HAWERA WOMAN CALLS 111 ON COURIER FOR BEING "TOO POLITE" — RECKONS IT'S A FRONT
He said please. He said thank you. He wiped his feet. Something's off, says Colleen.
A Hawera woman phoned police Tuesday afternoon to report an NZ Post courier she described as "suspiciously polite"... told the operator no real driver has EVER said lovely garden and meant it. Its just not normal these days I'm telling you!!!
Colleen Braithwaite, 71, of View Road, said the young man knocked twice (TWICE!) waited for her to answer, and asked if she'd like the parcel put inside the porch out of the wind. Which as anyone in South Taranaki knows has been HOWLING off the mountain all week. Not that the council would ever trim the trees on my berm they're too busy with cycle lanes NOBODY ASKED FOR.
"He called me Mrs Braithwaite," Colleen told The Daily Yarn, still shaken over a cuppa from Nice Cafe on High St. The barista Manaia (lovely girl, mother's a nurse) slipped her an extra shortbread. "Nobody knows my name. He was CASING the joint. Probably scoping which window to come back through!!!"
A police spokesperson confirmed a call was received at 2.47pm and officers attended "as a welfare check on the courier, who was visibly confused and had eleven more parcels on his run". The driver, 19, said he'd only started in March and was TOLD by his manager to be friendly. Which frankly is asking for trouble... and don't get me STARTED on the price of butter twelve dollars for Anchor can you believe it.
Colleen has since installed a second doorbell camera and written to her MP about "the courier situation" which nobody is taking seriously... meanwhile the roundabout at Princes St is STILL a shambles and half the lights on the coastal walkway are OUT.
The parcel, as it turns out, was a pair of gardening gloves she ordered herself on Trade Me. Like and SHARE if you agree!!! Heather. (Sorry — Colleen. Heather's me sister. She agrees too.)
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Reader Letters
Trev_Hornby
The council ignoring the berms is bloody ridiculous.
Julie_Kaponga
This is what happens when manners become a crime! Good manners go a long way, why complain about it? New Zealand has always been known for its friendly people and great community spirit, hasn't it? I think we should be proud when someone goes the extra mile, not call the cops on them. Plus, if drivers stop being polite, we'll start complaining about rudeness next!
John_statehighway
Nobody asked for giant roundabouts either!
kiwi_remarker
Colleen's right to be suspicious! COURIERS are casing houses all over Taranaki. They say it's the kindness of politeness, but they've got hidden agendas! Keep your eyes open folks, this is just Phase One of their plan. Better cameras, more vigilance, that's the only way to protect our homes.
wayne1987
Mate, paranoia isn't a virtue!
couchgremlin
Lol.
Garry (Halswell)
Mate, she dominated the street with her complaints when I lived next door. The sky was blue, she took issue. The fence was half a centimetre off—pointed it out for weeks! The couriers aren't the real problem, it's the mindset of the overly suspicious. Let's let folks do their jobs.
Sandra McKenzie
Thrilled to bits Colleen's finally gotten a doorbell camera. It's been needed for years. Her berm's so overgrown I was sure someone was going to get lost just trying to find the door.
Margaret_F
I remember when "the customer is always right" was taken seriously. Today we're filing complaints when someone is polite. How much kerfuffle do we really need? Let them be nice, focus on improving roads and pathways instead. Priorities, folks. That's what we're lacking.
tired_in_riccarton
Smells like old butter