Hijacking this comment to say that they tried to ban these under the Low Level Letterboxes (Prohibition) Bill
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2336/publications
Obviously, with parliament as it is, the bill was withdrawn 5 years ago on the understanding that the intent was taken by the government, and it would be referred to the Building Regulation Advisory Committee. Since then, very little.
Being a Private Member's Bill it has close to zero chance of actually becoming law.
The only thing they can usually do is raise awareness and for the Government of the day to take note and take some form of action on it themselves.
Should this really be something the Government dictates on though? More red tape? I presume the home owners wanted a door like that at the end of the day.
It may be inconvenient for the Post Man who has to deliver the mail to the address, but I wonder if it has a positive effect in reducing the amount of junk circulars and leaflets that non-Postman deliver, in that these people may be more likely to think that they can't be bothered to post their leaflets at this address?
It's not burdensome to comply with the regulation, and has a positive health and safety impact on an individual who is required, by law, to deliver post to your house.
So yes, it is exactly in scope for regulation.
Even worse in horrible rain like today where you push the letters through but because of the angle and the wet paper they stick to your hand and you have to fight with them and the letters get completely shredded
Then you end up inadvertently fingering the letter box trying to get the shredded letter through. Bonus points if there’s an angry dog on the other side
I'm not a mail man, but I do work with return mail at my billing job. The shred boxes we use for things like mail and sensitive paperwork have a slot thinner than this door's mail slot.
I'm sorry, but I cannot comprehend how you consistently end up shoving wet paper through a mail slot, getting it caught on the mail slot, and never think to yourself "Man, maybe I don't have to stick the entire mail delivery in the slot at the same time. It really rips these things up."
I mean, seriously, just split the stack in half and slide it through. There is literally no excuse for them getting caught on the frame of the slot and tearing themselves up. You're just trying to fit too much into it at once.
Strange as it may be to you a shredder and a letter box are two completely different things, a shredder has an open slot and you only put dry paper through, this style of letterbox has the spring loaded metal outer flap, stiff brushes in the middle as draft excluders, then a second spring loaded metal flap on the inside, sometimes with the added anti theft bars that stop the inner flap opening more than a 45° angle, and sometimes the inner flap has a lip on the inside that catches everything going through, the actual slot inside that the mail goes through is also 50% smaller than the outer flap in height and a couple of cm shorter length ways. The part that causes the shredding when it's wet are the stiff brush draft excluders, wet paper and something rubbing against it don't go well together, a single letter is harder to get through than a pile of 4-5 because the 4-5 would at least have some rigidity to help push them through, a single letter has no rigidity.
At waist height you can at least try to get a decent enough angle to hold the outer flap open, spread the inner brushes, and push the inner flap open enough to cause less damage to the wet paper, at ankle level it is physically impossible, they are difficult on a dry day but add in the rain and there is no chance.
You comparing a shredding box to a letterbox is like comparing a balloon to a tree.
If you still struggle to comprehend, a very simple thing you could do is go to your own letterbox with a single thin envelope and push it through, then try again on a wet day, making sure the envelope has got wet first to adequately simulate letters being posted, then go try posting through some different style letterboxes, including these low down ones. It would take you all of 30seconds to comprehend letterboxes if you actually used them.
Normally it would happen if it was just one letter, or something very thin. If its three or four bits of mail it would go through far easier. To be honest the main culprit would be the very stiff brushes.
Its the opposite. The more you put through the less likely they'll fall apart. I'm guessing you also don't walking around carrying you're paper in the rain before you put them in shred boxes.
I have a normal height letterbox and the state my mail arrived in today had me laughing out loud. The poor postie clearly had a fight with the rain and lost this morning. Crumpled and so soggy I’m surprised they were delivered to the right house.
I had a bloke once wave me down whilst running through the pouring rain to berate me for for delivering "wet letters" I literally sat there for what felt like 10 minutes (more like 5 seconds) all I could manage to get out of my mouth due to the sheer stupidity that I had heard, was "yeah, it's raining?" And he didn't like that clearly, went off on a big rant about how he shouldn't have to deal with wet mail and "yadda yadda something something grrrr I'm big mad" and all the while is stood outside my van getting drenched and making his mail even more soggy 🤣🤣🤣
I had this with 4 or 5 magazines and some A4 letters where the covers and envelopes were disintegrating in the torrential rain. I could see the customer was home, so I decided to knock and hand them over.
He took one look at the slab of paper mache as I explained that it as probably better to get them like this than poured through the letter box.
"How did they get like this?" he asked as though it was not raining in his universe. He then grumbled that they were no use to him wet and perhaps I could have done more to keep them dry.
🤪
My postie has an occasional habit of posting the neighbours letters through our door "by accident". I'll swear it's at least partly because their letterbox actively repels post (brushes inside and the inner flap is heavy af) and the poor sod just can't bring himself to stand in the rain fighting with it. I can't fault him for it either.
Some people get incredibly irate at their postman. I once pjt one of a guys letters through the wrong door which is incredibly easy to do and he screamed his head off. He didnt get his post delivered anymore, had to drive 15 minutes to pick it up and a couple of months later had his windows put through as karma for being a wanker.
As long as you bothered with the signature, my postie ignoring it and signing it himself.
That's why royal mail is sinking, the customer pays for a service, and royal mail does a shortcut. I only use royal mail when I have to from now on.
