Royal mail postal woes

[Hugo]

I have not had any trouble in the past with posting packages but was bemused this morning.
I had left 5 packages by the front door last night ready for posting after breakfast.
There were four packages with scotch augers and one package with a bill hook.
This morning there was an extra package along with the PO sticker on it.
Turns out that a bill hook that I sent out four days ago had been delivered to myself, and it was not franked, blooming post people delivered it to the return address by mistake.
Rant over, I was not charged to resend it, mind you I was asked to make the FROM return address notice smaller.

 

[Angus Og]

Always put a couple of lines through the return address.

 

[juttle]

Glad to hear you got it away with a minimum of grief!

The postal service where I am used to be very reliable. The same face at the door at more or less the same time of day and signed for parcels left with a signature to be collected next time round!

Now, I frequently don't get post two days out of six because the delivery guy rostered for my particular 'walk' can't be a***d to take it out, preferring instead to remain in a nice, dry, sorting office. (A postie friend of mine's words, not mine!) Moral, apparently, is at an all time low with nobody knowing whether they'll have a job next week, or the week after that, etc. 4 staff were made redundant recently, as part of a 'cost cutting exercise', and they can't cope with the volume of post with the number of staff they have now!

Maybe it's time to start a reliable courier service...

 

[sapper1]

I hate royal mail,Nearly everything I send gets there,I think over the past year maybe one has gone missing.
The stuff that gets sent to me doesn't always get here.
The postman often leaves parcels on the door jammed behind the handle in full view of anyone walking past.It doesn't matter if they're recorded or special delivery ,he just leaves them at the door.Sometimes when we are home when he calls he just slings them through the door,recorded or not.
If we have a different postie and we are out when he calls,I have a card left to go and pick the parcels up.

I have complained many times and the answer is always the same "we'll investigate".I have asked the postman to at least put the parcels around the back of the house but he says"he doesn't have time".I have asked him to return them to the depot if he can't get a signature but he says" I'm not carrying them around with me".

I think a lot of parcels have been taken from my front door where he has left them,if they are sent recorded it's still a problem but not as much as if they're not.

I don't know why the P.O. won't do anything about this,I have complained in person and in writing ,but nothing changes.

 

[bilmo-p5]

Look on the bright side, Hugo; at least your billhook arrived safely at one of the addresses marked on it. RM have lost 2 parcels of mine this year (one I didn't receive & one I sent but didn't arrive) and I now send everything larger than a DL envelope by recorded delivery.

 

[Retired Member southey]

I hate royal mail,Nearly everything I send gets there,I think over the past year maybe one has gone missing.
The stuff that gets sent to me doesn't always get here.
The postman often leaves parcels on the door jammed behind the handle in full view of anyone walking past.It doesn't matter if they're recorded or special delivery ,he just leaves them at the door.Sometimes when we are home when he calls he just slings them through the door,recorded or not.
If we have a different postie and we are out when he calls,I have a card left to go and pick the parcels up.

I have complained many times and the answer is always the same "we'll investigate".I have asked the postman to at least put the parcels around the back of the house but he says"he doesn't have time".I have asked him to return them to the depot if he can't get a signature but he says" I'm not carrying them around with me".

I think a lot of parcels have been taken from my front door where he has left them,if they are sent recorded it's still a problem but not as much as if they're not.

I don't know why the P.O. won't do anything about this,I have complained in person and in writing ,but nothing changes.

Have you been down this route,

POSTRS

Doorstepping is illigal, they are bound to deliver to the property as stated on the address and that means it must pass through the door(letter box or by you opening it) unless you have given SPECIFIC WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS to put in a different location, I would get your posties name (the one who refuses to return to the sort office with an undelivered parcel) and shop him\her too, undelivered mail HAS to be returned to the sort office,

 

[resnikov]

I was waiting for a parcel from the GITO thread, we had a card through to say they had delivered but it would not fit so to go and pick it up at the depot. Went down to the depot the next day and they could not find the parcel. I have complained about it and they said they will have another look.
I also go the claims form but to make a claim I need receipts to show the value of the item, Where, when it was posted etc etc. Its a lot of hassel. The very nice BCUK member has offered to send me somthing else instead but I said its ok. I will chalk it down to experience.

 

[ateallthepies]

A year ago I ordered an expensive torch and the next day, as it was by special delivery, the postie didn't even knock but shoved a 'you were not at home' card through the door which has half the info missing and the other half un-readable. I was home at the time and heard the letterbox go but wasn't in a hurry as we get loads of pizza menus etc all day.

I went straight round the depot to complain and they said nowt could be done until all the posties returned. Went back the day after and my parcel had vanished and they could not tell who which was on my route!

I hit the roof and threatened police action as to me it was blatant theft seeing as though a postie had delivered a worthless card and then taken my parcel. They got very apologetic after that and promised action and if not a means to claim compensation.

A week later the parcel turned up in the next road left in the porch at the same house number as mine and the person brought it round to me-nice to know there are some honest people about.

Not had any trouble since to be fair and I am getting several parcels a week of different goodies!!

I have always said a better way to operate these special deliveries would be upon posting to offer a code to the seller who then forwards this to the customer. To get your parcel you have to type in the code instead of signing which is easily counterfeited. This would stop thieving posties faking signatures and things being left on doorsteps and even packages being delivered to the wrong person.

Steve.

 

[Ivan...]

When i am the Moors , our postman Brian along with the service is brilliant , can't go into too much detail , coz i don't want to get him in trouble.

It has been years since i have had any dealings with a mainsream or town PO , but i had cause this morning to post some items ,that i had swapped , i know it was the first trading morning after the bank holiday and , it might have been pension day ( smelled of wee ) and it was 10.00am , but i was 20 minutes! in the queue . 4 windows open 1 of the women counting money , 1 going on break and the other 2 doing their best . Not sure of the population of Newton Abbot but quite frankly ,not a big enough po counter in my opinion , housed at the back of a nasty little Costcutter ,right down the bottom of the town.

I wasn't rude , as they only doing their job, but wholly unsatisfactory, rant over , get me back on the Moors !!!

Ivan...

 

[Hugo]

Recorded is better bilmo mate, but it does put the price up on small things that we all swap and buy.

 

[AndyD]

Report any wrongdoings to the Delivery Office Manager (DOM),something should then be done,if you phone to complain you will usually get through to the callers office,who are normally rushed off their feet and can forget to pass things on.

It's better if you can do it face to face,rather than by telephone.

If sending anything important/valuable then use Special Delivery which is tracked every step of the way,recorded travels along with the normal post and is only used to provide a signature to say the item has been received.

Hope this helps.
Regards,
Andy

 

[dwardo]

RM suddenly decided that my packages (long bows and short bows) were too long to post via any means and refused to take them. I had been using the same post office for a few years and with making bows to order on a regular bassis i had put quite a bit of business their way. Then the PO attendant changed and suddenly they are too long to post...????
Anyways never use RM now unless its a letter and use "Interfreight" shipping for all parcels. They get there next day and are half the price of RM.