It's 1.19pm and we're still waiting for the post to be delivered to our business.

When it arrives I shall look to see if it contains tomorrow's post as well.

"Useless Post Office"

RM are a joke - at times the post doesen't arrive until the afternoon; 1319 seems ridiculously late.

Alex

They seem to be getting increasingly worse. I don't know how they will manage at xmas!

I drive to the post office and collect our business mail every day but that doesnt stop the postman taking it out on his round sometimes and we then have to wait until about 1pm for it.

Still not a bad service. How many other services are so cheap but get delivered right to your door???
We do tend to take RM for granted.

i live at wisewood MY POST has just been delivered i asked him if he had got tomorrows as well he just laughed and said this was early for him as he didnt finish until 17:10 on monday he said it was very difficult delivering post in the dark

just reminded me a few weeks ago i saw a postman delivering post on wadsley lane /ben lane pushing a child about 18mns/2yrs in a pram anyone else seen him

I agree with you, perhaps we all DID take Royal Mail for granted. Not any more though, they have definately turned shocking. For the last 6 months or so, I've been getting the post of all my neighbours, and it doesn't arrive until late afternoon. The other day, the postman was obviously having difficultly opening the gate as the post - for the whole of the yard - was pushed under it. Left on the wet floor, outside. Smashing. And the gate aint even that difficult to manoeuvre! AND when they can't deliver a parcel, it never ends up arriving at the PO Depot for about 5 days - frustrating when you're waiting for something. I'm beginning to fall out with them.

Occasionally the service isn't spot on but like I said..think about the fact you could pay 28 pence (or whatever a 1st class stamp is) and it gets taken possibly to the other end of the country and delivered to the door..for 28p!!!!

I TOTALLY do agree with you, I think what I'm trying to say is that they used to run an EXCELLENT postal service, where you could more-or-less guarantee next day delivery, all for 28p too. So why not now?? And I'm not blaming the postie (except for that one that left my post on the floor in the rain!), I know that they work hard and long hours. But what's gone wrong all of a sudden? Got to be something at the top, I'd say. Any post workers can enlighten us?

For the last three weeks the little red van has turned up on a Saturday afternoon and delivered our post from Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

When I queried, I was told that the postman does his round one way on a Mon Tue and Wed and then goes the other way on Thur Fri and Sat. Except that on Mon Tue Wed we are at the end of his round so usually get it about lunchtime. On Fri Sat and Sun we are at the start and because we are not open till 9 he gets here too early and the shutters are down! We are in a series of shops and we all have the same problem!!

Still not had my post today. chiz chiz.

I was annoyed to read the other day that the RM is losing £ms per day implyng that it is a profit making organisation. It's public service, we expect to pay for it.:loopy:

umm the Royal Mail is a profit making organisation to my knowledge, with Parcel Force being a subsidery company...

they have to at least break even anyways, else how are they going to afford to keep going? and yes our post has gotten later and later for the last few months...

but our postman is a nice bloke, had the same guy for about a year now which makes a change from swapping every month or week...

the other day i was leaving the house and he had an item that needed signing for, he shouted and ran accross the road when he spotted me so i could sign for it and not miss the parcel!

now thats service, we need more postmen like my dippy postman! :D he's a bit slow and strange, but he delivers the post and he rarely makes cock-ups... unlike the frikken people at the sorting office that have lost my parcels when they've been sent back cus i wasnt in to sign for them!

They've made the postman a 9-5 job.

It benefits me because we're open 9-6 every day (in our business), we don't have a post box.
So its great that the post comes late, however, it occasionally comes before 9am, then we don't see it till the next day.

I don't usually like to moan about the RM or postmen as they do a great job to provide a service at all.

However last week we had a parcel delivered while we were at work. We knew it was coming and expected to come home to a card saying we could pick it up from the depot. When we got in though there was the parcel sat on the doorstep, in the rain in full view of the street. There wasn't even a card through the door saying it was there, so if it hadn't been (ie stolen) we would never have known. Not very good!

