Oh, I'm glad that it isn't just me that this has happened to. I rarely work from home but, when I do, I work in a room that is right beside the front door. During the 'snowy' period earlier this year, I was working from home and I heard the post fall on the mat (no knock, no doorbell ring) and, being glad of the distraction from work, went to the hall to find a 'You were not in' card together with the letters. I quickly opened the door and called after the postie, who was already half-way down the road. He admitted that he didn't actually have the parcel with him but I got him to agree to bring the parcel the next day (when I was also going to be working from home), as it was difficult for me to walk to the post office to collect the parcel as I'm heavily pregnant and the main reason I was staying at home was because I was too nervous in the snow/ice to commute.

True to his word, he did bring the parcel the next day (for which I was very grateful - as it was a lead I needed for my printer), and I do have sympathy with the postpeople as 90% of the time I won't be at home so the 'odds' are that they will have to lug the parcel to and from my house for nothing, but it still doesn't seem right that they make this presumption without even attempting to deliver in the first place. On this particular occasion, it could have been particularly annoying if I had not caught the postman in time, as I had specifically paid extra for 'express' delivery as I needed the printer cable for homeworking.