Postman harassing me, sorting office staff returning my mail to sender claiming I have "gone away"!

Tax Payer · Post by **Tax Payer** » 30 Jun 2018, 13:26

Hi All, very grateful for this forum, wish I had found it sooner. I would be so grateful for an insight from Royal Mail users on this forum, or any advice in relation to my situation.
For well over a year, about 60% of my mail does not reach me. This is always sensitive mail such as medical letters, banking documents, etc.

To make matters worse, with some mail, sorting office staff intercept it and actively prevent delivery by returning it to my bank with a false claim that either I have moved or that they cannot access the address. Both lies.

It has caused me serious problems with my mortgage and banking matters as the bank now refuses to send any mail here because of the obvious security risk. Two different banks have written to me at least 4 times telling me this is what Royal Mail is doing.

Because of medical mail not reaching me, I have missed 3 hospital appointments so far, which led to the nhs throwing me off the list of each specialists. I then had to go back to my GP to be re-referred and it seriously delayed and undermined my care (I have a life-threatening illness).

I have complained to Royal Mail formally at least 10 times and it has been an absolute waste of time; they don’t provide substantive answers, they just send me a generic response each time. They have no interest in resolving the matter, they just deny everything.

I also contacted the security department of Royal Mail because I know they have RIPA powers, but they too did nothing.
Ever since I first complained, the postman has been harassing and victimising me. For example, he verbally abuses me or physically harasses me. For example, if I cross the road to avoid him, he will storm across the road with his trolley and then act like he’s going to hit me with it, but narrowly miss me. I am a female and this is getting out of hand; I am too intimidated to walk in my own neighbourhood, I have been taking a detour for the past year to try and avoid him, but it doesn’t always work. He has shouted at me on the street asking me how DARE I complain, etc.
Since I complained the situation has become worse – more mail is not reaching me and most of the mail that does actually get delivered has clearly been opened; always sensitive mail such as medical or banking information.

I am at my wit’s end and apart from suing Royal Mail in small claims court, I don’t know what else to do. Living in constant fear is having a detrimental effect on my health and I am already seriously ill.
Royal Mail simply denies staff are tampering with my mail (a criminal offence) or that the postman is harassing me (a criminal offence). I have opened a case of harassment with the Police and they were willing to arrest him immediately, the problem is that he would be bailed the same day pending a court appearance and then I would have to run the gauntlet again. I have been advised by the investigating officer to gather more evidence by filming him when he harasses me and I have done this (which sends him into a rage every time), but don’t feel I have enough yet for a successful prosecution.

The fact they won’t even move this individual to another route, but are just letting the situation escalate, is beyond me, as is the fact they won’t do anything about the interference with my mail.
To know that someone has access to ALL your personal data and private circumstances, knows where you live, etc is incredibly intimidating. I have even had to install CCTV on my property. Anyone who is brazen enough to harass women in public while wearing a work uniform and on work time I believe is a serious risk to the public.

In desperation, I have written to the chief executive’s office, but they have failed to address the matter in a meaningful way either (told me to raise a complaint!). What else can I do?

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 30 Jun 2018, 15:13

You have done all you can by the looks of it. All I'd say is next time you expect a confrontation with the postie try and have a friend nearby as both a witness for you and as someone who may change the posties behaviour towards you.

I would also keep pushing the police and Royal Mails security desk to take action.

Other options are you can write to the local delivery manager, or even see them in person (with a friend) and see if they can resolve the situation to both parties satisfaction. Depending on your home insurance you may even be able to get free legal advice to help, though that is a long shot.

The final option is that you could ask the delivery office to hold your mail there and collect it yourself on regular basis. The service is free, and if any of the letters have been opened then you can raise it there and then with the counter staff.

Good luck and I hope it gets resolved.

BeamishStout · Post by **BeamishStout** » 30 Jun 2018, 17:41

I'd also send some test letters to yourself with a return address of a friend to see what happens then....

NWpostie · Post by **NWpostie** » 30 Jun 2018, 19:33

This is quite serious and unwarranted behavior by the Postman.

I've had my share of difficult customers, but for s postman to actively harass a customer is quite something else.

Its a police matter and I would also involve your local MP and write to the area manager since the local manager is doing nothing, tell the local papers nobody likes bad publicity.

I find this whole matter quite strange, fromthe postman to the sorters colluding to frustrate your mail service.

Tax Payer · Post by **Tax Payer** » 06 Jul 2018, 09:25

I I have already done everything suggested. The police will only deal with the harassment, they say the theft of my mail and tampering is a civil matter. I don’t have enough evidence yet for him to be prosecuted successfully for harassment. I don’t want him arrested only to be bailed because then I have to run into him. The sorting office manager says “I doubt he would ever hurt you”. A ridiculous and inadequate response.
I have been frankly staggered at Royal Mail’s lack of interest in dealing with this individual. They are simply allowing the matter to escalate; they don’t even respond to my complaints anymore. Bizarrely, they wrote me a letter claiming they had moved him to another route, but they did not – he is on the same route. Why lie about it? They put me at unnecessary risk by lying because I set off thinking I was safe, only to run into him and be harassed as usual.
He clearly known he is untouchable, why else would you be retarded enough to harass a female in your work uniform, on work time, in public.
Looks like a civil claim is the only way I can deal with this – I have already served Royal Mail with a letter before action and they breached pre-action court protocol by not responding adequately or providing the info I asked for. The court can sanction Royal Mail for this.
I plan to ask the court to instruct Royal Mail to stop tampering with my mail, but the process could be long and drawn out and I really don’t need the hassle.