March. What parcel, you didn't recieve a parcel? What signature? I think you better phone them up in a few days and make an insurance claim on that parcel you never got.

If you get my drift.

I did think about doing that at the time but decided it wasn't woth the hassle. Hopefully it was a one off, we get quite a lot of parcels (damn addictive eBay) so if it does happen again the parcel will definitely go "missing".

How would you go with one delivery a day, sometimes at 3pm or later. No deliveries at all on Saturdays. And then having to walk to the bottom of the drive to get your post. I get mail quicker from the UK than I do from Sydney.
At the end of the day, you lot are spoiled !

It's now over 48 hours since our business received post. We get post every single day, with the usual exceptions. I haven't seen a postie round here for a couple of days either and we've just asked other businesses whether they've received their post and they have informed us that they haven't.

So.

Does anybody know why at least a few shops on Barber Road, Commonside near Walkley haven't received their post? I've tried the sorting office at Tapton (Crosspool) but there's no answer.

I'm still waiting for something that was sent to me from America that is apparently "Lost in transit"..

It was sent on September 9th :roll:

I'll tell you something that is ridiculous - I sent a set of speakers up to the bloke in Walkley on Friday from down here, and it only reached him today (!)

Alex

Originally posted by wibbles
Still not a bad service. How many other services are so cheap but get delivered right to your door???
We do tend to take RM for granted.
We had HUGE problems with constant mis delivery of mail over a long period. complained to Rm on four occasions. They ultimately told us the only way to get further was to contact 'postwatch' the RM watchdog. All problems have been resolved for a few months now, but weather it is down to postwatch or the fact that we have two 'regular' posties rather than loads of different confused looking posties I dont know!
Or rather, I think I do:)

as i've said before we have terrible problems with our post, it doesn't come until mid afternoon and only a couple of days a week. I complained to RM and they told me the postmen have to adjust to the 1 delivery a day service, but surely 1 delivery a day should be easier and more efficient than 2?!

the post is also taking its effect on my e-bay feedback ... AHHHHH!

...my post here is a joke.

• A few days it's arrived at 6.30pm!

• My new switch and pin card that was sent late august reported lost shortly after (which ment a week without a debit card) arrived 2 months after my replacement was sent out and received.

• Noticed that a lot of posties are temps.

Might get a job then...

I have a theory... Since the introduction of single delivery there is no incentive for the postie to finish the delivery in order to get back in time to collect the 2nd delivery. Nothing to stop Mr/s Postie from picking up the mail, bunging it in the boot, doing a day's work somewhere else then delivering the post after completing that job.

Just a theory.

Originally posted by Ousetunes
It's 1.19pm and we're still waiting for the post to be delivered to our business.


We have a new postman in Lodge Moor this week - he looks about 12 and I've seen him wandering about looking lost with handfuls of mail. We haven't been getting our post till after 1pm and twice this week he's left stuff jammed half in and out of the letterbox. I rang the sorting office today to complain and they agreed he should know better. He also lives locally they told me, so they can't understand why it's taking him so long to deliver the post when he knows the area.

Erm just a small point but 1st and 2nd class mail has no guaranteed delivery time....

Everything went tits up though when the 2nd delivery was scrapped earlier this year. I had enough on the first day back and left without posting a letter :)

did anybody see the daily mail a couple of weeks ago there was a story about a woman who had changed her business address and didnt get her post untill the afternoon so she decided to call to the P.O on the way back from dropping her daughter off at school and collect the post herself, the post office then gave her a bill for over 1,000 for the extra staff it needed to ensure her post was ready for HER TO COLLECT.!!!

now how is that for service

I'm a Manager for Royal Mail and we know that at the moment we have problems but I assure you that the business is doing everything to turn things around. We want happy employees and customers. All residential customers now don't have a MORNING delivery but a daily delivery, so you should not be surprised when your mail comes in the afternoon. Business customers have the option to pay for timed delivery which means their mail is guaranteed before 9am.
Royal Mail is still the best and cheapest delivery service in Europe, only USA can compete in the World.
You lucky people in Sheffield have the best postal service in the UK, our posties constantly hit their targets and Sheffield is always top of the league.