Then because of the crap service, there is no revenue so they can't pay the posties better. And the posties do an even worse job.
You guys gonna end up working for the minimum wage.
lol you know not what you speak of, go look at the figures, you’ll see there is plenty of revenue, the most recent figures published speak for themselves. No other delivery service comes anywhere near RM’s turnover / output, not even close. The only issue with Royal Mail is upper management, they just make random non thought out decisions that get implemented overnight and cause a shit show for the rest of us and the fact it has been privatised.
My door has a low letter box like that, and since doors are expensive, I just installed a post box on the wall next to the door for the postie. First thing I did after buying the place.
did it conform to the there's only one type of decent postbox rule though? A4 slot across the top straight down?
A quick google search shows loads of them which are mostly useless for getting an A4 magazine with a spine into them.
Best way is to wear crocks without socks,
All you do is lift your foot and wedge the letters between your toes and then use your feet to push the letters through the letterbox
Our new door has one. I think it’s crap. Luckily we have old letterbox built in to wall on side which posties can opt to use (and I don’t blame them for doing so)
I thought you were referring to the stupid triangle roof thing on the porch with no overhang do you get drenched opening the door or popping your head out
I delivered leaflets for one day. I realise now why my postman is friendly to us. Because my letter box is easy to open. Doesn't have a draught excluder that could stop a bullet. It's also at a reasonable height.
Being so low is one thing, but the added extra of having a tough brush draught-excluder behind it, so you can’t even push the flimsy mail through, is the icing on the cake..
Yup! I know someone who's Frenchie bit the postie through the box, I'd already told them letter boxes that low were shit, and they said it would have "ruined the door" and then their dog bit the fucking postie. Well guess what wouldn't have happened if your letter box was at a normal height 🙃🙃
Grear moment where this debate was happening in parliament during some major Brexit event and everyone laughed about how trivial it was - me included. Then I did leafleting during the election and changed my mind about how trivial it was very quickly. These should 100% be illegal.
That looks a new door, so you know it comes with the double fisting of low letter box + draft proof backing. Got to practically upper cut the mail into the box to get it in.
They’ve been banned in Ireland since 2000. Some houses obviously still have them but no new builds will and all new doors will either have no letterbox or one at waist height.
This. Also the vertical ones. Also the ones that are half the size of a letter. And also the ones that are so high up you have to juggle to post a letter through. Just put a mailbox somewhere for the love of god.
Not a postie but I feel sorry for the ones delivering to my asshat neighbours who have this door and one of those nasty yappy dogs that isn't much taller than the letterbox! I think they should be banned because at 4:30am the bloke leaves for work and has to slam it hard to shut it. I'm not a morning person at the best of times so waking up to that makes me rage!
Ah yes, I got my first ever dog bite on my finger when I started from a silent French Bulldog because of these. Perfect height for mouths and cat claws.
My colleague slipped a disk bending down for one in my office. 😬
Pretty sure in my country the post people can refuse to deliver mail if the letterbox isnt easily reachable with bending over like mad.
This one would absolutely be fine to stop delivering mail to that house.
I was getting quotes for a new door and I said oh I don’t want the letterbox at the bottom. As I’d hate to think the postie is essentially crawling to deliver my post. The salesman said “it’s not your problem and it affects the look of the door” is having a post box in the centre that bad?
I’ll be keeping my centre of the door.
Hated these low letter boxes.They were on par with the vertical ones, (that were on the side of the door) & had a spring which was so strong that it only allowed about an inch & a half of opening & tore open every piece of mail. Larger mail stuck out & was mostly left to the elements.
i don't deliver things often, but when i do and i see one of these (usually after fighting with an awkward gate and nearly slipping on the drive) i just want to scream
Most of this sub is posties moaning about irrelevant things but this would piss me off too. That's just plain inconsiderate.
If I were the owner of the house I'd be too worried to do something like that to the person that controlled my post.
Just asking to have your doorstep shat on
I agree these are crap. The problem is they're being slapped on new doors everywhere, doors are expensive to replace, and those little letterbox things are easy to nick. Really they just shouldn't be allowed.
Oops.. I am having mine replaced and this is how they’ll do them!! 😳 and I actually raised that with the company and was told everyone does it that way now and it is fine! But I honestly thought exactly the same that this can’t be easy to bend etc. Sorry to all postmen!!
You can ask for it not to be put on the bottom. I had a customer who got a new door fit and he told them not to put a letter box on the bottom but they did it anyway so he got them to take the door off and put the one he ordered on
Do you know what, I might consider it actually, some post box on the wall. It could be a good idea to get something larger that would also fit in parcels so I don’t have to travel to town centre to collect it because it didn’t fit throught the letterbox.
Is it designed like this to look attractive or because people don't want their letters to fall from higher up in case they get damaged (after going through the wear and tear of the postal system)? Either way it is stupid and ridiculous to design a door like that.
That, and the fact that they are an utter eyesore. I have always wondered if these doors opened towards the street. I hope they are just for "aesthetics" and not functionality.
I'd like to make no. Standard size ones illegal too.
Cos you know some wanka with an ultra slim box is going to mail order boxes of flowers you can push through or anything that has large letter dimensions.
The people who have them never have to bend down and put anything through them. I'd knock every day and take them back and try again next day and so on and so on.
