Lad fumes after postie left £270 Nintendo Switch parcel out in torrential rain

A gaming enthusiast was left seething after his £270 Nintendo Switch parcel was abandoned in the rain.

Tom Newborn had been eagerly anticipating his return home from work to play on his new console and game, which he had pre-ordered months in advance.

He was taken aback when he discovered the package completely drenched. Upon lifting the sodden cardboard box, he spotted a tear on the side, revealing that the inner box was also damaged.

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Tom had splashed out on a brand new limited edition Legend of Zelda Nintendo Switch, arranging for it to be delivered on the day of release. The 29 year old alleges that the console is water-damaged and unusable.

However, his hometown of Redditch, Worcestershire, had been issued with a severe weather warning for heavy rain and potential flooding. Bearing this in mind, Tom anticipated finding his parcel at a neighbour’s house or returned to the sorting office.

Yet, the delivery note from Royal Mail indicated it had been left in a customer-specified safe space. This was behind his bin, but he insists he did not select this location for it to be left.

According to Tom, the spot where the parcel was left does not meet Royal Mail’s safe space standards as they ‘must be secure and dry’. The parcel was delivered last Friday (27 Sept), with the console being ruined by rain and the actual game missing from the delivery.

The disgruntled gamer has since lodged a complaint with Royal Mail but is still awaiting a response.

The digital marketing manager shared with What’s The Jam: “I collect and play video games.”

“As a massive Legend of Zelda fan, I pre-ordered the bundle and was buzzing to get stuck into the game after work.”

“I had a sinking feeling when I went to pick up the parcel after seeing the delivery note, especially as the weather had been horrendous with local flood warnings due to heavy rain.”

“When I picked up the drenched box, I noticed a tear on the side and saw that the items inside were also soaked. My heart dropped and I was gutted.”

“To make matters worse, there was no game inside the parcel, which I had paid extra for.”

“Delivery drivers are under immense pressure and errors do occur.”

“I regularly use Royal Mail and generally have no issues with their service but this time, I felt massively let down by a poor judgement call.”

“Usually, if I’m not home my parcels are left with a neighbour or taken to the local sorting office.”

“So I was baffled to find it soaking in the rain, particularly as it had a battery sticker on the box, and the item was of such high value.”

“I’ve filled out a damaged and missing items form with Nintendo and a week later, I’m still waiting for a response from them, despite numerous calls.”

“The whole experience has been a nightmare and I’m now £270 out of pocket.”

“I pre-ordered the game to play on release day and a week later, I’m still without the game and a replacement console.”

I was dreading going to collect the parcel when I saw the delivery note, the weather had been awful with local flood warnings due to heavy rainfall.

“I feel like I should have a full refund on my order from Royal Mail for the way the parcel was left and Nintendo should send a replacement.”

“I’m astounded at the lack of urgency from Nintendo to put this right.”

A spokesperson for Royal Mail stated: “Delivering items safely and securely is one of our top priorities.”

“We have received the customer’s complaint and will be engaging with them directly on the outcome of our investigation.”