It’s a story that rung a bell with CHEK viewers, and people on Vancouver Island have chimed in with their own frustrations over Canada Post not ringing the doorbell for parcels that require signatures.
Speaking Wednesday from his vacation in Toronto, Rishu Khan described what happened Tuesday when he was expecting a parcel.
He was home, ready to answer the door, but got a notification from Canada Post saying they tried to deliver the package but no one was home. A slip was left in Khan’s mailbox to pick up the parcel at a postal outlet.
“I’m there, I’m tracking it, I’m monitoring it, and all of a sudden you get a message saying nobody’s home, but clearly I was,” he told CHEK News.
Khan describes himself as “easygoing.” He’s not the “speak to the manager” type, but he says in the five years he’s lived in Victoria he’s had hundreds of packages delivered to his home. Three times this has happened, and each time it’s been Canada Post.
It left him with questions.
“This is where I wonder if they’re on tight constraints where they’re like, ‘I gotta deliver like 200 packages a day’ and it’s impossible, so they’re having to cut corners and stuff,” he said.
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Since the story aired yesterday, CHEK received more than 70 messages were received through social media and emails from people on Vancouver Island with similarly frustrating experiences. Many said Canada Post delivery agents avoid ringing their doorbells.
In Khan’s case, his property camera picked up the arrival of the delivery agent and the parcel, but since his doorbell was not used, video from the doorbell camera was not recorded and logged. He was able to pick up his parcel, a gift for a family member, 40 minutes later at a postal outlet in time for his trip to Toronto.
Canada Post investigated Khan’s claims and said in a statement, “The delivery agent knocked on the customer’s door and did not get a response. We regret the customer did not get the service they expected but the parcel, which they now have, was safely redirected to their local post office for pick up.”
Khan says he respects the work, and anyone tasked with delivering the mail.
“I read the response and I think it’s all fair,” he said. “I totally believe them if they say they made an honest attempt at the package.”
CHEK News asked Canada Post for clarification on whether delivery agents are instructed to ring doorbells, but did not receive a response.
In the future, when faced with the option of pressing his neon green-lit doorbell or knocking on the door, Khan has a simple request. “Please ring the doorbell,” he laughed. “And if I don’t respond then leave the slip behind. Thank you.”
Jordan Cunningham
