Don't know if everyone all over the country has had one of these but down here in Cornwall we had a leaflet through our door today from Royal Mail.
Apparently......from late September, if we are not in, they will leave any parcels with a neighbour rather than taking it back to the delivery office for us to collect next day !!!!!!!!
What a fantastically brilliant innovation. I just wonder how many hundreds os Senior Management man hours went into the Think Tank that came up with such a novel idea and how much it cost Royal Mail to print millions of leaflets.
It was only a few years ago that postmen(sorry I suppose it's Postpersons) left parcels with a neighbour as a matter of course.  They were able to do this on their own initiative.
It just staggers me that large organisations can spend so much money on devising a brilliant new idea that to the rest of us is Blindingly Obvious !!
Soon........we might have mail trains running between all major towns in the country!!  Now there's a brilliant (new) idea !  Maybe even have postal workers on the trains to sort the mail !!

Its only staggeringly brilliant if your neighbours are honest, nearby and regularly in. Fortunately the brains behind it do seem to have figured out than an opt-out is a good idea. Unfortunately it should be an opt-in!

At least the postie had a good idea if leaving it with a neighbour in a given location was a good idea or not.

Alan

I just opted out of the new scheme. One neighbour would open it and sell it. we have parcels go missing. I prefer to fetch it myself. So not so good an idea.

Quote from: port perran on August 29, 2012, 08:29:14 PM
Soon........we might have mail trains running between all major towns in the country!!  Now there's a brilliant (new) idea !  Maybe even have postal workers on the trains to sort the mail !!

now hold on - lets not get too far into the realms of fantasy, next thing you'll expect first class mail to be delivered the next day 

Got the leaflet today and was a bit surprised. Our postman's been doing that with the whole street's mail anyway, whether people are in or not. He seems to have difficulty reading numbers on doors.

He got the right number on a letter I got today though, unfortunately wrong street.

A grand scheme probably followed by reductions in staffing levels at collection centres followed by smaller opening hours at the collection centres meaning I can't collect parcels on my way to work from the collection centre.
However, I will be opting out (if I can find the leaflet amongst all the junk mail I get) as my neighbours are never in or are people so scary I just don't want them involved

Apparently if you opt out you get a sticker to stick near your letterbox so the postie knows to take the item back to the depot.  It probably reads something like "I don't trust my neighbours". 

I've had couriers leave an item with a neighbour without getting permission in advance, and on occasions without leaving a card to say that's where it has gone!  Not sure which is worse, that or putting a card through the door without ringing, so the poor sod has to organise redelivery or collect from the nearest depot 15 miles away.  Or the other trick of hiding the parcel in the bin on bin day. 

Quote from: Tom@Crewe on August 29, 2012, 08:33:52 PM

I just opted out of the new scheme. One neighbour would open it and sell it. we have parcels go missing. I prefer to fetch it myself. So not so good an idea.

That sounds a dodgy area if neighbours do that. I'd move if it were me.

Around here they've always left with a neighbour if practical and even the 'you were out' card has options for them to deal with and tick appropriately such as 'left with a neighbour at . . . ' or 'please collect from Sorting Office at . . . . ' So it's not a new idea.

H.

Crikey I hope they don't introduce that idea in Oz as most of my neighbors are so bloody snobby I don't even know them, Aussies in my area have a way of not wanting to know each other unless you drive a Jag, BMW of Audi or have loads of money.

Apparently if you opt out you get a sticker to stick near your letterbox so the postie knows to take the item back to the depot.

wonder if that will get the same attention as the one that says

NIGHT WORKER SLEEPING _ PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB

ring - ring - riinnnnng 

Quote from: H on August 29, 2012, 09:28:29 PM
That sounds a dodgy area if neighbours do that. I'd move if it were me.

Most people who live in dodgy areas don't have that choice - that's why they live in dodgy areas...

I can see this is going to be a nuisance for deliveries because they'll get delivered to the next door neighbour, who is off, feeds it to the dog or otherwise runs off with it, the postie will have scanned the recorded delivery and it'll all end up with postwatch and the farcically broken Royal Mail compensation scheme.

I suspect i'm going to have to get some 'not to be delivered to neighbours' stickers to put on Ultima/Etched Pixels orders 

Might not work to well out here. Some neighbours' are further away than the Post shop.   

At one time, the postie put my parcel in the electricity meter cupboard outside. Trouble is, he/she didn't close the door and with it blowing a gale that day the meter cupboard door was wrenched off completely.

Quote from: EtchedPixels on August 30, 2012, 12:20:14 AM

I can see this is going to be a nuisance for deliveries because they'll get delivered to the next door neighbour, who is off, feeds it to the dog or otherwise runs off with it, the postie will have scanned the recorded delivery and it'll all end up with postwatch and the farcically broken Royal Mail compensation scheme.

Nah, they've been leaving with neighbours for years around here and it hasn't been a problem.

H.

Quote from: trainsdownunder on August 30, 2012, 12:50:11 AM

Might not work to well out here. Some neighbours' are further away than the Post shop. 

Sounds like it will actually work better there - they'll leave it with the post shop if they are the nearest neighbour. No problem. . . . . . . Sorted   

H.