Post Office delivery, wet books, WWYD.

[KatieJ]

My USP person has always tried to stuff whatever she can into our mailbox. I finally called and complained after she broke off the little latch thing that holds the door closed. The Post Office guy talked to me like I was a moron..

well, what do you want her to do?

 

I said I am home most days, she can leave the packages by my garage service door. ( edited version..actually I told him that I am usually home and she can leave it by the service door and RING the doorbell or put it in the garage if the door is open. )

 

She does neither. She drives in and tosses out whatever package she has and back outs again.

 

Friday it had been raining but I don't think it was when the mail was delivered. However, my concrete driveway was still full of moisture. She tossed out a book onto the damp concrete. I didn't find it for hours.... The box was damp. but I was hoping the book was OK. Well the book clearly absorbed some moisture too and now the book is slightly warped and the cover won't close.

 

So who do I call? The post office? she did what I asked, she doesn't stuff them in the mail box anymore..but she also didn't put it out of the elements either. The book would not have fit in the mail box either.

 

The company who sent the package???

 

Both?

Edited May 25, 2010 by KatieinMich

[jplain]

My sympathies. I had a tenuous relationship with our last mail carrier. We eventually ironed it out and were able to be friendly to each other, but it took a few years.

 

If the ground was damp, she should have put a bag around it. They do have them in their trucks for that purpose. I'd call the post office and complain, so that it doesn't happen again.

 

If it was insured, you should be able to get reimbursed by USPS. If it wasn't, you'll have to decide whether to take the loss or request that the vendor send you a new one.

 

I'd decide based on how much damage there is to the book. If it isn't much, I'd probably just accept it and move on. (I've done this before.) If the damage is significant, I'd ask the company to send me a new copy. (I've also done this.) Don't feel bad about doing this. Companies choose whether or not to insure the packages that they send you, and they know that if an item is damaged in shipping, they're going to be obligated to send out a new one.

[Tree House Academy]

It is not really her fault...nor is it the fault of the company that sent the book. I guess, it is your fault for having her put it there. Did you know that mail carriers are not required to leave packages at all? They can, at their choosing, just leave you a note and make you drive to the post office to get your package. It is a courtesy for them to deliver them to the box or the door if they oversized. (My FIL was a mail carrier for over 20 years). If I were you, I would contact the post office and tell them you want all future packages A. Left on a covered porch or B. held for you to pick up at their facility.

Edited May 24, 2010 by Tree House Academy

[Twinmom]

My postal carrier will knock on the door to deliver packages. If we are not home, she leaves a slip to tell us to either pick it up at the post office or sign to have it redelivered. Seems to me that should be the way it is handled in most areas.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I love our mail carrier - he always brings our boxes (and our other mail with it) up to our door and knocks.

[CroppinIt]

My postal carrier will knock on the door to deliver packages. If we are not home, she leaves a slip to tell us to either pick it up at the post office or sign to have it redelivered. Seems to me that should be the way it is handled in most areas.

 

:iagree:

 

We've had more books delivered here than Carter has little liver pills, and not one of them has ever been treated as yours was. We've had them wrapped in plastic, put between the doors, or taken back to the post office with a notice slip that they'd try again tomorrow... but never thrown out in the rain. That's just rude.

[KatieJ]

It is not really her fault...nor is it the fault of the company that sent the book. I guess, it is your fault for having her put it there. Did you know that mail carriers are not required to leave packages at all? They can, at their choosing, just leave you a note and make you drive to the post office to get your package. It is a courtesy for them to deliver them to the box or the door if they oversized. (My FIL was a mail carrier for over 20 years). If I were you, I would contact the post office and tell them you want all future packages A. Left on a covered porch or B. held for you to pick up at their facility.

 

When I called last fall to complain, my son was living at home and the garage door was always open. I told them to either ring the doorbell or put the packages in the garage. She has never done either, she just tosses them out into the driveway or sets them on the ground if it's a bigger package. Last week she could have left it leaning against the door, that would have been off the wet concrete or as someone suggested, a plastic bag would have helped roshe could have rang the doorbell and I would have checked and found it. It was just a cookbook from Taste of Homes, not a huge box at all. I wonder if I call to complain again that they might refuse to deliver all packages..

