Can my postman do this

tempusfugit_3

I can honestly say I disaprove of this practice, however convenient it may be for some.

Some time back I ordered from an ebay seller. He posted the item using 'signed for' delivery. The Royal Mail site clearly indicates the item was delivered, signed for by someone but with a different surname from me and it's not either of our signatures (only myself and my partner live at the address). Royal Mail state that I cannot claim for the item because I am the recipient. The seller is unwilling to put in a claim because he has received payment.

Either this was delivered to the wrong address or the postie signed for it and it was then stolen from our doorstep.

The problem is that I cannot prove that I did not receive it.

kiwifruit_2

Our posties in NZ mostly ride pushbikes and you never see them, unless they have to knock on the door for a parcel or signed for delivery. The letterboxes are all at the end of the householders drive, by the footpath, so the postie just cycles past posting the post as he goes. A few days after I arrived in the UK, I was sat reading the paper when I hear this commotion at the front door. I got up and could see someone 'tampering' with the door and thought it was a burglar lol so I picked up the broom and so to give the biggest element of surprise, I sneaked up to the door and swiftly opened the door - revealing my best impression of a Maori Haka I could muster up lmao - I dont know who got the biggest surprise - me or the postie lol....I explained to him that I wasnt aware the postbox was in the side glass to the door and he explained to me that it was!!! We still laugh about it and I think the postie that we have is one in a million. He hassles me about really being an Australian -which is considered a humourous insult to a kiwi and vice versa and I tell him that if he doesnt hurry up and stop littering my doorstep that I shall have to get the broom.......its all good fun

custardy

funny you mention postboxes at the end of the drive
i was looking at possible revisions the other day on a rural duty ive never been on let alone delivered to
they have areas where there is no vehicle access and its a good 15 minute to the delivery point and back
this is on RM's limit,however i think its crazy that someone should have to spend 15 minutes for what could easily be 1 letter

mbdx3bbl

The issue here is if he's trusty man like most of our posties are it will be fine and save you a lot of time. However, if you can't take the risk i.e. the parcel is very important or expensive, you better let him know that you would like to sign them yourself.
Case for me is i sell things on ebay, sometimes ppl return things and want you to refund in a very short period of time. There was once the parcel came on Friday but my postie didn't give me untill Monday. I was left a neg fb for that...
So i suggest you think about what's important and choose wisely.

kiwifruit_2

Custardy - in the most rural of areas in NZ, where the only people who drive on that peice of road are the residents lol, the post boxes are all in a kind of tower formation at the end of the road. All are usually big enough to fit big parcels, milk, the normal post etc and all are padlocked by the owner. Each resident pays a fee for the Rural Delivery Post to be delivered and its a good system. The postie can drive up to the boxes and not even get out of his van!!! He also takes any post that the residents may want posted back in town and this is signaled by a 'flag' attached to the post box. From memory I think if the flag is up, then the resident wants the postie to stop and take mail for posting - if its down - then nothing there. Excellent service.

akane_2

The time it takes to make a post on here you could have stuck a note or letter on your door saying
"Thanks for signing for my item and posting it but in the future i want to sign myself or return my item to the delivery office"

Postman/woman now called "OPG" (operational postal grades) now work on a principal of "once over the ground" and when finished they can go home but if they have a unsigned item they have to return it to a post office or delivery office he is not allowed to take it home so he is not doing you a favour.
One other thing to consider is it may not be the postman that delivers your mail who leaves packages ,most offices like mine have drivers who drop of posties at their first delivery point and as part of their duty they leave the other bags of mail he delivers at collection points further on his round and delivers large, heavy etc parcels and all recorded and registered items aswell.
Some of the above replies begger belief .
Why the hell would a postman steal a letter that he signed for when he can help himself to anything in his bag.
95% of amazon packages dont have to be signed for but all are barcode scanned at the delivery office so amazon etc know they reached the delivery office.

akane_2

kiwifruit wrote: »

Custardy - in the most rural of areas in NZ, where the only people who drive on that peice of road are the residents lol, the post boxes are all in a kind of tower formation at the end of the road. All are usually big enough to fit big parcels, milk, the normal post etc and all are padlocked by the owner. Each resident pays a fee for the Rural Delivery Post to be delivered and its a good system. The postie can drive up to the boxes and not even get out of his van!!! He also takes any post that the residents may want posted back in town and this is signaled by a 'flag' attached to the post box. From memory I think if the flag is up, then the resident wants the postie to stop and take mail for posting - if its down - then nothing there. Excellent service.

