View Full Version : Postmen leaving a card saying you were out... when you were actually in
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 11:59
Does this happen to you often? It's happened to me twice in the last few weeks and it's a tad annoying :angry:
I'm tempted to complain (yes I know it's surprising that I would consider complaining ;)) - would you bother or just shrug it off as one of those things?
Oh and another time when I actually WAS out, he left a parcel for me right outside my front door which anyone could have walked off with!
I've never had it happen - if I'm in they ring the bell and I answer, if I'm out they leave a card. It shouldn't be accepted as the norm.
In fact, sometimes my postie leaves a card but writes on it that he's hidden the parcel round the side of the house. Ironically, probably more likely to lose his job by doing that than leaving a card even if I'm in.
Only happened a couple of times and normally only from courier people :) Our Royal Mail man is wubberly :)
NokkonWud
23-07-2009, 12:07
It happens around here all the time. I've actually caught the postman doing it and he goes 'Oh, you were in'... yeah, if you'd knocked or rang the doorbell you'd have known! I was only in the kitchen, so I could see him at the door.
My dads even gone to collect something before and the woman at the depot goes 'oh, he's always doing that' (leaving cards without calling).
Stan_Lite
23-07-2009, 12:09
I've never had it happen to me but I've heard many stories about it happening to other people. If I'm expecting something which I'm keen to get my hands on, I tend to wander about looking out of windows looking for the van in case the postie does do it. Never happened yet though.
Did you annoy your postie at any time by any chance?
I would think twice about reporting it to be honest. If he gets a bollocking and works out it was you who grassed him up, God knows what you'll find through your letterbox ;) Seriously though, it's a tough call - do you report it in the hope it doesn't happen again or do you leave it in case it causes more trouble in future? :confused:
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 12:12
Never annoyed them (I say them as I often seem to get different ones), I'm always polite and friendly with them just like with any delivery I receive.
Yeah it did occur to me that if I complain, and he ends up getting a bollocking, computer components I order in future might end up as a football down at the sorting office, human nature being what it is with some people :confused:
On balance it probably isn't worth complaining is it :)
Oh well, another trip down the collection depot tomorrow!
In a previous job the postie used to come and deliver and then stop for a cuppa and a chat most mornings! :p
Streeteh
23-07-2009, 12:30
The postmen are really good around here but i did once nearly 'miss' a delivery from a citylink guy. Fortunately i heard the mail box close and had a look and saw him strolling away, i went out and called to him and he looked rather peed off tbh. When he gave me the package i noticed he had a bundle of missed delivery slips in his hand, all filled out. I can only assume he just filled them all in and was just going around posting them to save time.
Cheeky git tbh.
Not happened with the local postmen but happened several times with an office further away. Was sat waiting for the knock in the room by the front door and it never came but I found a card saying they'd tried to deliver and had taken the parcel back. Both those times it was with big heavy poles which I then had to drive 12 miles to pick up.
The third time they didn't even leave a card. I called the company I'd bought the item off to find out why the item hadn't arrived and they did a trace and discovered it in the same depo I'd had trouble with previously. Apparently they had 'attempted to deliver' it 7 days earlier and left a card. Which they hadn't on either count. Good job I'd called that day as the item was due to be returned to the senders address the next morning and I would have had to pay £12 postage to get it re-delivered - yup, was a heavy pole again.
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 12:51
The postmen are really good around here but i did once nearly 'miss' a delivery from a citylink guy. Fortunately i heard the mail box close and had a look and saw him strolling away, i went out and called to him and he looked rather peed off tbh. When he gave me the package i noticed he had a bundle of missed delivery slips in his hand, all filled out. I can only assume he just filled them all in and was just going around posting them to save time.
Cheeky git tbh.
I reckon mine must be doing that because it would take longer to stand there and fill the card in, than it would take to ring my bell and just give me the item :confused:
Sh*ttylink are the worst for this, and our local depot is Kidderminster. :(
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 13:26
I've been lucky with my local City Link driver, touch wood.
I think the delivery service you get when you order from a particular shop is important, and my experience with Royal Mail of late is putting me off using any shop who uses them, which is a shame because retailers like play.com, through no fault of their own will lose my custom. (At least for items which don't fit through my letterbox; games and DVDs etc. are fine)
It happens around here all the time. I've actually caught the postman doing it and he goes 'Oh, you were in'... yeah, if you'd knocked or rang the doorbell you'd have known! I was only in the kitchen, so I could see him at the door.
My dads even gone to collect something before and the woman at the depot goes 'oh, he's always doing that' (leaving cards without calling).
Yep, same here. Bloody annoying. Never close the gate either!
I remember once leaving the door on the snip because I was in and didn't want to miss a delivery while in the kitchen/upstairs. Put a little note on the door saying 'Bell not working, please knock on door or leave in porch'.
I came out at around 3pm to put something outside and guess what I found? A note on the doormat (through the letterbox - he must have had to HOLD the door shut to stop it opening as he pushed the letterbox) telling me that I wasn't in so he'd taken it to the depo.
