‘Sorry, you were out’ – but is Royal Mail sorry enough?

Someone also needs to tell all the posties to make sure they write CLEARLY the 13-digit number on the back of the ‘sorry, you were out’ card. Not sure if it’s just my postman that has particularly bad handwriting but, on several occasions when I’ve tried to arrange a redelivery online, my reference number hasn’t been recognised because I’ve had to guess at some of the digits. This has happened when I’ve tried calling too (an automated, not manned phone line incidentally) to arrage a redelivery. I’ve only been successful at doing this once…so now I get everything delivered to my work.

Forgot to add…it’s all well and good being told to go to the collection office but when you work full time when are you meant to collect it? The ‘sorry you were out cards’ never tell you the opening hours of your local office and even if you do manage to get there at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning (the only time mine seems to be open), there’s always a huge queue with only a single person manning the desk. I once spent close to an hour waiting to collect a recorded delivery letter…

I am a fan of on-line buying – In the last 10 years only two of the 1000 or so items went missing – one turned up three months late and I didn’t trust the seller for the other

The rest of the items have arrived “on time” – only one was not delivered properly – that is a card put through letterbox when I was in – you see I have dogs that will tell me someone has opened the gate and approached the house. Usually I can open the door before the postman uses the letterbox or rings.

But to put this in perspective the post office delivers millions of letters daily – 36,000 complaints in a year is insignificant – somehow I doubt if a privatised company will do as well. I’m often asked to ‘sign for’ items for completely different addresses from other delivery systems.

I am considering just paying the extra for courier delivery – twice this month my redelivery hasn’t turned up. The first time the postman ‘forgot’ to pick it up so had to wait an extra four days. This time again it hasn’t turned up and a week later they haven’t bothered getting back to me with their promised phone call. Their complaints process over the phone is a misery involving 15 minutes of computerised prattling prior to 1 minute of an uninterested call centre operators time, plus the cost of the call itself. I become more demoralised by their service by the day.

The frustration of being in but getting a red card through the door is made worse now that the office used to collect the parcels from in my area has been moved to an industrial site with no bus services making collecting the parcels a ridiculous trek, and the cost of getting the item redelivered to a local Post office has shot up from 50p to £1.50 per item (why per item when the overhead must be the same for one or more items?). Looks and feels just like a way of raking in the money to me.

Bitter experience tells me that the likes of DHL and other couriers are many thousands of times worse than Royal Mail.

Oddly, I have never had a “when you were out card” whilst I was in from the post office, but meter readers leave them every time without fail …. and they HAVE been privatised …. the shape of things to come with the mail maybe?

It’s not perfect but privatisation won’t help

The practice of leaving parcels, when I am not in, in my front garden or just near my front door where all on sundry can see them really annoys me. Anyone could take them and also the weather could damage the contents of the parcels.

My local sorting office – and I believe the Post Office in general allow you to designate another address or a specific place to leave your parcel if you are out. I have a “hidden” box in the front garden for this. Works well though sometimes slightly too large items for the letterbox are left under the mat (to save writing the red card?)

So far I have found DHL and UPS to be excellent on REdeliveries – whereas the Post Office has been totally appalling if you phone the ‘central office’. I had a red card so phoned for a redelivery – then tried the web site – giving two different days that I would be in – Eventually AFTER the week’s allowance was up I received an e-mail to say it was at the sorting office which I knew it was anyway!!!!!!!
The problem is at one time I could phone the local sorting office to arrange a redelivery – but now they no longer answer the phone.

Another problem I’ve encountered is the total non delivery of an item. ie: I was out. The postman had not got any delivery cards on him. So he simply took it back to the depot where it stayed. Somehow I am expected to know he tried to deliver it and that I need to go to the depot to collect it before it got returned to the sender. Really not good enough……..

Perhaps this explains why our postmen do not always leave “sorry you were out cards” – they have used them all up on people who were in. I have had to report items bought on the internet as missing, which meant the suppliers had to refund me then start lengthy investigations into possible theft. It turned out the items had been waiting at the post office for me to collect for weeks, and I only found out when I went there for something else and the lady behind the desk asked why I hadn’t collected my parcels which had been there for weeks.