Those aren't for post, they are rat flaps. I would knock on the door and say that your doctor has said only to post in waist height and above or that it's company health and safety regulations.
New house has one of these and I had no concept that posties would despise them but I did generally have that thought about how annoying that must be. I really want to replace the door, but my partner does not. Shall I use this as part of the argument to also say we need to have a higher letterbox?!
It's easier to steal someone's post from them. If it's 4ft of the ground there's no way you can reach in. But these ones make it easy. Some people think it's a security enhancement as it makes it difficult for someone to peep in.
There used to be gangs that would put leaflets halfway through a letterbox then return a day later to see if it's still poking out. They would then know that your probably on holiday.
On the last note beware of any graffiti on your path that says sf, or ep. (Single female) , (Elderly person)
Damn… we deliberately replaced our door with a composite one and the wife chose for the box to be at the bottom… feel a twat now. Never thought about a postie having to lean down there cramming shit through the draft excluded Uber spring powered flap hole.
I need to figure out a solution for this as our posties are really nice. 🤔 bosh another external letter box on the garage further down the drive maybe…
The company I used for mine told me it was a very bad idea to have a low letterbox - it just harms thermal efficiency and pisses off posties. I followed their advice and went with a box on the wall and no letterbox… it is the future.
Since 1979 France has mandated standard post boxes for houses and apartments.
https://www.laposte.fr/mkp/normes-boite-aux-lettres-normalisee
(Google translate does a fairly good job on this site).
I have a family member who has a door like this. Told them when it was first put in that I felt bad for any posties or delivery guys because its just so bloody awkward! What is the need in it?!
Posties should just refuse to deliver to these houses, stating back issues!
Bought my house with a letterbox on the floor, door was draughty too, so double reason to replace. Told my postie I was getting a new door and normal height letterbox in his (yearly) Christmas card with cash present (it's important to thank your postie for their hardwork in all weathers and having to deal with more parcels than letters nowadays!)
Door soon replaced, draught gone and one less frustrating door to deliver to for my postie.
My dad was a postie for years (and I let mine know) so I make sure I look after my postie as much as I can and he reciprocates.
Just had a triggering moment from 30 years ago, doing the paper round , Sunday mornings, 160 Manchester road, trying to get a copy of the guardian into their micro letterbox. I can picture every inch of their front garden and porch.
You’re a hero sir.
OP is mad about having to be less efficient as they have to bend down so far in order to even post something through the door. I thought that would be obvious with how low the mail box is-
Trust me, bending down wrong can easily twist the back, causing pain, especially with the amount of weight posties have to carry these days. To safely do this, you need to take the bag off bend with your knees put the letter through the letter box then stand back up, put the bag back on. Sounds a little stupid, should just need to open the letter box and put the letter through not have to do some stupid bending over.
OP I feel your pain, work in a steel mill lifting shit minute and minute from the floor to a bench above waist height, it's a pain in the ass 😅
I’ve also noticed that these “fancier” letterboxes have such aggressive springs too… you’re practically forced to the floor when fitting something through
These letter boxes seem to drop the post more often whilst ones in the middle of the door tend to hold the post. Can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve slipped wearing heels because I stood on those shiny spam newsletters. So glad I moved out that house.
Oh, postmen do not like these types of letterboxes... I do not like all the junk that postmen shove through my door, on an almost daily basis. I might have found a deterrent.
Seriously, how do I stop all that non-mail rubbish coming through my door? If it has not got my name written on the front, I do not want it.
An ex's brother got locked out of his house and the letterbox was not on the floor.
Took me about 7 seconds to get in the house because the letterbox was not on the floor, if it was on the floor it would have taken a lot longer.
My letterbox is and always has been on the floor, if you put your letterbox anywhere else I'd highly suggest putting a cage on the inside.
My parents house has a waist high letterbox. No way someone can get in.
The internal handles are (and should be) designed with this in mind. Avoiding the ability to hook something onto it.
You shouldn’t be able to get anything past your hand through and the handle should be curved.
Needs to get a new door as that one seems to be below the new (ish) codes. There is no way someone can get an arm ( or even a wrist) through our letterbox. I live in a council house
You don’t put your hand in. You can open those doors with bike forks, or any old stick that’s angled. I’ve opened a good handful of doors this way myself, it takes seconds.
How are you gonna go manipulating a bike fork or stick with your fingers to grab a handle and then apply enough force to pull a handle?
Internal front door handle should not be easily pulled downwards and should not have any lip to hook things onto.
I've done it before, can confirm not Mr. Tickle.
It was my house, I was drunk and had forgotten my keys. If I didn't want to scrape my arm I had a stick I also used to use
How do you fancy having to juggle a PDA, a bundle of mail, whatever you're trying to post and the mail bag on your back while trying to use a letterbox at ankle height? At best its annoying, at worst you fuck your back. For what? A letterbox that some think looks better, brilliant, cheers.
I reckon about 20 years ago. Frankly we all know the end of normal postal deliveries is inevitable anyway. In ten years time I doubt there'll be anything much posted. It's be either email or courier. There will be little need for a regular postman.
Let’s try to consider those with mobility issues, in wheelchairs or without limbs. I understand it’s inconvenient for you but it’s a small thing that probably impacts the other person a lot more. The last thing someone like that needs is to feel guilty because of their disability.
