Postman leaving packets & parcels in unsafe place, ALDERSHOT

[hantsman]

No matter how low the wage one should still do their job properly and with common sense and I do not support making excuses such as lack of training or low wage for people who are blatantly being disrespectful ar*eholes.

I am surprised that one is so naive to believe that reward and training and professionalism are linked since it is the cornerstone of the capitalist theory.
One wouldn't take £500 to one's local Bentley dealership and expect to drive away with a Continental GT but it would seem that one expects the best of service from the working classes and still pay the minimum of wages.
I don't support a lack of professionalism but occasionally one has to climb down from the pedestal of sanctimony and dip one's toe in the stagnant pool of reality.
Wasn't it that paragon of Capitalist virtue Sir James Goldsmith who said "If you pay peanuts...you get monkeys"...or in this case disrespectful ar*eholes.?
Perhaps in your letter to Royal Mail you could question the use of poorly trained,poorly paid casuals at a time when so many are desperate for secure,reasonably paid jobs since it seems that the crux of the problem is in fact the constant drive to reduce costs married to a frankly insane belief by both the business and customers that this should have no effect on quality.
Please believe me this rant is not personal and is simply a wish that customers would understand what this current race to the bottom will ultimately achieve...much more of the sub standard service you are receiving unfortunately.

I am not naive, nor do I deny that lack of rewards or training are directly linked to productivity. I don't want to be ignorant and say it is not my problem that royal mail won't pay more to their causal staff, but it doesn't happen everywhere (well, yet) and I still believe there are people out there who would KILL to get a contract job and they would work their hardest. Plus I absolutely don't see the logic in employing a bunch of muppets instead of one good postman, and struggle to believe it works out cheaper.

I would not say that I'm on some kind of a 'pedestal', more like on the receiving end and I had no positive results after contacting royal mail so far - or the actual contractors in question. Even if I do include the idea of hiring fewer people with the right attitude and a better wage in my letter of complaint to rm, it will stay the way it is and we all know it. They'll just keep increasing their prices every year and worrying more about their profits rather than the service they provide.

I don't think you have any idea what its like to work for RM as a delivery postman, have you actually writtern a paper letter to the delivery office concerned yet?

[Everitt]

Royal mail procedure is for All undeliverable items to be kept at our Delivery Office for 18 days (unless redelivery is arranged).

Also our terms for delivering to multiple residences are on our website. I'll attach the link for you.

http://www.royalmail.com/customer-servi ... -addresses" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Hello dear Contractor Dave and thank you for your disgruntled response. A recipient is still a customer who can make a claim or a complaint, you know.

Correct - but not on here - this is an unofficial site that will try to help customers. However, just like in a pub when we are relaxing, if someone askks for help but with an attitude they are not going to get much support are they. If you want to sound off about poor service then go through the OFFICIAL route, if you want UNOFFICIAL suggestions on how to sort it out then this is the place to do it, but just like the Kings Arms you have to approach us in the right way or you'll get no help, or a bit of lip.

Firstly, the guy who's gone the "extra mile" to *climb* the stairs to my apartment with my mail did not do this to help me out, he did this because he could not be bothered to write a card out and take it back to the sorting office like a professional postman should.

This is the kind of thing that has got peoples back up on here - very condescending approach. Yes they should have done as you suggest but you could have approached it in a more friendly way especially as we are an UNOFFICIAL site.

I didn't ask for it, yes it saved me a couple of 5 minute trips to the sorting office which is actually open in decent hours so I can pick up my own mail with no problems - thank you. Did the monkey who left my mail on the floor in the corridor also do me a favour, cos I would love to *tip* him for it?

Yeah thats going to get us monkeys on your side.

Secondly, maybe I am in the minority but I actually prefer to have a card put through my door so I know exactly where the items that belong to me are instead of looking around the floor in the corridor or upstairs, hoping nobody took them.

Thats what should happen - as suggested try writing a note to the delivery office. Or even set up a collection service where you can go down at get everything in one go - you have to go at least once every 6 days.

