"I opened the mailbox without permission." When I tried to make it even more fluffy, February 24, 11:31

One day, when I got home, I found my luggage in the mailbox.



"Why did you have such a big baggage? I should have locked it ..." The



key was certainly locked.


So why did the luggage come in?


A post office courier opened the dial lock and put in the package.

For more information ... "Locked mailbox, open delivery without permission, post office delivery staff is inappropriate"

After we announced this news last month, we received a lot of information and opinions from people who watched TV and articles on the Internet.



"I had the same experience ."


"It's strange to open the key without permission."


"It's troublesome to ask for redelivery. You should force it in." "

You


should think about the hardships of the delivery staff ."



Do you think?



(Naoki Hashimoto, Reporter, Social Affairs Department)

“I also opened the key”

After the news report last month, we received multiple information that "I was able to open the locked mailbox."



Here are some of them.

"It's a dial-lock type mailbox, but the ones that didn't fit were posted several times. When I called the post office in my jurisdiction, I apologized for" it was an inappropriate delivery, "but it was still accepted. "(Yokohama City)



" After the news, there was a mail that I couldn't get in, and I thought, "I did the same thing as I saw in the news." I have no choice but to feel distrust because of doubts. "(Fukuoka City)

One person who provided the information, Mr. Oishi (pseudonym) who lives in the Tokai region, responded to the telephone interview.



Mr. Oishi had the experience of opening a mailbox in February.

Around this time, there were concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan, making it difficult to obtain masks.



Therefore, I decided to have my relatives send me a box of masks.



I asked Mr. Oishi to take a picture of the mask box and the mailbox side by side.

No matter how you think about it, the mask box will not fit through the slot.


Moreover, it was locked.


Yet, the mask was delivered in the mailbox.

Mr. Oishi


"Our mailbox is also a dial lock type, and the dial to match the numbers cannot be turned unless it is put in our premises. I think that it is unacceptable to open the key and put in luggage after entering the premises without permission. I did. "

Why did you open the key?

The explanation of the post office is

Mr. Oishi contacted the local post office under his jurisdiction.

After several exchanges, I received the postmaster's "Summary" almost two months later.



In the final note, it is written as "cause of occurrence" as follows.

"I entered the premises, unlocked the locked dial, and posted the mail. The person (delivery staff) had to enter the absentee contact form and re-entered the absentee contact form. I thought that it would take less time to deliver, so I did that. "



" Also, due to the lack of awareness of the manager, I was only able to give guidance that made me think that I do not have to comply with the rules. Is the cause. "

Mr. Oishi:


"I was instructing you not to do this kind of thing," but when I saw the news, I was indignant when I learned that the same thing was still happening. I haven't seen any other similar cases. ”But there is definitely my case.”

When I checked with Japan Post about Mr. Oishi's case, it was not reported to the head office until we interviewed him.


Japan Post says, "We will give you guidance on proper posting again."

The important thing is to turn "one or more turns"

Why did the key open?



According to Japan Post, the deliveryman said, "I opened it after shifting the dial a few times."

As far as we know, the mailboxes of people who complain of similar damage were all dial-locked.



So, when I looked at the manuals for dial-lock mailboxes from several manufacturers, I found something like this.

"If you don't turn it more than once, it may open."



What does that mean?



Many dial-locking mailboxes can be unlocked by turning the dial left or right to match two or three numbers.


After that, turn the dial to lock it, but if you do not turn it "one or more turns" at this time, the key may open just by matching the last number.



And another point is to "turn in the same direction as the last turn".


If the direction is reversed, it seems that even if you turn it more than once, it may open just by matching the second and third numbers.



On SNS etc., it is often written that "I am annoyed when I open it, so I intentionally open it with only one number", but that is a risky act.



"When locking, turn the dial in the same direction as the last turn."



In order to open the mailbox without permission, it is important to do this thoroughly, even if it is a little troublesome.



(For information on how to lock your mailbox, please check the instruction manual.)

"I want you to force it in"

On the other hand, there was an opinion that the actions of the deliveryman should not be so criticized.



Even if there are some forcible acts, they want people to put them in the mailbox, or they are in trouble if they don't.

"There are always people who have trouble requesting redelivery and are helped by forcing them to post. I am also helped. If you don't want to unlock it, you can make it bigger. It's a big nuisance for those who want to get the products purchased by mail order immediately. "



" For me who can't go home during the redelivery time, the delivery person who pushes me into the post was very grateful. Because of that, I can't receive the mail I've received so far. What should I do? It's really annoying. I can't live like I'm going home by 9 pm to receive the deliveries. "

Both were anonymous and had no contact information, so I couldn't talk to them directly.



However, for those who cannot easily receive their luggage at home due to work reasons, it is a fact that it is troublesome to ask for redelivery or adjust the time to receive it.


I also come home late, so I understand that feeling well.



As Japan Post itself admits, "opening the key without permission" is not an appropriate act, but simply denying it as a "bad thing" does not lead to a fundamental solution to this problem. I felt the difficulty.

“Delivery staff is also hard”

This time, we also talked to the on-site delivery staff.



A man in his 50s who has been in charge of delivery at a post office in Tokyo for over 30 years.

He says he has never delivered his luggage by opening the dial lock without permission.



However, he complained, "I understand the feeling of wanting to put it in even if I open the key."

Mail carrier in Tokyo


"We just want to reduce the time it takes to deliver one item. Overtime increases costs, so there is pressure from my boss, and I take almost no lunch break. We may continue to deliver. It's a line that should never be crossed, but to be honest, I understand the psychology. "

With the increase in auto locks and high-rise condominiums, it is said that it takes time to deliver one item, such as pressing the intercom, going up the stairs or elevator, and pressing the intercom again.



Moreover, if you are absent, it will take time to create an absentee contact form.



Even considering the convenience of the user, if the key can be easily opened, it is unavoidable to think that it is better to put it in, the deliveryman says.

Mail carrier in Tokyo


"It is known in the post office several times a year that you can't open the dial lock without permission. There is a good reason why it doesn't go away. Just" Don't do it. " Not only that, but I think we have to think about measures to eliminate it. "

To use the mail more conveniently

This problem is that you can open the key to the mailbox without permission.



There were various ways of thinking depending on the position.



However, everyone should have the desire to be able to send and receive packages more comfortably and conveniently.



In fact, the number of lockers common to companies that can receive luggage is increasing at stations and in the city.



There is also an ongoing search for easy use of "placement".



I think that there are many people who are more interested in home delivery because the number of people who use online shopping has increased due to the prolonged corona.



We will continue to cover this issue.



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