What happens when you raise a complaint about a postman?

dacouch

It's a paradox, if a postman is dismissed he'll get the sack, if he's not he'll still get the sack

browneyedbazzi

jsp_1983 wrote: »

It sounds like it's probably not worth raising, though, if the postman just gets spoken to.

What would you expect to happen after a first complaint???

If someone called up and complained about how you do your job would you expect more than for someone to speak to you about it in the first instance? If you received a written warning, suspension or were sacked the first time someone complained (especially with no evidence to back it up!) I expect you'd be straight on the employment board moaning about mistreatment and asking how to take your employer to a tribunal.

Things are almost always dealt with in stages. If no-one ever makes that first complaint and gets the ball rolling then nothing will ever happen to improve. Often, speaking to someone about a problem and discussing how to resolve the issue works. Job done. If it doesn't work then things can be escalated.

Tiglath

A couple of years ago our postman started dropping our post in our open porch instead of putting it through the door, and someone stole it and attempted identity fraud; I only realised when Vodafone texted me to say the new phone I hadn't ordered would be delivered to an address 100 miles away (which happened to be the termtime address of a student local to me but not someone I knew). I phoned the sorting office and complained; the manager said he'd discuss it with our postman, and all mail has gone through the door since then. I did a lot of supersleuthing on the student (I work in financial crime control - I could've written his family biography by the end of it) and passed the file to the police but never heard anything further so am presuming they didn't do anything with it.

jsp_1983

custardy wrote: »

Well what would you expect to happen?

I don't know - hence the question. What I don't want is the situation being made worse by a spiteful postman, particularly if there's the possibility that he's also stealing post.

As regards dropping post in the street, what exactly did you see?

A neighbour's letter on the road. Obviously, we didn't just leave it lying there.

browneyedbazzi

custardy wrote: »

Well what would you expect to happen?
someone phones up,makes an allegation(as that's what it is surely?)
written warning?

jsp_1983 wrote: »

I don't know - hence the question. What I don't want is the situation being made worse by a spiteful postman, particularly if there's the possibility that he's also stealing post.

Ok, let's re-phrase the question: what were you hoping would happen? or what would have to happen for you to think it's worth calling up to complain?

custardy

jsp_1983 wrote: »

I don't know - hence the question. What I don't want is the situation being made worse by a spiteful postman, particularly if there's the possibility that he's also stealing post.



A neighbour's letter on the road. Obviously, we didn't just leave it lying there.

Well you obviously had an expectation since you think just being spoken to doesn't cut it.
so what?

Tuareg

jsp_1983 wrote: »

In raising a complaint, the last thing I want to do, assuming Royal Mail is interested, is make the problem worse by p*ssing off the postman

Is this person your regular postie or a casual? are your doors letter box's well marked with the number or are you multi-occupancy? have you seen the mail being dropped or is another householder throwing out mail for a long departed resident?

One of my first jobs out of school was delivering the post. It never ceased to amaze me how many people (NOT customers as they are the ones that pay for the service) would lie and embellish complaints. It was my experience at he time that the post person would get the 3rd degree regardless as DIM was more scared of customer than postie.

I was twice accused of regularly mis-delivering post. First time DIM ask household to keep any miss delivered post and to call him. He did this without telling me. Never heard from household again. Second time turned out mail was miss addressed and householder wanted an unofficial redirection.

Don't even get me started on those red card for nobody at home. Spoke to my postie just before christmas and he had a massive one where householder wrote to RM Chairman and postcomn to complain about important parcel and was at home but got red card. Luckily postman knew this address and filmed himself on mobile ringing bell and knocking on door multiple times. Nothing came of the complaint but only because he had proof. I know from my time all those years ago that posties aren't 100% but too many householders are allowed to lie through there teeth when it comes to complaints because RM allow them to get away with it.

Most posties I knew and have seen over the years are hard working and care about the job they're doing.