Deliveries not being delivered!

soolin

Emily_Joy said:

Exodi said:

I'd say I still prefer this to the latter (e.g. Royal Mail leaving a slip which requires you to drive to the sorting office, which is always in Timbuktu, is only open between the hours of 10:15am and 10:17am on a Wednesday with no parking in a mile radius). Plus doing this inevitably increases cost.

If I'm honest, I actually prefer that things are left on the doorstep, it's the ultimate convenience (though I emphathise with the frustration when they don't bother ringing the doorbell!). I work during the day, so it means if it didn't happen like this, I'd only be able to receive items on weekends if I sat in all day.

If it bothers you, I'd recommend organising some form of outdoor safeplace for use.

A video doorbell is also handy as it alerts you when a delivery driver (not just Amazon, our Evri, Yodel and DPD guys do this as well) leaves stuff on the doorstep without ringing the doorbell.

This is just my view - of course I totally understand that someone that is retired/generally home all day would be frustrated with things being left outside the house for no reason.

I am sorry to hear your delivery office is in Timbuktu. Ours is in the town centre and a few minutes walk from main supermarkets and is easy to drop by. Parcels are definitely safer there, and I often complain about sellers who say they will send with Royal Mail and then post with Evri, that tends to leave parcels on the doorsteps.

Our delivery office does not allow collection of undelivered mail, instead it stays there overnight and is sent to the mail centre next day where it can be collected. However the mail centre is only open 8-10 am except for Thursdays where they also have 4-6. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Pollycat said:

Going to the sorting office to collect an undelivered RM parcel is not inconvenient.

Good that it isn't for you, but it is for a fair number of other people with various different circumstances.

For example ours is nowhere near anywhere we go on a regular basis, it's miles away in the opposite direction and only open for 2hrs most days (except the days it's closed).  It's inconvenient as is, but if we didn't drive it would take a round trip of literally hours to get there as to get to a bus stop with an active bus route would be the first mission!
The much closer one (that doesn't serve our postcode) is also open mostly 2hrs or none, it's on the edge of a rural town and served by one bus an hour at peak times which makes it a very inconvenient trek for many more people if they don't drive.  Impossible, for some, if it's the type of bus that doesn't take wheelchairs/mobility scooters/prams.  Edit: I had a look out of curiosity and the company that run that route have upgraded their buses.  Not all bus companies around here have yet though.

Thank goodness for being able to book redelivery!  But I'm aware this is off the main topic.

RFW

la531983 said:

Get stuff delivered to the Amazon lockers if there is a chance they are going to leave it outside in full view for people to nick.

I came on to say that. There are loads of them now and other places to pick up too. Sometimes you can get an offer to use them as it saves the drivers a bit of time.

Pollycat

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Pollycat said:

Going to the sorting office to collect an undelivered RM parcel is not inconvenient.

Good that it isn't for you, but it is for a fair number of other people with various different circumstances.

I can only speak for myself

ladyholly

Some of the delivery drivers where I live use the meter cupboards for smaller parcels. My neighbour had one which photographed the parcel on the doorstep while she was out so she asked me to pick it up. It wasnt there. He had actually put it through the letter box!!

Emily_Joy

soolin said:

Emily_Joy said:

Exodi said:

I'd say I still prefer this to the latter (e.g. Royal Mail leaving a slip which requires you to drive to the sorting office, which is always in Timbuktu, is only open between the hours of 10:15am and 10:17am on a Wednesday with no parking in a mile radius). Plus doing this inevitably increases cost.

I am sorry to hear your delivery office is in Timbuktu. Ours is in the town centre and a few minutes walk from main supermarkets and is easy to drop by. Parcels are definitely safer there, and I often complain about sellers who say they will send with Royal Mail and then post with Evri, that tends to leave parcels on the doorsteps.

Our delivery office does not allow collection of undelivered mail, instead it stays there overnight and is sent to the mail centre next day where it can be collected. However the mail centre is only open 8-10 am except for Thursdays where they also have 4-6. 

Ours does allow collection, and my work is flexible enough to make it there from 8 to 10 (previously it was from 6 to 9, that I actually liked more). I also go there to send 48 tracked parcels. 

But I think the flexibility and variety of arrangements is the key.  I am considering now adding parcelshop to parcelshop options to my eBay sales, as it seems to be safer than couriers dropping parcels on doorsteps; and thanks to this thread I see clearly that Royal Mail might not work for everyone!

Bradden

Emily_Joy said:

Exodi said:

I'd say I still prefer this to the latter (e.g. Royal Mail leaving a slip which requires you to drive to the sorting office, which is always in Timbuktu, is only open between the hours of 10:15am and 10:17am on a Wednesday with no parking in a mile radius). Plus doing this inevitably increases cost.

If I'm honest, I actually prefer that things are left on the doorstep, it's the ultimate convenience (though I emphathise with the frustration when they don't bother ringing the doorbell!). I work during the day, so it means if it didn't happen like this, I'd only be able to receive items on weekends if I sat in all day.

If it bothers you, I'd recommend organising some form of outdoor safeplace for use.

A video doorbell is also handy as it alerts you when a delivery driver (not just Amazon, our Evri, Yodel and DPD guys do this as well) leaves stuff on the doorstep without ringing the doorbell.

This is just my view - of course I totally understand that someone that is retired/generally home all day would be frustrated with things being left outside the house for no reason.

I am sorry to hear your delivery office is in Timbuktu. Ours is in the town centre and a few minutes walk from main supermarkets and is easy to drop by. Parcels are definitely safer there, and I often complain about sellers who say they will send with Royal Mail and then post with Evri, that tends to leave parcels on the doorsteps.

My local sorting office is less convenient.... 

Opening hours

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

08:00-10:00

Wednesday

08:00-10:00

Thursday

08:00-10:00

Friday

Closed

Saturday

08:00-12:00

Sunday

Closed

Pollycat

Wow!
Mine has a very different service:

Day	Opening time		Closing time	Break
Mon.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Tue.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Wed.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Thu.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Fri.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Sat.	07:00	-	14:00	Nonstop

martindow

Pollycat said:

Wow!
Mine has a very different service:

Day	Opening time		Closing time	Break
Mon.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Tue.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Wed.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Thu.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Fri.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Sat.	07:00	-	14:00	Nonstop

Mine had long hours like that, but last year it changed to be very similar to Bradden's in the post above.  I wouldn't bank on your office's opening hours staying as it they are!

Pollycat

martindow said:

Pollycat said:

Wow!
Mine has a very different service:

Day	Opening time		Closing time	Break
Mon.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Tue.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Wed.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Thu.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Fri.	07:00	-	19:00	Nonstop
Sat.	07:00	-	14:00	Nonstop

Mine had long hours like that, but last year it changed to be very similar to Bradden's in the post above.  I wouldn't bank on your office's opening hours staying as it they are!

I'm not banking on it, just enjoying it whilst it lasts.

TBF, it's very rare that I have to visit the Delivery Office anyway.