An Post "Sorry we missed you" notices

Gamesnash.ie: Pat · 22-07-2009 3:49pm

ShooterSF wrote: »

I still don't think I agree. No offence. Lets say An Post expects each postman to deliver 20 packages a day (random number). Postie in Dublin may have to wait a few minutes to deliver each package to an apartment but population density will mean he won't have to travel far. Rural postie may get a faster answer at the door but would need to cover a lot more ground to deliver said parcels. It would definitely make for an interesting trial.
I still think it's an issue of expecting to make more profit per Dublin postie.

None taken - bit of debate never hurt anyone

I'd see it this way ...

In the case of a rural postie he is going to have to travel far even when delivering the standard letter. So him having 20 registered parcels is not a lot different to having an extra 20 envelopes other than having to obtain the signature at the door. He will still have travelled to them and encountered bigger driveways etc as part of his normal round. This postman will also be delivering a lot less volume of mail.

In an urban setting the postman will probably be carrying 10 times the mail of the rural postie which makes up for the extra time the rural postie has to factor in because of a bigger spread. ( complete guess and not an exact figure - but it is very safe to assume the urban postie has a lot more than the rural postie to deliver )

When the 20 registered parcels are added to his workload ( first of all by the same ratio if the rural one had 20 parcels urban postie would have 200 ) but for arguments sake he ends up with 20 parcels to apartments that take an extra 3 or 4 minutes at each one it adds up to an extra hour and a half on the route.

ShooterSF · 22-07-2009 4:00pm

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote: »

None taken - bit of debate never hurt anyone

I'd see it this way ...

In the case of a rural postie he is going to have to travel far even when delivering the standard letter. So him having 20 registered parcels is not a lot different to having an extra 20 envelopes other than having to obtain the signature at the door. He will still have travelled to them and encountered bigger driveways etc as part of his normal round. This postman will also be delivering a lot less volume of mail.

In an urban setting the postman will probably be carrying 10 times the mail of the rural postie which makes up for the extra time the rural postie has to factor in because of a bigger spread. ( complete guess and not an exact figure - but it is very safe to assume the urban postie has a lot more than the rural postie to deliver )

When the 20 registered parcels are added to his workload ( first of all by the same ratio if the rural one had 20 parcels urban postie would have 200 ) but for arguments sake he ends up with 20 parcels to apartments that take an extra 3 or 4 minutes at each one it adds up to an extra hour and a half on the route.

That's what I mean. Dublin postie is delivering more and therefore earning An Post more money. Therefore they should have no problem taking on extra staff and still make each one more profitable than a rural postman.
You said earlier that maybe apartments would have to pay to get van deliveries as it's an increase in costs or such but I'd suggest that they are already subsidising rural postmen who deliver less.

Gamesnash.ie: Pat · 22-07-2009 4:22pm

ShooterSF wrote: »

That's what I mean. Dublin postie is delivering more and therefore earning An Post more money. Therefore they should have no problem taking on extra staff and still make each one more profitable than a rural postman.
You said earlier that maybe apartments would have to pay to get van deliveries as it's an increase in costs or such but I'd suggest that they are already subsidising rural postmen who deliver less.

Indeed but the delivery of the item is only one link in the chain. There is a collection to be made - transport to central sorting offices - central sorting to be done - delivery to local sorting offices and then the last link being the actual delivery of the package. Where did this package come from ? If it came from a rural area then it cost a lot more to collect and process that package than it did for the package that was sent from across the city. The people receiving the post from the urban postie have not paid any extra when they sent their post to a rural location so you could argue that the subsidising works both ways.

I know the above gets skewed by the urban population size versus the rural population and the volumes being sent between the two but it's not as simple as generally saying urban postmen carrying more subsidise rural postmen who are carrying less. There is an element of it of course but it's not as clear cut as has been said.