Oh by the way, did anyone see that C4 had to apologise to Royal Mail for their Despatches programme as it was found out that it was all set up!

RM have some seriously stupid disciplinary policies though - they tried it on with me when I had a few days off as I had a broken foot due to RM footwear, lol.

Originally posted by fnkysknky
RM have some seriously stupid disciplinary policies though - they tried it on with me when I had a few days off as I had a broken foot due to RM footwear, lol.

By saying 'Trying it on' were you put on a stage for having too much time off?

I was indeed put on a stage one when the time I had off was a few days due to me having two stress fractures caused by RM issue footwear! Anyone with half a brain wouldn't have issued a warning in those circumstances. Apart from that it was a decent job until they switched to single delivery.

yeh, its like £2000 a year to get business mail in working hours!

I was on the phone to a friend who lives just off Crookesmoor Road this evening at just before 7pm, and she said "the post has just arrived". I couldn't believe it! that is terrible, and reading this thread it seems there are many other people in the same position. I live near devonshire green and my post arrives anywhere between about 9.30 and 1pm, but I hadn't realised it could be so late. I know it is not guaranteed morning delivery, but how can there be such a difference between the city centre and a mile or so outside it?!

And another thing whilst I'm having a bit of a rant - how come they only ever 'lose' important things like letters about job interviews or my train tickets, but never my huge phone bill?

What annoys me is when i have a parcel that they try to deliver and then dont leave a card, so eventually i realise that the post isnt just taking ages and ring the sorting office, only for them to say they havnt got it!

so i wait another week, ring back and oops! yes they have got it. supposedly a crad was left on 2nd march, i think not!

how annoying!!

would be greatful if they could at least leave a card!

Originally posted by alexdave67
I'm a Manager for Royal Mail and we know that at the moment we have problems but I assure you that the business is doing everything to turn things around. We want happy employees and customers. All residential customers now don't have a MORNING delivery but a daily delivery, so you should not be surprised when your mail comes in the afternoon. Business customers have the option to pay for timed delivery which means their mail is guaranteed before 9am.
Royal Mail is still the best and cheapest delivery service in Europe, only USA can compete in the World.
You lucky people in Sheffield have the best postal service in the UK, our posties constantly hit their targets and Sheffield is always top of the league.

It's not the delivery times that bother me. It would just be a nice change if Royal Mail delivered my mail, and noth other peoples. Mail clearly addressed to houses further up the road (both odd and even numbers), or clearly addressed to a woman who lives 1/4 mile away (same house number, different road and post-code).

This went on for years. I made complaint after complaint - and nothing changed. Postwatch were useless, they just reiterated what Royal Mail spouted, e.g., "delivery person has been advised" Finally, someone must have got fed up with my complaints and they took action. All my mail is now checked daily, and delivered together in one Royal Mail envelope. It's cured the problem - but what a way to run a service!

The staff that deliver our business post round here in Crookes look scruffy and frankly, unkempt. If my staff looked like that I'd send them home and tell them to smarten up! Is the postal service in such a crisis that anyone will do just so long as people receive their post (even if it is just as we're locking up)?

Moreover, I don't give a fig about being able to pay more to get my post delivered by a set time. Can't wait for the postal service to be opened up; Good night lousy Royal Mail.

what rm need is competition in the home delivery service then they might get there act together :rant: :rant:

I'm still waiting for my birthday card from my mum (posted on the 7th feburary)!

Does it realy matter what time the post arrives, as long as it arrives on the right day ?

I can't think of anything that would have to be received and read in the morning.

I live in Rotherham and we get out post between 1.30pm and 3.30, its really stupid, isnt there suppose to be two post one in afternoon and then one in the morning?....also my grandma also got a christmas card throw the other day and she has looked on the front to see when it was stamped at post office and it said Novemeber 26th 2004, so it took 3 1/2 months to arrive.

ROYAL MAIL WHAT A JOKE!

