olan719 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 This morning I looked out my front window and noticed my mailbox door was hanging open. No big deal - happens very infrequently, although I do think the carrier should make sure it shuts. Well, I go out to go ahead and get the mail since rain is in the forecast. I get to the box and there is a package I ordered lying right on the curb/street! What in the world?? The package was too big for the box, and I checked to make sure it didn't just fall out, and that was why the box was open. Our postal carrier has NEVER left a package like that. She always delivers to the front porch. What if it had rained? Or the package was run over by a car? Or picked up by somebody? How do I handle this? I obviously don't want to tick off the postal carrier because she delivers very important stuff, but this is unacceptable and I am pretty hacked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Maybe express surprise at the location of the package, because "she has never done this is the past" and see how she reacts. Is it possible you had a different carrier that day? Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Our here we have a sub one day a week every week. Mail comes 6 days a week and the postal employees work for 5 days a week. My guess is that it was your substitute mail carrier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyinNNV Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 This morning I looked out my front window and noticed my mailbox door was hanging open. No big deal - happens very infrequently, although I do think the carrier should make sure it shuts. Well, I go out to go ahead and get the mail since rain is in the forecast. I get to the box and there is a package I ordered lying right on the curb/street! What in the world?? The package was too big for the box, and I checked to make sure it didn't just fall out, and that was why the box was open. Our postal carrier has NEVER left a package like that. She always delivers to the front porch. What if it had rained? Or the package was run over by a car? Or picked up by somebody? How do I handle this? I obviously don't want to tick off the postal carrier because she delivers very important stuff, but this is unacceptable and I am pretty hacked! If your postal carrier has never done that, why do you assume that they are the culprit? Could it be a youngster walking by? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Happens every now & then around here. I just tell the carrier that I want my packages delivered to the door. Usually it's a new carrier or a temporary replacement who is trying to shave some time off their day. We NEVER get rain though (okay, 3 inches of rain a YEAR) so I don't worried about the packaged being destroyed. I worry about it being stolen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olan719 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Maybe express surprise at the location of the package, because "she has never done this is the past" and see how she reacts. Is it possible you had a different carrier that day? Mary You know I wondered if there was a substitute carrier today. Perhaps I should call the post office and inquire - tell them something "out of the ordinary" occurred, and is our normal carrier on vacation?? Still, the postal service should never leave mail in the street. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olan719 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 If your postal carrier has never done that, why do you assume that they are the culprit? Could it be a youngster walking by? No, we live on a quiet cul-de-sac, and there are no youngsters back here. Very few people come back here, except the people who live here. I'm starting to wonder if there is substitute carrier today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farmgirlinwv Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I think you're getting a little too upset about this. My MIL was a rural mail carrier for years. It sounds like a sub, which happens. Mail carriers have doctors appts and such like the rest of us. If you are really upset, just call the postmaster and tell them you want all packages placed on your porch or taken back to the PO if you are not home. My MIL would hang the pkgs in a WM bag, but she had permission from each person to do that. Otherwise, she had to take them back to the PO. Then, they have to drive there and pick them up. Be aware, if you complain, your carrier may take your packages back to the PO whenever you're not home. You'll have to go pick them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Be aware, if you complain, your carrier may take your packages back to the PO whenever you're not home. You'll have to go pick them up. I wish ours would DO that!! We've had a lot of packages dropped on the steps ~ including a HUGE box full of Christmas gifts last year ~ when we weren't home...*anyone* could have just come along and taken them!! I was NOT happy. Neither was my mother, who'd sent them. She actually called and complained on her end and I got a call out here by some guy saying their policy was to place the package (if it didn't fit in the box) "somewhere safe"....eh?? I thought the policy was to take it back and leave a card with the pick up location! He even made reference to hiding them with a nearby mat if they can. Yeah whatever. I don't get the policy at all -- what if someone was away for the weekend? Working until 2am? For cryin' out loud, our place got broke into, on a relatively open and obvious area, in the middle of the day...and they think a package sitting on the steps, viewable from the road, is "somewhere safe"? Pfffft. If it ain't nailed down in your yard here, it tends to walk away.:tongue_smilie: In our old town, we *never* had packages just left in the open on the steps. If they didn't fit through the mail slot in the door (and often they didn't) the mail lady would sometimes put them between the screen door and the wooden door, IF they fit completely, safely, and couldn't be seen by anyone. If not, a card was hung on the door or slid through the slot, letting me know I had a parcel and to come fetch it. I don't mind fetching if it means my parcel is safe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomOfOneFunOne Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 At least your netflix movies don't keep disappearing! After about every other movie "getting lost" for several months we got a new mail carrier and now they never "get lost!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olan719 Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 At least your netflix movies don't keep disappearing! After about every other movie "getting lost" for several months we got a new mail carrier and now they never "get lost!" Oh no!! We just got Netflix a few months ago, and I wondered if people ever had problems with them getting "lost". Fortunately, all of ours have made it safe and sound. Sorry that happened to you - did Netflix give you a problem?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 I would call the post office to let them know. We have had this happen with our UPS carrier and a quick call to the office got it sorted out (he was tossing packages over our back fence into an area with a sprinkler). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1cat2ferrets Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 One time I ordered $120 worth of books and the mail carrier left it down by the mailbox on the grass almost in the street. Another time, he was aggravated and literally threw a box of books at our double door. My hubby was home THAT day and ran out the door to confront the guy. Now we get better service.:DCOLOR] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenoraddict Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 If it happens again, I'd call the supervisor at the Post Office. Our regular carrier routinely left packages in the middle of the driveway, right in front of the garage doors. Several were soaked, but thankfully we didn't run over any. It stopped for awhile after I spoke to the PO Super, but began to happen again. I called a 2nd time, and the Super told me that they were having a problem with the carrier, who eventually was replaced or quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 ...maybe. Our carrier refuses to get out of her car to bring packages to the door. It is a very short but uphill trip to the door and heaven forbid that she would do that! She has 1) smashed packages into the mailbox (ruining a book, once), 2) left packages balanced on top of the box (I got back before it rained, fortunately), and 3) left a notice to pick up at the post office. DH says she once parked at the bottom of the driveway and honked for a long time to see if anyone would come out (he finally came out to see who was making that racket). After the book destruction incident, I asked her to please - please - just leave the notice if there was any question whether the package would fit in the box. She glared at me. Good luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixglides Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 We've found packages on top of our mailbox, tossed onto our walkway, found one in our field that must have blown away...we've asked the postmaster, but apparently no one else wants our delivery route!! Great suggestion to leave at post office; I'm going to try that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 If I was sure it was the postal carrier I'd call his mom and have her whip his butt. Or his grandma. Or his wife, dad, etc. That's the advantage of living in a very. small. town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olan719 Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share Posted November 17, 2009 Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm trying to keep an eye out for the carrier this morning to see if it is someone new. I'm planning to leave a note just asking them to please leave any packages on the front porch like they usually do rather than in the "street". I'll go the local post office after that if it continues to be a problem. Some of you have some awful stories about packages being left! Makes me feel a bit better about my situation. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Are you on a rural route or a city route? We found out that makes a difference here. Rural carriers have a different set of rules to follow. Seriously. When we lived in the county in a reat subdivision, we had an awful carrier. She would fling packages out her window, if she took that much effort. Sometimes she just wouldn't deliver them if she thought they took up too much room or were too heavy. That was acceptable as long as she left us one of those slips in our mailbox requiring us to pick up at the post office. When I would complain the postmaster told me that rural carriers don't have to follow the guidelines of the city carriers. Each one is individually contracted and can have all sorts of clauses put in the contract. UGh. Now we are in the city and have city carriers. Way different, and better service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olan719 Posted November 17, 2009 Author Share Posted November 17, 2009 Are you on a rural route or a city route? We are in the city, and have always had fantastic service. Either the package brought to the door (ring doorbell) or leave on the front porch. Occasionally, the slip will be in our mailbox informing us to pick up at the post office. I think our previous good service was really what surprised me so much when I found our package practically out in the street. It surely must have been a different carrier. I also think this is bugging me more because we are about to go on a vacation, and our neighbor had graciously agreed to get our mail for us. But now with this....I'm thinking of just having the PO hold our mail. You know, in case we received packages for Christmas or something. Our neighbor may be not able to get those things as quickly as I can since I am at home often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shalom22 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I also think this is bugging me more because we are about to go on a vacation, and our neighbor had graciously agreed to get our mail for us. But now with this....I'm thinking of just having the PO hold our mail. You know, in case we received packages for Christmas or something. Our neighbor may be not able to get those things as quickly as I can since I am at home often. I would go this route. At least for the peace of mind knowing that your mail won't be sitting out in the weather all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brilliant Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 At least your netflix movies don't keep disappearing! After about every other movie "getting lost" for several months we got a new mail carrier and now they never "get lost!" This happened to us, too. We had had Netflix for a long time w/ no problems. Then we moved to a different neighborhood and suddenly movies started disappearing. I went to the PO and complained to the manager. He apologized and gave me his business card to contact him if there were more issues. All the movies showed up on time after that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I'm guessing this was a sub carrier. Postal carriers don't necessarily only work 5 days a week, they have a rotating schedule. One week their day off is monday, the next week tuesday, the next week wendnesday, the next thursday, the next they get both friday and saturday, the next week they don't get a day off other than the usually closed day of sunday (all other weeks they get sunday off too) then it starts all over again. Every route usually has an assigned sub, but sometimes people call in sick or other things occur which means someone has to pivot to cover the route. My mom has been a carrier for 25 years and a postal employee for 30, she would always walk the packages to your door, but some subs aren't as good about following the rules. They do have to attempt to deliver the package, they do not have to automatically take it back to the PO in if you're not there, they only have to do that if a signature is required. Leaving a package that doesn't require a signature is normal operating procedure. In this case I would just give the benefit of the doubt and figure it was a sub, not all of which are long time PO employees, sometimes it's a newbie. If it happens again then I would go to the PO and ask to speak with the supervisor and tell them what's happening. Don't call the 1-800 number, unfortunately the people that the PO hires for that aren't all that well versed about PO procedure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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