ShooterSF · 22-07-2009 4:44pm

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote: »

Indeed but the delivery of the item is only one link in the chain. There is a collection to be made - transport to central sorting offices - central sorting to be done - delivery to local sorting offices and then the last link being the actual delivery of the package. Where did this package come from ? If it came from a rural area then it cost a lot more to collect and process that package than it did for the package that was sent from across the city. The people receiving the post from the urban postie have not paid any extra when they sent their post to a rural location so you could argue that the subsidising works both ways.

I know the above gets skewed by the urban population size versus the rural population and the volumes being sent between the two but it's not as simple as generally saying urban postmen carrying more subsidise rural postmen who are carrying less. There is an element of it of course but it's not as clear cut as has been said.

That's a fair point but it still doesn't change my mind that they should take on extra staff to complete the work. There is nothing to suggest that apartment blocks cost more in time (be it waiting or traveling), petrol etc to deliver to than a rural house. As such I see no reason to provide a sub-par service to them. My gut tells me Dublin is subsidising the rest of the country's service and as such should be given at least an equal quality of service.

eden_my_ass · 22-07-2009 4:58pm

ShooterSF wrote: »

That's a fair point but it still doesn't change my mind that they should take on extra staff to complete the work. There is nothing to suggest that apartment blocks cost more in time (be it waiting or traveling), petrol etc to deliver to than a rural house. As such I see no reason to provide a sub-par service to them. My gut tells me Dublin is subsidising the rest of the country's service and as such should be given at least an equal quality of service.

To be fair Dublin is not the only built up area in the country, theres a lot of urban centres possibly subsidising a lot of rural areas...just to correct your argument

Cuddlesworth · 22-07-2009 5:12pm

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote: »

When the 20 registered parcels are added to his workload ( first of all by the same ratio if the rural one had 20 parcels urban postie would have 200 ) but for arguments sake he ends up with 20 parcels to apartments that take an extra 3 or 4 minutes at each one it adds up to an extra hour and a half on the route.

Or you could consider that he can deliver the normal post to a apartment block of 50 in just under three minutes. Where fifty houses might take him a hour.

The service being provided is to deliver a package to your door.
The money paid is to deliver a package to your door.
The actual result is to have your package left at a depot with strict working hour opening times.
That is not what was advertised.

If An-post cannot provide the service advertised then people should complain freely.

I would start with registering complaints with their adverts. Start here.
http://www.asai.ie/

Clearly indicate that their service is not what is advertised.

ShooterSF · 22-07-2009 5:19pm

eden_my_ass wrote: »

To be fair Dublin is not the only built up area in the country, theres a lot of urban centres possibly subsidising a lot of rural areas...just to correct your argument

True I was just simplifying as the OP was (I think) in Dublin. I live in Nyaavan anywho so it's not like I'm out to have a go at "the culchies". :pac:

22-07-2009 6:01pm

How does it matter what the difference is in delivery times? Registered post is a specific service that An Post are offering (and more importantly, advertising). If they want to offer a "depot service", where you can send a letter and the recepient gets a notice that it must be signed for at the depot, then offer it. Don't tell people that you will bring a parcel to an address for a signature, and then not do it. Fair enough if they've made an attempt to do it, but otherwise they're advertising a service they're not providing

Pixied · 23-07-2009 11:20am

I know a couple of postmen down the country.

1. A lot of them start at 5am and are home by 11am and paid for a full day (??)
2. They will have a look at their post-load for the day and if they are not in the mood to deliver it they will only definitely deliver those with a 'Harp' on it. ie government post.
3. Some used to be paid extra to deliver advertising leaflets- not sure if they still are. But the postmen I knew used to dump the leaflets because they couldn't be arsed delievering them (too heavy) and still got paid extra for it.

Don't bother playing devils advocate gamesnash- it's a waste of time!

As stated I live in south dublin and I have yet to see my postie weighed down with post. And as for people being in or not- how many of us spend our working day only spending our time on a workload with a definite outcomes?? None of us, so why should the postman.

As I said previously think about those who are isolated from the community, whether because they are old or have small children. The service is a disgrace.

