Mail delivery questions to help with postie complaint

[angeljayne]

For many years we have had a great postman and have not once thought of complaining.
Unfortunately our postman has recently changed and is causing some problems.

Last week he wrote on one of my letters that a parcel was behind the back gate. The second time he'd done this but on this occasion he had damaged an item by throwing it over the gate. Are postman allowed to do this and should they not be taking packages back to the sorting office?

Also he regularly leaves the letters sticking out of the letterbox rather than pushing them right through. Someone could take the mail out again and when we are away I would worry about post being left stuck out for all to see. Are there rules about pushing post through properly.

He also gave post to my husband in the garden and as he does not know us my husband could easily have just been the gardener.

And on a final lesser note he always leaves the gate open when leaving.

Advice on how to deal with these issues would be greatly appreciated.

[wannabeek]

Hi there, all those things you've mentioned are absolutely not allowed.

'Doorstepping' is leaving any of the customer's mail in an insecure location, even if they've left a note asking you to do so. Unless you get the opportunity to see this postman yourself and ask them not to do it, I'd write a letter to the local delivery office.

Leaving mail sticking out of the letterbox is also not allowed at all - do you have a very stiff letterbox, maybe with those bristle-brushes behind? I find that it is sometimes quite a challenge to get a thin letter forced all the way through those without trapping your fingers.

Giving mail out to customers, whether in the street or out in their garden is also not allowed, for the obvious reason you've said. Again. I'd either mention it to the postman or put it in a letter to the office.

As for leaving the gate open all the time - the guidelines are that if the gate is open when you get there, leave it open; if it's closed when you get there, leave it closed. Having said that, some gates are fiddly to open and an absolute nightmare to close (tied up with old bits of rope, etc). Make sure that yours is easy to swing shut and latch and there should be no excuse for it to be left open.

A point to make clear is that some of these problems may not be the fault of just one postman, or even the postman at all. Some couriers are notorious for doorstepping parcels, and I regularly find that the Saturday paperboy has left my customers' gates wide open, as well as their paper sticking out of the letterbox in the rain. If you can remember the dates of any problems occurring then the manager will know exactly which postman was doing your round on that day, maybe it was just a relief cover who needs reminding of some issues in their training?

[angeljayne]

Hi, thanks for that.

There is no problem with the letterbox, it isn't stiff or anything, just normal.

And the gate too is fine to open and close. He actually could just walk through the drive gates more easily which re always open! and yes it is just him that leaves it open regularly, I always have to go out after he's been.

But thanks, I will try and have a word with him and see how that goes maybe.

[Harry_Perkins]

Sounds like he is on a flyer (not the poster!)

[jagger]

If your drive gates are open what is the problem with leaving your gate open? All your other complaints are valid, but this is just another example of customers egging the cake to make the postie look bad.

[randompostman]

If your drive gates are open what is the problem with leaving your gate open? All your other complaints are valid, but this is just another example of customers egging the cake to make the postie look bad.

Sorry but i dont agree with you, On the face of it it may seem a small problem but it is still a problem for this customer and added to the others this sounds like one of the worst posties you could be unlucky enough to get. angeljayne sounds a decent sort as she is going to speak to the postie to try to resolve the problems before reporting it, that postie and any others that get up to those sort of tricks should take note and sort their lives out and do the job properly

[Stormproof]

Why are the British public so obsessed with poxy gates I personally leave as I find, if open it stays open and if closed I close or try to close it. But you can waste time trying to shut some of them, about 1 in 50 actually shut correctly. The rest either have... dropped and you end up having to lift the gate up/hanging off by 1 hinge/come away in your hands because they are rotten/so many bolts attached its like a task on the krypton factor!
Don't get me started on letterboxes....flap/brush/brush/another flap and finally the letter hits the doormat. So much draught proofing I'm surprised the householder has'nt suffocated.

[angeljayne]

Sorry but i dont agree with you, On the face of it it may seem a small problem but it is still a problem for this customer and added to the others this sounds like one of the worst posties you could be unlucky enough to get. angeljayne sounds a decent sort as she is going to speak to the postie to try to resolve the problems before reporting it,

Thanks for that. I am still trying to catch him and/or pluck up courage to speak with him
The drive gates are open for the car going in and out obviously but are shut at night! and I didn't make a big deal about the gate.
I'm not trying to make him look bad he is doing that all by himself!
I just want my mail being delivered safely.

[randompostman]

Sorry but i dont agree with you, On the face of it it may seem a small problem but it is still a problem for this customer and added to the others this sounds like one of the worst posties you could be unlucky enough to get. angeljayne sounds a decent sort as she is going to speak to the postie to try to resolve the problems before reporting it,

Thanks for that. I am still trying to catch him and/or pluck up courage to speak with him
The drive gates are open for the car going in and out obviously but are shut at night! and I didn't make a big deal about the gate.
I'm not trying to make him look bad he is doing that all by himself!
I just want my mail being delivered safely.

I dont blame you one bit just the postie. Give him the link to this page and then the fool might get it, good luck.

[Stormproof]

Sorry was'nt having a go.....I just hate gates that don't shut properly

[randompostman]

Sorry was'nt having a go.....I just hate gates that don't shut properly

Funny thing is so do i. I have one i have to lift up 2.5 cms on it`s hinges to shut it and am getting fed up but thats another thread lol.

[Pat Ostman]

I got a complaint from a customer that I had 'folded/bent' her letter.

Told her to try posting it herself, the letterbox was jammed of hard brushes that make posting letters almost impossible.

Some people huh...