Getting a while you were out card would be nice. I’m lucky if I even get that. On two occaisions in the last couple of months I have not even been left a card. The first parcel got returned to the sender with a note written on it saying ‘not collected from sorting office’. Having learnt from this, when my next parcel failed to arrive 2 weeks after posting I went to my local sorting office and was told they did not have anything for me. 2 weeks after that the parcel got returned to the sender (again). Think I may be going down the same path with another parcel this week. The limited opening times, massive queues and bad attitude of the staff at the sorting office mean that when it is offered I choose an alternate courrier for my deliveries especially if I know the parcel will be too large for my letter box.

Several times I have had cards left when I was definitely in and they don’t leave it at the time they were supposed to have attempted the delivery but leave it with the Postman to deliver the card next day and of course you get nowhere if you mention it at the Delivery Office …..Earlier this week I got a card saying they had attempted a delivery the day before but the street was inaccessable ( presumably due to snow ) which is a nonsense as cars and vans have been in and out of the street since day 1 of the snow and ,in fact ,I even saw a RM van there one day !!! I then went online and arranged redelivery for Saturday but has it arrived ???..no of course not …absolutely pathetic …

Royal Mail let’s me down yet again at Christmas time, last xmas they took over 3 weeks to deliver a xmas present and this year they are struggling again. Yes the weather is poor but i beleive it is simply the volume of parcels and they are simply not equipped to deal with it. Next year i will use internet shopping but will not use companies who use Royal Mail the likes of M&S and HMV because it takes weeks rather than days for deliveries over the xmas period that is my experience

I was left a ‘while you were out card’, popped in to collect my items the following day and they couldn’t be found. This was on the 20th July and they still haven’t turned up! I put in a complaint, including a photocopy of the card and received the standard reply and 6 1st class stamps. To add to that they said that the contents of my item were listed against the prohibitions and restrictions for sending mail in the UK.

My missing items were a charm bracelet, some wedding sweets and wedding bubble favours! I can only assume that the soap bubbles were prohibited????

I am very annoyed at the postal service today,not only have they have lost my post in the past,but last week i posted a birthday card and a light parcel to two different houses in the same district on the same day and time..My friend received her birthday card,but my son hasn’t received his parcel yet,it’s been six days now. I posted them both first class,and they were both weighed. I just don’t trust them.

The service here has deteriorated significantly during the past couple of months, since a notice went up in our Post Office about re-organization.
Whereas we previously received our post before noon and there were few problems, it is now delivered at 15.30ish if we are lucky.
On 24/09 we received next door’s post, along with ours. On the same day our son posted a birthday card to my wife by first class post in London – envelope is clearly stamped “24.08.11 07.44 pm.” Card only arrived today 27/08 along with several other items – we did not receive anything 25/08 or 26/08.
No wonder the country is in such a mess.

It’s usually OK package delivery round my way, but I do I end up going to pick up parcels myself more than often. Bearing that in mind the opening hours of the depot are pretty inconvenient if you work full time hours.

My gripe at the minute is I had something delivered last week and didn’t even get one of the dreaded ‘While You Were Out’ cards (don’t know what happened there). By the time I had been in contact with the seller off Ebay and sorted out that it had in fact been delivered and checked the tracking number, it had already been returned as they only hold these items for a week (another impracticality if you can’t make it to the Post Office often), so will have to be re-sent. Also, no-one at the depot ever bothers to pick up the phone. Bah.

I was expecting a parcel last week, upon tracking and tracing the item it appeared that the postman tried delivering the item and left me a card – I was home all day on the said date and the postman didn’t leave any card. I contacted my post office who said that I would be unable to collect the item since no card was left and instead I would have to arrange re-delivery. That re-delivery was arranged for today, yet again, I have been home all day and the delivery hasn’t arrived. I am not happy at all. Items are sent recorded delivery for a reason. I have been on the phone numerous times to complain and will be on the phone again to complain. I will be lucky to receive the item at all – the sender will be out of the country for a month – it is likely the item will get sent back and I will have to wait another month then start this process all over again. I am not happy at all – especially when only a few days ago a Recorded Delivery Item was pushed straight through the letter-box without me signing for it first. The service offered by the Royal Mail is absolutely appalling!!!!!

The other day I was waiting for a recorded delivery parcel. I waited not far from the front door, only to find a note saying I was not in but to collect at my post office 24 hrs later. Not the first time either. And yet I had a sighn on the door ( please ring the bell or knock ) but there was nothing. And I keep getting my mail delivered to the wrong address some comes back to me and I know some went missing. I am fed up with Royal Mail, and it’s so dificult to make a complaint. When can we have a decent trustworthing postal service????????????????

I once saw a postie coming with a parcel whilst I was washing dishes, but he didn’t see me. I dried my hands as I waited for him to knock…and a card came through the door instead. He didn’t even knock. I opened the door and asked why he had done it and he lied and said there had been no answer when he knocked. I had to point out what had happened and that he hadn’t knocked at all. At least he blushed.
Some knock so softly that I can’t hear if I’m upstairs or at the back of the house. Others refuse to wait until I run down the stairs to answer the door.

We have had a number of cards put through the door while in since moving to Sandiacre in nottingham. Worse than that is the fact that parcels and letters get delivered to 4 other addresses across nottingham when meant for us, the closest being about 5 miles away and the furthest over 40 miles across nottingham, address clearly marked and postcoded yet they get delivered wrongly. we now have the phone number for the closest one and ring each other and deliver it ourselves. worst case I had with parcelforce – no card left and tracking said it had been refused and signed by me, the depot said the parcel had been returned within 24 hours from local post office until i pointed out it was my name on return and i do not work for post office they then refused to talk to me further and said the manager would call me the next day, no call came and i could not get hold of him. supplier recieved item back and was told the address did not exist. finally got an email for royal mails directors and sent an email to them questioning their service and the fraudulant use of my name as a signature, parcel was picked up from supplier same day and delivered within 24 hours but never heard any more about any action to deal with this issue of staff that cannot read an address or falsify documents

To all the people saying they will use other mail carriers (e.g. DPD, FedEx etc) for their parcels if they order online, just be aware that they are not legally responsible for a universal service. That means if they reach capacity at busy times (like Christmas) they will pay Royal Mail to deliver their parcels for them. Thus increasing the pressure on Royal Mail, who legally cannot refuse any mail items despite how busy they may be.

We have problems with Royal Mail all the time, we get the cards or they just don’t deliver. One was a bank card with the address clearly written on it. My toddler and I needed my partners bank card while he was working away so he sent it next day recorded delivery. I didn’t even get a calling card it was sent to their “main mail office” in Northern Ireland…. Err why?? It left me and my son without electric and food for 3 days had to go to my mums….

The second is today, something is has been sent next day recorded and guess what it hasn’t arrived and the bloody postman has just said it won’t arrive today seariously wtf I payed for the delivery knowing I needed that item today!! Thanks Royal Mail I will not use them again and will get a courier service to collect and deliver for me in future

The Recorded Deliverly Service is a waste of time and money now. Postmen put Recorded delivery item though the letterbox without a signature or worse still Doorstep them. Drivers who deliver to a block of Flats can’t be bothered to go upstairs so leave a Not At Home Card (P739 Card) for the Walking Postman to deliver later on or the next day and the person is at home and the poor Postperson gets the blame for it. Royal Mail or The CWU don’t do much about it at all.

Have just had mail through together with a red card which says there is something for you. On the back it indcates it was not delivered because it was ‘too large’ . It does not claim that the parcel could not be delivered because i was out. Just that they could not post it through my letterbox. Knocking / pressing a bell and waiting takes time. Easier i suspect not to bother, and if your performance as a postie measures success by speed and turnaround your managers implicitly teach you not to take time.
The postie i caught just in time was a bit sheepish. No regular postie now so cannot get to know them. My post also no longer arrives in the morning. But this habit of not bothering to knock/ ring should stop.

I happened to be up early (before 7 a.m.) and noticed a Royal Mail Van delivering parcels. Only he wasn’t. He merely went to the door and posted a card. This has happened to me on numerous occasions. The card is delivered really early on the presumption that the excuse they can give will be that the recipient was either in bed and didn’t hear or not quick enough. They also know that the chances are that we will do their work and collect our parcels, giving them an opportunity for a few hours off. I never use Royal Mail for anything unless I have no choice.

As there was no 13-digit code for me to re arrange another delivery and I don’t have what’s needed to scan the QR code how do I re arrange another delivery online?

I can relate to all these stories. The amount of times I have paid for Special Delivery which never happens and is dealt with by putting a card through the letterbox – now they have resorted to putting a card through 3 days later.
Oddly, this only happens at a particular delivery office and every time I complain I get the same reply – sorry etc etc. Worse still, the Manager of the delivery office is compliant with the silly excuses.
This last complaint gave the same rubbish answer and I was told to write to the Postal Review Panel, but of course, was not given the full address.
Obviously the money paid for Special Delivery is a complete waste if the Delivery Office chooses not to comply.