MOH · 23-07-2009 12:13pm

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote: »

Devils Advocate here so don't shout too loud ...

Yes it is his job but everyones job has to have a reasonable workload to be done in a reasonable time frame. I'm not neccessarily defending the practice as it is very frustrating if it happens to you but if An Post were to make sure that the postman on each round that has apartments like this did the job the way people fully expect - ie ring apartment doors, wait around for owner to come down or enter the complex directly and travel to the apartment door then there is a practical issue that the postman involved may be unable to complete the round in the time frame allocated. So the round would need to be split into two maybe three in some cases = extra costs to run the service = higher prices to post items in general.

Yes in rural areas postman may drive up 2 mile road / driveway etc but again its built into their round and always has been and can be achieved. In dublin the explosion of apartment block developments has put extra workload on each round.

Would it be preferable to up the prices by say 30% and increase the service level to apartments ? Or should apartment block addresses occur a surcharge ?

Gamesnash.ie (Pat) wrote: »

The extra revenue would be due to an increase in volume that An Post would presumably experience due to the new addresses created.

However when it comes to registered post these new addresses cost a lot more to service than a traditional house and are potentially loss making if you factor in a lot of waiting time for the postman involved. So although the revenue would increase it would not neccessarily mean an increase in profits.

Again employing a man with a van to service these apartments incurs an extra cost. Who pays for it ? Should each apartment blocks management company be levied for a contribution to An Post to cover a full service ?

Again to be clear I'm not anti apartment block dwellers - just playing the devils advocate.

It's not just apartments though. They did it to us 3 times in a year at home (Dublin 5), when we happened to be there and the postman made no attempt to deliver a parcel, just dropped the slip through the door. And given that the doorbell didn't ring and the letter box only rattled once, the slip was already written before he got to the house, so the parcel was in the depot.

Besides which, they already charge enough for registered/parcel post.
If the postman can't complete his rounds in the necessary time, they need to hire more postmen, or pay them for longer hours. That's their problem.

If you guys were charging people for postage, then ringing them up and telling them they had to collect from your depot after they'd paid for postage, they wouldn't be too happy. And that's exactly what An Post is doing.

grundie · 23-07-2009 12:40pm

Further to my original message, I have just discovered the security hut for our devlopment has a big box for parcels and packets that can't be left in the ordinary mailboxes. What is supposed to happen is that the security man will drop a note in the appropriate letterbox when doing his rounds to let the resident know there's a package in his office.

An Post won't use it though on security grounds. DHL, UPS and the rest have no issues with it.

Rev. Kitchen · 23-07-2009 12:45pm

My point would be ( and im sure pat from gamesnash would agree) an post are pretty expensive to post parcels with, if you register the parcel its even more expensive.

You are paying for this service to ensure that the parcel is delivered to the right location. if you are in Dublin it seems you would be better off just ringing the person you are sending the parcel too and telling them to come collect it off you as they will have to just go to the depot anyway !!! by pass ever using an post !!!

But in fairness to an post in Limerick they have come up with a genius idea the postman comes on his bike/car at about 8:30-9 in the morning with just letters and if there is a parcel it comes in a seperate delivery at 10:30 from a postman in a lovely big van.

So the first guy doesnt get bogged down waiting for people at doors and the 2nd guy only has parcels so can get it done in his own time as its a much smaller route.

asharkman · 23-07-2009 12:59pm

I live in an apt same situation as the OP, I would have thought our postman was doing the same except just today they rang the doorbell. I nearly fell over when the chap on the other end said he was the postman with a parcel!
I suppose complain to the local post office, tell them which area you live in and they'll prob make a bigger effort.
I normally have no problems with an post.

irishthump · 24-07-2009 10:53am

MOH wrote: »

It's not just apartments though. They did it to us 3 times in a year at home (Dublin 5), when we happened to be there and the postman made no attempt to deliver a parcel, just dropped the slip through the door. And given that the doorbell didn't ring and the letter box only rattled once, the slip was already written before he got to the house, so the parcel was in the depot.

