No More Misery Finding “Sorry, you were out” Slips from Royal Mail

Posted on 21 August, 2012 by MOVEHUT

Whether you have been slaving away in the office all day, working in a retail outlet or constructing a new commercial property in your town centre, the last thing you want to come home to is a note through your letterbox saying, “Sorry, you were out”.

Of course I am not referring to a friend of yours who called round your house, knowing full well that you were at work and decided to leave you a note. Instead I am referring to the piece of A5 card posted through your door by a Royal Mail Postman telling you that you have missed your parcel delivery and you have to wait 48 hours before you can collect it.

More than likely you ordered the item in question a few days before knowing full well that you would be at work at the time of delivery. But with many websites not allowing customers to choose a specific date and time for delivery and the cost of Saturday slots being extortionate, the easiest thing to do is let Royal Mail try to deliver your item and you collect it a few days later.

But now there is an alternative for those of us that work during the day, which will see the bane of the red card on the door mat change forever – well unless your neighbour isn’t in!

Yes, that’s right, Royal Mail are rolling out their trial of delivering parcels to your next door neighbour to the whole of the UK from September. So instead of finding the “Sorry, you were out” card and turning it over to see when you can collect it from your local Post Office, instead you should see in the “Your item has been left” section, a tick next to your neighbour.

Speaking of the delivery scheme, Robert Hammond from Consumer Focus said: “As we do more of our shopping online, missed deliveries are becoming an increasing inconvenience for customers. Many people will be at work when deliveries are made and need alternative ways to receive their mail.

“Leaving post with a neighbour is a good option and research by both Royal Mail and Consumer Focus during trials earlier this year showed a positive response from customers and the neighbours their mail was left with.”

But what about people who don’t talk to or get on with their neighbours? People have the option to opt out of the new scheme which will see their parcels delivered in the same way they are now.

“Not all customers will want their mail to be left with a neighbour. But we welcome this extra delivery option, as long as Royal Mail ensures customers are aware they can opt-out and that staff adhere to the scheme’s guidelines,” Mr Hammond added.

Do you think the delivery scheme is a good idea for people who are out at work for most of the day? Or do you think people should only arrange deliveries when they will definitely be in?




2 responses to “No More Misery Finding “Sorry, you were out” Slips from Royal Mail”

  1. Pete says:

    I’d prefer to have my parcel left with my neighbour rather than waiting days to collect it from the PO.

    But saying that, me and my neighbour aren’t the best of friends ever since I built a 6 ft fence between our houses! 😀

    • MOVEHUT says:

      You do have the option to opt out of the scheme Pete if you and your neighbour aren’t the best of friends 🙂

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