Edited May 24, 2010 by KatieinMich

[Kathleen in VA]

Do you have a rural carrier or a city carrier? Rural carriers are subcontractors for the post office and aren't employees of the USPS. City carriers are employees of the USPS. You have to deal with each of these differently. They have different unions and different standards. Also, it doesn't matter if you live in the city or the country - it matters what kind of carriers your post office hires. In my county, which is comprised of apartment complexes, townhouse communities, shopping centers, as well as farms, ALL the carriers are rural carriers.

 

My husband is a city carrier so I could ask him about it when he gets home. My rural carrier always just leaves a notice in my box and I have to drive 15 miles to the main po in my county to get packages.

[celticmom]

At our old house we had issues with some packages(mainly neighborhood kids helping themselves to the contents), so when we moved I signed up for a box at the closest UPS store. I have been very happy with that solution. They are friendly and helpful and there is rarely a line. They email us when a package comes in and we pick it up.

[elegantlion]

How big is your mailbox? If it's not an oversize one I would suggest upgrading. When I started ordering from amazon a lot my poor mail carrier was in my driveway almost daily for a short period. We have a long driveway and he would drop the package in the garage. he was pleasant, and he politely suggested a larger mailbox would be helpful.

 

We installed it about the time I got amazon prime and my boxes started coming UPS. :lol::lol: But it is nice, most packages will fit in the mailbox now. I do believe if I'm ordering a lot of packages on a regular basis it's partially my responsibility to make sure I have a larger mailbox.

 

When USPS has to drop something off he'll put it on a table in the garage. In your situation I'm not sure if I would complain or not. They're delivering how you specified. I might let this one go and maybe put something in the garage, like a crate etc, and mark it for deliveries.

[KatieJ]

How big is your mailbox? If it's not an oversize one I would suggest upgrading. When I started ordering from amazon a lot my poor mail carrier was in my driveway almost daily for a short period. We have a long driveway and he would drop the package in the garage. he was pleasant, and he politely suggested a larger mailbox would be helpful.

 

We installed it about the time I got amazon prime and my boxes started coming UPS. :lol::lol: But it is nice, most packages will fit in the mailbox now. I do believe if I'm ordering a lot of packages on a regular basis it's partially my responsibility to make sure I have a larger mailbox.

 

When USPS has to drop something off he'll put it on a table in the garage. In your situation I'm not sure if I would complain or not. They're delivering how you specified. I might let this one go and maybe put something in the garage, like a crate etc, and mark it for deliveries.

 

No they acutually did not deliver as I asked. I asked they ring the doorbel if they had to leave it outside, or put it inside if the door was open.

[Tree House Academy]

When I called last fall to complain, my son was living at home and the garage door was always open. I told them to either ring the doorbell or put the packages in the garage. She has never done either, she just tosses them out into the driveway or sets them on the ground if it's a bigger package. Last week she could have left it leaning against the door, that would have been off the wet concrete or as someone suggested, a plastic bag would have helped roshe could have rang the doorbell and I would have checked and found it. It was just a cookbook from Taste of Homes, not a huge box at all. I wonder if I call to complain again that they might refuse to deliver all packages..

 

 

They may...then again, they may have a talk with her and replace the package. It is kinda "at your own risk" since they are not obligated to deliver large packages at all. I would go with gut instinct on that...taking into consideration their reaction the last time. They obviously did talk to the postal worker since she changed what she was doing and all. Hmmm...I wish I could give you better advice. I am sorry your book got ruined. :(

[LibraryLover]

In wet/snowy weather, our mail, including large envelopes or packages etc., is put in sealed plastic bag/s. I had no idea carriers could toss mail onto wet pavement in stormy weather.

[Hillary in KS]

We have a carrier who stuff oversize items into our box. We lost a hardcover book (the cover *snapped*) this way.

 

Ever since then, I ask the company from which I order to either send the item UPS or mail the book in a box. If the box is big, the carrier will have to get out of the truck and put it on our doorstep.