Besides which, they already charge enough for registered/parcel post.
If the postman can't complete his rounds in the necessary time, they need to hire more postmen, or pay them for longer hours. That's their problem.

If you guys were charging people for postage, then ringing them up and telling them they had to collect from your depot after they'd paid for postage, they wouldn't be too happy. And that's exactly what An Post is doing.

I have to agree.
My estate is 5 years old now, and the gobs*ites fom An Post still don't know their way around it. In fact, and shows you how much of a dumb fu*k our postman is, my letterbox in the front door has been screwed shut since we moved in (hooligans trying to put friworks through it!) and the thick postman STILL tries to push mail into it.... there's a big, black metal box on the wall for said purpose, you dolt!

I've had parcels that are to big for the mailbox left on my doorstep in plain sight, the fu*ker could'nt be bothered to carry it back to the depot.

I have no problem collecting from their depot if I am out when they try to deliver (it's only 10 mins away) but I have a big problem with them leaving stuff on the doorstep for anybody to take.
I have also had registered post left in my mailbox with the end of the envelope sticking out!

An Post are PAID to deliver your mail, end of story. They are some of the most ignorant and lazy people I have ever had to deal with.

MOH · 24-07-2009 1:46pm

Of course, if the postman can't deliver all the letters during his shift, he doesn't have to bring them back to the depot.

A POSTMAN from Wahroonga had failed to deliver more than 5000 letters to homes in the Roseville area since he began with Australia Post six months ago, police said.

They arrested the man, 38, after searching his vehicle in St Ives on Wednesday and found a number of undelivered letters. He had been under surveillance since Australia Post contacted police with their concerns.
....
Police later searched his home, which he shares with his parents, and said they found thousands of letters, mostly unopened. Contents of the letters included cheque books, cheques and credit cards. Roseville residents have reportedly been complaining of missing mail for six months.
....
Police do not believe the man acted with malice.

"He delivered a certain amount of letters and once his shift was complete, if he didn't deliver all of the letters, there would be a situation that his job was done for the day," Inspector Yeomans said.

Link

mossie · 24-07-2009 6:57pm

daheff wrote: »

i've had them just dump parcels at my door when people werent there...and then put in slips saying nobody was there (when we were at home) when they called.

typical public sector staff who dont give a toss about their work

An Post hasn't been public sector for 25 years.

mehmeh12 · 24-07-2009 7:27pm

I live in Dublin and am thinking of buying some things online, having them sent to my house. Should i use an post or perhaps someone else like Dhl?

meglome · 25-07-2009 3:26am

All my stuff arrived at least to the post office, so it was all rather inconvenient. I send everything to my friends office now as it actually gets delivered.

GerardKeating · 25-07-2009 8:47am

Twin-go wrote: »

I also have an issue with an post. We live in Shannon but both of us (the Wife and I) work in Limerick. Come home in the evening to find a "sorry we mised you" note from an post. Thing is in Shannon Parcels can only be collected between 10am and 2pm - WTF. We either have to take time off work or get a neighbour to collect for us. Neither ideal. They should open later so parcel can be picked up in the evening.:mad:

Usually the forms (unless they have changed) have an option to request delivery to another address, can you get it sent to work ?

Thoie · 25-07-2009 1:02pm

From my own experience of living in an apartment and receiving "Sorry we missed you"s while I was definitely at home, here's some advice.

Call your local sorting office, ask for an explanation, take note of who you're talking to, and what the excuse is, and let them know you'll be at home the following day to take delivery. Make a note of their new excuse as to why they can't deliver it the next day (there'll be one, don't worry).
Give your feedback here. Do it every single time. Note the format of the email address.
From here, make a note of the appropriate people. CC them on your emails. Every single time.