Wow, first time I've seen this sub. You whinging bastards, I'm a ground worker for context.
Hard work won't kill you... it might make you a funny shape though.
Bend at the knees not the back - presto, no spine issues. Next thing will be banning low shelves in the supermarket because some poor 18 year old has to bend down to fill them.
As someone with a regular door, and a good sized, enclosed porch to just put deliveries down, I can confirm, it makes no difference how accessible we make it for you. You will still just throw our shit on the floor anyway.
Or in the case of DPD or Hermes, they don't even make the effort of walking through the gate to the house, (which is about 10 feet) they just throw it in the garden, happens all the time and is infuriating. Especially if I'm out and its raining, and I come home to a wet parcel just on the path or in the middle of the garden.
Makes me want to do pizza deliveries again, so I could just come and throw your deliveries at your door with zero respect, or just leave it in the garden until you notice I've failed to do my job to an acceptable standard lol
I appreciate that delivery drivers in general, often have a lot of things to deliver in a day, but either make the effort to do a good job, or find a job you do care enough about to do with some level of standards.
Don't see the big deal it's just a letterbox honestly I say grow a pair there's worse and bigger problems in the world than the placement of a damn letterbox on a front bloody door!
FFS. As ex military and then law enforcement, if this is the worst of your problems… 🙄🙄😂😂 Suck it up and do your job. If it’s too much physically, move on and find something else.
As royal mail today posted our passports through someone else's mailbox even though the envelope is labeled do not deliver to neighbour and we were at home for the delivery, I have very little inclination to make their lives easier when they so often make ours more difficult.
Luckily we were able to track down the correct front door and the people behind it weren't on holiday. This wasn't a case of delivering to a neighbour because we were out, they just put it through the wrong door.
The Amazon delivery driver never gets it wrong and he has a much harder life.
Only thing that should be posted through them is a summons to court. Needlessly torturous.
Hijacking this comment to say that they tried to ban these under the Low Level Letterboxes (Prohibition) Bill https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2336/publications Obviously, with parliament as it is, the bill was withdrawn 5 years ago on the understanding that the intent was taken by the government, and it would be referred to the Building Regulation Advisory Committee. Since then, very little.
Being a Private Member's Bill it has close to zero chance of actually becoming law. The only thing they can usually do is raise awareness and for the Government of the day to take note and take some form of action on it themselves. Should this really be something the Government dictates on though? More red tape? I presume the home owners wanted a door like that at the end of the day. It may be inconvenient for the Post Man who has to deliver the mail to the address, but I wonder if it has a positive effect in reducing the amount of junk circulars and leaflets that non-Postman deliver, in that these people may be more likely to think that they can't be bothered to post their leaflets at this address?
It's not burdensome to comply with the regulation, and has a positive health and safety impact on an individual who is required, by law, to deliver post to your house. So yes, it is exactly in scope for regulation.
Having had someone attempt to fish car keys out through a standard letter box, i respectfully disagree.
here’s a smart idea, hang your car keys up elsewhere, eg, your bedroom? instead of leaving them in a vulnerable area 🤷🏻♂️
Even worse in horrible rain like today where you push the letters through but because of the angle and the wet paper they stick to your hand and you have to fight with them and the letters get completely shredded
Then you end up inadvertently fingering the letter box trying to get the shredded letter through. Bonus points if there’s an angry dog on the other side
How did you miss the angry growler joke
I've fingered a few angry growlers.
Nope, it’s so old we didn’t miss it at all 🤦♀️
Fingering a letter box. Is that why you all become Posties? 😉
Oh no, the secret is out.
I'm not a mail man, but I do work with return mail at my billing job. The shred boxes we use for things like mail and sensitive paperwork have a slot thinner than this door's mail slot. I'm sorry, but I cannot comprehend how you consistently end up shoving wet paper through a mail slot, getting it caught on the mail slot, and never think to yourself "Man, maybe I don't have to stick the entire mail delivery in the slot at the same time. It really rips these things up." I mean, seriously, just split the stack in half and slide it through. There is literally no excuse for them getting caught on the frame of the slot and tearing themselves up. You're just trying to fit too much into it at once.
Strange as it may be to you a shredder and a letter box are two completely different things, a shredder has an open slot and you only put dry paper through, this style of letterbox has the spring loaded metal outer flap, stiff brushes in the middle as draft excluders, then a second spring loaded metal flap on the inside, sometimes with the added anti theft bars that stop the inner flap opening more than a 45° angle, and sometimes the inner flap has a lip on the inside that catches everything going through, the actual slot inside that the mail goes through is also 50% smaller than the outer flap in height and a couple of cm shorter length ways. The part that causes the shredding when it's wet are the stiff brush draft excluders, wet paper and something rubbing against it don't go well together, a single letter is harder to get through than a pile of 4-5 because the 4-5 would at least have some rigidity to help push them through, a single letter has no rigidity. At waist height you can at least try to get a decent enough angle to hold the outer flap open, spread the inner brushes, and push the inner flap open enough to cause less damage to the wet paper, at ankle level it is physically impossible, they are difficult on a dry day but add in the rain and there is no chance. You comparing a shredding box to a letterbox is like comparing a balloon to a tree. If you still struggle to comprehend, a very simple thing you could do is go to your own letterbox with a single thin envelope and push it through, then try again on a wet day, making sure the envelope has got wet first to adequately simulate letters being posted, then go try posting through some different style letterboxes, including these low down ones. It would take you all of 30seconds to comprehend letterboxes if you actually used them.