We seem to have loads of different posties too, but none of them can close a gate that was closed when they arrived.
My postman leaves packages outside the door. No knock, nothing. Post will come through the letterbox, but anything bigger he just leaves there. It's really annoying that he doesn't just knock the door.
Citylink annoy me further because on several occasions it's just been a ridiculous level of service. Boot prints on the FRAGILE label, with the contents broken, another package tossed over the fence, and another delivered to completely the wrong address.
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 13:53
^ if I had that sort of service from City Link I would reluctantly stop using companies like ebuyer. I think all delivery companies must have bad apples working for them, and I don't know whether it is more endemic in certain companies than others.
I've caught a post man before just walking up to my door with a card. He said he'd tried to deliver and went back to the van for a card but I saw him pull up and not bother with the package.
Lazy sod!
Worst is in London, one time, I can't remember the firm now, but they tried to deliver to my house in NE London, Tottenham area. I was out as at work so they left a card to pick up from the depot, in f'n Willesden in NW London.
Now, of course if you had a car, this wouldn't be too bad nor was it *too* far as the crow flies - but getting from NE London, to some middle-of-nowhere depot in NW London is an *utter* PITA in respect of the tubes - it was basically a 3hr round trip to pick up the damn thing :p
IIRC it was from eBuyer, so I had to place one order before I could change the delivery address - v. annoying!
dirtydog
23-07-2009, 14:12
IIRC it was from eBuyer, so I had to place one order before I could change the delivery address - v. annoying!
That is common practice AFAIK, to only ship to the billing address for your first order. (just sticking up for ebuyer here :p)
Actually speaking of picking parcels up... I remember getting carded by one firm a few years ago, might even have been City Link. I went to the address on the card which was 15 miles away on an industrial estate... the unit was completely deserted and there was a notice on the front door helpfully informing me that they had moved address and were now located several miles away on another industrial estate. It was also too late to get there before they closed so I came home empty handed and several quid poorer on petrol :confused: I rang them the next day and they apologised for still using the old cards with the wrong address :(
Justsomebloke
23-07-2009, 14:17
Nope.
I have my Mobile number taped onto my letter box saying "If No answer ring ***********"
Rocket science it's not. ;D
Yeah absolutely, I think with one firm I actually ordered a £2 HDMI cable with free delivery and then never bothered to pick it up, but (dodgily!) as far as they were concerned that was fine so I could choose afterwards :p
Gotta love driving 40-odd miles to pick up a parcel, kinda defeats the object of the courier service somewhat :p At least reception here at work is amenable to signing for things for me now, lol
NokkonWud
23-07-2009, 15:07
The best service I had around here was Amtrak, but they had an awful rep over on OcUK so started using other, inferior (to my area) couriers. The delivery driver I used to have from Amtrak was superb and would never throw stuff about. The back of his van was incredibly tidy with all boxes stacked in weight order with fragile ones all out of the way.
Royal Mail, in my experience, are the worst. They're happy to just card rather than deliver, at my old address I saw one do what he did to Kreeeee, simply walk up with a card, when I answered he even gave the same excuse (I tried, went back for a card). Why get a job as a courier if you can't be arsed to deliver? These people tend to forget that they're easily replaceable.
I think the point has been made about Citylink so I won't bother going onto one about them. They did the I was out trick once.
I think the point has been made about Citylink so I won't bother going onto one about them. They did the I was out trick once.
Oh go on, they're crap and deserve it.
Streeteh
23-07-2009, 18:07
Rants are fun! Go go go!
Why get a job as a courier if you can't be arsed to deliver? These people tend to forget that they're easily replaceable.
I don't think it's 'cant be arsed' that is the issue. I would imagine they have targets to meet during the day and one or two lengthy delays at the start of a day could royally screw them over (for example, you're well within your rights to open a package and inspect for visible damage before signing).
Easiest way to 'make up time' is to just card a few deliveries. Stopping, getting the package out, waiting for the door, getting it signed etc. will take 4 or 5 minutes, sometimes more if it's a couple of boxes, so if you just jump out and card 5 or 6 houses you can make up 20 minutes to half an hour of your days rounds.
I don't agree with it but I don't think it's just down to cant be bothered doing it, i think it's to actively try and make back time so they can meet targets and finish on time.
Treefrog
23-07-2009, 19:13
Yet another one here who's had the excuses. No knock, just a card :rolleyes:
this thread reminded me that my Mum got a parcel left a few weeks back - guess where the numpty left it? In the wheelie bin which was empty - however it was empty because my Mum was in Milan and it stayed empty for a week until the parcel got chucked away ;D
Greenlizard0
23-07-2009, 22:23
Happens to me all the time. I've lost count of the number of occasions I've opened the door to find him down the road after he's posted a "Sorry you were out.." card.
I ask him where the parcel is and he just utters to go down to the sorting office. Down I go, and of course the item's fine - it's just that our postie couldn't be bothered to carry it. :angry:
I mean what the hell is the point of paying for a "to-door" service? The whole service is a joke now and it's expensive as anything!
