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Original poster

A huge Royal Mail exposè is coming...

363 replies

Skimm · 19/12/2023 17:41

I saw my postie today after not seeing one for weeks and asked whats been happening with the mail recently. He took out his ear phones and wouldn't stop talking.

He said that its chaos at the depot, they are being giving thousand of letter to post and when you complain they say ai don't care what you do with them, dont bring them back.

They are also being told to prioritize parcels and that letters aren't important. People are quiting or going off sick so the RM are having to hire agency workers who are dumping letters in bushes and quiting within days.

I haven't had post in over 3 week. I have only noticed as I'm waiting to recieve 2 v.important letters that were sent 3 and 2 weeks ago. So who knows how long its been going on.

I have phoned the help line and been told that 50% off the staff in my local depot are either sick or absent and that they have shut down certain postcodes to deliveries. They said after the complaint I will recieve post within 72hr. It never happened and I've had to complain again.

If you search online you will see I'm not the only one. It seems to be happening nationwide in cities and rural areas. The issue is that RM are denying that there is an issue.

They are suppose to deliver post to every postcode Monday to Saturday and now I've been told that they are closing down certain postcodes over the phone but then denying it on social media.

I still didn't get my mail today so I'm starting to wonder if I'm one if the people whobhave had their letters dumped.

OP posts:
Bobtheamazinggingerdog · 19/12/2023 17:49

I was chatting to someone at the weekend who works in RM and said similar. Also recently had a parcel supposedly attempted delivery (not possible that we missed the doorbell) and it never showed up on the re delivery date. I went to the sorting office to enquire and he said so many agency staff are just not doing the job. He took my number and physically went looking for my parcel which luckily had been chucked on a shelf without being scanned back in rather than being chucked in a bush. And I paid £4.19 to send a little parcel first class yesterday!!

notmorezoom · 19/12/2023 17:49

It was in the papers at the weekend.

deepsea9 · 19/12/2023 17:51

There was a big investigation piece in the Time over the weekend saying similar.

Our post is dreadful - we got stung massively by a penalty notice that never arrived, and then DH did a statutory declaration to say he'd never received, sent it back and that never arrived either so it ended up with the bailiffs and cost us over £300. Utter incompetence.

Scarletttulips · 19/12/2023 17:53

What would you like them to do?

They don’t have the staff to deliver the post.

They can’t pull postmen out of their arses.

ALongHardWinter · 19/12/2023 17:54

I have noticed over the last few months that I only get post on Tuesday and Friday. It took me a while to realise this,so I started monitoring it, thinking it was just a coincidence,but sure enough,it was only Tuesday and Friday that mail arrived. And its alway quite a few items each time,like it's been saved up! Very odd.

Nemo12345 · 19/12/2023 17:56

This reply has been deleted

Wrong thread

SequentialAnalyst · 19/12/2023 17:58

@Nemo12345 you need to start your own thread. (Sorry this is happening, BTW.)

Resilience · 19/12/2023 17:59

I'm loathe to jinx things but our postie is wonderful. No issues with anything here and he goes above and beyond. He's a very popular local character, as are the other posties I've had in this area. I wonder if it's regional?

Kangarude · 19/12/2023 17:59

This reply has been deleted

Wrong thread

You would probably be better to start a separate thread - but write everything down and report to the police using the 101 number. A video doorbell would be useful.
I hope it gets sorted Flowers

Original poster
Skimm · 19/12/2023 18:01

I'm expecting them to be honest and I'm expecting the NHS and banks to start using a different postal service.

They also need to hire more permanent staff. I haven't seen a recruitment drive at all.

There are laws that state they must deliver the mail. They are also not allowed to ignore letters and prioritise parcels. Which is something they are doing.

OP posts:
Kangarude · 19/12/2023 18:01

In relation to Royal Mail, I was talking to friend from Yorkshire and she has been having the same delays. Was told they are giving priority to parcels, but locals are attending at the local sorting office and picking up their post. Must be a nightmare

Nemo12345 · 19/12/2023 18:02

Thank you, yes, I will start another thread, I'm not very tech savvy, thank you for pointing me in the right direction 💐

MILTOBE · 19/12/2023 18:03

Scarletttulips · 19/12/2023 17:53

What would you like them to do?