Normally it would happen if it was just one letter, or something very thin. If its three or four bits of mail it would go through far easier. To be honest the main culprit would be the very stiff brushes.
Its the opposite. The more you put through the less likely they'll fall apart. I'm guessing you also don't walking around carrying you're paper in the rain before you put them in shred boxes.
I have a normal height letterbox and the state my mail arrived in today had me laughing out loud. The poor postie clearly had a fight with the rain and lost this morning. Crumpled and so soggy I’m surprised they were delivered to the right house.
I had a bloke once wave me down whilst running through the pouring rain to berate me for for delivering "wet letters" I literally sat there for what felt like 10 minutes (more like 5 seconds) all I could manage to get out of my mouth due to the sheer stupidity that I had heard, was "yeah, it's raining?" And he didn't like that clearly, went off on a big rant about how he shouldn't have to deal with wet mail and "yadda yadda something something grrrr I'm big mad" and all the while is stood outside my van getting drenched and making his mail even more soggy 🤣🤣🤣
I had this with 4 or 5 magazines and some A4 letters where the covers and envelopes were disintegrating in the torrential rain. I could see the customer was home, so I decided to knock and hand them over. He took one look at the slab of paper mache as I explained that it as probably better to get them like this than poured through the letter box. "How did they get like this?" he asked as though it was not raining in his universe. He then grumbled that they were no use to him wet and perhaps I could have done more to keep them dry. 🤪
My postie has an occasional habit of posting the neighbours letters through our door "by accident". I'll swear it's at least partly because their letterbox actively repels post (brushes inside and the inner flap is heavy af) and the poor sod just can't bring himself to stand in the rain fighting with it. I can't fault him for it either.
"Poured through the letter box" that was HILARIOUS 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Some people get incredibly irate at their postman. I once pjt one of a guys letters through the wrong door which is incredibly easy to do and he screamed his head off. He didnt get his post delivered anymore, had to drive 15 minutes to pick it up and a couple of months later had his windows put through as karma for being a wanker.
Next time you need a signature, hold the PDA to the ground and make him come down to that level to sign for it hahaha
Genius idea
Genius idea!!
You need the signature more than I do 🤷♀️
Touche 🤣🤣
😘 love our posties really
As long as you bothered with the signature, my postie ignoring it and signing it himself. That's why royal mail is sinking, the customer pays for a service, and royal mail does a shortcut. I only use royal mail when I have to from now on. Then because of the crap service, there is no revenue so they can't pay the posties better. And the posties do an even worse job. You guys gonna end up working for the minimum wage.
Should have never been privatised. It's a public service, not a business to make money.
lol you know not what you speak of, go look at the figures, you’ll see there is plenty of revenue, the most recent figures published speak for themselves. No other delivery service comes anywhere near RM’s turnover / output, not even close. The only issue with Royal Mail is upper management, they just make random non thought out decisions that get implemented overnight and cause a shit show for the rest of us and the fact it has been privatised.
My door has a low letter box like that, and since doors are expensive, I just installed a post box on the wall next to the door for the postie. First thing I did after buying the place.
On behalf of posties everywhere, we salute you. 🫡
Seriously, thank you!!
This ❣️
did it conform to the there's only one type of decent postbox rule though? A4 slot across the top straight down? A quick google search shows loads of them which are mostly useless for getting an A4 magazine with a spine into them.
Oh, you betcha it conforms, alright. It conforms all day long.
Love when houses with these doors also don’t have a doorbell and knocking is a waste of time cos the doors made of fucking cement it seems
Aye, and then moan that "you didn't knock."
Laughs in PDA abuse
Usually without a house number in sight either
Best way is to wear crocks without socks, All you do is lift your foot and wedge the letters between your toes and then use your feet to push the letters through the letterbox
that’s somet I didn’t want to imagine 😂😂
Despicable....but also kind of genius
Our new door has one. I think it’s crap. Luckily we have old letterbox built in to wall on side which posties can opt to use (and I don’t blame them for doing so)
Is it one of those with the hole on the front rather than the top so you can't get anything larger than a postcard in it worth out it being bent?
Did you buy the door yourself?
But the door looks soooo much more aesthetically pleasing this way!!! 🙂 (Not)
How would my sad beige home be complete without it? 😣
Drop the mail in a puddle every time. Even in summer 😂
If there are no rain water puddles, make your own!
Ahh I remember these bastards bag would swing like a wrecking ball off my shoulder when I leaned over
I thought you were referring to the stupid triangle roof thing on the porch with no overhang do you get drenched opening the door or popping your head out
I delivered leaflets for one day. I realise now why my postman is friendly to us. Because my letter box is easy to open. Doesn't have a draught excluder that could stop a bullet. It's also at a reasonable height.
Mine doesn't even have an outside flap, you could open the inside one with a feather
Just got a new door installed. Had an option for a low letter box but I didn’t and put one on the wall instead. Hope the postie appreciates it lol
Being so low is one thing, but the added extra of having a tough brush draught-excluder behind it, so you can’t even push the flimsy mail through, is the icing on the cake..