Originally posted by nick2
Does it realy matter what time the post arrives, as long as it arrives on the right day ?

I can't think of anything that would have to be received and read in the morning.

Well I think it can often be quite important. What about self employed people and other people who work from home? It could really have a big impact on them, because if they get post in the evening that is effectively the next working day.

For a lot of people it won't matter too much because they will be at work when the post is delivered anyway and won't get it until the evening. But why does it take so long anyway?! Why do some people get their post at 7am and some people get it at 7pm? I thought Postie's got up early and finished early?

Originally posted by nick2
Does it realy matter what time the post arrives, as long as it arrives on the right day ?

I can't think of anything that would have to be received and read in the morning.

I think it does, post should be arriving before people start going to work (before 9), important things like cheque, bank cards....what about if it was your daughters birthday and she was 4 and her family was all sending her cards with RM, do you think she would be wanting them at like 2pm, RM need to start improving there service because soon another company will come along and take away the daily post service e.g TNT OR PARCEL FORCE.....they would probberley do a better job...lol

Originally posted by underground1
another company will come along and take away the daily post service e.g TNT OR PARCEL FORCE.....they would probberley do a better job...lol

and charge a lot more.

I think people need to start living in the real world. An equivalent first-class stamp in Germany costs 95p, 78p in France. Our postal service is INCREDIBLY cheap.

Cheap is right - cheap in cost, cheap in quality. It's a pathetic service and the fact it is still a monopoly means we just have to sit and take it.

When the market is opened up, it'll be down to the individual businesses to decide what to charge. My business would be prepared to pay a little more to get a decent service, which is like it should be in any business.

Originally posted by Ousetunes
Cheap is right - cheap in cost, cheap in quality. It's a pathetic service and the fact it is still a monopoly means we just have to sit and take it.

When the market is opened up, it'll be down to the individual businesses to decide what to charge. My business would be prepared to pay a little more to get a decent service, which is like it should be in any business.

So you would happily pay, say £1.50 or £2 to post a letter ?

There is nothing stopping you using the other service providers today, except the amount they charge.

I doubt when the market is opened up that those kind of charges would benefit any postal service provider. They would have to compete with what Royal Mail presently charge in order to get a slice of the market. So, maybe there'll be cheaper alternatives? But if a company charges 40p per item, then yes, my business would pay it if it was guaranteed to be received on time (and I know no-one can guarantee that as such).

Maybe the system is wrong. We should pay for what we receive - with the option to not receive if we didn't want to - instead of paying to send stuff?

i'd happily pay an extra 50p or so if it meant my letters were delivered more quickly and i actually got a delivery once a day, but i doubt that if the prices went up, the service would improve, they'd just take the extra money and keep the service the same! Haven't had post delivery for 3 days now and i'm expecting a job offer which i know has been posted!

Originally posted by Ousetunes


Maybe the system is wrong. We should pay for what we receive - with the option to not receive if we didn't want to - instead of paying to send stuff?

What, and go back to the middle ages? Stamps were invented to get around that problem.

If I say to the postman "No, I don't want that junkmail", then the postman says "Well, it cost me money to bring it to your door and now I don't get paid. How about I go out of business and starve to death."

The sender-pays system is the only way to run a postal service. Buyer-pays just doesn't work.

Originally posted by HarrietStar
i'd happily pay an extra 50p or so if it meant my letters were delivered more quickly and i actually got a delivery once a day, but i doubt that if the prices went up, the service would improve, they'd just take the extra money and keep the service the same! Haven't had post delivery for 3 days now and i'm expecting a job offer which i know has been posted!

Recorded delivery costs an extra 65p per first class letter.

Just to provide a little balance on this one...

Whilst I've noted the single daily delivery change we've generally been pretty lucky in terms of stuff not going missing. Where things have gone wrong for me is in terms of parcel deliveries from pretty much ANYONE, including parcel force, Amtrak and others...

