A Dunedin man is angry and concerned about the safety of mail after having a letter sent to him minus its contents, but New Zealand Post defends its processes, saying it takes the security of mail seriously.
Last week, David Myers received a letter from a Dunedin client but the three flash drives which had been posted to him were not in it.
He went down to NZ Post's mail sorting centre on Strathallan St, explained the situation, and staff produced two ice cream containers containing personal belongings, including his flash drives.
He did not have to produce identification, he said.
The situation angered him sufficiently to write a letter the Otago Daily Times editor about the problem.
"I'm very concerned with the security and procedures of NZ Post," he said.
NZ Post Dunedin Mail Centre leader Murray Rei said NZ Post did not open mail apart from very rare circumstances where it was detained and opened under provisions of the Postal Services Act.
In Mr Myer's case, the item was not opened but was an example of an envelope becoming unstuck during automated sorting and the contents becoming separated, he said.
Large or bulky items were usually manually sorted but "occasionally" items were missed and entered the automated process where seals could be damaged and contents became separated.
When staff could match contents, they sent a letter to the recipient directing them to contact its customer service centre.
If a letter spilled its contents and continued through sorting, it was unlikely staff would be aware until contacted by the customer, he said.
Contents that could not be matched were kept for a week.
Items of small value were kept in a container in the office, while higher value items were placed in a locked security box and bank items returned to banks.
After a week, unclaimed items were sent to the Auckland returned letters office.
While the staff member dealing with Mr Myer did not ask for identification, he was satisfied he was the rightful recipient as he described the flashdrives and produced the empty envelope, Mr Rei said.
