'My mail was left in the bin'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.lep.co.uk/news/39My-mail-was ... 3594021.jp

Postmen have been blasted for dumping valuable parcels in residents' dustbins.
Customers today spoke out after Royal Mail workers left packages in bins instead of taking them back to depots to be picked up.

The trend has been highlighted after Walton-le-Dale resident Bill Taylor said a £130 package was dumped in his recycling bin by posties earlier this week.

A card through the 59-year-old's door said the parcel was in the "first green tub".

It had no time, date, name of postal worker or any other details on it.

He complained to the delivery office in Collins Road, Preston, and received an apology.

But the self-employed businessman, of Duddle Lane, told the Evening Post the expensive parcel, containing a car part and mail order clothing, could easily have been thrown out.

He said: "I think this is a serious issue. We were going to go on holiday and my neighbours could quite easily have put our bins out and that would have been it – £130 gone.

"I know the postmen are busy, but it is not on."

Another homeowner from Penwortham, who did not wish to be named, said
: "I have returned home to find a card telling me parcels have been left either over my back gate in the pouring rain or in my wheelie bin.

"I know it is not the easiest job in the world, but at the end of they day they are being paid to do a job."

This is the first time the trend, which has led to complaints in other parts of the country, has surfaced in Lancashire.

Last month a woman from Suffolk was left "lost for words" after a postman put £129 worth of DVDs in her bin on the same day binmen came round to collect the rubbish.

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: "We take the security of our customers' mail very seriously. If a customer is not available a form P739 should be left by the delivery officer.

"All our employees are regularly briefed on security issues and we are only aware of one complaint of this nature in the South Ribble area, which is being dealt with."


Last Updated: 15 December 2007 10:47 AM

[newpostie]

typical moaner lol

[TrueBlueTerrier]

The size of it it certainly was not a walker.

[General Mannerheim]

Moaning crusty old codger!
He would probably have had a moan IF the postie had taken it back to the office and he had to queue up for an hour.

[dvbuk55]

I know times change but when I used to deliver packets it was acceptable to leave them in a reasonably safe and not too visible safe area. I have left items in greenhouses, garages and sheds and wheelie bin cupboards, meter boxes, porches without a door but with a weather proof return, neighbours, dog kennels and to my knowledge not once had a complaint.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Not one to push Royal Mails line but at our DO we have been told loads of times not to doorstep items but it still happens. Its probably down to lack of joined up thinking, they make the walks 3.5 hours long (in theory) and then bring in a packets template that makes your pouches more bulky. This in itself tends to make people who rush more likely to doorstep items, and if you don't rush and do you job correctly, you are more likely to claim pressure docket or cut off. But of course senior RM management will never see the connection as the message that comes from on high is that we are all "lazy and inefficient"

[BELIAL]

Not one to push Royal Mails line but at our DO we have been told loads of times not to doorstep items but it still happens. Its probably down to lack of joined up thinking, they make the walks 3.5 hours long (in theory) and then bring in a packets template that makes your pouches more bulky. This in itself tends to make people who rush more likely to doorstep items, and if you don't rush and do you job correctly, you are more likely to claim pressure docket or cut off. But of course senior RM management will never see the connection as the message that comes from on high is that we are all "lazy and inefficient"

It is not accidental, and is completely joined up . They set impossible targets and claim they are achievable , you cannot achieve them by the rules .
Result = either you fail the target or break the rules, either way you are not up to the task and should be grateful they tolerate you.
Basic management psychology , in order to extract more from the employee always keep him on the back foot

[DGP1]

If they want more packets taken out by walk men (and not door stepped) then there should be pick ups from pouch boxes to collect P739'd packets and empty pouch bags.

[Lounge Lizard]

Towatds the end of a delivery this time of year you can have more undelivered packets than can fit in a pouch. What are you meant to do with them when you've stiill got the last pouch of mail to deliver ?

[Rowdy]

Once again more bad press targeted towards Royal Mail. There is definately a conspiracy going on here. Courier firms are far worse at doorstepping than us posties. At least we put the item out of sight and in a fairly safe place. Rarely is there a problem and most people are happy with this. On the other hand I've seen couriers dump items on doorsteps in full view of anyone passing by, parcels left out in the rain and I've had to drop one of these parcels off at a local post office as I new the people who had an item lying on their doorstep were on holiday. Yet we are the ones who get all the stick. Worst of all is when someone blames us for doing it when it was clearly a courier. It's about time these courier firms took some of the flack.

[Stormproof]

When customers come in to Callers to moan about packets being left outside there door I always ask them if they are sure it was left by RM as there over a dozen firms delivering parcels now, that normally stops them in there tracks from ranting. Get customers bringing in the Couriers 'You were out' cards wanting to collect from Callers, I just say 'Nothing to do with us, read the card properly!'

[dvbuk55]

When customers come in to Callers to moan about packets being left outside there door I always ask them if they are sure it was left by RM as there over a dozen firms delivering parcels now, that normally stops them in there tracks from ranting. Get customers bringing in the Couriers 'You were out' cards wanting to collect from Callers, I just say 'Nothing to do with us, read the card properly!'

I know exactly what you mean - one day the callers office was bursting at the seams and this well dressed toffee nosed get marches straight to the front and demands to see a manager - I explained that he would have to queue which he did - all the while regaling the failure of Royal Mail to follow simple redirection instructions to all and sundry - anyway to cut a long story short he presents the mail to me and lo and behold it had DX Hayes on it - he went down like a blow up doll in a cactus house.