They don’t have the staff to deliver the post.

They can’t pull postmen out of their arses.

A big business like that shouldn't just react to things. They should plan so that this sort of thing doesn't happen.

Original poster
Skimm · 19/12/2023 18:03

I asked on the phone if I could go and collect and they said no.

I would put up with once a week delivery instead of 6 days a week. But to have no post in 3 weeks whilst I'm waiting for important documents is not acceptable.

OP posts:
MissMarplesNiece · 19/12/2023 18:04

I've thought for a long time that unofficially our post is being delivered on specific days only. There are days when DH and I never get any post then other days when we get lots of post in a big bundle.

PurpleWisteria1 · 19/12/2023 18:05

Skimm · 19/12/2023 18:01

I'm expecting them to be honest and I'm expecting the NHS and banks to start using a different postal service.

They also need to hire more permanent staff. I haven't seen a recruitment drive at all.

There are laws that state they must deliver the mail. They are also not allowed to ignore letters and prioritise parcels. Which is something they are doing.

The trouble is there isn’t a different postal service for letters.
Thats where we are all screwed. Should never have been privatised.
I run a business which relies on letters and large letters. I’m screwed. Literally no one else to send them with though

Original poster
Skimm · 19/12/2023 18:06

Also, posting and receiving letter has gone waaaay down in recent years. So they can't say high demand.

Every bill used to be posted instead of being online, there is less post in circulation now so it shouldn't be coming to this.

I remember my house post every day when I was younger and I'm pretty sure they used to do twice a day deliveries at one point.

OP posts:
Original poster
Skimm · 19/12/2023 18:07

I remember TNT a few years ago delivering mail but I think there was a big backlash against it.

OP posts:
Buttercup176 · 19/12/2023 18:07

It was written about in The Times last weekend.

MoltenLasagne · 19/12/2023 18:07

They made loads of staff redundant a year or so ago, then tried to rehire them as contract workers. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the posties told them to where to go and they lost a lot of hard working, dedicated staff because they tried to stiff them.

noideabutstilltrying · 19/12/2023 18:08

My husband is a postman.

Morale is through the floor. Stress levels are high.

Management are clueless. Prioritising packets and parcels. Clearing these earns them a bonus 😏

The walks are now massive and about to get bigger. The rounds are not achievable in the time that workers are given. Staff are not replaced, agency staff are bought in on an ad hoc basis.

It's a mess and is why postal workers went on strike last year about. They knew this would be the result and did their best to prevent the reduction in the service

SequentialAnalyst · 19/12/2023 18:12

There's also a new system where if they can't deliver a parcel, they automatically try to deliver it again the next day, which is usually at the same hour of the day.

Which is a bit of a waste of time in my case. They come before I am awake, so I am asleep on both days. Then I have to get it redelivered to my local Post Office, or drive across town and back to the delivery office, which is only open for a couple of hours in the earlyish morning, and a couple of hours at the end of the afternoon. Just when the traffic is at its worst. If you don't have a car I think there are a very few buses you can get there - it's quite far inside an industrial estate. No signs either and not obvious - you have to know where it is by intuition!

TheGhostOfTheOpera · 19/12/2023 18:12

Scarletttulips · 19/12/2023 17:53

What would you like them to do?

They don’t have the staff to deliver the post.

They can’t pull postmen out of their arses.

Their issue. They’re a business, up to them to plan for it.

Fwiw, they could pay postmen better (remember the strikes?)
They could employ more people, esp around Christmas time (like most shops btw).
They could avoid telling staff their plan is to fire them to rehire some a much lower wages….

Tbh they could start by paying them more.
Because when parcels go missing or are damaged (ours was left in the rain. They didn’t even bother to knock on the door or leave a note), then people stop using them to send parcels…. And with less customers, they’ll struggle even more.

GarlicGiftsAndGlitter · 19/12/2023 18:13

Their statement in the Times video pointed out that, as parcel post increases and items get larger, they haven't got enough space in the sorting depots which is why they try to get the parcels out quicker.

I think that's fair enough but PPs' comments are correct that they ought to be planning ahead and should never have booted their experienced staff.

I've seen a couple of announcements from Evri about a 'partnership' with Royal Mail. Tbh, that hardly fills me with confidence 😬