Postman delivers DVDs to the dustbin

[theflyingpostman]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ost130.xml

The Royal Mail has apologised after a postman left more than £100 of DVDs for collection in a woman's dustbin.

Unfortunately, by the time Caroline Norton found the note telling her where the package was, the bins had already been emptied.

The complete collection of The West Wing political drama, bought on eBay for £115, had been carted off to the dump.

"I didn't get in until late. I wheeled the bin out because the next day was bin day, then went to bed," said 66-year-old Mrs Norton. "I didn't see the note until I got up. I couldn't believe it. I dashed out to see if the bins had gone and it was too late."

Mrs Norton was initially offered just £34 as compensation but the Royal Mail later promised to stump up the full amount after admitting the mistake.

"We apologise to Mrs Norton and we are taking immediate steps to provide a full refund and we are also investigating why our rules on deliveries were broken in this case," a spokesman said.

The Royal Mail's website says any goods which can't be delivered will be returned to the local delivery office and held for three weeks before being returned to the sender.

[markj113]

could have been alot worse - could have been something worth watching

[TrueBlueTerrier]

could have been a lot worse - could have been something worth watching

Oy I liked it - also I am pretty sure Brown and Blair model their Parliamentary Democracy on this prog.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Why Do they have such Long URLs.
When a postman called at Caroline Norton's door but got no reply, he thought he had found of the ideal place to hide the parcel she had been waiting for - somewhere safe, dry and away from prying eyes.

He carefully placed the ?30 collection of DVDs in her wheelie bin and put a helpful note through the letter box to tell her where to find it, never stopping to think that he might have chosen the one day in the fortnight when the bin men would clear his hiding place away.

Instead of sitting in the bin until she got home, the prized West Wing complete collection, which Mrs Norton had ordered with the money she saved by not having a summer holiday, was tipped into the back of a dust cart and carried away with tonnes of paper, card and plastic ready to be recycled.

When Mrs Norton got home to her house on Earsham Street, Bungay, and picked the delivery notice up from her doormat, she rushed out to collect it from the bin. But when she opened the lid, the bin had been emptied and its contents - along with her prized DVDs - were long gone.

Living just five minutes from the Royal Mail sorting office, she dashed across the road to find out how she could go about getting her money back but all she was offered as compensation was a book of 12 first-class stamps, worth just ?.08.

She said: "I couldn't believe it when I was offered stamps to make up for it. I spent ages filling in all the forms they gave me to make a claim and eventually Royal Mail offered me ?4. They said that was the best they could do without the certificate of posting to prove how much the parcel was worth.

"I was left completely helpless, with no explanation of how or why this happened and no parcel. I can see the sorting office from my house, so it wouldn't have taken much effort to take it back there for me to pick up. I just don't see why you would put it in the bin."

Mrs Norton had bought the DVDs from Amazon Marketplace, a website which allows people to sell their own items. She said that she contacted the seller and was told that all the guidelines given by Amazon had been followed. It is the responsibility of the sender to tell Royal Mail if the package's contents are worth more than ?0 when they post it, but as the seller thought it would arrive safely, it had been posted as a regular parcel.

A Royal Mail spokesman said that leaving items in bins is not part of the delivery process and that a mistake had been made by the postman.

After being contacted by the EDP and looking into Mrs Norton's claim once again, the company has decided to refund the cost of her lost parcel.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Royal Mail apologises to your reader for the loss of her package. We have clearly laid down procedures for delivery of items and these were not followed in this instance.

"Royal Mail and its people have very high expectations of how we deal with our customers and, as a gesture of goodwill, we will refund in full the value of the lost item."

[sevenandseven]

Couple of points here. In the first story she bought the DVDs from Ebay. She went to bed did not see the 739 until the morning. In the second article she bought the DVDs from Amazon Market Place got home, found the 739 and rushed out to the wheelie bin. In the first story she was offered £34 compensation. In the second story postage stamps. Additionally the complete series of West Wing has 44 DVDs according to Amazon not 30 as stated. Does she even have a wheelie bin or is this just another example of crap journalism?

[postie28]

postie must have mixed them up with his d2d's ( door to dustbins )

[davidessex]

i hope she got fined for putting her bins out too early !

[Regal]

LATEST NEWS
Refuse collector puts feet up and settles in to watch West Wing

[Wiltshireboy]

Very Good Regal!!!!!

[mh80]

unless they ask/know them and you've got it in writing - don't doorstep (or dustbin in this case) unless you don't mind risk ending up in the s**t!

[banner]

Couple of points here. In the first story she bought the DVDs from Ebay. She went to bed did not see the 739 until the morning. In the second article she bought the DVDs from Amazon Market Place got home, found the 739 and rushed out to the wheelie bin. In the first story she was offered £34 compensation. In the second story postage stamps. Additionally the complete series of West Wing has 44 DVDs according to Amazon not 30 as stated. Does she even have a wheelie bin or is this just another example of crap journalism?

How about she just saw an oppurtunity to scam some compo for nothing. The DVDs are prob sitting pretty in one of her relatives houses.

[NickiKitten]

Who puts a parcel in a full dustbin, full of two weeks worth of rubbish?
I ask you?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Who puts a parcel in a full dustbin, full of two weeks worth of rubbish?
I ask you?

I have one or two on my walk who ask me to do this. I got them to sign a waiver and keep it on my frame, but I also make sure that I don't leave them in their bins on a collection day, and I also try their neighbours that get on with them before I even think of leaving it in their Green Bin. Last but not least I check round to make sure no one seems me doing it. In a couple of cases I have done a form left and so long as I am not busy the next day I bring it back at the estimated time I put on their form. All it takes really is a bit of forethought so I would not be surprised if this was a casual postie.

[dvbuk55]

Who puts a parcel in a full dustbin, full of two weeks worth of rubbish?
I ask you?

I have one or two on my walk who ask me to do this. I got them to sign a waiver and keep it on my frame, but I also make sure that I don't leave them in their bins on a collection day, and I also try their neighbours that get on with them before I even think of leaving it in their Green Bin. Last but not least I check round to make sure no one seems me doing it. In a couple of cases I have done a form left and so long as I am not busy the next day I bring it back at the estimated time I put on their form. All it takes really is a bit of forethought so I would not be surprised if this was a casual postie.

Even with a waiver it is unacceptable practice. If you were off sick or on holiday and your replacement saw the waiver and didn't know what bin day the collection was on......... In any case it is not a secure place and is not an accepted practice and who would want a packet left as NK says in the rubbish bin - what goes in some of them ugh..........

[Stormproof]

She never had a summer holiday so she could buy these dvds?? where the hell was she planning to go on £115 ?