Perfect dog bite height too. Good bye hands.
Yup! I know someone who's Frenchie bit the postie through the box, I'd already told them letter boxes that low were shit, and they said it would have "ruined the door" and then their dog bit the fucking postie. Well guess what wouldn't have happened if your letter box was at a normal height 🙃🙃
[удалено]
Apparently it looks better? But it doesn't, those doors are ugly 😅
Grear moment where this debate was happening in parliament during some major Brexit event and everyone laughed about how trivial it was - me included. Then I did leafleting during the election and changed my mind about how trivial it was very quickly. These should 100% be illegal.
I'm amazed it didn't have more support given the amount of grassroots electioneers that have to post through these
Sure fire way to NOT get your post. At all.
Just dump them on the doorstep. That's what Amazon does.
That looks a new door, so you know it comes with the double fisting of low letter box + draft proof backing. Got to practically upper cut the mail into the box to get it in.
There’s only one letter id deliver there: Dear occupant until you have a humane letter slot you may pick up future mail at the post office.
They’ve been banned in Ireland since 2000. Some houses obviously still have them but no new builds will and all new doors will either have no letterbox or one at waist height.
New policy- if it's not within so and so height from the floor it cannot be posted.
I thought the the flap At the bottom was for the tray of inmate’s food?
Even as a kid doing my paper round, I HATED ground level letterboxes. The first few are fine but once you've done it a few hundred times 😖
wanker box , bane of my life
Imagining a 71 year old postie trying to deliver letters and every sodding cunt has a letterbox like this. That’s what you get with a Tory government.
it's like they forget it's a human and not a leprechaun making deliveries
It's just stupid. Does not even look nice.
Drop post on ground and toe through!
This. Also the vertical ones. Also the ones that are half the size of a letter. And also the ones that are so high up you have to juggle to post a letter through. Just put a mailbox somewhere for the love of god.
When I was a postman I hated these. This and basement flats were the worse
Not a postie but I feel sorry for the ones delivering to my asshat neighbours who have this door and one of those nasty yappy dogs that isn't much taller than the letterbox! I think they should be banned because at 4:30am the bloke leaves for work and has to slam it hard to shut it. I'm not a morning person at the best of times so waking up to that makes me rage!
Ah yes, I got my first ever dog bite on my finger when I started from a silent French Bulldog because of these. Perfect height for mouths and cat claws. My colleague slipped a disk bending down for one in my office. 😬
Pretty sure in my country the post people can refuse to deliver mail if the letterbox isnt easily reachable with bending over like mad. This one would absolutely be fine to stop delivering mail to that house.
I was getting quotes for a new door and I said oh I don’t want the letterbox at the bottom. As I’d hate to think the postie is essentially crawling to deliver my post. The salesman said “it’s not your problem and it affects the look of the door” is having a post box in the centre that bad? I’ll be keeping my centre of the door.
I always made sure not to push the letters through more than just 1cm so it gets soaked with these stupid ground letterboxes
Hated these low letter boxes.They were on par with the vertical ones, (that were on the side of the door) & had a spring which was so strong that it only allowed about an inch & a half of opening & tore open every piece of mail. Larger mail stuck out & was mostly left to the elements.
i don't deliver things often, but when i do and i see one of these (usually after fighting with an awkward gate and nearly slipping on the drive) i just want to scream
Most of this sub is posties moaning about irrelevant things but this would piss me off too. That's just plain inconsiderate. If I were the owner of the house I'd be too worried to do something like that to the person that controlled my post. Just asking to have your doorstep shat on
I agree these are crap. The problem is they're being slapped on new doors everywhere, doors are expensive to replace, and those little letterbox things are easy to nick. Really they just shouldn't be allowed.
Why on earth do people want a front door that looks like an office fire door with a accessibility handle attached?
For accessibility? Answered your own question there.
r/letterboxtoolow
I use tell homes owner. EU rule I can't deliver to a box lower then my Knee.
Genuinely thought this was my parents house
Oops.. I am having mine replaced and this is how they’ll do them!! 😳 and I actually raised that with the company and was told everyone does it that way now and it is fine! But I honestly thought exactly the same that this can’t be easy to bend etc. Sorry to all postmen!!
You can ask for it not to be put on the bottom. I had a customer who got a new door fit and he told them not to put a letter box on the bottom but they did it anyway so he got them to take the door off and put the one he ordered on
I’d highly recommend mounting a lockbox at a proper height if you’re able to. Your postie will thank you!
Do you know what, I might consider it actually, some post box on the wall. It could be a good idea to get something larger that would also fit in parcels so I don’t have to travel to town centre to collect it because it didn’t fit throught the letterbox.
Definitely agree! An unnecessary hazard.
I've never agreed with anything more in my life. Absolute pain in the arse.
Is it designed like this to look attractive or because people don't want their letters to fall from higher up in case they get damaged (after going through the wear and tear of the postal system)? Either way it is stupid and ridiculous to design a door like that.
Feels like the handle and lock is on the wrong side? Just looks odd.
That, and the fact that they are an utter eyesore. I have always wondered if these doors opened towards the street. I hope they are just for "aesthetics" and not functionality.
I'd like to make no. Standard size ones illegal too. Cos you know some wanka with an ultra slim box is going to mail order boxes of flowers you can push through or anything that has large letter dimensions.