NewPostieUK · Post by **NewPostieUK** » 06 Jul 2018, 11:46

Have you any idea why anyone would mark your letters as 'Gone Away'? Have you been away then come back? Has there been anyone at your address with a similar name who isn't there anymore? Does anyone have access to your mail once it has been delivered, ie in your porch? Do you have a box fitted or do you have a conventional letterbox on your door?

I'm just trying to understand how this could happen. There is clearly a misunderstanding somewhere along the line. The only time a letter should get killed off (returned to sender) is when someone (a new homeowner for example, or an ex-spouse who is still at the address) writes on the letter 'Gone Away' or ' not at this address'. The postman will then stick a kill off sticker on it and it will be returned to the sender.

Is there a house or street with a similar name ? I'm wondering if your mail has been mis-delivered and the resident has simply written on it 'not at this address'. I've seen that happen. The intended recipient would never know anything about it unless a sender told them they'd received mail back, and even then you'd never know why it had been returned.

Smir · Post by **Smir** » 07 Jul 2018, 00:09

seems like a lot of wasted effort, I doubt your postman would do, for all we know your postman starts at 9, an doesn't even prep anything, just delivers everything?

Celgar · Post by **Celgar** » 07 Jul 2018, 17:04

It sounds like maybe your mail is being misdelivered either to a same or similar address on a different road. The person in the other address might then write addressee unknown on the item and pop it back into a postbox. It would then be 'killed off' and returned to sender. This is no excuse for a postie abusing and harassing you in the street. You can pop into the delivery office and ask for your mail to be checked by the DOM or callers office person each day before it leaves the office. I would ask about your mail maybe being delivered to a similar address as well.
PS I wouldn't bother contacting the national customer service number or other national departments in RM. Go straight to the problem and visit the delivery office that services your address. At the very least catch a different postie in the street and ask for the phone number for your local delivery office. They should be very helpful.

Tax Payer · Post by **Tax Payer** » 10 Jul 2018, 14:24

Thanks for all the replies - no my mail is not being misdelivered. They are actively lying to my banks saying i do not live here anymore and/or that they cannot access the address. Despite written evidence from my bank - they just keep denying it. I own this house and have lived here alone for 10 years. The sorting office has been as useless as the complaints dept and royal mail's own security dept who are not interested. I find it quite staggering that royal mail just allows the matter to keep escalating. In fact, they no longer even respond to my complaints. I wrote to the chief exec who simply told me to lodge a complaint! I think the next step is an aggressive online campaign by myself to highlight this criminal conduct. It's pretty intimidating for me - I'm a smallish female and i have a life threatening medical condition. It's really the last thing I need. I also think you have to be pretty unhinged as a man to actively harass a woman while on duty and in your work uniform on work time.

NewPostieUK · Post by **NewPostieUK** » 10 Jul 2018, 17:39

Tax Payer wrote:Thanks for all the replies - no my mail is not being misdelivered. They are actively lying to my banks saying i do not live here anymore and/or that they cannot access the address.

I don't really understand.

How do you know your mail isn't being misdelivered?

WHO is lying to your bank? A postman? How and why would he do that? How does he know who you bank with, and why would a bank listen to a stranger?

How do you know there hasn't been occasions when your address was inaccessible?

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 10 Jul 2018, 18:33

I think the next step is an aggressive online campaign by myself to highlight this criminal conduct.

You obviously have no proof of criminal conduct or at least not enough to satisfy either the police or Royal Mail so launching an "aggressive online campaign" against this postman would both escalate the situation (which you apparently don't want?) and end up ironically with you charged with harassment.

Spedley · Post by **Spedley** » 10 Jul 2018, 22:23

It does sound like there are crossed purposes here. It is highly unlikely your postman will be returning your mail as "Gone Away" without good reason - it should have a red sticker on it and be signed by the postie if this is the case. It is a sackable offence to do this for no reason.

Starting from scratch, I'd put your address into the royal mail website and find out what they think it is. Often there is too little or too much address, i.e. a building name which isn't relevant or "off XYZ street" which is where it is being wrongly delivered to. Check your letterbox and make sure you can post things through it easily - I didn't realise but mine only opened about 4mm for years! It isn't ideal but if we can't deliver something after so long we are supposed to return it to sender.

In general your postie will want to get done and go home as soon as possible and this usually means delivering the mail rather than anything else. Step back and look again to see if there is anything which may be stopping it happening.

Post by **greengiant** » 18 Jul 2018, 07:26

Any progress on this?