| The woman, of St Mungo Terrace, St Mary’s, who did not want to be identified, said she has had been having trouble with important mail, such as hospital correspondence, benefit forms and bills going missing, which has resulted in missed appointments. The difficulties began when, in July, she unusually received no mail at all.
During that month she believed someone had intercepted a letter from a mail-order catalogue and had then tried to order goods using her account number. She was made aware of the attempt to defraud her when she received a letter from the catalogue firm saying someone had tried to order goods.
“I have had an awful lot of problems,” she said today. “I am on the phone to the mail depot manager a lot complaining about various things that have gone missing and appointment cards that I have never received. He is always very nice and apologetic and they have been very sympathetic, but, at the end of the day, that is not getting my mail delivered.
“My husband is on incapacity benefit and every October he receives a form to fill in to continue claiming benefit. He didn’t receive that and the following month he got a letter from social security saying his benefit would be cut because we hadn’t returned the form.”
In November, the woman’s husband was expecting correspondence from King’s Cross Hospital in Dundee but that also failed to appear, despite the hospital assuring them it was posted. A long-awaited hospital appointment for Ninewells also disappeared, meaning her husband missed his scheduled date and is now having to wait unnecessary additional time to be seen as a result of a sub-standard postal service.
“He asked the doctor today about when he could expect an appointment at Ninewells and the doctor told him it had been sent out in November and he had now missed it.
“Hospital appointments are important, especially when you have to wait so long in the first place to get one. Now we have to wait even longer because Royal Mail failed to deliver the appointment card.
“The Royal Mail has to get their act together. There are a lot of people around this area who are complaining about the same thing. One neighbour found her mail in the next garden and another found theirs at the bottom of Macalpine Road, ripped up. There is one postman we have who is very good, but we don’t always get him and that seems to be when we have the problems.
“The depot manager suggested I should send myself something to see if I receive it, but why should I put a stamp on something to try and catch them out?”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said, “With regards to the Macalpine Road incident, two people were delivering leaflets in the area after the mail had been delivered and had been putting their hands through letterboxes and pulling out mail. This is a police incident and we understand they have been charged.
“Anyone concerned mail is missing or delayed should contact customer services on 08457 740740.”
Earlier this week, a Broughty Ferry woman hit out after receiving a mail delivery just after 7 pm on Saturday. |