 

I've never had a company balk at this. I'm assuming it's because they'd heard from a number of customers with damaged items over the years.

[Kathleen in VA]

In wet/snowy weather, our mail, including large envelopes or packages etc., is put in sealed plastic bag/s. I had no idea carriers would toss mail onto wet pavement.

 

Well, I don't know much about rural carriers and their policies, but I do know that they do not get paid by the hour. They contract for a certain amount of money to deliver a particular route. If there is more mail or there are more packages on any given day they are not paid any more. A rural carrier would find it very disadvantageous to have to climb out of their vehicle to come to a house, ring the doorbell, wait for someone to answer and then hand the package over. Very often, especially nowadays, no one is home and they end up just leaving the package or a notice anyway. They are trying to get the mail delivered in as little time as possible because they get paid the same no matter how long it takes. That goes for putting packages in plastic bags. It's time consuming.

 

As I have said, I live in a county that is serviced by rural carriers and I often see packages in plastic bags hanging from mailboxes by the street. If I were the homeowner I would not want my valuables, plastic bag or not, hanging near the street for any mischievous individual to come along and snag. It is thoughtful to keep it dry, but still not ideal, imo.

 

I suggest that if you are very concerned about your packages arriving dry and safe that you request a notice be put in your box so that you can go to the po and retrieve the box yourself. That is really the only sure way to avoid another mishap. Or do as a pp suggested and get a separate box, either at the po or a private business that offers that service, just for your packages.

 

I would think that since the carrier is working according to a contract (this assumes she/he is a rural carrier) then there may be something in that contract that requires the carrier to deliver all packages in a prescribed manner - hopefully the wording is such that the postmaster can demand that she/he be more careful. I really don't know much about it. Perhaps you could go to the po and discuss this with the postmaster. I don't know how much leverage they have though.

 

If it is a city carrier you should be able to talk with a supervisor or the postmaster and complain and get results. If you do complain, and your service is still poor, I'd call again. Perhaps there are others on your route with similar complaints. I'd encourage them to call as well. Squeaky wheel and all that.:)

[LauraGB]

I would call usps and file a claim. I can't believe they would take a package, for which they were responsible to deliver, and put it somewhere that it could be ruined! Our mail carrier either rings the bell and we take it, puts it between the two front doors, leaves it in the garage, or, if none of those are viable options, leaves a tag on our door so we know where to pick it up. He has never left it outside the door to be stolen, rained upon or snowed over. There are a lot of options. The carrier has a job. That job is to deliver our packages and mail in useful condition. While our carrier is great, I've developed a rather love/hate relationship with USPS as a whole :glare:.

[Kathleen in VA]

We have a carrier who stuff oversize items into our box. We lost a hardcover book (the cover *snapped*) this way.

 

Ever since then, I ask the company from which I order to either send the item UPS or mail the book in a box. If the box is big, the carrier will have to get out of the truck and put it on our doorstep.

 

I've never had a company balk at this. I'm assuming it's because they'd heard from a number of customers with damaged items over the years.

 

This is what I have done. I order from places that I know ship through UPS. Brown never has a problem driving through my gravel-road subdivision, but the USPS refuses. If I need something from a company that only delivers USPS, I have it sent to our PO Box where my husband works.

 

In defense of the USPS letter carriers (particularly the city carriers since I know more about them), I will say that they are very heavily pressured to deliver their routes in what often are unreasonable amounts of time. The pressure comes down from higher ups and gets passed down to the local supervisors which gets unloaded on the carriers. They are usually hoofing it to get done and back to the office in time to clock out before they go into overtime. Many supervisors penalize carriers who go into overtime because it's all about the bottom line. They get written up, letters of warning are put in their files, they may even get suspended. Service is definitely secondary. They are struggling to stay afloat and this is how it plays out - carriers are pushed to max capacity and they are very, very stressed. Of course, that is generally speaking but I know it is that way all across the country in many cities.