Include your name, address and phone number on your emails. Tell them when you are available to take phone calls to discuss the matter. Include scans of the "sorry we missed you" flyers each time. If you haven't received a response within a working day, follow up with phone calls.

jos22 · 29-10-2009 3:17pm

same crap with apartments in Waterford. shipped via registered post.
the company sending it rang the day before to confirm someone be in to sign for it. postman just delivered a docket to say in be in the depot between 4 and 6.
some load of crap after wait around the apartment for the all morning to be giving a paper to say they cant be bothered to deliver it

PaddyThai · 29-10-2009 6:32pm

I buy a lot of stuff on ebay and because of the ned to collect parcels from Limerick parcel office, like others above, I now ask all sellers to send items by courier. Courier driver will often ring before making delivery to ensure someone is at home.
Saves ahving to wait a day to collect what may be an urgent parcel.

jeckle · 30-10-2009 4:05am

Thoie wrote: »

Call your local sorting office, ask for an explanation...

I tried doing this a couple of weeks ago, as I got a 'sorry we missed you' form in my mailbox with absolutely no details filled in, but unlike a previous time I had rang my local sorting office when I got straight through this time the number was redirected to a central customer service dept. When I told them that not only was I there at the time but that there were absolutely no details filled in (no name, address or collection time) they just said they'd email the sorting office to let them know & advised me to go down & speak to them. I asked for the email address & they wouldn't give it to me. Of course when I did go down there was nothing there for me & I was told that the postman must have put it in by mistake!

So, I'm guessing that all sorting office numbers are redirected now as I was told they couldn't transfer me.

Thoie · 30-10-2009 8:41am

jeckle wrote: »

I tried doing this a couple of weeks ago, as I got a 'sorry we missed you' form in my mailbox with absolutely no details filled in, but unlike a previous time I had rang my local sorting office when I got straight through this time the number was redirected to a central customer service dept. When I told them that not only was I there at the time but that there were absolutely no details filled in (no name, address or collection time) they just said they'd email the sorting office to let them know & advised me to go down & speak to them. I asked for the email address & they wouldn't give it to me. Of course when I did go down there was nothing there for me & I was told that the postman must have put it in by mistake!

So, I'm guessing that all sorting office numbers are redirected now as I was told they couldn't transfer me.

The highlighted bit is where I'd absolutely refuse, and start with the emails I mentioned earlier, and insist that they put me through. Take names of who you're talking to, note the time. From their own website:

An Post is a major commercial organisation providing a wide range of services which encompass postal, communication, retail and money transmission services.

Major commercial organisations have to provide customer care. They may not want to, but it's necessary. An Post has had a monopoly on certain segments for years and need to be reminded that they're being paid for a service. Their current customer service information generally assumes that you are at fault : http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Customer+Service/cust-howwehelp.htm#missed_delivery

nogoodnamesleft · 30-10-2009 9:40am

Registered post is a bit of a joke, I ordered a Satnav about a year and a half ago off the web obviously it sent by registered post to my postal address. No one was home at the time so what did the postman do......dropped it in the open bathroom window at the side of the house. All i can say is thank god that the toilet seat was down otherwise its would be sent bk with water damage!:eek:

ben101 · 26-11-2009 4:40pm

gobs*ites fom An Post
shows you how much of a dumb fu*k our postman is,

thick postman STILL tries to push mail into it.... there's a big, black metal box on the wall for said purpose, you dolt!

the fu*ker could'nt be bothered to carry it back to the depot

Aignorant and lazy people I have ever had to deal with.[/QUOTE]

I have a sneaky suspicion you're:D rude and obnoxious,hence they are probably doing it on purpose,just like waiters probably spit in your food if you use similar language about them!!!

ShooterSF · 26-11-2009 9:16pm

ben101 wrote: »

gobs*ites fom An Post
shows you how much of a dumb fu*k our postman is,

thick postman STILL tries to push mail into it.... there's a big, black metal box on the wall for said purpose, you dolt!

the fu*ker could'nt be bothered to carry it back to the depot

Aignorant and lazy people I have ever had to deal with.

