A 'special' delivery from the postman

[tierneyr123]

Just witnessed the special delivery technique used by some posties, the 'lob'. This involves lobbing parcels at the front door while remaining seated on your motorbike.

He got his just deserts though - in his haste to get away, he tipped his bike off the path while trying to reverse, and ended up sprawled in my garden. It took him a minute or two to extract himself, then several more to get his bike started again, much less time than it would have taken to get off the bike and ring the bell.

The moral of this story? Please, please, PLEASE consider using bubble wrap or similar when packing items in satchels!

[transport-posters]

Damn, that's really irritating to hear.  We pay so much for postage here in Australia that we can only hope posties are paid accordingly.  They may be rather underpaid if that's the kind of attitude they are displaying in their profession.

I wish you had a video of him getting into a pickle on his bike.  Sounds really funny.

[lyndal1838]

Was the item too big to fit in the letterbox?  Was it registered or require a signature?

Posties are not required to deliver items that will not fit in the letterbox.....they should be sent with the parcel contractor.

And they are not supposed to get off their bikes unless the item requires a signature.

And just for good measure. postmen are no better paid than the parcel contractors/couriers who get $1.35 to deliver your parcel.

I am glad his "just deserts" amused you.

[tierneyr123]

Fair enough, I didn't realise they're not supposed to get off their bikes. I also realise it's a low paying job, but does that justify throwing people's post at their doors?

One item was a large letter, A4 size, with a pre-paid satchel bundled with it. As the large letter was a thin hard cover book, it couldn't fit in the letter box - I live in a block of units, with brick built letter boxes, and the internal space is unfortunately quite small. I suppose AP can't always pre-determine which items will fit in an individual letter box.

Mea culpa, Lyndal, this morning I was just frustrated at the double whammy of seeing my mail tossed around (and I know it probably happens, anyway) and finding a potentially fragile item loose in a satchel with no packaging.

[*tippy*toes*]

My postie is good in that he will knock on the door to give me a small parcel, even if it doesn't need signing for. He's hoping that if I'm home he gets me out of bed. He gets quite upset if I tell him I was already up. He's been putting s**t on me for years and I give it back just as good.

One day I was out in the front yard and he pulled up and beckoned me over to get the 2 letters he was holding. I told him it was his job to put them in my letterbox and as I felt he was stalking me, I didn't want to get too close. So, he frisbeed them at me and told me I'd better pay that power bill or he'd get my power cut off. I gave him the bird and he rode off laughing.

I generally bake some biscuits or something for him at Christmas to take home for the family. I suppose that's the difference between having the same postie for years and having one you wouldn't know from Adam.

[designers*n*more]

I'm one of the lucky ones. My postie always brings my parcels to the front door and places them so they are hidden from any view!

[lyndal1838]

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@tierneyr123 wrote:

Mea culpa, Lyndal, this morning I was just frustrated at the double whammy of seeing my mail tossed around (and I know it probably happens, anyway) and finding a potentially fragile item loose in a satchel with no packaging.

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Then your issue is with the seller, not the postman.

It is hardly the postman's fault that you have a letterbox that does not conform to recommended dimensions.  I live in an old house with a small letterbox built into the fence.  Years ago we bought a new letterbox which can take an A4 size envelope without bending it.  It is attached to the fence above the original box.

It is recommended that parcels be packed to withstand a 20kg parcel being dropped on it from shoulder height.  Very few sellers undersgtand this and do not pack accordingly.   I used to have similar issues until my current postman took over the run....he is fantastic.  He even comes to the door when I get a lot of subscription magazines delivered on the same day.

My parcel contractor is also a treasure.  He has been safe dropping my parcels in the same place for 10+ years now...he will even leave me a note if he sees anything suspicious in the packaging.

Both of them get a Christmas gift every year...usually some sort of edible goodies as both of them have children.

The postman always brings his children to the New Year fireworks at the end of the street and has had permission to park in either my driveway or my neighbours so they don't have to arrive too early or walk too far.

[swap-cards-and-more]

My favourite was when the delivery driver sat out the front of my house, then got out and put something in the letterbox - I was no more than 10 meters away in my front yard when he waved and drove off.  I looked in the box and there were 3 cards for "sorry we missed you/no-one was home" please arrange to pick your items up.... 

[amber-eyed-girl]

I had that once. I saw the postie and dashed after him. He said I had to pick up my parcel at the post office as he did not have it with him. It was explained on a thread a while ago on here, that substitute posties do not always know how to use the thingie that they need to get your signature with...so they leave a card instead. Hardly convenient when one's home at the time they go past.