Here’s a sign for your door if you have the same problems I just had with the Royal Mail and, to some extent, Amazon who are naïve enough to use the Royal Mail for their most-urgent deliveries.
Click on the image for the large version.
In summary,
I needed a piece of software pretty urgently
The download version didn’t include several enhancements the boxed version offered.
I bought it from Amazon and paid extra for evening delivery which, at the weekend, means 2.30pm to 5.30 pm.
When I saw that the Amazon had entrusted an urgent delivery to the Royal Mail, my heart sank.
No knock on the door, no doorbell rang, so at 4.36 pm, I decided to walk the ten feet or so to my front door to see if I could spot a delivery van.
Poking through the letterbox was a ‘Sorry, you were out’ card, time stated 4.35 pm.
No sign of the van, scooter or non-delivery man. I checked the doorbell was working which it was.
I phoned the number on the card at 4.37 pm, and was promised a call back.
Nothing for half an hour so I phoned again – number constantly engaged.
Phoned Amazon, made my feelings clear, politely. I will be getting a full refund including delivery cost when software is returned to them.
Royal Mail did phone back. They couldn’t get hold of the driver until it was ‘too late for him to turn back’.
I told them to return package to sender which will speed up my refund.
Update. For any new visitors. This is a comment on the second instance of this happening in years. It does really piss me off but not as much as the government and Royal Mail management dicking round the posties. I do not subscribe to the union bashing of some of the commenters of The Telegraph’s thread.
NB This blogs comments close 7 days after the date of posting the article/image.
Comments (4)
This used to only happen at Christmas – when a friend of mine looked into it, turns out they would employ a load of students to deliver parcels, but they had to go on extra security training to actually carry the goods. However, they were perfectly entitled/qualified to deliver the “You were out…” cards. So that’s what they did. They never had the item with them, even if you met them at the door!
Looks like they’re still using that policy…fucktards.
If it’s any help, I feel your pain brother. Although in my experience Royal Mail has one significant advantage over the private alternatives like Citylink and UPS: they have post offices near to where you live.
The others helpfully suggest you come and pick the package up from their “local” office, which could be even further away from you than the original sender. That’s a good job – even I could do that! Post using me and rather than deliver it, I’ll just send the recipient a postcard that asks them to come and pick it up from me. Lovely Jubbly etc
Oh do not f***ing start me. My local sorting office – Lanhill Road in west London – seemingly began a policy last year of hiring actual illiterates, as I suddenly began getting mail for pretty much any flat within three street numbers of my own. Including credit cards, bank letters, utility bills… Once I even managed to catch the bastard at it, he’d stuffed next door’s mail into my letter box and was on his way down the steps when I sprinted out of the flat after him and pointed out that he’d failed miserably in only aspect of his job that couldn’t be farmed out to a poorly trained dog.
Love it! Can you do one for Initial Sh***y Link who are even worse than Royal Mail at ‘carding’ people. Ask anybody using e-Buyer.
I guess in this day and age it’s all about metrics and so an attempt at delivery probably equals a delivery. If you have 200 things to deliver between 6am and 9am, carding is the only way you can meet your target and so get paid. I’m sure the guy delivering isn’t doing it for personal reasons against ‘you’ but just to ensure there’s bread on the table for her family come pay-day.