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[oldfogy]

Fortunately since registering with the "Mailing Preference Service at" http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/what/
I receive very little junk mail threw my letterbox.

However, periodically my postman hand delivers "junk mail"
So is this just a way of circumventing the the rules, or is The Royal Post & Mail breaking the law as it is being delivered by one of their employees during normal working hours?

[Floydoid]

However, periodically my postman hand delivers "junk mail"

If by that you mean random leaflets, then the postie gets paid a few coppers extra for each leaflet, which are actually known as 'door to door' items.  It is a little known fact that you can make a specific request to your local delivery office not to have these delivered to your property.

As for other junk mail, I've found that if it's obviously trying to sell you something like insurance (or it's from Readers Digest), there will probably be a business reply envelope inside it, so the best way to deal with it is to return their junk inside it with a curt note saying that future mailings will be dealt with in a similar manner.  That soon makes them take you off their mailing list as obviously they don't want to pay Royal Mail for the privilege of having their stuff sent back.  Other stuff, I return marked 'Return to sender - unsolicited mail'.  It takes some time, but it does work.

Floydie, the ex-postie.

[oldfogy]

Yes I know they get paid a little something extra, which is why I've never had it stopped, although, yes I did know it could be.
But for the small amount they bring, it's not exactly mind blowing.

And thanks to one of todays leaflets I am now £20.01 per month better off.
(See my Virgin Media Post for details)

[tickmike]

I just told the postman that I did not want any. , as we get the same chap each time.

[chrissie]

I do the same as Floidie.....all junk mail with prepaid envelopes receive their junk back...sometimes more if I don't have pp envelopes for other mail and as for the leaflets, they are saved up and posted back into the post box.... well, I didn't want them, am not wasting my money phoning the sorting office or writing a letter....and as I post a lot of items anyway, it's no problem to return their leaflets.     Didn't know the postie gets paid extra... so that's good as my returning them means he still gets paid    Not that our postie is any good, delivering wrong items, dropping mail on the path, putting our neighbours mail in our door etc etc...... posties aint wot they used to be sadly 

[Floydoid]

Chrissie if your postie is that bad, then I'd definitely complain about him... as he's supposed to have been trained in all the correct procedures, and that kind of lackadaisical attitude is most definitely frowned upon.  I'd suggest you *ring your local delivery office and ask to speak to the line manager for your sector, i.e. the first bit of your post code (in my case it would be for NR1).

*the best time to call is 9-10am when all the posties are (or should be) out and the depot is reasonably quiet.

[chrissie]

Hi Floyd...I would LOVE to complain but have had experience of that in the past which has completely put me off of doing so again.  Long story... and living in another postal district, I complained about the terrible deliveries to my address and how the young postman was giving his letters to his teenage friends to help him deliver (I watched him do this as they were doing the round with him).  Yes I did get a letter of apology but very soon after.....my telephone service got cut off!!   

I rang BT from a call box at the time, was told that the bill they had tried to deliver was returned to them marked "Gone Away" (and other mail too apparently) so they decided to cut the phone line.  Now being the cynical old duffer I am....(young duffer at the time  ) the only person who could have touched my mail for delivery was "a" postman....no wonder we weren't getting any mail after my complaint!   So whilst I would love to make a complaint today I don't want anything happening to my mail again.  Oh yes and just to say, after I moved from that address and did the redirection thingy which I paid for.... I didn't get much mail even though lots was sent but never reached me    Royal Mail?  They stink as far as I'm concerned as they still don't give a good service where I am.

[Floydoid]

Well take my tip and have a chat with the line manager for your sector... if no-one tells them there's a problem, then they don't know.

[guest]

You need to opt out of "Door to Door" (unaddressed mail) via a central office now - local offices aren't allowed to opt you out :

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=400126&mediaId=500081

Also the postie doesn't get paid any extra for delivering the door to door stuff. I asked our postie about it last summer when we opted out and he said that it had never happened in his time (6 years or so) with Royal Mail so perhaps its something that "new" employees don't get now?

You will occasionally still get door to door mail delivered when your regular postie is off sick/on hols/whatever. Just tell the temp postie that you're opted out of door to door mail and they'll stop delivering it too.

[mr_chris]

Well take my tip and have a chat with the line manager for your sector... if no-one tells them there's a problem, then they don't know.

I guess you could always do so without giving your name/address, or even what street you live on (unless it's a long street, then it'd be ok!).

[Floydoid]

Also the postie doesn't get paid any extra for delivering the door to door stuff. I asked our postie about it last summer when we opted out and he said that it had never happened in his time (6 years or so) with Royal Mail so perhaps its something that "new" employees don't get now?

Well it's 5 years since I worked for Royal Mail, and the *bonus for doing the door to door items could be as much as £20 a week, not a lot, but then again a basic postie's salary is/was not that much above the minimum wage.

*we had to fill in a claim sheet each week, otherwise you didn't get it

[Yorkie]

Our postie is female at the moment and seems ok, I don't mind the leaflets they put through maybe one a week and it goes in the recycling box, I did know they got paid for doing it. The ones that really bug me are the  leaflet droppers, you know the ones with a big satchel, I can get four or five of them a week all for the same thing, take away pizza, I don't like pizza 'cos I don't like melted cheese and I wouldn't pay those prices anyway.

[Floydoid]

The ones that really bug me are the  leaflet droppers, you know the ones with a big satchel, I can get four or five of them a week all for the same thing, take away pizza, I don't like pizza 'cos I don't like melted cheese and I wouldn't pay those prices anyway.

I had a bizarre leaflet today offering to deliver hot meals... all the way from Sussex.

[oldfogy]

I asked my postman this morning and he confirmed that they get paid 1p per leaflet.

Although they had been asked to accept a one-off per month payment, regardless of how many leaflet drops , but they have rejected that.

[Floydoid]

That sounds about right OF, so if you have say, 4 door-to-door items for the week, and given that a typical *walk is 500+ delivery points, that amounts to at least £20 per week.

The number of leaflets to be delivered can vary quite a bit, as they seem to be targeted according to postcode, so if you work in a smarter residential area you get more of the stuff, so I can understand the opposition to a flat fee.

*a postie's delivery round is called a 'walk' regardless of whether he walks, rides a bike, or drives a van to get his job done