I'm frequently complaining to Royal Mail about the appauling service they give. The norm is for recorded/special delivery items to be put through the door without me needing to sign for them. Each time it happens I moan at them and advise the person who sent the item to me to do the same and claim their money back.
temp posties are not allowed to deliver RMSD , so this is what they do
I didn't say anything about temp posties :)
I know it's the daily fail, but thought it was worth a bump!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221003/Sorry-Why-does-Royal-Mail-leave-card-know-in.html
Another alternative? How about using a mischievous website that has been set up which allows you to print off your own ‘Sorry’ card to stick on your front door.
Cleverly designed to mimic the Royal Mail’s version, it reads: ‘Sorry, I Am In. You’ll just have to ring the bell and make the delivery.’
I had 2 books from amazon on Thursday delivered via the Home Delivery Network, they left a card and it says "Garden Fence".
They had thrown the package over the fence and it was drizzling that day. Good thing i wasn't out for long and the box was just damp and the books are dry :)
my mum had some presents delivered pre-Christmas and the postie put them in the recycle bin. My mum had been away for two weeks and the neighbour put them out to be collected. Guess what happened?? ;D
dirtydog
17-10-2009, 12:51
Another alternative? How about using a mischievous website that has been set up which allows you to print off your own ‘Sorry’ card to stick on your front door.
Cleverly designed to mimic the Royal Mail’s version, it reads: ‘Sorry, I Am In. You’ll just have to ring the bell and make the delivery.’
;D
City link ALWAYS do it to me.
Worst case was a present for my parents that should have been delivered in Truro. I checked the website tracking thing and it said that delivery attempt was made but no-one was in to receive it so a card was left. Truth is, no card was left, and no attempt was made to deliver. their advice? Collect it from the depot within 3 days or it gets returned. Reality? The nearest depot was Plymouth - a 2.5 - 3 hour round trip of maybe 150-200 miles. Pfft.
I posted a thread on OcUK about this recently:
Well this morning I confirmed my suspicions of the cheeky post-lady not delivering my parcels, when I opened the curtains to find her posting a "Sorry, you were out" card through my letter box.
There was no knocking, no doorbell and she has to walk past my office & bedroom windows to the front door anyway, so there was some obvious activity in the house!
When she saw me she flushed and said "Oh I was just posting this ticket through your door"... (:confused:) and then asked me to "hang on a minute" whilst she walked back to her bike on the street corner to fetch my parcels!
Is this common practice for Posties on long rounds to just stick to letters and assume people aren't in/palm off responsibility to the recipient to collect from the sorting office?
Sorting office visits are very inconvenient for me- my local one is only open until 1200hrs and I have to wait 24 hours since delivery time (usually ~ midday) so a parcel for Monday might not see my grubby mits until Wednesday.
Anyway... it's a slow morning in the office :p
Bloody annoying!!
Davey_Pitch
17-10-2009, 19:10
My postie is the opposite of most, if he has a parcel he needs me to sign he'll simply shove it through the letterbox without even ringing the bell to see if I'm in. I'm actually grateful for it most of the time but it's a bugger if you're tracking the parcel to see if it arrives, and it leaves an opportunity for people to claim their parcel never arrived when it actually did. Still, if I had a choice between the two, I'd rather he shove the parcel through than leave a note without even bothering to see if I'm in.
Mine always signs for stuff.. Don't mind most of the time, but when it then gets left by my front door I might not even know something has been there if it then goes walkies.
SidewinderINC
17-10-2009, 22:41
Mine always signs for stuff.. Don't mind most of the time, but when it then gets left by my front door I might not even know something has been there if it then goes walkies.
This has happened to me before. After I was confronted with "you signed for it" I asked to see the signature on the sheet and the person that had left it, had just written my name with all of the letters really squashed together to look like some kind of signature.
Another alternative? How about using a mischievous website that has been set up which allows you to print off your own ‘Sorry’ card to stick on your front door.
Cleverly designed to mimic the Royal Mail’s version, it reads: ‘Sorry, I Am In. You’ll just have to ring the bell and make the delivery.’
If I were a Postie and saw that on someone's door, it'd have the opposite effect to the intended.
Florist popped up yesterday to give me a package that had been left with her on Friday. Apparently I wasn't in (I was, all day) and he didn't even leave a card to say where it was. I didn't even know a delivery had been attempted.
... he didn't even leave a card to say where it was. I didn't even know a delivery had been attempted.
This is by far my biggest complaint - not of RM, but of couriers. I had a perishable delivery (needed to be opened within 48 hours of dispatch) and it was delivered to a neighbour with no card for me - so I didn't know it had arrived and it had spoiled by the time I got it.
Luckily the supplier agreed a replacement.
If I were a Postie and saw that on someone's door, it'd have the opposite effect to the intended.
To be honest you're probably not losing anything, likely they'll not do it anyway!
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.