How Did Royal Mail Get it THIS Wrong?

[Deleted User]

Not strictly eBay related, but would be interested in any theories as to how this happened?

Yesterday, the postman delivered a letter to me addressed as follows (I have replaced the road name and number with made up ones for illustrating the point):

Jack XXXXXX (not my christian name or surname)
1 Acacia Avenue (correct number and road name)
Enfield (I live in Newton Abbot)
Middlesex (I live in Devon)
XX1 1XX (can't remember postcode, but I checked it and it was the correct postcode for the address as written on the envelope). My postcode starts TQ12.

I could understand it a bit more if the item had been posted locally to me, but it was posted in Windsor.

So my question is, how on earth does a correctly addressed envelope posted in Windsor to somebody in Middlesex, end up being delivered to me in Devon - the only similarities were the road name and number?

Just to add, I stuck it back in the postbox, fingers crossed it gets delivered to the right person.

ilikewatch

My guess would be that the letter was automatically sorted incorrectly and sent to the wrong delivery office, then when the postie was sorting the mail for his round he was only looking at the house number and street name. When I was a postman mistakes like this happened frequently - When you have to sort thousands of items of post at 5 or 6 in the morning according to strict performance targets, mistakes tend to happen!

barmonkey

Deleted_User wrote: »

Enfield (I live in Newton Abbot)

I live in Newton Abbot :wave:

[Deleted User]

barmonkey wrote: »

I live in Newton Abbot :wave:

Oooh, what a small world - I wonder if we know each in real life?!:D

custardy

Deleted_User wrote: »

Not strictly eBay related, but would be interested in any theories as to how this happened?

Yesterday, the postman delivered a letter to me addressed as follows (I have replaced the road name and number with made up ones for illustrating the point):

Jack XXXXXX (not my christian name or surname)
1 Acacia Avenue (correct number and road name)
Enfield (I live in Newton Abbot)
Middlesex (I live in Devon)
XX1 1XX (can't remember postcode, but I checked it and it was the correct postcode for the address as written on the envelope). My postcode starts TQ12.

I could understand it a bit more if the item had been posted locally to me, but it was posted in Windsor.

So my question is, how on earth does a correctly addressed envelope posted in Windsor to somebody in Middlesex, end up being delivered to me in Devon - the only similarities were the road name and number?

Just to add, I stuck it back in the postbox, fingers crossed it gets delivered to the right person.

As said,machine read and sorted via sequence machine.
These come in the DOs in trays in walk frame order.
You should have scored out these



Routing barcodes..
Machines could pick it up again and route it right back

[Deleted User]

custardy wrote: »

As said,machine read and sorted via sequence machine.
These come in the DOs in trays in walk frame order.
You should have scored out these



Routing barcodes..
Machines could pick it up again and route it right back

HOpefully not, as I wrote 'Mis Delivered to XXX, Newton Abbot, Devon' Please redirect to correct address' on the envelope.

usefulmale

Deleted_User wrote: »

HOpefully not, as I wrote 'Mis Delivered to XXX, Newton Abbot, Devon' Please redirect to correct address' on the envelope.

As custardy said, the machines read the red barcodes, not your writing. However, the postman may see your writing and score out the barcode and redirect if it does come back to your local DO.

KxMx

I get my neighbours post frequently, my post has recently started going elsewhere (things delivered on a Sunday presumably by a neighbour) and I get post all the time for another person on a different local street and postcode, but same house number.

I complain each time to Royal Mail but still it happens.

forgotmyname

I live in the Midlands and had a letter sent locally end up doing a 3 week tour of South Wales.

When it finally arrived it looked like one of those letters that had been around the world and stamped at each location.

robatwork

Some people hate criticising their postman.

But yours had a very off day.

Cyclamen

Hi with sunday post.. it doesn't always mean its gone to the wrong house and a neaighbour has reposted.. a whileback our postie delivered sundays to 'catch up' although this was after the floods so I am guessing it isn't a usual occurence.