I had been waiting and waiting for a particular package to be delivered from an ebay vendor. In this package were several Christmas gifts plus a birthday gift for my dear friend and walking partner, Carol M.
Last Tuesday at around noon, just hours before my husband and I were heading to Mont Tremblant for a few days, the motion detector at our front step went off. I looked out onto the front step. No one was there, but there was a Canada Post delivery van in the driveway. I opened my front door, thinking I’d meet the delivery person as she walked up but then noticed that she had stuck a card on my mailbox that said “Sorry I missed you….”
She hadn’t rung the doorbell or knocked on the door!
I was in my stockinged feet and it had been raining but I didn’t want her to drive off with my package so I ran out the front door as she was backing out. I tapped on the window and she was quite startled. She rolled down the window and said, “Oh, I thought there was no one home.”
I said, “How would you know if you didn’t knock on the door or ring the bell?”
She didn’t have an answer for that, but she kept on backing out of my drive!!
I ran beside the truck, socks sopping in the puddles and hollered, “Could you please give me my package?”
She said, “No! You’re a crazy lady, running after my van like that!”
I said, “Stop! I want my package!!”
She kept pulling out (we have a LONG drive) and I kept beside her and then got in front and blocked her once she was on the road.
She yelled out, “There’s customs due on it, just pick it up from the post office.”
I said, “I’ll PAY the customs, just PLEASE give me my package!”
Finally she relented. I think she could see that she’d waste more time trying to skedaddle than to just give it to me. She pulled back up and I got the money for her and then I asked for her name.
She said, “Ann. But there’s no point in complaining about me. They won’t do anything.”
She went on to say, “Besides, it’s raining. I don’t have to deliver a package if it’s raining.”
I stepped outside and held up my hands. “Guess what?” I said. “It’s not raining.”
Who ever heard of not delivering a package in the rain anyway?
Soooo….
Today I called the Canada Post Ombudsman to complain. That office told me to first lodge a complaint with Canada Post customer service. If you would like to complain about service, here’s the number:
1 800 267-1177
It’s hard to get through (lots of complaints?) so you need to keep hitting redial. When you get through, you can fast-track through by hitting:
1225
and then
20
They tell me I’ll hear back in two weeks, and if I don’t, to call back. My reference number is 613144407. Argh.
Oh my god, Marsha! That is absolutely unbelievable! The total nerve of that woman. I’m glad you got your package, though. I’ll be interested to know what Canada Post’s stand is on the issue. I hope they fire her ass!
Hi Maggie,
I doubt they’ll fire her. The woman in customer service said they’d “send her for training.”
Who’s the cutie in your avatar?
That is/was my 16-year-old on her first Christmas (faerie wings added my me, of course). 😉
Aw, what a sweetie!
You may be surprised, Marsha, by the response you eventually get.
Living is such a small town, if we had a problem with our mail, we used to just call up the sorting office. When things started to go badly wrong around about Easter this year, I tried to do this and found that the number was no longer listed. I know the clerk at our postal outlet in the drug store quite well, so I asked her how I registered my concern. She gave me exactly the same number that you had, and I rang it, and rang it, and rang it . . . you get the picture. I finally got through and like you got given a file number after I outlined my woes. I asked them why I could no longer just call my sorting office as the problem was a very local one, and I was wondering why another layer of bureaucracy had to be inserted. The answer given was priceless. They removed all the sorting office and post office numbers from the phone books because their work level was being affected by answering the phone for complaints!
In my case, my problem was resolved when someone from the local sorting office called me and we sorted out the problem. When I whined about how hard it had been to get in touch with her, she gave me a direct phone number at which to reach her, should there be any further problems.
Hi Gillian,
Ha! I’m not surprised they get so many complaints. I’m sure my experience is all too common. Glad to hear that you were able to get your problem resolved locally.
I had complained to our local sorting office about Canada Post couriers tiptoing to the front step and hanging those “sorry I missed you” notices in the past and it came to naught.
I’m hoping that this formal complain will somehow stick. “Ann’s” antics were beyond the pale.
Grrr…
That sort of stuff drives me crazy too! I am forever walking up the street to 8 Talisman, I’m 18, delivering their misplaced mail or to 18 Winlaw which is a completely different street off of our crescent. Just last week I got all of my next door neighbour’s mail. And don’t TALK to me about golfing season. We only get mail on rainy days and sporadically at that.
Grrr…
Re: Grrr…
That’s me, Hélène B. (g)
Re: Grrr…
LOL!!!
Hi Hélène,
We have the same thing happen here too. We get mail for all the number 19s in the universe.
Oh my god, Marsha! That is absolutely unbelievable! The total nerve of that woman. I’m glad you got your package, though. I’ll be interested to know what Canada Post’s stand is on the issue. I hope they fire her ass!
Hi Maggie,
I doubt they’ll fire her. The woman in customer service said they’d “send her for training.”
Who’s the cutie in your avatar?
That is/was my 16-year-old on her first Christmas (faerie wings added my me, of course). 😉
Aw, what a sweetie!
