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Original poster

Are your letters getting through? Is the Post office working?

69 replies

loveyouradvice · 17/01/2021 16:03

I've just been told by one of my Mum's friends that she is not going to send a card because nothing is getting through, especially to London .... Any thoughts?

Are you finding the post is working for you? Just a little bit slower? Or things getting lost??

We definitely found about 20% of our Christmas stuff seemed not to arrive

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 17/01/2021 16:05

My post is ok (London borough) but other people in my local FB group are saying they've got long delays with theirs.

I think if you look at the Royal Mail website, there's area specific info on there.

AldiIsla · 17/01/2021 16:05

We're waiting on two presents and a card. One of presents was shipped in November.

LizFlowers · 17/01/2021 16:05

Post has been fine, including over the Christmas period.

Whammyyammy · 17/01/2021 16:06

No post here(village near bath) for over a week and a half. Apparently the sorting office all isolating

BornIn78 · 17/01/2021 16:07

Big delays here - I phoned up to complain about a parcel that I’ve been tracking that’s been at the sorting office for 11 days now, got told that in that particular sorting office it’s really dire as 70% of staff are off sick or isolating, and they won’t allow me to go and collect the parcel either.

WorraLiberty · 17/01/2021 16:07

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55591063

I don't know if this link will help you OP.

NoIDontWatchLoveIsland · 17/01/2021 16:10

A lot is extremely slow - 5 or 6 days for several 1st class letters and cards.

I have had quite a few delayed packages and 2 parcels that just never materialised before Christmas.

It became obvious that the post box near me wasnt emptied for several days running before Christmas when it got so full letters were literally sticking out of the slot.

DrunkenKoala · 17/01/2021 16:11

My local sorting office was hit really badly before Christmas, we didn’t have any post for over two weeks. We seem back to normal now but I believe the next postal town to me has 50% of posties off sick or isolating at the moment and some people haven’t had post for about 10 days. I’m in North Kent.

Cotswolds10 · 17/01/2021 16:11

Yes we are having problems but we are one of the areas listed in the news recently as being very affected by covid. Lots of post office staff off sick and isolating according to my local post office.

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 17/01/2021 16:11

There’s been huge problems here in Kent (from both Canterbury and Margate sorting offices). There’s been so many staff I’ll/isolating they’ve not been able to run the usual RM service as well as usual (it’s not the Post Office). I think they must have been concentrating on parcels up to Christmas as we got those but no letters/cards etc. We got a huge dump of post beginning of last week, most posted before Christmas. They’ve even been out in their vans in Sunday a few times. Under the circumstances they’ve been doing well though.

Cotswolds10 · 17/01/2021 16:13

Ah, just seen that @WorraLiberty has posted the article I was talking about. It’s been pretty dire for about 2 months now. Not seen my usual postie for weeks.

scissy · 17/01/2021 16:13

Some issues are sorting office specific I believe (at least for the last leg). Our post has been fine, apart from the general taking an extra day or two in the Christmas rush as has all my family (various parts of the country). However my mum was saying her colleagues who live in the next town (different sorting office) are experiencing awful postal delays/ One delivery a week type of thing for the reason PPs have mentioned.

longtimemarried · 17/01/2021 16:14

loveyouradvice - the reason the post is delayed etc., is because a great percentage of postmen/women have Covid or isolating, my son being one of them. So have a little patience please, the staff who are working are literally working their socks off! walk a mile in their shoes and you may have some of the idea of the pressure they are under.

ultrablue · 17/01/2021 16:14

Slow here, but we did have a delivery today (Sunday) so I guess they are trying to play catch up...

FredaFox · 17/01/2021 16:18

Ours is pretty normal really but I spoke to our postie recently and he said all the Christmas staff finished Christmas Eve, there are more parcels than ever still but the delivery issues are more regional than national
Sorting offices have to distance, delivery drivers can’t have anyone in their vans (when they used to stop each other off on rounds) add any kind of isolating or covid related time off and it’s understandable that areas can get overwhelmed from time to time

Shosha1 · 17/01/2021 16:20

Been waiting on a parcel for 2 weeks, although some other parcels have hit through. I am in rural Wilts

Markies · 17/01/2021 16:29

Yes, ordered something Friday and Royal Mail delivered within 24 hours.

Thisisthelifewevebeengiven · 17/01/2021 16:34

It wouldn’t be the post office not working as per your thread title even if the post is delayed in your area, it’s Royal Mail that deliver the mail which is a different company. There are still delays in certain areas for the reasons already given and there is still so much post going out because those that were expecting to see family members at Christmas were not able and those gifts are still being posted. Give them a little time to catch up, it’s been hard on them.

ProfYaffle · 17/01/2021 16:37

It's hit and miss. Some things are getting through, some parcels very delayed.

vanillandhoney · 17/01/2021 16:39

It's massively area dependent from what I've read.

No issues here though. I post parcels as part of my business and everything has arrived on time.

Seasidegrandma · 17/01/2021 16:42

The majority of my birthday cards arrived a week after my birthday, that can't be a coincidence.

alphasox · 17/01/2021 16:45

There was something in the news this week or last saying which areas were struggling with post as so many staff off sick or self isolating. Our postcode was one of these. Occasionally stuff comes but we’ve missed loads. This week I got some Christmas cards posted nearly a month ago and 5 weeks worth of my DS’s beano mag appeared one day, so they’re starting to get moving again. I also spoke to a postie last weekend who was working on Sunday and he told me he was temp staff as it a as such a mess with the backlog and something along the lines of the fact everyone is shopping more online their volumes have quadrupled from this time last year. So no wonder really!

cherrypie111 · 17/01/2021 16:46

Post here for us is fine, getting letters daily as normal. AFAIK there are only a few areas that are actually in black spots

CallmeIT · 17/01/2021 16:47

It’s hit and miss. Some people in the next street had a significant delay this week because the postie delivered the letters for about 8 houses on that street to my house!

IceDiscoSkater · 17/01/2021 16:47

Post in my local area has been fine , ie posting from my town to my parents the next town Over , just little letters and cards from the kids to their GP, posted with a second class stamp Thursday,my parents received Friday ( next day )

On the other hand , I sold a few bits on Etsy and posted down to England and they took over 2 weeks to arrive and was getting worried I would have to refund people. Got there eventually- phew Smile