Royal Mail has received a record number of complaints about posties leaving cards to say no-one was at home when they tried to deliver packages, when in fact they were too lazy – or in too much of a rush – to knock the door.
In 2011, 32,000 people complained to Royal Mail about being left a P739 form, better known as a ‘Sorry, you were out card’. The figure is 14% higher than during the whole of 2010 and has been blamed on staff having less time to deliver.
Between June and September last year more than 8,500 people complained about the practice – a 37% rise on the same period in 2009. Royal Mail apologised to customers who had “experienced difficulties” but stressed it has taken steps to improve its service.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “We are a delivery company and we always seek to deliver first time. If we do not deliver to our usual high standard, we seek to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
“Where delivery cannot be achieved because no one is at home, there are a number of options for customers to choose from. These include re-delivery or the option to collect the item from our network of delivery offices and post office branches.
“Access to our network of 11,400 pick up points provides unparalleled convenience for customers as the vast majority of people live within one mile of their local post office.”
She added that should the postal operator get the go-ahead to deliver to neighbours – trials of which are currently underway – this would further enhance the options available to customers and slash the number of complaints it receives.
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