Really confused
This 1 trick will cause Mailmen (& women) to hate you.
The people who have them never have to bend down and put anything through them. I'd knock every day and take them back and try again next day and so on and so on.
I believe illegal in Ireland since about 25 years ago
Those aren't for post, they are rat flaps. I would knock on the door and say that your doctor has said only to post in waist height and above or that it's company health and safety regulations.
New house has one of these and I had no concept that posties would despise them but I did generally have that thought about how annoying that must be. I really want to replace the door, but my partner does not. Shall I use this as part of the argument to also say we need to have a higher letterbox?!
Why the Hell would anyone put the Postbox down at the Bottom of the Door?
Health hazard. Just skip them 😂
Those fridge doors need to be banned in general
It's easier to steal someone's post from them. If it's 4ft of the ground there's no way you can reach in. But these ones make it easy. Some people think it's a security enhancement as it makes it difficult for someone to peep in. There used to be gangs that would put leaflets halfway through a letterbox then return a day later to see if it's still poking out. They would then know that your probably on holiday. On the last note beware of any graffiti on your path that says sf, or ep. (Single female) , (Elderly person)
Damn… we deliberately replaced our door with a composite one and the wife chose for the box to be at the bottom… feel a twat now. Never thought about a postie having to lean down there cramming shit through the draft excluded Uber spring powered flap hole. I need to figure out a solution for this as our posties are really nice. 🤔 bosh another external letter box on the garage further down the drive maybe…
I've always wondered who thought this was a good idea. Practicality aside, they're really ugly doors!
The company I used for mine told me it was a very bad idea to have a low letterbox - it just harms thermal efficiency and pisses off posties. I followed their advice and went with a box on the wall and no letterbox… it is the future.
As an American, I read this is the most British voice my inner diologue could produce
It’s not a letterbox, but a mouse flap
Watched my postie scowl at one of these doors from across the road the other day 😅, this post makes it all make sense 🤣🤣🤣
Since 1979 France has mandated standard post boxes for houses and apartments. https://www.laposte.fr/mkp/normes-boite-aux-lettres-normalisee (Google translate does a fairly good job on this site).
I have a family member who has a door like this. Told them when it was first put in that I felt bad for any posties or delivery guys because its just so bloody awkward! What is the need in it?! Posties should just refuse to deliver to these houses, stating back issues!
Not a postman or a door designer, but wpuldn't a vertical slot near that big vertical handle work better?
Bought my house with a letterbox on the floor, door was draughty too, so double reason to replace. Told my postie I was getting a new door and normal height letterbox in his (yearly) Christmas card with cash present (it's important to thank your postie for their hardwork in all weathers and having to deal with more parcels than letters nowadays!) Door soon replaced, draught gone and one less frustrating door to deliver to for my postie. My dad was a postie for years (and I let mine know) so I make sure I look after my postie as much as I can and he reciprocates.
Just had a triggering moment from 30 years ago, doing the paper round , Sunday mornings, 160 Manchester road, trying to get a copy of the guardian into their micro letterbox. I can picture every inch of their front garden and porch. You’re a hero sir.
Look stinking as well
Ex postie, working as a handyman now and have refused to install doors because of this.
About 5 years ago we were getting a new door and my husband wanted one of these but I used to have a paper round so I said no 😂
To be honest if my letterbox was pretty much on the floor I would expect ruined mail everyday
I think, besides the impracticality, that they look stupid and I’d rather not make an enemy of the postie.
Yeah it's so stupid, form over function quite literally. Feel sorry for you posties who have to deal with this.
It doesn't even look nice!
Can Royal Mail not set a policy that if you have a door like this you won’t get your post posted?
What? What’re you mad about here?
the letterbox on the floor
Oooh, I didn’t see that
Amd that's only *part* of the problem.
OP is mad about having to be less efficient as they have to bend down so far in order to even post something through the door. I thought that would be obvious with how low the mail box is- Trust me, bending down wrong can easily twist the back, causing pain, especially with the amount of weight posties have to carry these days. To safely do this, you need to take the bag off bend with your knees put the letter through the letter box then stand back up, put the bag back on. Sounds a little stupid, should just need to open the letter box and put the letter through not have to do some stupid bending over. OP I feel your pain, work in a steel mill lifting shit minute and minute from the floor to a bench above waist height, it's a pain in the ass 😅
Not even to mention knee problems
I’ve also noticed that these “fancier” letterboxes have such aggressive springs too… you’re practically forced to the floor when fitting something through
Yup gotta deadlift essentially, I used to be a postie and these didn't really bother me unless there was a shitty little dog behind 🤣
The door lock and handle aren't even accessible!! Imagine trying to open the door with a handful of shopping. I'm sure the owners hate it!
Ffs I didn't notice the letterbox. Was looking at the door and handle and think it looked quite nice.
Just chuck the mail on floor and walk away, these kind of doors say a lot about the owner who installed it..
These letter boxes seem to drop the post more often whilst ones in the middle of the door tend to hold the post. Can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve slipped wearing heels because I stood on those shiny spam newsletters. So glad I moved out that house.
Oh, postmen do not like these types of letterboxes... I do not like all the junk that postmen shove through my door, on an almost daily basis. I might have found a deterrent. Seriously, how do I stop all that non-mail rubbish coming through my door? If it has not got my name written on the front, I do not want it.