You may be surprised, Marsha, by the response you eventually get.
Living is such a small town, if we had a problem with our mail, we used to just call up the sorting office. When things started to go badly wrong around about Easter this year, I tried to do this and found that the number was no longer listed. I know the clerk at our postal outlet in the drug store quite well, so I asked her how I registered my concern. She gave me exactly the same number that you had, and I rang it, and rang it, and rang it . . . you get the picture. I finally got through and like you got given a file number after I outlined my woes. I asked them why I could no longer just call my sorting office as the problem was a very local one, and I was wondering why another layer of bureaucracy had to be inserted. The answer given was priceless. They removed all the sorting office and post office numbers from the phone books because their work level was being affected by answering the phone for complaints!
In my case, my problem was resolved when someone from the local sorting office called me and we sorted out the problem. When I whined about how hard it had been to get in touch with her, she gave me a direct phone number at which to reach her, should there be any further problems.
Hi Gillian,
Ha! I’m not surprised they get so many complaints. I’m sure my experience is all too common. Glad to hear that you were able to get your problem resolved locally.
I had complained to our local sorting office about Canada Post couriers tiptoing to the front step and hanging those “sorry I missed you” notices in the past and it came to naught.
I’m hoping that this formal complain will somehow stick. “Ann’s” antics were beyond the pale.
Grrr…
That sort of stuff drives me crazy too! I am forever walking up the street to 8 Talisman, I’m 18, delivering their misplaced mail or to 18 Winlaw which is a completely different street off of our crescent. Just last week I got all of my next door neighbour’s mail. And don’t TALK to me about golfing season. We only get mail on rainy days and sporadically at that.
Grrr…
Re: Grrr…
That’s me, Hélène B. (g)
Re: Grrr…
LOL!!!
Hi Hélène,
We have the same thing happen here too. We get mail for all the number 19s in the universe.
I’m sure ‘Ann’ was surprised that you’d go to such lengths to get your package! I’ve got one sitting at the post office that I have to go and get myself, but they legitimately found me not at home (being that I work for a living and all). Good for you for complaining, and good for you for getting through and making your complaint heard!
Good luck on the complaint!
Julie K
Hi Julie,
One good thing about working from home is that you can receive packages. Of course, that’s only if the deliverer relinquishes them!
I am hoping the complaint sticks. She really needs to be taught a lesson. I had this happen a few years back. Canada Post offered Saturday delivery for the Harry Potter books, but the deliverer skulked to my door and hung on the tag. I was in bed. I got up like a flash and ran down the driveway in my nightgown to get my Harry!
Marsha:
For Harry Pooter, I’d guess so!! What was that driver thinking.
I’m expecting a package, and Canpar tried to deliver it yesterday at 9:30 a.m. – apparently they’ll only try twice before it goes back to sender. Luckily, Eric’s supposed to be home until two this afternoon, so let’s hope he’s here when they try again!
Julie
Hi Julie,
Here in Brantford if you miss a Canpar delivery, you have the option of going to the depot after hours and picking it up. Alternatively, you can leave a note on the door with a signature, allowing them to leave the package there. Mind you, that wouldn’t work if you live in an apartment.
Well, luckily for us, we were here when they tried again. I didn’t want to leave it in the front lobby, and it would have been a pain to try and leave it with a neighbour.
I’d ordered some small gifts form some of my clients, and I was glad to get them before Christmas! Check out http://www.giantmicrobes.com/ca (can you tell I work with medical types?).
Julie
I’m sure ‘Ann’ was surprised that you’d go to such lengths to get your package! I’ve got one sitting at the post office that I have to go and get myself, but they legitimately found me not at home (being that I work for a living and all). Good for you for complaining, and good for you for getting through and making your complaint heard!
Good luck on the complaint!
Julie K
Hi Julie,
One good thing about working from home is that you can receive packages. Of course, that’s only if the deliverer relinquishes them!
I am hoping the complaint sticks. She really needs to be taught a lesson. I had this happen a few years back. Canada Post offered Saturday delivery for the Harry Potter books, but the deliverer skulked to my door and hung on the tag. I was in bed. I got up like a flash and ran down the driveway in my nightgown to get my Harry!
Marsha:
For Harry Pooter, I’d guess so!! What was that driver thinking.
I’m expecting a package, and Canpar tried to deliver it yesterday at 9:30 a.m. – apparently they’ll only try twice before it goes back to sender. Luckily, Eric’s supposed to be home until two this afternoon, so let’s hope he’s here when they try again!
Julie
Hi Julie,
Here in Brantford if you miss a Canpar delivery, you have the option of going to the depot after hours and picking it up. Alternatively, you can leave a note on the door with a signature, allowing them to leave the package there. Mind you, that wouldn’t work if you live in an apartment.
Well, luckily for us, we were here when they tried again. I didn’t want to leave it in the front lobby, and it would have been a pain to try and leave it with a neighbour.
I’d ordered some small gifts form some of my clients, and I was glad to get them before Christmas! Check out http://www.giantmicrobes.com/ca (can you tell I work with medical types?).
Julie