Our 'postie' (picking up the lingo) is a lazy bugger. He has the easiest of jobs - delivering mail from his moped right up to people's gates. He doesn't have to get off to drop a letter in the box.

Now the laziness really kicks in when he has a registered letter and needs a signature. Not wanting to get off his arse, he checks to see if anyone's looking before dropping off a pre-written "I missed you" note. I then have to go to the post office to get my letter.

I'd report him! I know you may not be able tp prove you were in but at least he might get a speaking to and hopefully not do it in the future!
Tracey

When we lived in suburbia, our posties were lovely. They would get off their mopeds and walk up our very steep drive to deliver parcels etc. Now we are on acreage we have a loony contractor woman. She has her hazard lights on permanently and assumes that gives her right of way over other traffic and doesn't bother looking before pulling out. (She has a garage courtesy car at least once a month so a fair few people crash into her . She assumed that a bin truck reversing towards her at a speed to match her own would stop for her. It didn't and the tyre marks are still on the road outside). She also refuses to get out of her car and so I have to go to the post office too to pick up registered mail. Give me the good old posty on his moped any day.

Jane

tried that. He's a "private contractor." The post office don't care.

seems to be standard practice, in my experience

We had the rates bill for our block of land 'delivered' to the SOLD sign. :scared:

Our's is good. If we have anything bigger or fatter than a normal letter, he brings it down the drive (on acreage) and leaves it in the carport. If I have to sign for something, he has hunted around for me if the car is there. Frightened the life out of me one day - strange man thumping on my bedroom window

Yeah, mines nice, always says hello - or gday - or something from under his helmet!

Can you bust the lazy one somehow?

A private contractor? You mean he's not an Australia Post employee? Yet he's still delivering letters? Or is he only delivering packages?

If you regularly spot him skiving off (and it sounds like you do), I suggest you take a few photos (or a short video) and submit it to his employers.

Short of that, why not just walk outside when he arrives, and pick up your mail from him?

At least he gave you a pickup slip.

When I was living in a unit block in Brissie, the postie would just dump packages in the unmanned foyer if you weren’t home. He wouldn’t even bother filling out the slip, leaving your parcels vulnerable to theft.

Of course, parcels would occasionally go missing, including one of my own around xmas one year.

Not good enough Australia Post - package delivery is not rocket science.

Yes they are!

I am sure our old one didn't even both to deliver mail if we where the only house that had any (it is a little distance between houses). There have been time when Express mail has taken 4 days! We often had no mail for a day or two, then loads the day after.

saying that our new postie seems a better so I guess it depends on the person.

Oh yes I have had the same issue with slips as well.

My local (UK) postie is usually excellent, but package delivery is a constant nightmare.

I've had a package left in my gas metre box (despite the fact that (a) it is located in an area shared with my next door neighbour, (b) not secure, and (c) I have never given instructions to leave packages there).

I've had a "We missed you" slip with no name on it (turned out to be mine, but could have been anyone's!)

And in what seems to be a regular occurrance now, I've had the old "Knock on the door once, then drop a slip on the mat and do a runner" routine. Which means that by the time I've nipped downstairs to open the door, the postie has bolted.

But overall, my service is great. I am very impressed by the fact that mail arrives on Saturdays. I just wish that the Post Office and Royal Mail were one single company, as they are back home in Australia. Communication between the two seems to be virtually non-existent.

no, he's got the easy job, just letters.
If I see him I do just that, but we've had notes left in the box when we've been home all day.

If he's delivering letters, why is he an independent contractor? Since when did Australia Post replace its posties with independent contractors?

You need to speak to his employer. Independent contractor or not, he needs to shape up.

We have a skip outside our house at the moment. Plenty of room for the postie to get by on the grass strip and still deliver the mail. However he just launches the post on the floor of the carport! Anyone walking past can just pick it up. If it rains it would get soaking wet. There is obviously a shift system going because 2 other posties have no problems delivering the mail into the box. I'm waiting for him to do it again, then I'll be reporting him - last time he did it the mail contained our credit card pin numbers. This postie is obviously lazy and stupid. But I'm keen to make sure I identify the right postie as I don't want to get the others in trouble. I was absolutely amazed when I found the mail.

Netta