Controlled Entry Problems

[gemera]

Just looking for some advice from the guys in the know.

I live in a block of flats with a controlled entry system. About 5 Years ago the mail delivery was pretty sporadic with most of it marked "unable to gain entry" or similar, and post often seemed to make it through only on a Saturday.
It took me about 4 - 5 months of constant pressure on the council to get them to increase the time the service button was active by an hour, which made all the difference and for the last 5 years I have had a good service.

About 6 weeks or so back however the same problem began to manifest - most of my mail is marked that the postman can't gain access and most of the mail is delivered on a Saturday.

So once again I feel a bit like the piggy in the middle.

The council is unlikely to increase the service time further, and in addition act as if there is no real problem.

On the other hand as a private company - I'm unlikely to get much joy by contacting Royal Mail.

So I'm left wondering exactly what I need to do to ensure a good mail service.

[clashcityrocker]

Offer the postie a key.

[NewPostieUK]

So I'm left wondering exactly what I need to do to ensure a good mail service.

We are delivering later now, so the council needs to reflect this in their timing the doors. Blame them if they fail to do this simple thing.

Most postmen start earlier on a saturday, hence catching the door on that day.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

one other issue we have is sometimes if theres been a power outage it throws off the times the doors are set for and the council would need to reset them, not sure if thats what happened but its worth looking into,

but best bet is to give the postie a key

[tasam]

Depending on where the delivery office is in relation to where you live you could decide to collect your mail rather than have it delivered.
Many people decide that collecting their mail to be a viable option.
You should be able to find more information on the Royal Mail website - including how to apply for the service.

Waiting for the building owner to solve the access problems would drive you to distraction.

[gemera]

Well I am considering all options - hadn't thought about the key solution .

The collecting service I thought was about 3000 pounds a year or so?

The PO box with transfer of normal street address is about 365.

The Latter is something I've been seriously thinking about - but even that is a lot of money just to get my mail delivered.

I'm still kinda miffed that I fall outside all regulations in this area. Effectively I have no real rights as far as mail delivery is concerned - despite the fact that like everyone else I rely on it to receive sometimes very critical information.

When I had the problem 5 years back part of the issue was that the postman only had to try and gain entry 3 times before sending mail back to sender, and that caused me all kinds of problems - even financially.

From what I gather this at least has changed and even after 3 goes the postman will still try and deliver.

I mean I can understand from the postman's point of view it must be a bit annoying having to try and deliver the same mail several times over, but from my point of view this uncertainty of delivery can be very stressful.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

the collecting service is free of charge, its called Local Collect, if you phone 08457 740 740 they will set it up for you

[Izzy]

Your door entry system has probably not had the time changed for the autumn clock change. Ask your landlord/council to sort that out, or give the postie a key.

The reason you often get your mail on a Saturday is that it is the day that the postie is more likely to get an answer by buzzing each flat. Not many posties start earlier on a Sat nowadays.

[TeeferTiger]

I'd say tell the council it needs amending as the post leaves the offices later than it used to. And ensure the clocks on the timers were changed when the daylight savings begin/ends. I used to deliver to a whole street of sheltered accommodation that I couldn't get into for 6 months of the year, but fine for the rest of the time :-/

Other than that, you can arrange to collect your mail (free of charge) from your local Delivery Office ensuring it's all there when you want to collect it.

[coxie]

If you see your postie have a word with him make sure he is the regular postie and if you have a spare key or can get one offer it him, you should only then encounter problems when he has a week holiday which may be a bit more tolerable. I've had people give me keys in the past. Other than that by him a fireman entry key for about £15 off eBay if you have fire entry available.

[bigcol]

From what I gather this at least has changed and even after 3 goes the postman will still try and deliver.

It's 18 times now.

[arnold cheshire]

one other issue we have is sometimes if theres been a power outage it throws off the times the doors are set for and the council would need to reset them, not sure if thats what happened but its worth looking into,

but best bet is to give the postie a key

first ive heard of this