To ask what businesses can realistically be expected to do about Royal Mail delays?!

[TheySayHurray]

Run a small business. We've had an overwhelming amount of orders this Christmas for Christmas gifts which I'm very thankful for.

We have sent all out in good time, all for next day delivery. However, there are some delays at the moment. A few of the ND deliverys have taken over 5 days to actually reach the customer.

Despite providing tracking information every time I am getting hounded day and night asking for help, where people's orders are, can I do anything, it's a Christmas gift and so on.

Even one today where the tracking says it's been delivered this morning but the customer is saying it hasn't.

I don't know what I'm realistically expected to do other than contact royal mail (who take at least 30 days to respond to any claims).

I put very clearly on my website that I would in no way guarantee Christmas delivery for orders made after X date but no one seems to have bothered reading it!

I've even been pressured into remaking and sending items out in the hope at least one of them gets to the customer in time.

If people expected Christmas delivery, despite you putting you can't guarantee it, then more fool them!

You sadly can’t do anything. I ordered something next day delivery last week Tuesday because I needed it for Saturday. It arrived yesterday. Very sad, I no longer need it. Haven’t complained to the company because it’s obviously not their fault. RM have not coped with Christmas at all, other couriers have been fine.

I just don't know what to say to people?

Like the one who's insisting it hasn't been delivered but the tracking says it has. What can I do?

I've suggested contacting the local sorting office in case it's gone back but what else can I do? They keep emailing me saying they've checked with neighbours and so on.

I'm getting really stressed with it.

My items are all completely handmade too and take time to make. I put clearly that I will need at least X working days to create the order but people have been ordering well outside of that and still expecting it in time. I've been working day and night and weekends to get them done but now half of them are taking forever to turn up on top of this. It's driving me mad.

Replace or refund the one that's gone astray and use a template email response for the late arrivals explaining the items will arrive, RM swamped per the news etc.

With the one stating it has been delivered just show them a screenshot of it and say you're really sorry but it's out of your hands now! what do they expect you to do! once it's handed over to Royal Mail it's not really your problem!
And if you have stated clearly you can't guarantee Christmas delivery then don't stress about it and just remind people of this!

@sophs29

With the one stating it has been delivered just show them a screenshot of it and say you're really sorry but it's out of your hands now! what do they expect you to do! once it's handed over to Royal Mail it's not really your problem! And if you have stated clearly you can't guarantee Christmas delivery then don't stress about it and just remind people of this!

I have sent them a screenshot. They also have the tracking number themselves!

I'm hoping it will turn up later today.

It is the OPs responsibility to chase up with Royal Mail in the case where it says delivery has been made as it is her that would have to make the claim, not the recipient

@dementedpixie

It is the OPs responsibility to chase up with Royal Mail in the case where it says delivery has been made as it is her that would have to make the claim, not the recipient

Oh I'm happy to do this. But they take 30 days to process the claim. There's nothing I can do other than that though.

I’m afraid this is part of running a business. It’s a tough time but customers don’t seem to have foreseen everything should be ordered well in advance.

It sounds like you were clear in t’s and c’s that you weren’t guaranteeing delivery. Simply point to that.

You need to check the small print with your contract with Royal Mail to work out whether or not you’ve absolved responsibility of things allegedly haven’t turned up.

I sell on Etsy and had to only offer special delivery postage during December as I couldn’t cope with the stress of angry customers (I had loads of them in November as Royal Mail were struggling then too). I took a massive cut to sales doing this though :-(

A lot of small businesses on Etsy and IG etc completely stopped taking orders at the beginning of the month. It’s obviously not a great way to make money but it does mean you don’t have to deal with as much stress. Perhaps next year you could do that?

(I know that’s not very helpful for this year though!)

Put an automated reply on your email saying that you can't do anything about RM delays. Dont send out replacements for things that haven't arrived.

You need to be a bit tougher.