What consistently fails to happen is anyone leaving a card to say that they've attempted delivery... and Amtrak have been absolutely ruddy appalling in this respect with 4 visits when the numpty pressed a busted door bell, got no response and just returned the parcel to the depot. It doesn't require a genius to try knocking loudly if you don't actually hear a door bell.. but despite me being in every time, nope, never heard a peep.

We only got a card when a 2nd parcel was ordered (due to 1st going missing) and Amtrak had the gall to say that cards had been left on all occassions before...


So, in all fairness I think a lot of the problems come down to individual postmen and delivery people.. After all I've had bugger all problems with CityLink and the stories I hear about those guys make me shudder!

Originally posted by Martin_s



So, in all fairness I think a lot of the problems come down to individual postmen and delivery people.. After all I've had bugger all problems with CityLink and the stories I hear about those guys make me shudder!

That's where the problem lies. At the moment, the sender chooses the courier, and the recepient has to deal with the bad service.

There's not enough of a feedback loop between the three parties for crappy service to impact on the seller's choice of courier. Take Citylink as an example. I've lost count of the number of times that they've made me wait in a whole day for a parcel and never tried to deliver it. Problem is that it doesn't inconvenience the sender, and that's who pays citylink the money.

I'd like to see online stores offering customers a choice of courier so that couriers can live and die by their level of customer service.

yeh and my mum sent me my boyfriend's birthday present 2 days before his birthday by special delivery and it arrived 3 days after his birthday.

Where I work, we deal every day with the commercial couriers, city link, interlink, target, amtrack, fedex and TNT.
These companies don't pay their staff enough, they have always got staff manning problems, and the poor staff finish up doing regular 12 hours and longer days for nothing extra.
They often start very early hours in the morning, and finish when I'm at home digesting my tea. They constantly take on new delivery staff who last 1 or 2 days before never being seen again.
If anyone in this thread thinks that anything would be better if the Post office stopped delivering letters they are wrong.

I am a postie. And it is not unusual for me to be still delivering at about 3pm in the afternoon. In my case the main reason for this is cos I don't have my own round. I do a different round every week as I cover for people when they are on holiday or off sick. The thing is although I may know the round quite well, I don't know the frame when sorting the mail in the morning. At least not as well as someone who has been doing it for months. This means that sometimes I don't leave the office until 11am. Each 'walk' as we call them in our office are meant to be 3.5 hrs long. However not all 'walks' are equal and some can take up to five hours to complete. This means I often don't finish until well into the afternoon. I don't know about other postie's, but temporary staff and agency workers are often slower than regular postmen/women as they haven't had time to learn the job as well as experienced staff.

This is my experience. Since they brought in Single Daily Delivery, start times have changed in our office. People are coming in later than before, and night sorting has been scrapped. This just means less time in the morning to prep the mail for delivery.

But the way I see it the main cause of mail being delivered late into the afternoon, is a fundamental problem with Royal Mail.
The volume of mail that has to be delivered goes up every year. In fact it has gone up 5% in the last four years. But staff numbers are falling. And in my office they have dissolved four 'walks' making all the other 'walks' in the office bigger, when mail volumes are increasing. Thats just crazy. Workforce productivity has been increasing within Royal Mail. Basically staff are being stretched to their limits. Unless something is done to rectify this problem soon, Royal Mail will reach breaking point.
Royal Mail simply needs more staff. Then everyone would be happy.

Zenmaster - thanks for your comments. My irritation at the level of post service we get is not directed at you or your co-workers, although I expect you face the brunt of people's frustrations.

As you yourself decree the Royal Mail (ie its management) has got to sort out these problems. You posties deserve a medal. I'd post you one but...,:hihi:

our postie delivers our mail around 3-4pm, not only mine but others as well, including the flats around the corner.
Before i left "instructions" on the other flats wall on where my flat is, i never used to get post, the other tenants simply threw it into their bin. i now have left each tenant a little note to pop round my mail, as i have a different letter box, not only that, the postperson who delivers on my road, doesnt deliver my post because the actual address is the same as the other flats round the corner, so i have to wait until the postman for that road delivers their post and mine, even though my letterbox is on a different road.:loopy: :loopy: