[floppybootstomp]

A letter I'm about to send:

Dear Sir/Madam

On Saturday 4th August I was expecting to receive a parcel being delivered by Royal Mail so stayed at home to take delivery. Here’s the sequence of events that led to me actually receiving my parcel some five days later:

Saturday 4th August: Expecting delivery. Check mailbox 14:00 collect card from Royal Mail delivery person advising me I wasn’t at home and to collect my parcel from the main local sorting office at Charlton after at least 48 hours. Supposed delivery attempt, according to card, was 11:20. I was at home from waking at 07:30 to 14:00 hours.

Monday 6th August: Visit Charlton sorting office at 12:30, some 49+ hours after alleged attempted delivery. Was informed ‘It’s not back yet mate, try tomorrow’. Ok.

Tuesday 7th August: Visit Charlton sorting office at 11:30, parcel can still not be found. Royal Mail counter person asks for my phone number so he can advise me when to collect parcel. I give him business card with my mobile and home telephone numbers plus fax and e-mail details.

Wednesday 8th August: having heard nothing from the Charlton sorting office I visit the sorting office at 19:30 hours. Parcel still cannot be found, counter person asks for my phone number. I explain I’ve already given it but he takes my mobile number anyway.

Thursday 9th August: Visit Charlton sorting office at 11:30 and parcel still not there. Counter person seems concerned and goes in search of manager. Manager checks some kind of delivery records they keep and thinks the parcel may have been left at local Post Office. Asks me if I was advised to go to local post office and I show her the card that post person left me, which only advises me to visit Charlton sorting office, nothing about parcel being left at local post office.

I wonder why these records were not checked on my second or third visit.

Any parcels left at post office if I’m not at home to accept them are usually left at the Trafalgar Road Post office which is odd as that Post Office branch is a good 30 minutes walk for me whereas my local Greenwich Post Office is 5 to 10 minutes walk from me, but I digress.

I walk about three quarters of a mile to Trafalgar Road Post Office and my parcel is not there. I walk about another three quarters of a miles to my local Greenwich Post Office and there is my parcel. I am pleased and relieved but wait – they charge me £1.50 for the privilege of collecting a parcel that should have been delivered to me five days ago when I was at home to receive it.

I pay my £1.50 (copy of receipt enclosed) and undertake to write this letter.

Seems to me I’ve had to wait five days extra for a parcel delivery; I have wasted several hours in pursuit of that parcel; I have had to to walk fairly long distances for a person my age and am £1.50 poorer owing to another person’s incompetence or laziness.

This really is an unacceptable state of affairs and I hope you - Royal Mail – address the problem internally. I would also request you refund me the £1.50 it cost me to collect my parcel, postage stamps are acceptable to me for payment.

I would like to point out that I take delivery of a fair number of parcels to this, my home address, and the greater majority of post people are friendly folk who have had no problems delivering parcels to me. In fact some do go out of their way to make sure I receive my parcels. Generally speaking Royal Mail provide a good service in my opinion but in the instance I’ve described here something went very wrong, probably the post person who attempted delivery of my parcel giving the wrong advice on the calling card.

Yours faithfully

[muckshifter]

In general I've fond the PO to be second to none, it is regrettable however, that on occasions things do go wrong.

I have had one parcel "lost" in the post, fortunately Amazon sent out a replacement, but I did have to wait 3 weeks before they would send a replacement, it was a birthday present to.

Good luck in getting a response.

[crazylegs]

Sorry to hear of you P.O woes Mr Flopp's

I usually get cards through the door too even when I'm in, and have had postmen/women sign the recorded delivery dockets too and post the item through the door, bl*ody cheeky gits!

I do hope it doesn't happen again in future though as walking that distance ain't no fun for no reason..

[Taffycat]

Jolly good letter Flopps.

You were given the most appalling run-around - and to then be charged for the privilege of eventually receiving your parcel, is an absolute disgrace!

Some years ago, we too, had cause to write a letter of complaint to Royal Mail. It concerned something which had gone astray (at that time, we had a very dodgy postman, who turned "losing mail" into an art form...) But the real insult was the (unwanted) "recompense" sent to us by RM. A small, tin post-box containing some boiled sweets!

Hope you receive a decent apology and get your money back.

[feckit]

Our postie seems ok, but he did once deliver a package that had obviously been opened but could not explain why or why he was still delivering it!! RM can bad press and it seems at times it's deserved. But our local post office they cant help you enough and they do a great job.

Sadly it seems they still have to employ humans that sometimes dont come with commonsense!

[TriplexDread]

It happens to me all the time.

Card through door saying i wasn't home. I was!!

It has now come down to my leaving a note in the window instructing the postie to leave any parcels undeliverable in the shop next door too where I live.

So far so good

[exmoor]

We never have problems, the postie cant really miss the farm!
If we are not in they normally have a quick hunt to see if we are in a field near by.

[Rush]

By Crazylegs
have had postmen/women sign the recorded delivery dockets too and post the item through the door, bl*ody cheeky gits!

To me thats a god send if i am at work

[Rush]

Originally Posted by exmoor

We never have problems, the postie cant really miss the farm!
If we are not in they normally have a quick hunt to see if we are in a field near by.

Your postie has time to look around a field for you !! bloody hell when they retire let me know..as i will have a picnic lunch instead of searching lol

[darcy]

most doable letter, flopps : )

i cannot count the times i have been @ home to receive a parcel only to find a slip left in my mailbox that i was not @ home. utter nonsense this sort of practice is!