ONTRAC endangers disabled people Salt Lake City Nationwide

Yesterday a representative from ONTRAC called me and apologized.  He told me that, as I had requested, a written letter of response be sent.   He also assured me that their drivers would be observing the posted safety rules of the building going forward.   He was kind, concerned, and civil.  I told him I was absolutely not asking for punitive action against the driver but rather education for him, and that I hoped, someday many years from now, when the driver gets to be an elderly person (and he will--time waits for no one), people are kinder to him than he was to us.  In any event, I am going to consider this matter settled. 

The ONTRAC administration was responsive, promised to do some reeducation, and I am going to consider the matter closed.  I might just add a closing comment, inter alia, that sometimes in our society people get the idea that they can treat the elderly and disabled badly.   I hope people in general will be willing to rethink this.  There are many people (myself included) who are not willing to be treated abusively.   Elderly/disabled, like anyone else, only want to be treated decently--and in this case--to be able to observe fall precautions in their own residence.  In any event, the matter is concluded and I would like to thank ONTRAC for its responsiveness to me.  Their representative conducted himself in a businesslike, professional way, which I greatly appreciated.

By your own admission in this "well run" building everyone is "supposed" to sign in, but only if the receptionist isn't too busy will she "remind" them.  You even admit that the receiption can't screen every person.

So you just happen to know all of the coming and goings of every delivery company as well as every visitor and residence.  After all how else without being nosy do you know that EVERYONE else signs in, and ALWAYS follows the rules.  As I doubt this is standard mealtime conversation.

Why did YOU need to contact the company and provide them names of the Staff that has had issues with them?  If this is such a well run building wouldn't one figure that resident safety would be on the top of the Staff's adjenda and wouldn't they be the ones who would take on the responsibility to contact this company.  If this such a big problem where according to you their are several complaints with the receptionist, why did it take your "formal" written complaint for the management of the well run building to do anything about it.

But one other key factor in a nosy neigbor is that they often fail to find out the full story.  As even though you apparently are able to follow this delivery driver around, contacted the company, wrote your management, and even posted a report here.  You failed to spend 30 seconds to see if he signed in.

No those actions pretty much confirm your nosy status.

 but simply a person who does not want any frail elderly to fall over packages in the hallways.  This has actually happened before.  This is our home and we have the right to be safe in it.  In any event, the gentleman in the CEO's office was very kind and professional.  I am hoping that he will be able to investigate the incident and give proper training to the driver. Decent behavior and basic respect are all we are asking for, and  a little common sense.  No resident or staff member should be spoken to in the way this man spoke.  Our request for safety precautions is a reasonable request and is an official policy of the building.   Fall risk in this population is great and the building has that rule in place in order to prevent serious accidents. Residents themselves are not allowed to use floor mats, etc. or ANYTHING that could be tripped over in the hallway.   Nobody else (no resident and no other shipping company driver) has ever objected to the rule.  It simply protects everybody.  It is quite simple:  Drivers are asked to make an attempt at delivery in order that hundreds of packages not build up in the reception area.  If packages can be delivered to at-home residents, that cuts down on the amount of packages that have to stay in storage space, which is limited.  So here is the protocol:   Step 1:  Driver takes package to resident's door and knocks.  If resident is home, he or she accepts the package and that's end of story.  Step 2:  In the event that the resident is not at home, driver then leaves package with receptionist desk as he leaves the building. (Receptionist desk is right near the entry/exit door, so it is no inconvenience to driver, nor does it take him out of his way.)  It really is a two-piece puzzle and should not be a big deal for the driver.  It does not seem to be such for the drivers for any other company.   This rule was instituted a couple of years or so ago when blind people fell over packages, one person was injured, and this rule was instituted as a proactive way to avoid broken hips and other accidents.  The drivers for other companies were happy to follow the rule, which is posted throughout the building.  It was no big deal to them.  Again, I think the ONTRAC driver's attitude says it all:  "I'm not going to follow your rules.  I make my own rules."  He is an "nobody is going to tell me what to do" kind of guy, a in being such, his unwillingness to follow rules creates a danger to the residents.  From this point on, I am going to leave this in the hands of his CEO, who I am trusting to do some education with him.  Perhaps all he needs is a little training from his supervisor--or an attitude adjustment.  This guy would rather be right than follow a simple rule that protects elderly from accidents.  That is sad.

 Yes, there is a sign-in platform in the lobby.  This is an extremely busy building.   It has approximately 200 apartments, plus a physical therapy department, plus dining facilities, plus all kinds of other facilities.  There are caregivers coming and going, hospice workers coming and going, and various nursing services and even physicians at times.  I have seldom seen anyone bypass the signin.  If the receptionist is not busy with other duties, she reminds people.  This is a very well run building.  All visitors are supposed to sign in.  Virtually all do who are decent and honest.  There is no difficulty with the postal service or other shipping companies   They follow the rules and do what they are asked to do.  I do not know whether the Ontrac man signed in. The building has received a written formal complaint and will conduct its own investigation. 

It would not be possible for one receptionist to screen each and every person coming into the building.  Many organizations hold meetings in out conference rooms; they always sign in.  Interestingly enough, I am not the only resident (or staff member) who has experienced difficulty with ONTRAC.  Just today two packages (for separate residents) were difficult to find because apparently the ONTRAC people just toss the packages in inappropriate places (as did the guy who provoked the original post).   This happens all the time with ONTRAC.  The reception people have had multiple recorded incidents of lost packages and inappropriate procedure.  In any event, I was able to get through on the telephone to the ONTRAC corporate office; I overnighted them appropropriate contact information, including names and numbers of staff who had difficulty with this particular driver. 

I also included a photocopy of the large sign posted on every floor instructing that packages not be left in hallways.  It is interesting that after all that went on, the deliverman had no care or consideration at all about the safety of the residents.  One might wonder how much training he had before he came on the job?  How closely is he monitored?  Why has he been so problematic to not only residents but also to front desk staff?  The UPS and FedEx guys have no problem with delivering things the correct way, nor does the USPS.  They are professionals and do their jobs professionally.  I just think that (for whatever reason) the ONTRAC guy does not want to play by the rules.  In his own words, "I don't follow your rules.  I make my own rules."  That kind of says it all.  It is now in the hands of both the management team here and the CEO of ONTRAC, so I am hoping for a positive resolution.

There is something a bit confusing here.  Many of these residences you describe are secured buildings.  In that you need some sort of key and/or access code to gain access past the receiption/lobby area.  Where visitors including delivery drivers are required to "check-in" to the receiption desk.

So if that is the case, just how did he get by reception if reception requires them to leave the packages there?

Now, if you have an "open" building.  There is a question as to why would a delivery driver who is on a schedule would want to take the extra time to go to each door when they have the opportunity to drop off all of their packages at one location.

You will probably say that this person is just that rude and mean that they would do this on purpose and intentionally take the extra time so that they can see people get injured.  But since we only have one side of the story(yours) it is impossible to tell.  As this also could just be a case of a "nosey neighbor" getting in other people's business.