Exasperated with the Royal Mail/Post Office Post Reply

[yorkshirepudding]

Just wanting to express my complete annoyance at Earlsfield's postal delivery service and to see if anyone else has had a similar experience.

In the last 2 months we have had 3 separate parcels go missing. Twice we have not been able to work out where the parcels have ended up, but at least knew they'd not been delivered as we were expecting them. This week we've had the piece de resistence...our "dedicated" postie has put a standard Post Office red and white card through our letterbox to say we were out and that he has left the parcel (get this) "in the bin, cheers!". Unsurprisingly, it had gone by the time we got home.

It was my son's birthday this week, so I have no idea who's gift didn't make it - and the post office depot have been useless in sorting this out. They are trying to work out from the card who's handwriting it is. No reference number for the parcel has been given and so I am not sure who sent it or what was in it. Added to this - I have been expecting a delivery ordered online for a friend this week, it's not turned up so I'm pretty sure it has been left "in the bin" again.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do next - or has anyone had the same thing happen to them?

Have emailed a very strongly worded complaint and been into the depot. No re-dress so far. Grr.

[escapewithbeauty]

I live on Abbeville Road and we've had similar experience but with letters not parcels. We have had numerous wedding RSVP's disappear, and I've had to spend a lot of time that I don't really have to chase them up by calling our guests. At least 10 haven't arrived and from very reliable Aunts and Uncles, so I know they're not just blaming the postal service for their failure to return them.

Goodness only knows what else has disappeared that we weren't expecting, I just wish they'd loose our electric/gas bill in the post!

I know this isn't as frustrating as parcels going missing and I hope you get this sorted soon. I just wanted to let you know this seems to be happening over here too.

[kiwimummy]

We've also had this in Clapham Common Northside, I was furious to find our Amazon parcel "in the bin". Not very impressive...

[moops]

I had a similar experience when I was living in Earlsfield. Like you it was my Sons Birthday and I had ordered loads of things, presents and supplies for the party. Days went past and I hadn't received anything so I was starting to get concerned, then a friend of mine said she saw loads of parcels addressed to me sitting on the footpath in the next street! They had gotten my street confused with the next street which could happen but the corresponding house number was a building site so they just dumped them on the side of the road! If my friend hadn't seen them I wouldn't have known and it meant everyday I was hunting around the construction site for my post!

[yorkshirepudding]

Thank you for taking the time to reply to this ladies. I'm not sure it makes me feel any better knowing others have had similar experiences, however, it has made me feel even more angry that the post office gets away with such ridiculous practices. How on earth can they think it's acceptable to leave parcels on a street or in a bin. I will be hounding them relentlessly for answers!

Jx

[Camille]

Gosh poor you! It all seems an awful shame as the Post Office do a great delivery job around here (in Brixton off Acre Lane at the Clapham end). Maybe it's because we always have the same post man and he knows where he can leave parcels with neighbours who work from home. I guess it's a lottery and dependent on whether you get lucky with a decent postie or otherwise...Our biggest problem are the independent DHL types who leave post behind bushes, bins and whatever else might vaguely be described as camouflage (aren't they obliged to get a signature?) and the supermarket delivery vans who block the street dropping off groceries to homes where the mothers are presumably too lazy to push the pram to the local shops...ooh a whole new topic!

[shaneleone]

I'm also exasperated. I'm home days with the baby, yet they never even knock, just slip a While You Were Out note through the door that they couldn't deliver a package. Then I have to wait 24-48 hours to pick it up, it's quite a long walk away, the opening hours are dreadful, and there's always a horrific line. I feel that when the sender pays the postage, the service they are paying for is to have the package delivered. It's happened so many times to me while I am home, that I feel the posties around Tooting Bec must just too lazy to carry the parcels, so they just bring the notes instead and never even try to deliver them. My son's first bday was last week, and I'm still trying to chase down packages!

[Helgibbs]

We have had problems with this too!

I agree with Camille that it is often the independent delivery services our end of Earlsfield that leave things in the most ridiculous places. we have had parcels missing from 'behind the bin' etc.
But the royal Mail did put a red card through the other week, and then absent mindedly leave the parcel on the gatepost!!! Surprised it was actually still there whe I got back an hour later!

Sound like it is a problem in all areas.

Helen
x

[Groucho]

"where the mothers are presumably too lazy to push the pram to the local shops."

Camille - What a terribly sexist comment especially from another female , Is it just the females job to do the shopping? Have you never considered that some people work full time and the local independent shops are often closed by the time they get home. I don't know about lazy but you are very judgemental.

Back to the original question I have had 4 parcels left on my door step in full view in the last few weeks. I was actually in once as well but the postie didn't knock.

The most annoying thing also happened earlier this year, I had a red you were out card, I called the number and requested a second delivery, to cut a long story I have never received that parcel. I couldn't complain because they require you to state who the parcel was from and as I didn't know they wouldn't do anything. They even said well "if you don't know who it's from how do you know you were expecting something" err because you put a card through my door to say so!!

[supergirl]

Sorry to change the topic but I have to jump at this horrible judgment from one poster.

i agree with Groucho this is a very wrong assumption you have made Camille. I would also say, because the stay at home mums are obviously lazy in your world, well in my world mums and dads I know (me included) try to optimise the food shopping so instead of going shopping everyday pushing pram or else, we shop online at regular intervals and buy fresh products out of the local shops. So if being rational and sensible means that you are lazy, i think you should reconsider your definition.

It has been a long time since we havent had problems with our post, I thought RM must have change something... Obviously no, so guess we are just lucky at the moment

Good luck

[yorkshirepudding]

Wow, it seems I am not alone then.

I think the postmen need to be re-trained. We have complained locally and also by email. Am still waiting for the Royal Mail to respond, there's been considerable buckpassing and no ownership of the issue.

However, the postman himself actually came to seek us out today and apologised (!), he admitted he'd left our parcels in the bin and thought he was doing us a favour so that we wouldn't have to make a trip to the depot. Only thing is, by doing so it seems we've lost more than one parcel and he didn't record who they were from or anything else, so now we're still none the wiser and they've run out of claim forms. I'm still incensed as we don't know what we've actually lost or which family/friends to tell.

Any suggestions ladies (and gents)?!

[MrsAmanda]

My regular postman is pretty good, but when he's not on duty, the service is erratic. I've lost count of the number of red cards which have been pushed through my door when I've been home and they've not knocked.

Yorkshire, in terms of finding out what's gone missing, could you email friends/family who would have been likely to send something, and say that you know things have gone missing but don't know what or from whom, and if you've not said thank you when they've sent a gift, it might be theirs that's lost. That way you might find out it is, and they could put a claim in for it having been 'left in a bin' (of the idiotic things to do!)