Royal Mail delivered to a bin, bin was emptied before customer got home

MEM62

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

My thoughts also.  I cannot see them doing so.  Probably some fabrication by the recipient.   

Pollycat

Once, just once I've had a parcel put in the bin by a postie.

I like to use Royal Mail because I know if I'm not in and neither is my next-door-neighbour, they'll leave a card and take it back to the sorting office.

NBLondon

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

Temporary postie?  New trainee?

I did once have a postie leave a package behind the bin and stick a red card through.  I was on holiday at the time and found it 5 days later, wet from rain.  I complained and RM compensated me for the cost of the item (£18 for a hardback book).

I have this week had a Hermes Evri driver leave a parcel in the recycling box.  No knock heard but just a text update to say that's where it was.   Not a huge problem as we would most likely have put more stuff in the box before it went out for recycling but still not ideal.

KxMx

MEM62 said:

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

My thoughts also.  I cannot see them doing so.  Probably some fabrication by the recipient.   

Happened to me as recently as last month. 
The bin was by my door & not out for collection though. 

Brie

This is a fairly standard thing for deliveries in my experience.  In fact I saw it on a website as a tick for a place to leave a parcel, i.e. with neighbour, in bin, over fence etc.  So I doubt it's a fabrication.  

We're luck in that our postie (at least the regularly one) knows we have a side door, so one ring of the bell, wait a few seconds, if no answer the parcel is left on the door step for us to find.  I don't know what he would do if our car wasn't in our drive (has to walk past it to get to any door so it's obvious) as we might be out down the shops or off on holidays.  Though saying that we wouldn't be ordering anything if we were about to flock off somewhere for more than a couple of hours.

lesleyb

Spoonie_Turtle said:

lesleyb said:

fenwick458 said:

Sold an item on eBay 26th, posted on the 27th, delivered to the customer on the 29th (as shown on my ebay account)
received a message today saying that the bin was emptied before the customer got the parcel, and they have sent a pic of a red card saying "item left in bin"
is this really my problem? apparently the customer has spoken to royal mail first and they told them to contact me?

My postman sometimes leaves parcels in a certain place if I am not in but I had to agree to that with Royal Mail and it was done at my own risk. I would think your buyer possibly had the same arrangement with no thought as to what would happen on bin day. 

I have seen this happen with Evri, and the complainant was adamant they most certainly didn't authorise their safe place as 'in the bin' - but very surprising to hear of it with Royal Mail.

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

I know it's not the same in all areas but we have to put our bins out by the roadside for emptying. There would be no point in putting an empty bin out for collection. 

The story just doesn't make sense. I think that I'd be checking when the bin collections were made at the buyer's address before commenting further to the buyer (this should be available on their local council website). What time was the item delivered?

In some townhouses and densely packed estates the bins do live permanently 'out' on the pathway because there's nowhere else for them.  Fairly rare though.  An excellent suggestion in your last paragraph for OP to check.

You have the option to specify a "safe" place, I have not put in the bin as I would be worried that it would be collection day but Royal Mail will leave in my specified place at my own risk

elsien

lesleyb said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

lesleyb said:

fenwick458 said:

Sold an item on eBay 26th, posted on the 27th, delivered to the customer on the 29th (as shown on my ebay account)
received a message today saying that the bin was emptied before the customer got the parcel, and they have sent a pic of a red card saying "item left in bin"
is this really my problem? apparently the customer has spoken to royal mail first and they told them to contact me?

My postman sometimes leaves parcels in a certain place if I am not in but I had to agree to that with Royal Mail and it was done at my own risk. I would think your buyer possibly had the same arrangement with no thought as to what would happen on bin day. 

I have seen this happen with Evri, and the complainant was adamant they most certainly didn't authorise their safe place as 'in the bin' - but very surprising to hear of it with Royal Mail.

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

I know it's not the same in all areas but we have to put our bins out by the roadside for emptying. There would be no point in putting an empty bin out for collection. 

The story just doesn't make sense. I think that I'd be checking when the bin collections were made at the buyer's address before commenting further to the buyer (this should be available on their local council website). What time was the item delivered?

In some townhouses and densely packed estates the bins do live permanently 'out' on the pathway because there's nowhere else for them.  Fairly rare though.  An excellent suggestion in your last paragraph for OP to check.

You have the option to specify a "safe" place, I have not put in the bin as I would be worried that it would be collection day but Royal Mail will leave in my specified place at my own risk

You do have that option, but I  never specify a safe space because I would prefer for RM to leave a card so I can collect from the sorting office at my convenience if I'm not in when they come. 
Never happens, they just dump it in the open unlocked porch anyway. I have a fine collection of RM complaints responses which don't make the slightest bit of difference to anything in practice.
Evri's preferred spot is in the front yard behind the smallest plantpot they can find so effectively in full view of the pavement. Which is why if there's a click and collect option, that's what I'm going for. 

Spoonie_Turtle

I would never specify 'in the bin' as a safe place!  I don't think we have actually specified anywhere but our new postie leaves things behind the bin, not at all visible from anywhere except right on the doorstep, and even then we don't always notice if it's in a grey postbag blending in   Previous postman left things round the side, again not visible from the road.

Any other couriers just leave parcels on the doorstep, which can be in view from the road but only if someone stops at the end of our path for long enough to look.

GadgetGuru

As long as the tracking states delivered, from eBay's perspective, the OP has fulfilled their duty. 
What the OP chooses to do though is up to him.......

lesleyb

elsien said:

lesleyb said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

lesleyb said:

fenwick458 said:

Sold an item on eBay 26th, posted on the 27th, delivered to the customer on the 29th (as shown on my ebay account)
received a message today saying that the bin was emptied before the customer got the parcel, and they have sent a pic of a red card saying "item left in bin"
is this really my problem? apparently the customer has spoken to royal mail first and they told them to contact me?

My postman sometimes leaves parcels in a certain place if I am not in but I had to agree to that with Royal Mail and it was done at my own risk. I would think your buyer possibly had the same arrangement with no thought as to what would happen on bin day. 

I have seen this happen with Evri, and the complainant was adamant they most certainly didn't authorise their safe place as 'in the bin' - but very surprising to hear of it with Royal Mail.

olgadapolga said:

What I'm struggling with on this is, why would the postie put it in a bin? 

I know it's not the same in all areas but we have to put our bins out by the roadside for emptying. There would be no point in putting an empty bin out for collection. 

The story just doesn't make sense. I think that I'd be checking when the bin collections were made at the buyer's address before commenting further to the buyer (this should be available on their local council website). What time was the item delivered?

In some townhouses and densely packed estates the bins do live permanently 'out' on the pathway because there's nowhere else for them.  Fairly rare though.  An excellent suggestion in your last paragraph for OP to check.

You have the option to specify a "safe" place, I have not put in the bin as I would be worried that it would be collection day but Royal Mail will leave in my specified place at my own risk

You do have that option, but I  never specify a safe space because I would prefer for RM to leave a card so I can collect from the sorting office at my convenience if I'm not in when they come. 
Never happens, they just dump it in the open unlocked porch anyway. I have a fine collection of RM complaints responses which don't make the slightest bit of difference to anything in practice.
Evri's preferred spot is in the front yard behind the smallest plantpot they can find so effectively in full view of the pavement. Which is why if there's a click and collect option, that's what I'm going for. 

Evri left one of my parcels in my home office which turned out to be behind my bin .  We are lucky with our Royal Mail deliveries our driver often comes earlier in the morning when he knows I am home.