Thirdly, do I have to explain in simple terms to you that me and my partner are both in full time employment and therefore not able to be home all mornings and afternoons waiting for packets and parcels to arrive? I can see how an unemployed or retired person has the time to sit around and wait for their postman to ring the bell or knock on the door but I do not.

Again with the contemptuous approach. You can post what you want on here, within reason, however if you cop an attitude is anyone going to help you when it in their own time.

Catching a postman is another issue, they don't wear a uniform or introduce themselves, and if you manage to catch one and ask them not to dump your mail, they'll say it was someone else's shift. Any other ideas?

All Royal Mail delivery personnel must wear uniform even if its only a Royal Mail pouch or a High Visibility Tabard and we don't deliver all parcels now - could it be another courier or Mail Firm (TNT UKMail etc). As to being someone else shift - entirely possible as we work 5 days across 6 and Royal Mail sometime lapse rounds so that within a week there could be 70 different postmen delivering parts of your round.

Fourthly - for the love of God, really? You already charge for redelivery, is that not enough?

No we don't - the Post Office (A separate company now) charge for local collect and that its no charge for redelivery AT ALL.

It is your job to deliver and look after mail, YOU provide a service and YOU get paid for it - so DO IT.

Thanks, perhaps an elderly relative needs help with their eggs.

I recommend you research their delivering policies. Yes they charge a bit more, but there is phone and online tracking (proper tracking as in where your item is, not the highly uninformative "The item is being processed through our network" which normally means it's lost, anyway).

I believe your research may be lacking also - the status you posted is normally for RECORDED items - this is advertised as a proof of delivery service only. If customers want/need tracking services then they can provided as well although they do cost more - Tracked, Tracked Signature and Special Delivery are but 3.

They put a note through the door if you're not in and you can arrange a redelivery or a pick up free of charge. And they don't send it back in 2 days, they wait at least a week and will only send it back if you didn't contact them.

Redelivery is free, pick up is free of charge unless you choose Post Office Local Collect and its the Post Office who charge you. We don't send it back in 2 days, 3 attempts is the minimum before we return and then only if it meets certain criteria. All other uncollected mail is returned after 18 days.

I find your arrogance amusing and misplaced at the same time, Dave. If anything, you should be embarrassed that all over the country, people receive a bad service and lose valuable items because of arrogant contractors who blame their shortcomings on low wages and lack of training. Look at yourselves, think outside of the box, how would you feel if something you waited and paid for never arrived, or was left by a bin like some piece of trash? We live in difficult economic times and royal mail made the mistake of hiring people who don't have the will or drive to do their jobs properly and with respect to other people's property. They say that a happy worker is a good worker but it seems that having a job, even if not permanent, during recession is still not enough to make some people happy and motivate them to do their best to keep it.

Yep, thats an opinion and even a valid one - but its not going to get people on here on your side or willing to help.

All my bulky mail goes to a friend's address now, she's got a lovely postman (just the one) and I had no problems since.

Good, they even be a member on here so thanks for saying that - problem is you have had a bad experience with one delivery office/postie and appear to have tarred everyone with the same brush - whilst understandable - its not going to get people on side on here is it.

[FairyFoot]

We ordered something from Amazon, and it was left behind the bin (not by RM, not sure who it was though). I only discovered it upto 3 days later when I took the bin down to the kerb for emptying the following day. The parcel was a bit damp. We were not amused.

Elsewhere, I heard stories of just the "while you were out" cards delivered, even though the people were at home, and one spoke to the postie only to discover the parcel was not in the van, but actually at the delivery office

[chunk]

i think you hit the nail on the head tbt.
the official royal mail channels are designed to deflect complaints rather than properly handle them.
which is why so many angry customers end up "offloading" on this site.
i think we should avoid getting drawn into petty arguments with customers.
many cant tell the difference between an official rm complaints handler in working hours,
and a postal worker at home in his own time.

im happy to help a polite customer when i can.