@Caramel81

I sell on Etsy and had to only offer special delivery postage during December as I couldn’t cope with the stress of angry customers (I had loads of them in November as Royal Mail were struggling then too). I took a massive cut to sales doing this though :-(

I've sent everything special guaranteed next day delivery too at a cost to myself just in the hope that it gets to people quicker!

I did put an update on to say anything ordered after the 1st December would NOT be guaranteed by Christmas. But people seem to have ignored it!

DH is a postie and he says it depends on which sorting centres the mail is going through. I ordered something that stated 3 day delivery but took over a week to arrive, then something that was posted after the first item arrived within 2 days. DH’s office is pretty clear so it seems to be certain centres that are experiencing backlogs - it depends where in the UK the item is coming from.

It’s unfortunate but DH is working three hours of mandatory overtime every day and has so many parcels every morning he can barely close the van doors. People need to be a bit more understanding.

I think people are being understanding but I’m still waiting for parcels dispatched on the 11th December... I haven’t contacted the small businesses (and will give it a little while yet) as I know it’s the RM’s fuck up but it doesn’t encourage people to shop small.

Also wouldn’t be so bad but in my area they no longer deliver daily - three days a week we’re down to.

@amusedbush, Wheras I sent two parcels to the same address on the same day in the same transaction. One arrived next day, we're still waiting for the other. Of the other two sent that day (Weds 16th) one has arrived, one hasn't. It just seems to be a lottery.

Our postie told us today that RM have been prioritising parcels over letters, which is probably why our banking authorisation card which was despatched on 12 December hasn't arrived. Which means we can't pay people by bank transfer right now - not ideal.

Royal Mail were taking 7-10-14 days to deliver things in mid- to late-November (I foresaw this in terms of Christmas present ordering) so there was no way they were going to cope with Christmas this year while other agencies I've had minimal if any delays at all with.

I do not blame the staff who are working their socks off. Privatising RM was madness and management have run it appallingly.

[quote StrawberrySquash]@amusedbush, Wheras I sent two parcels to the same address on the same day in the same transaction. One arrived next day, we're still waiting for the other. Of the other two sent that day (Weds 16th) one has arrived, one hasn't. It just seems to be a lottery.[/quote]
That’s annoying

I ordered something for click and collect from Matalan and they somehow lost it between their warehouse and the store! They closed their phone lines due to Covid and it took them a week to email me back and confirm it was lost, and they didn’t even process a refund until I requested it.

I think most delivery services are overwhelmed right now.

@amusedbush Matalan have been absolutely shocking! They've been sending clothes to people with security tags still on them or sending them completely different items to the ones they have ordered!

[quote Pinkflipflop85]@amusedbush Matalan have been absolutely shocking! They've been sending clothes to people with security tags still on them or sending them completely different items to the ones they have ordered![/quote]
If anyone gets clothes with a security tag on still, I watched a handy tip on YouTube which involved a lighter (can't remember exactly what you do but should be easy enough to find) and doing it over the sink. It worked!

(I'd bought the clothes but the store didn't take the tag off and didn't realise until I got home!).

I've done an automated reply as per PPs suggestion. I dread getting emails at the moment. I just hate it when people are disappointed but it's completely out of my hands, I can't magic it any quicker unfortunately.

I don't think sadly other than warn people there is much you can do.

Royal Mail seem to have a combination of underestimating demand and perhaps of the number of staff available (the latter could have been foreseen to some extent and more casual staff recruited). The position made worse by the November non-essential shop closures not being a month from early October (blame Mr Johnson) which might have meant more in-person Christmas shopping.

A sympathetic and empathetic response goes a long way. Where you do have responsibility to chase, promise to contact RM and keep customer posted.

@EnPoinsettia

A sympathetic and empathetic response goes a long way. Where you do have responsibility to chase, promise to contact RM and keep customer posted.

This is what I am doing. But as I say their claims take 30 days to be dealt with so I'm still getting emails because it's Christmas gifts etc... There's nothing else I can do.