Ask The Consumerists: Should I Report My Package-Rolling Mailman?

Jeff has a quandary. He spotted his neighborhood mail carrier delivering his package in a way he didn’t like. Jeff wants to know whether he should report his friendly, package-tossing mailman to the post office, or whether he should expect retribution.

I was sitting at home this past Saturday, watching TV, in my customary
seat which just happens to be next to my front door, overlooking my
front yard.

An odd noise happened, like something hitting the front door and I
glanced out the window to see the mailman turning away from the steps
and walking away across my yard.

I got up, saw the package that he had just unceremoniously rolled
across my concrete porch and lost my cool. I ‘yelled’ to him (since he
was already next door) and asked him to kindly *not* roll packages
when he delivers them to my house but place them down.

Rather than apologizing, he went on to explain how many times that
package had been thrown during shipment. Needless to say, this did not
help my mood. I pointed out that that is as may be, but I didn’t see
them do it, I saw *him* do it. I asked for, and received, his name and
said that I’d be reporting this to the post office.

To his benefit, he did stop by a bit later, not to apologize, but to
hand me a ‘While you were out’ slip with the phone number underlined
for customer service so I would know who to call.

My quandary is: This is the person who is going to continue to deliver
my mail. Do I really want to file a complaint against him? But then,
on the other hand, I already told him I was going to, so any
retribution he does is already on his mind, so whether I do or not,
he’s going to exact revenge (if that is his wont).

So: Do I or don’t I report him?

(On the plus side, the item in the box was, as near as I can tell,
unharmed by its shoddy treatment, thanks to good packing and being
mostly unbreakable anyways. Now, the hard drive I’m expecting in a
week, that I might be worried about.)

Was he being passive-aggressive by handing Jeff the correct phone number, or helpful? Does he expect that his bosses will not take Jeff’s complaint very seriously?

More importantly, should parcel bowling be a sanctioned U.S. Postal Service sport?

(Photo: ewen and donabel)

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