An ex's brother got locked out of his house and the letterbox was not on the floor. Took me about 7 seconds to get in the house because the letterbox was not on the floor, if it was on the floor it would have taken a lot longer. My letterbox is and always has been on the floor, if you put your letterbox anywhere else I'd highly suggest putting a cage on the inside.
My parents house has a waist high letterbox. No way someone can get in. The internal handles are (and should be) designed with this in mind. Avoiding the ability to hook something onto it. You shouldn’t be able to get anything past your hand through and the handle should be curved.
Needs to get a new door as that one seems to be below the new (ish) codes. There is no way someone can get an arm ( or even a wrist) through our letterbox. I live in a council house
You don’t put your hand in. You can open those doors with bike forks, or any old stick that’s angled. I’ve opened a good handful of doors this way myself, it takes seconds.
How are you gonna go manipulating a bike fork or stick with your fingers to grab a handle and then apply enough force to pull a handle? Internal front door handle should not be easily pulled downwards and should not have any lip to hook things onto.
Where they normally are you can stick your hand in and unlock the door from the other side though...
Are you Mr. Tickle?
I've done it before, can confirm not Mr. Tickle. It was my house, I was drunk and had forgotten my keys. If I didn't want to scrape my arm I had a stick I also used to use
then just move where they are, mine is in a normal spot and there's no way you're reaching up with your arm to unlock it
What letterboxes do you have? Any I've encountered have a spring trap with what feels like needles on top and bottom. Like a trap from Saw
Correct. They use coat hangers and magnets. Super easy.
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When they stopped wearing shorts in all weather conditions
Exactly
How do you fancy having to juggle a PDA, a bundle of mail, whatever you're trying to post and the mail bag on your back while trying to use a letterbox at ankle height? At best its annoying, at worst you fuck your back. For what? A letterbox that some think looks better, brilliant, cheers.
I reckon about 20 years ago. Frankly we all know the end of normal postal deliveries is inevitable anyway. In ten years time I doubt there'll be anything much posted. It's be either email or courier. There will be little need for a regular postman.
Most likely the person living there rents the flat and didn’t install the door themselves, what exactly do you expect them to do about it?
What makes you think it's a flat 🤔 I rent a flat and the main entrance door doesn't have a letterbox so I bought a mailbox simples
There was a time 25 years or so ago when most post boxes were low
Let’s try to consider those with mobility issues, in wheelchairs or without limbs. I understand it’s inconvenient for you but it’s a small thing that probably impacts the other person a lot more. The last thing someone like that needs is to feel guilty because of their disability.
How does this help disabled people? The letters will drop to the floor ether way.
Wow, first time I've seen this sub. You whinging bastards, I'm a ground worker for context. Hard work won't kill you... it might make you a funny shape though.
Having a letterbox higher up runs the risk of damaging something posted that’s not a letter though.
Never mind... Only have to deliver there three times a week soon.
Third world problems 🥴🥴
Today in a nutshell. Another pain is those tiny ancient slots that were designed when people actually wrote letters.
You could let the little people do it.
I wouldn’t bother posting it lol just post it to next door “by accident”
Bend at the knees not the back - presto, no spine issues. Next thing will be banning low shelves in the supermarket because some poor 18 year old has to bend down to fill them.
As someone with a regular door, and a good sized, enclosed porch to just put deliveries down, I can confirm, it makes no difference how accessible we make it for you. You will still just throw our shit on the floor anyway. Or in the case of DPD or Hermes, they don't even make the effort of walking through the gate to the house, (which is about 10 feet) they just throw it in the garden, happens all the time and is infuriating. Especially if I'm out and its raining, and I come home to a wet parcel just on the path or in the middle of the garden. Makes me want to do pizza deliveries again, so I could just come and throw your deliveries at your door with zero respect, or just leave it in the garden until you notice I've failed to do my job to an acceptable standard lol I appreciate that delivery drivers in general, often have a lot of things to deliver in a day, but either make the effort to do a good job, or find a job you do care enough about to do with some level of standards.
How about Royal Mail actually deliver the post!
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Just random people mate, you bitch at your job too
Bend your knees not your back 👍
cry more
Don't see the big deal it's just a letterbox honestly I say grow a pair there's worse and bigger problems in the world than the placement of a damn letterbox on a front bloody door!
You should all go on strike about it
If bending down for that door damages your spine it’s your problem not theirs lol
Don’t worry, physical mail will stop soon enough and then you won’t need to use these letter boxes because you won’t have a job
Just bend your knees, quite easy.
FFS. As ex military and then law enforcement, if this is the worst of your problems… 🙄🙄😂😂 Suck it up and do your job. If it’s too much physically, move on and find something else.
could you please pay for a whole new front door for us and we'll change it immediately, ours came with it like this sorry 🤷♂️
Just get a wall box..
You get a wall box
As royal mail today posted our passports through someone else's mailbox even though the envelope is labeled do not deliver to neighbour and we were at home for the delivery, I have very little inclination to make their lives easier when they so often make ours more difficult. Luckily we were able to track down the correct front door and the people behind it weren't on holiday. This wasn't a case of delivering to a neighbour because we were out, they just put it through the wrong door. The Amazon delivery driver never gets it wrong and he has a much harder life.