To think that not getting your mail delivered until 3.45pm is a fucking joke?

[HangingBasketCase]

When I arrived home from work an hour or so ago and saw that there were no letters on the mat I presumed we wouldn't getting any mail today, as it usually comes around 11am or here about. So imagine my stunned surprise when five minutes ago I glanced out of the window to see the unmistakable sight of a postman trudging up the path of the house opposite us, at 3.45pm!. And he hasn't even got to us yet!

It's been getting later and later for years but this really takes the biscuit. It's nearly tea time for Christ's sake. What the fuck is wrong with the Royal Mail these days?! I remember waking up to to the sound of post coming through the letter box, opening your mail whilst eating breakfast. If your waiting for something important to come in the mail you want it ASAP, you don't want to be hanging about till early evening waiting for it!

Nearly 4pm just isn't acceptable is it?

We don't get post everyday, even though we have post waiting to be delivered

Postman usually bands ours together but sometimes we go for 2 or 3 days at a time with no post then get 2 or 3 seperate bundles all banded and then banded as one lump

Lazy fucker can't be bothered to turn down our lane everyday as there are only a few houses down here so goes straight past and does the easy stuff and then brings it all a few days later

The few of us down here have complained (especially the 3 of us running businesses and waiting on post) gets better for a week or 2 then goes back to crap again

Our road is quite a steep hill and they only bother to come up it a couple of times a week. I do feel a bit sorry for them if their rounds are getting harder, but who else gets to pick and choose parts of their work to not bother with.

would you get off your backside and walk miles through wind rain sleet and snow to deliver post to every Tom dick or Harry in your town?

unless the answer to that is Yes then shut the hell up bitching. the posties do an amazing job for very little reward. mine nearly fell over backwards when I said thank you to him this morning.

it is not the posties fault that they have had their budgets cut or that everyone is online shopping for Xmas.

yabvvvvvu

and for the record there uses to be sorting offices with staff pre sorting the mail now your postie has to do it themselves before they even go out on their huge rounds

I would if it was my job

I was aware of the sorting office thing, that's why no one is getting their mail early doors now.

More demand should generate more money which should be invested in improving service, or is it profit? I'm never sure.

YANBU. The fact that there used to be two deliveries a day and the first one was early in the morning proves that it is not impossible. Postmen do a great job, but their rounds are ridiculously long and they have to do their own sorting.

Like LovleyRite says ^^- invest the profits into improvement not bonuses for the fat cat owners.

Stamps and postage are silly prices now and the end user service is shite and unreliable.

Honestly? You are frothing about the post? Ours is always late afternoon - no problem with that. Just, in your head, decide it is early for the next day.

Also, it is mostly bills, junk and catalogues.

Ours comes any time between 2.30 and 4pm. There used to be two deliveries a day and a letter with a first class stamp always arrived next day anywhere in mainland UK.

Stayed home all day waiting for package to arrive...it came at 5.30. Grrrr

I posted a card and a parcel in Devon at 4.30pm yesterday.
Both were on my mums kitchen table by breakfast today...in Inverness!

and they do this every single time!

but don't try posting west to east, always takes forever

I don't care what time my post comes as long as it's delivered and not lost etc.

I actually think 60p is a bargain - you can post a letter anywhere in the UK for 60p. You can't get much else for 60p these days. I think that's very good value for money.

I think they do a great job.

Just change your thinking OP. Open your post while you have an afternoon cup of tea

If you aren't happy with the time your delivery arrives - get a PO Box and go and collect it yourself.

Ours was delivered last night at 7.30pm!

TBH I can't get worked up about it, as the poor bugger was out in the wind and the rain and needed a torch to actually see the door numbers and addresses Poor street lighting)
This was not our usual postie, so must be difficult if you are not familiar with the local area!

I'm in Canada. We don't have letterboxes. We have to walk to our designated community box. Big parcels don't fit in them, so they leave you a card and you go to the post office the next day to collect. Even when it's -30 outside.

I posted a card and a parcel in Devon at 4.30pm yesterday. Both were on my mums kitchen table by breakfast today...in Inverness! and they do this every single time!

My experience is definitely that post going in various different directions performs differently. Family post to here always arrives much quicker than our post to them and more reliably too.

15 years ago we would've had two deliveries by lunchtime. Now 4.45pm is not unusual and more often than not we only get post three or four times a week, then the next delivery will be big. As I work from home I know that deliveries are being missed out.
Not blaming the postie specifically, although the regular did once snip at us that we're lucky to get post delivered and he could just knock off and not come if he felt like it. Must admit the service and attitude are streets ahead on the days he's off.

It's sad but I do tend to look for other ways of sending things because I don't have the trust in the Royal Mail that I once did.

I kinda think you're spoilt. 3:30pm was & is normal where I grew up in the 1970s. Now I think they're down to 5 days/week, too.

I also remember two posts, first and second class, arriving in ONE DAY BEFORE NOON, and I'm not that old!

I don't so much mind the change to later in the day - but its the unpredictability I hate. One day the post arrives at 11 a.m, the next day its 4 p.m., the following day its 2 p.m. I guess I do find it really weird and irritating..

It could all be about to get a lot worse - Royal Mail angling to do away with universal service obligation/daily deliveries: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30110817

OP, you would be very very shocked if you lived in another country. You are extremely lucky to receive your post the next day at all, never mind by a certain time of the day.

So yes I think that yabvu.

I remember doing work experience in an office in the early 90s and the lady I was sitting with was going to send a fax through at 5pm but was told by her boss to post it instead as it would be easier than faxing it and it would get there for 9am the next day.

Can't every imagine it being easier to post something than fax something now (do people even still use faxes? but you know what I mean)

Post anytime at works for me, as has been said before it's generally not that important and I'm not home anyway.
Most business addresses get earlier deliveries although still later that they used to be, but yes it will be different for businesses run from rural or domestic properties, but then these business owners need to adapt to changing times.
Not wanting to give a history lesson, but if we didn't evolve and change then we would all still be living in caves.

Not sure what time makes the residential post arrives make any difference to most people. For anyone working full time, it is usually on the mat when they get home.

Why does it bother you?

If you have to deliver to say 100 houses starting at 8am, someone will get their post at 8 am, some at 12pm, it's just the laws of time. I don't mind what time my post arrives, it doesn't make a difference.
If your parents need to have their mail before midday, then they need to find and pay for a service to do so.
Disclaimer - not related to anyone in royal mail

Honestly, what's the imperative to receive post before lunch? How much more would you be prepared to pay for it?

I'd say if a business model relies on the post coming at a certain time of day, then either the business model needs adjusting or extra paid for postage or a PO Box.

But then I'm another foreigner who thinks British people are fairly spoilt when it comes to the postal service.

Perhaps you could go and volunteer with the post office to rearrange their postal route, which they obviouly think is the best and most economical for them. You can then resign their route, and go round to all the houses getting mail before you to tell them that their post is coming at 3:45 (which is not nearly tea time!) so you ca have your post earlier, despite your new route for the postman actually taking longer than his original route so he finishes at 3am.

Althogh we should see the silver lining, we can just call that persons mail at 3am the following days mail which is turning uo before breakfast. Problem solved