I have a sneaky suspicion you're:D rude and obnoxious,hence they are probably doing it on purpose,just like waiters probably spit in your food if you use similar language about them!!![/QUOTE]

I have a sneaking suspicion you're a postman :P:D

ben101 · 26-11-2009 9:47pm

eh ,yeah your right.I am sure you wouldn't like people generalising about you like that.I happen to take my job seriously .
Problem is there are a few newer employees who are badly paid ,badly trained,temp contracts couldn't give a toss.
But cheap labour seems to be what everyone wants, regardless of quality of service.
Same people who moan about posties wouldn't last two weeks .
Storms ,syringe attacks,mauled by rotweilers,minus degree weather knee deep in snow,getting up at 3-4 am,oh yeah ,really cushy job.;)

wingnut · 06-12-2009 12:08pm

Same happens in Limerick, slip with no attempt to deliver. Would be ok but at the depot there is no parking and cars are not allowed in even to collect parcels!

ronbyrne2005 · 06-12-2009 12:20pm

The trade unions let them get away with such crap. Anachronisitic,inefficient work practises are rife in an post and other state agencies.

meglome · 15-12-2009 4:57am

I moved to a different postal district in Dublin City centre and still no delivery, just the leaflet magically appearing even though I'm in.

Fiend-Foe · 15-12-2009 5:48am

I ordered something online and never received it, I called the distributor in the UK and they said it had been sent and to contact An Post with the reference. They said that they had it and held it for 5 days and had just sent it back to the distributor that day because it had never been collected by me. I was there waiting for it every day and they made no attempt to deliver it. I never got any notice to say it was there or anything. How the hell was I supposed to know it was there for collection? I lived in a ground floor apartment at the time that had it's own entrance from the street.

I called the distributor and told them what had happened and they sent a replacement. I was sitting at home waiting for the package and got a "sorry we missed you" slip in the door. I asked the postman what it was all about and he said he couldn't be expected to be taking packages with him, ie. doing his job. I wouldn't mind but it wasn't a big package, just a padded envelope slightly too big for the letterbox.

gleep · 15-12-2009 2:28pm

An Post are a feckin joke. I've had this trouble every time something bigger than a letter gets sent to me. I rang the sorting office and the guy actually told me that they don't try to deliver packages/parcels and the like, cos our posties on a bike and it would be too much for him:eek:

:eek:!
So I rang customer services to complain, the guy here told me he didnt believe me that the postie had said that, and that i was "talking rubbish". It got a bit heated and he told me to fcuk off and hung up the phone. I SH1TYOU NOT!!!

So now i have everything delivered to work, which can be a pain, but at least I get it.

elfy4eva · 23-04-2013 6:15pm

I hate the way these are worded..."Sorry we missed you"....More like "Sorry we didn't Bother"

Have to make a damned 80min walk to my parcel office and back tomorrow. Was home all day today too......

For the most part I think An Post are brilliant in what they do but they seriously need to sort this out.
What makes me angry more than anything is the little slip makes it seem like they actually tried

ben101 · 23-04-2013 7:35pm

elfy4eva wrote: »

I hate the way these are worded..."Sorry we missed you"....More like "Sorry we didn't Bother"

Have to make a damned 80min walk to my parcel office and back tomorrow. Was home all day today too......

For the most part I think An Post are brilliant in what they do but they seriously need to sort this out.
What makes me angry more than anything is the little slip makes it seem like they actually tried

I'm a postie,truth is its far handier to get rid of an item than spend time writing out a docket and then having to cycle around carrying it.Most offices are checked regularly for items left behind and I would get a verbal warning if caught doing it.If you still think this is happening ring customer services and they will contact the supervisor of your office and sort it out.If you are sure that you were in and not out the back or in the shower and no broken bell etc. Insist on him bringing the item back out.If he is taking the piss he will soon get the message if you don't let him away with it and every time he has to bring it back out next day.

dudara · 23-04-2013 10:21pm

This is a 3 year old thread. Closed

dudara

An Post "Sorry we missed you" notices

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