Very similar to my in-laws house in australia they live outside melbourne and the pavement is 10ft wide,the postman uses a motorbike like the pizza delivery guys and the rule of thumb is he drive along the pavement and does not get of the bike so you put your mailbox at the end of your drive and if he can't reach it to put the mail inside then they won't deliver he must be able to reach it without leaning over.

Wayne3765

logan wrote: »

had a really bad postie at my old address who stole mail, shoved it round the alley way and allsorts of wierd things but i have never ever complained about something so ridiculous as this. if i was the person you had phoned to complain to id have laughed and hung up on you (sorry but its true)
the fact is he/she was trying to help you out and has done so on 3 occasions...he bent the rules so you didnt have to go out of your way to pick it up....when you should have been in in the first place to sign for it......

to put it in a simpler way.....when you get on the bus and a bus driver doesnt charge you he presses the friend/family button or whatever...hes doing that to help you out
when the woman in the shop lets you off with a few pence shes helping you out

to complain because somebody has helped you out, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR RIGHTS is crazy and that is the problem with the world today

Royal Mail say to allow up to 15 working days for first class post to arrive.

Are you saying that anyone expecting a parcel should book 15 days off work and not move from he house until the parcel's delivered ?

We have a new postie , I wish the old one would come back though , our post is now 2 - 3 hours later as he uses a different system to every other postman we've had ( delivers to even numbers first then comes back to do the odd numbers ) but more importantly without attempting to knock the door he leaves items on the doorstep, open to the elements and in view for anyone to see.

Don't want to drop him in any trouble though so I'll have a friendly word with him and ask if he could try knocking instead of just leaving items outside.

iliketosave_2

akane wrote: »

The time it takes to make a post on here you could have stuck a note or letter on your door saying
"Thanks for signing for my item and posting it but in the future i want to sign myself or return my item to the delivery office"

Postman/woman now called "OPG" (operational postal grades) now work on a principal of "once over the ground" and when finished they can go home but if they have a unsigned item they have to return it to a post office or delivery office he is not allowed to take it home so he is not doing you a favour.
One other thing to consider is it may not be the postman that delivers your mail who leaves packages ,most offices like mine have drivers who drop of posties at their first delivery point and as part of their duty they leave the other bags of mail he delivers at collection points further on his round and delivers large, heavy etc parcels and all recorded and registered items aswell.
Some of the above replies begger belief .
Why the hell would a postman steal a letter that he signed for when he can help himself to anything in his bag.
95% of amazon packages dont have to be signed for but all are barcode scanned at the delivery office so amazon etc know they reached the delivery office.

Thanks to channel 4 dispatches, all postmen are thieves, surely you knew we are all tarred with the same brush, and if its been on tv and in the papers it must be true, as you can see.

iliketosave_2

Wayne3765 wrote: »

Royal Mail say to allow up to 15 working days for first class post to arrive.

Are you saying that anyone expecting a parcel should book 15 days off work and not move from he house until the parcel's delivered ?

We have a new postie , I wish the old one would come back though , our post is now 2 - 3 hours later as he uses a different system to every other postman we've had ( delivers to even numbers first then comes back to do the odd numbers ) but more importantly without attempting to knock the door he leaves items on the doorstep, open to the elements and in view for anyone to see.

Don't want to drop him in any trouble though so I'll have a friendly word with him and ask if he could try knocking instead of just leaving items outside.

15 working days for first class? Where has that come from, its new to me!
If your postie is later it is probably because many offices have just endured further change of starting times and rounds, in mine, some who were at the beginning are now at the end, and most were worked out by a pc programme, so they must be right,anagers say so.
Dont be surprised if its well into the afternoon within the next year, RM want an even later start to the day.