Hi guys.

So I was waiting for a 12kg parcel on Wednesday to be delivered via Die Post. As I knew he would, the postman simply left a notice of "parcel on hold", without actually attempting to DELIVER it. It's so hard to do your job these days.

I call the customer center, tell the nice lady on the line that I don't have a car at the moment, the closest postal office is 3 miles away and I'm not exactly willing to carry a 12kg package through the busy public transport, plus the distance between my house and the bus station.

The lady assures me not to worry and expect a second delivery attempt today.
It was 1PM and nobody rang at the door. I go check the mailbox and lo and behold, I see a notice of "attempted delivery".

People, am I asking for the stars here? The postman literally only has to make 10 steps between the sidewalk and my door.
Which is what makes this situation kinda infuriating and incomprehensible.

What is their policy with regards to parcel distribution? The customer service lady didn't warn me about surpassing a certain weight limit.

Do YOUR packages get delivered to your door or you just always receive notices of them being on hold? This is honestly disappointing from a "Swiss standards" point of view.

First of all isn't it La Poste in Geneva

Have you signed up for the Post's e-service online. One of the advantages is they send you notifications (email/sms/notifications if you install the app on your smartphone) at 7am when your package is arriving the same day with an estimate.

Secondly you get a ping as soon as the Postie is entering in the handheld they have that you're not ostensibly there, potentially allowing you to react in situ.

I've often popped outside when I'm not supposed to be inside simply as the wrong bell was pushed (I know, non-Swiss names are so difficult) after the App told me attempted delivery had ostensibly failed.

Can you see the Postvan when it's in your street? I usually see it on days I'm expecting a delivery and proactively go outside to engage directly with my trusty carrier.

It may just be that La Poste are outsourcing deliveries to "a man with a van" with a small "La Poste" sign in their windscreen which you can't easily spot, and let's just say, your mileage may vary.....

Had similar with DHL on Tuesday, so unfortunately, it's not just Die Post.
Waited in all day to sign for a piece of registered post which required a signature. Got an sms at 16:50 saying delivery failed because we weren't home, which was weird because that was 5 mins before our monthly Migros shop arrived. DHL said a card was left in our letter box, but there was nothing there.

Yup, but I don't have the app.

He comes around between 9am-12pm. I can't sit in front of the window or at the door for 3 hours and spy on when the mail guy might potentially arrive.

That's simply not reasonable and I shouldn't have to resort to such things.

If it states in their contract they have to actually attempt a parcel delivery at your door, they should be held accountable when refusing to do their JOB.

Now I have to start calling friends up to see who's available after work on a Friday to help me pick up my package. Yikes.

This is why I usually avoid national postal services, but the package was from Galaxus, don't think they would've let me choose DHL or UPS.

Have you checked that your door-bell still works?

Yes!
But even if it didn't, he can still knock.

My apartment doesn’t have a call intercom... the postman would never come up to the individual apartments. So I always got a delivery attempt note. I’ve now changed my “settings” online, to allow them to leave parcels in the entrance hall if they don’t fit in my letter box. Much easier!

Happened to me today... i could see the mail van in the street. Instead of walking up the stairs and trying all the doors (I live in a terassenhaus) the guy just left a pickup note. It was a package requiring a signature, so he could not leave it at the mailboxes outside.

Called the post.ch number, used properly strong wording including demanding a bad reference for the guy and the idiocracy of making a person in the risk group (for covid) walk down to the post office and wait around among strangers in a little enclosed room.

The lady called the guy, and 20 minutes later he was back at my door with the package.

__________________
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Do you live behind a gated complex? Because if so, they won't come in. As others have said, best to register with them, then you get advance warning and can instruct to leave it, redeliver, etc.

Exactly this. Just authorize them to leave the parcel. Then it's left by your door and you get a message saying it's there.

Don't you get an email or SMS saying something is coming and you can follow the link and tell them to leave without signatures? I have that with both DHL and DPD.

The DHL guy sometimes sends me a text message to announce that he is coming and asks to confirm that I'm home. That works pretty well.

You can set this up on the Post website - you have to create a login, then confirm your address (they send you a code by mail), after that there are options for notification by SMS, email etc and also options for delivery on a general or case-by-case basis.

Alright, I just modified the proper settings on my DiePost profile. Let's see if it actually changes anything with future deliveries.

Nicely done, "strong wording" + bad reference was definitely deserved as we shouldn't tolerate slackers and people with no work ethic, although it's sad that we have to waste time making a complaint just to simply get a package at the door.

It's the 'Swiss way'... just doing my part to integrate.

I was referring to DHL as per the quoted part in my message. With them I get an SMS and DPD also.

I have a post it on my letter box that says that I’m at home and please call my mobile number.

I’ve had 3 deliveries in the last week that have required a signature. 2 they just left it without calling and one they called.

Die Post works well for me, even when they have to deliver heavier parcels. I’ve signed to My Consignments to track the parcels and manage how the shipments are delivered.

In my neighborhood in Lugano (TI) the La Posta carrier not only rings with packages but delivers them to my flat. I've never asked, he just does it. In return I give him an effusive "grazie mille" and a big smile.

-Dr. M.