 

My husband got attacked by a patron's dog when he came to the door to deliver an overnight package containing a passport. He had to have several stitches in his leg and arm. The patron was mortified and apologized profusely. My dh got a letter of warning put in his file because he should have known there was a dog there. :confused:

 

Just keep in mind that things aren't always as they seem. You may have a very rude, inconsiderate carrier or you may have a carrier who is being harried from all sides and can't win for losing.

[Night Elf]

A week or so ago, I had a priority mail box delivered crushed and water logged. It will affect the resale value of the books. Then a few days ago I had an Amazon box delivered with the side ripped open. Both were stamped with red marks that said they received the packages like that. I'm highly ticked. Here I was thinking I'd pay extra for priority mail because media mail gets messed up. So now I'll pay even extra for UPS when I can. It will help me not spend so frequently I suppose. :(

 

No, I didn't complain to them because they stamped the packages which to me doesn't really take the blame away. But I don't want to deal with the [insert name calling] people here anyway. They really aren't friendly. They are too jaded by their jobs, I suppose.

[mammaruss]

It is not really her fault...nor is it the fault of the company that sent the book. I guess, it is your fault for having her put it there. Did you know that mail carriers are not required to leave packages at all? They can, at their choosing, just leave you a note and make you drive to the post office to get your package. It is a courtesy for them to deliver them to the box or the door if they oversized. (My FIL was a mail carrier for over 20 years). If I were you, I would contact the post office and tell them you want all future packages A. Left on a covered porch or B. held for you to pick up at their facility.

 

 

:iagree: This is true!

[mammaruss]

My husband got attacked by a patron's dog when he came to the door to deliver an overnight package containing a passport. He had to have several stitches in his leg and arm. The patron was mortified and apologized profusely. My dh got a letter of warning put in his file because he should have known there was a dog there. :confused:

 

Just keep in mind that things aren't always as they seem. You may have a very rude, inconsiderate carrier or you may have a carrier who is being harried from all sides and can't win for losing.

 

Our rural carriers are NOT allowed to deliver to a house that is known to have dogs. The carriers are told that EVERY dog is considered dangerous.

[myfunnybunch]

I would contact the post office supervisor. Explain nicely what happened without blaming the carrier. Act as though you're certain the carrier misunderstood or mistakenly left the package where it could get wet. Let them know that the package was ruined because of the way it was delivered. The nicer you are the better, so that they will want to help the nice lady fix the Problem of the Wet Package.

 

Then I'd either talk to the carrier myself, very politely, briefly mention what happened to the package without blaming her, then let her know she's welcome to put packages in x spot or leave a note in your mailbox. Or (depending on the relationship with the carrier) I'd let the supervisor know what you'd like her to do with the packages in the future.

 

We used to have the most wonderful mail carrier in the world. We all knew his name. Then we moved only a couple blocks away, and what a :glare: we've got now. So I can relate. He must be required to bring our packages to the door, because I can't imagine him doing it otherwise.

 

Cat

[Kathleen in VA]

Our rural carriers are NOT allowed to deliver to a house that is known to have dogs. The carriers are told that EVERY dog is considered dangerous.

 

DH is a city carrier and is expected to make an attempt no matter what. It was also an "overnight" package - time sensitive.

[Quiver0f10]

I love our mail carrier - he always brings our boxes (and our other mail with it) up to our door and knocks.

 

Same here.

[Melanie in WI]

We have rural mail delivery. They always pull up into our driveway and honk. We go out and get the packages from their car. If we are not out there quick, they will come to the door.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

..

[KatieJ]

Well I called. The postmaster is a really nice guy and he said, " she should be ringing the bell."

He said he would leave instructions with our delivery person to ring the bell when she leaves a package. He did NOT offer to take care of the damaged book, but I can live with that.

[skywards]

My mail carrier has dripped bits of her lunch on THREE of my college packets I've sent for, plus she crammed some books I ordered into the mail box so tightly I had to extract them with a screwdriver and a pocket knife. Naturally I got my revenge by ordering 47 pounds of horse salt licks (what can I say, my horses requested I buy in bulk? :tongue_smilie:) and having them shipped USPS. Unfortunately, we had a different carrier that day :glare:.