Weren’t there some Secret Santa packages to Dopers in the UK that never reached their destinations?! Maybe THIS is what happened to them!
It said that the clerk, who stashed the mail at his flat, came under suspicion when folks reported not receiving packages around Christmas time. He had opened about 1,400 items, but there were a hella lot more still at his place, unopened!
Things like this happen in the US too, though. A couple of years ago, I never received a package of smoked sausages that had been sent to me; I always suspected that the local post office sniffed that package out and shared it at their holiday party. :smack:
There was a whole network of postal workers (of Nigerian origin, I’m afraid) in London who were methodically opening mail and stealing everything valuable therein, that was exposed on a TV documentary a couple of years ago. Shocking.
I don’t even bother to read articles like this anymore, it’s happened so often where disgruntled postal workers just stash their deliveries away in homes etc. That’s sad that I’m no longer surprised or shocked, I suppose.
Heh. In my neighbourhood there were numerous incidents where posties would deliver things on their route until they got bored/tired/hungry/whatever and then then just empty their bag into a handy skip or dustbin or wherever and call it a day. People would come across piles of mail lying on pavements or in their gardens. Things have got a lot better lately, presumably due to management paying a bit more attention to the issue.
I think the ‘hoarding mail’ phenomenon is a bit different though - usually the stories I have seen were either OCD or an inability to admit that they couldn’t make all the deliveries in time - they stash the backlog to deliver next time and eventually it builds up to a whole house full, all carefully piled up unopened ready to be delivered.
Yeah, I reckon you’re right, slaphead. I’ve just seen this kind of story before, so … It’s still weird, I’ll give you that. I pity the postal service which has to sort out the mess.
The guy was obviously a nineteen year-old fuckwit.
Workers with mail contact come in three types: mails, transport, and delivery.
Mails Sorters in the big, faceless buildings
Let me assure you these places are bristling with surveillance cameras. It’s like working at the mint. At any one time, I may have up to fifteen cameras potentially watching me. And yes, they are manned. Stings do take place.
Transport Truck Drivers
Mail in trucks is often sealed. Sometimes it isn’t, but the driver would have to pull over somewhere, open the back doors, climb in, and then know what he is looking for. If things go missing more than once or twice, security will get down to his run number by a process of elimination.
Delivery Postmen
Easiest job to steal mail, also easiest job to get caught. Basically, you can do it once. After that, the complaints on a particular beat number start coming in, and the postie is toast.
Mail theft is rare. Mail hoarding happens sometimes, as mentioned in other posts. Some postmen can’t keep up. But actual theft is uncommon. You get caught.
My ex-g/f lived in London. About 2/3 of what I sent to her from the US here never got to her. It was very frustrating. Some real nice things I wrote or gave her(not expensive at all-but personal) were stolen. It really really sucked. Got to be where I wouldn’t send her anything unless I really had to. I thought it was people where she lived, and was even thinking of installing a camera because I was so mad.
I don’t think it’ll be too difficult to sort out. Deliver what they still have, call it a wash. I think for normal mail they are under no obligation to do anything other than try to deliver it, and anything else is insured anyhow.
TheLoadedDog - I think most of the problems the Royal Mail have had in this regard comes about from bringing in short-term temp labour to fill in gaps in their labour force, and not doing any sort of background checks. Recipe for problems, IMO.
This happened to friend’s of my mother’s about 20 years ago. Turns out the mail carrier was stashing the sacks in his trunk and then dumping them. They alerted the post office when they started getting second and third notices from bills that they hadn’t paid.
Very odd behavior, to say the least. Heck, if you’re working for the post office, you will be involved in mail delivery somehow…
