

A fellow Postie gave me a tip......If you can hear loud music blasting out from the bedroom write "Loud Music Playing" on the 739! When they turn up at the Office to complain the PHG simply says, "Says here you had loud music playing...perhaps that why you didn't hear him"?

Once she even wrote.....Sounds of noisy love making coming from upstairs! Strangely enough that customer didn't complain!

On a serious point if the Courier winds you up just Refuse it like any other piece of junk mail. I've been doing it a long time and I finally got a letter from RM asking me if didn't want to receive the Courier any more. Talk about quick on the uptake!

So this idea of climbing ladders to look through the bedroom window does have some merit though I'd prefer a cherry picker!