(edit title) Ultimate post office idiocy Talk about anal retentive about "rules" ... Options

[David S]

So I get a notice from Posten that I have a package to pickup. Unfortunately it's been sent to my old address, so the package is 2hrs away down in Stockholm.

My fiancee is heading that way so she takes the packet notification, along with my driver's licence as additional ID, as it states we can do on the notification.

She waits in line and finally gets to the counter. Can she get the package?

Nope.

They won't accept my identification.

Not because it's for me, not her - but because the package is addressed to "Steadson", whereas my driver's licence has "David Steadson".

If "David Steadson" (or my proxy) wants to pick it up, then it will need to get sent back to the company and readdressed to me.

Absolutely flippin idiotic.

[Migga]

So first the company sends it the wrong adress and then they mark your name incorrectly? You then blame the post office for going along it`s regulations. What now? Are you going to bash Sweden for this?

[David S]

the wrong address isn't a major issue, I only moved a few months ago, and this "policy", if universal, has nothing to do with the address.

As for the name, my name is Steadson, that's not incorrect at all.

If this is a post office regulation, it's idiotic. Well, maybe it works for Madonna.

As for bashing Sweden - I didn't ... but if you think the pickup service point person is doing the right thing ... well, I can only imagine it was you working there, because I can't imagine there's two people that idiotic in the one country ...

[gplusa]

So the parcel was addressed to a Steadson, and the Postal worker wouldn't release the parcel to someone who, not only was not a Steadson, but was using what was clearly someone else's identification to try and claim the parcel. You really want to blame the postal service ? You should be thanking them. Next time it might not be your girlfriend who strolls on in.

[David S]

So the parcel was addressed to a Steadson, and the Postal worker wouldn't release the parcel to someone who, not only was not a Steadson, but was using someone else's ... (show full quote)

So the parcel was addressed to a Steadson, and the Postal worker wouldn't release the parcel to someone who, not only was not a Steadson, but was using someone else's identification to try and claim the parcel. You really want to blame the postal service ? You should be thanking them. Next time it might not be your girlfriend who strolls on in. ... (hide full quote)

gplusa - I'm sure you've been here long enough to have received a parcel pickup notice, and to know that for non-registered post it explicitly states that someone else can pick it up on your behalf, but they need your ID along with their own.

Says it right there on the notice. I'll be charitable and assume you forgot.

They did not reject pickup because it was my girlfriend (with both her and my IDs), but because my ID said "David Steadson" and not "Steadson". It wouldn't have mattered if I'd gone personally.

[SimonDMontfort]

Post Offices in most countries are fairly regimented these days.

Sounds like the problem has been caused by the sender’s omitting to put ‘David’ on the address panel

Why not give Posten a phone call on either 020-23 22 21 (for private customers) or 020-23 22 20 (for business customers) and see whether they can help?

I would have taken out a redirection order myself

[David S]

I have redirection on our mail, which is how we got the notification slip (yup, they redirected a notification slip addressed to "Steadson" to "David Steadson", so seems this rule is quite fluid ...)

The redirection apparently doesn't apply to package.

[SimonDMontfort]

...Sounds odd

I would still contact Posten and ask them if they can help

[David S]

yup, going to do that tomorrow.

maybe it was an ex-girlfriend working there or something

[gdoolan]

I completely sympathise. The post office here is a complete pain in the ass. I have a couple of parcels sitting at Sollentuna post office that I just can't be bothered to pick up as I know they will be totally inflexible.

[gdoolan]

By the way the redirection orders don't seem to work well. We get heaps of post which is supposed to have been redirected to the people who used to live here. Swedish post office needs to be more German!

[gplusa]

So what you're saying, David is that no one on this planet, including you, can ever collect that parcel as no one on this planet (presumably) is called simply "Steadson".

[skogsbo]

personally I find the postal service to be excellent. We live rurally, they pick up and drop off 5 days a week. They even try to drop off parcels first, rather than just dump them at the collection point in town 15km away. If you don't have the right money to pay postage, you get yor change or stamps back the following day, with a receipt. If they receive a parcel collection request, they'll phone the van mid route to tell them to pick up, putting the labels on for me, once they get back to the depot, thus a day saved straight away. Can't fault them. The problem you had was a jobs worth in the office, not a postal issue.

[David S]

So what you're saying, David is that no one on this planet, including you, can ever collect that parcel as no one on this planet (presumably) is called simply "Steadson".

yup

personally I find the postal service to be excellent. We live rurally, they pick up and drop off 5 days a week. They even try to drop off parcels first, rather than just dump ... (show full quote)

personally I find the postal service to be excellent. We live rurally, they pick up and drop off 5 days a week. They even try to drop off parcels first, rather than just dump them at the collection point in town 15km away. If you don't have the right money to pay postage, you get yor change or stamps back the following day, with a receipt. If they receive a parcel collection request, they'll phone the van mid route to tell them to pick up, putting the labels on for me, once they get back to the depot, thus a day saved straight away. Can't fault them. The problem you had was a jobs worth in the office, not a postal issue. ... (hide full quote)

I've had both good and bad experiences. When Iived further north I had a problem with a package going missing, not delivered for a week after it was supposed to. We finally got the details of the local delivery service (contractors) and they said "yeah, we've got it sitting here. We were waiting until we had some more deliveries close to you so we could just do one trip".

I believe they lost the delivery contract!

I agree that this is probably just a particular person problem. I doubt the rules are written quite the way she seems to think. Still, you never know, might even be inflexibly written software they're using.

[skogsbo]

I've collected a parcel where they have spelt my name slightly wrong, so my ID was never going to match. There was no drama. They applied common sense, which this other person clearly didn't have in abundance.