I HATE ROYAL MAIL

[bebarkered]

Royal Fail haven't delivered my package that I ordered online 14 days ago. I have telephoned them, and, you can't speak to anyone. I have a tracking number and, I am unable to track it (automated service says "you cannot track this item"). I filled in a contact form online. This is the reply I got from them :

Thanks for contacting Royal Mail

[email protected]
to me
Thank you for contacting us

I’m sorry there was a delay in delivering items of mail and can fully understand your concerns.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, we’ll continue to deliver the most comprehensive service we can to all our customers. However, along with other organisations, we’re experiencing increased levels of employee absence due to illness and self-isolation.

Despite our best endeavours, it’s likely some areas of the country will experience a reduction in service levels due to coronavirus-related absences at their local mail centre or delivery office. However, your enquiry has been logged under the reference shown above.

I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused and assure you we do all we can to minimise disruption during these unprecedented times. We’re committed to keeping the mail moving – delivering letters and parcels across the UK, including to those who find it difficult to leave their homes.

Thank you for contacting us and I hope this resolves your enquiry. If you need further help, please visit our Help and Support Centre at www.royalmail.com/help or www.royalmail.com/coronavirus.

Regards
Royal Mail

I immediately filled in a second contact form. I've just received a reply. This is what it says :

Thanks for contacting Royal Mail

[email protected]
to me
6 hours agoDetails

Thank you for contacting us.

I’m sorry there was a delay in delivering items of mail and can fully understand your concerns.

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, we’ll continue to deliver the most comprehensive service we can to all our customers. However, along with other organisations, we’re experiencing increased levels of employee absence due to illness and self-isolation.

Despite our best endeavours, it’s likely some areas of the country will experience a reduction in service levels due to coronavirus-related absences at their local mail centre or delivery office. However, your enquiry has been logged under the reference shown above.

I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused and assure you we do all we can to minimise disruption during these unprecedented times. We’re committed to keeping the mail moving – delivering letters and parcels across the UK, including to those who find it difficult to leave their homes.

Thank you for contacting us and I hope this resolves your enquiry. If you need further help, please visit our Help and Support Centre at www.royalmail.com/help or www.royalmail.com/coronavirus.

Regards
Royal Mail

WTAFF?
Has any else experienced this?

I guess if they’ve got a lot of staff absences they can’t really help it.

Sometimes things go missing. Speak to the seller and ask for a replacement or refund.

This is the seller's responsibility, not yours. They must make it good.

DH is a postman and you wouldn't believe the shit going on with RM at the moment. The union are going nuts at the orders the big wigs are sending down.

With regard to a lost parcel, I've had one parcel go missing in all my many years of using RM, and the seller sent a replacement immediately. It was a bit of a non-issue and certainly not enough for me to declare that I HATED the company.

Your contract is with the retailer, not RM. Contact the retailer.

What company is the item coming from? You may have to contact them if it hasn't arrived as only the sender can ask to trace what has happened to the item.

I found, when I lived in the UK, that when it says “you cannot track this item” it’s because it’s coming from overseas. Where is the seller located?

It’s a bit of a stretch to yell that you “hate” Royal Mail, a service you have been using pretty much every day of your adult life without major incident, over one lost package. First world problem really.

It isn't due to staff absences imo. I ordered a few items on the same day and received all of them within 4 days. Except for this one. I can't get a replacement as the seller only had the one, the one I ordered. The seller posted the Royal Mail receipt to me, she definitely posted it. How can it be her responsibility when she definitely sent the item?

Because only the seller can track it. Its her that has the contract with Royal Mail, not you

Yeah I've had a shit experience this week too, and can only assume there are some bigger issues.

After they already claimed they'd attempted delivery but nobody answered (the household is self-isolating and were definitely in), no card left, I organised redelivery. They said it was delivered. It wasn't. Called them - GPS says your parcel is there. It's not there. GPS says it is. etc. Deeply frustrating but hopefully a one-off.

If a large retailer sends you something and it doesn't turn up, you'd contact them about it. They would have to refund if they're not able to fulfil their contract with you.

It's no different with a small retailer or personal seller. Your contract is with the seller.

I live in Lancashire and the seller is in West Yorkshire. She is a private seller on eBay UK. Thank you to the posters who have informed me that the seller is the only one that can try to get the item tracked, I didn't know this! She can't replace the item, she only had one of it

We are getting only two deliveries a week here from Royal Mail postmen using rental vans and not Royal Mail liveried ones. Nothing sent second class is being delivered at all ( waiting for something from mid-September). A member of the local neighbourhood social media group contacted RM and were told they have an incredible backlog from staff absence and have problems with keeping to social distancing as it means only one member of staff to a van rather than two. There is also a massive increase in the level of post being sent because people are working from home and also shopping more online.

I've stopped ordering from any shops/sellers that use Royal Mail for the moment.

How can you say it's not a staffing issue unless you know what their staffing levels are like and how that affects the day to day running of the business?

Don't try couriers then - Hermes for example!

OP I am in lancashire too and have had really slow service from RM- we are getting only 1 or 2 deliveries a week! my birthday parcels sent 1st class recorded took over 2 weeks to arrive. Don’t lose hope just yet.

RM delivered for our road today.

Had to check that it was actually a Sunday.

Only negative issue I had was them collecting a covid test (had to be sent back on a Sunday so 119 arranged a collection, which is undertaken by RM). Test was never collected

She can't replace the item, she only had one of it

Then, if the item cannot be found, she needs to refund you. Hopefully she used a service with appropriate insurance.

If there's any problem you can open a case with ebay, they'll ensure you get a refund.

If you live near your sorting office, you can pop in and ask them to check if they've got it. The staff at ours are lovely and don't mind people asking.

Thank you all for fantastic responses x

Yes they are dreadful. Absolutely awful around here and trying to contact them to get them to take responsibility is completely impossible. I try and avoid where possible these days.

tara66 I ordered a Liz Earle set from QVC UK 4 weeks ago. They use Hermes. I waited in all day for my parcel to be delivered. They didn't come. Very long story, but, Hermes told QVC that they tried to deliver the package (they didn't). I told QVC that Hermes didn't come, didn't email me, and, didn't put a card through my door. I still haven't received my LE set...

I am a postie, right now the company is struggling due to absence due to covid and sickness levels. We do try get out as much as we can and as soon as we can. But due to the online market rising so much its madness. And with Xmas period coming up every day is just gonna get worst. Please contact the seller, unfortunately some packets do go missing as it's a long process from start to finish and a lot of people and machines the parcel would go through. Errors do occur unfortunately. Good luck and hope you get your parcel once the seller as re sent :)

Where I live we are only getting post a couple days a week due to staff shortages across the system.

Equally, you say you ordered the items together but are they all from the same seller and are they all the same/similar sizes and/or weights? If not then when you received your other deliveries is irrelevant as they will be processed differently.

It was my SILs birthday a couple of weeks ago and she lives in Scotland. I was posting a small padded envelope with her card and gift plus a second card from DD (as she wanted to do her own separately) so offered to post my mum's card at the same time as she was lamenting the fact she couldnt find her stamps so would have to trek into town specially, whereas I live in town near the PO. I sent everything in the same transaction via the postal worker on the PO counter on the same day, same class of postage - 2nd - and the two cards arrived 5 days before my padded envelope did.

Thank you Royalmailpostie