Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

First class post is absolutely shite nowadays

10 replies

Jippers · 04/11/2022 13:33

I had notification 4 days ago that my parcel was dispatched 1st class. I paid the extra as I need the item urgently. It hasn't come today so now I have to wait until tomorrow & it's holding my work up. I won't bother paying for 1st class again. Aibu?

OP posts:
Dailymash · 04/11/2022 13:38

It is indeed shite, Royal Mail have a strike day most weeks now which is impacting on post and parcels constantly.

I know you sometimes can’t control what method of delivery someone uses to send to you, but if you can asked for Tracked or Special Delivery as those will take priority over anything else.

Bluevelvetsofa · 04/11/2022 14:07

Considering the amount you pay for postage, it’s a shit service. Our local postie is lovely, but he’s so often not there. RM are as bad as Evri, Yodel and all the others now.

This year, Christmas cards will be severely reduced in number here. The postage is just too expensive.

CantSleepCountingSheep · 04/11/2022 14:17

Every "service" is shite these days!

Oreosareawful · 04/11/2022 14:23

I was actually shocked this week to find that something I posted first class on Tuesday was with the recipient on Wednesday morning. I honestly didn't think they'd get it until much later in the week

jcyclops · 04/11/2022 15:01

You should also take the "notice of dispatch" with a pinch of salt. Some companies send this when your items have been pulled from warehouse shelves and given to packers. They may not be packed until day 2 and actually handed to the courier on day 3. You can sometimes see this if the parcel has full tracking where you get notice of dispatch on the 14th, but the courier collects and receives at the remote depot on the 16th, receives at your local depot 17th and is delivered 18th.

potniatheron · 04/11/2022 16:27

DH is a postman so his perspective may be helpful.

  1. Massive pay dispute currently ongoing. Union has consistently sought productive negotiations but management led by narcissistic CEO Simon Thompson is revelling in a very publicly combative stance - hence the strikes.
  2. In the meantime pay is not keeping up with inflation - DH has colleagues using food banks and one colleague who has had to stay off work because he cannot afford the petrol to get into work
  3. Aging and reducing workforce - most posties are old and not as fast as they used to be / retiring. It's a physically demanding job (walking 12 plus miles a day in all weathers) and therefore retirement is fairly early, plus disability pensioning off quite regular. Especially since Covid which hit the workforce incredibly hard. It's not a job young people want to go into, for whatever reason (daft, as it's a great career). This used to be dealt with by bringing in agency staff but Thompson has imposed swingeing cuts meaning that DO managers cannot afford to bring in agency staff, therefore fewer posties to do the work, therefore stuff gets left.
  4. In addition, fewer agency staff available full stop post Brexit / Covid.
  5. Thompson got rid of thousands od depot managers post Covid - these were the guys who ensured everything went out when it should go out and assigned overtime - that system has now broken down.
  6. Morale at rock bottom due to all of the above, meaning that posties are slower, less willing to work beyond hours. Reduction in available overtime due to cost cutting has also led to working to rule.

If you pay extra for recorded delivery then your parcels WILL still be delivered on time.

hesbeingabitofadick · 04/11/2022 16:56

There are only 10 houses in our cul-de-sac.

Can the postman see the clearly displayed numbers (and some with street name) on each house?
Can they fuck!

I caught one postwoman a few weeks ago to hand back some mail for another house that they'd stuffed through my door, and they shrugged.

My bank card was delivered next door last week.

Pure incompetence. I absolutely give up.

The sooner their shares tank and they go "poof" the better.

IndigoC · 04/11/2022 17:29

potniatheron · 04/11/2022 16:27

DH is a postman so his perspective may be helpful.

  1. Massive pay dispute currently ongoing. Union has consistently sought productive negotiations but management led by narcissistic CEO Simon Thompson is revelling in a very publicly combative stance - hence the strikes.
  2. In the meantime pay is not keeping up with inflation - DH has colleagues using food banks and one colleague who has had to stay off work because he cannot afford the petrol to get into work
  3. Aging and reducing workforce - most posties are old and not as fast as they used to be / retiring. It's a physically demanding job (walking 12 plus miles a day in all weathers) and therefore retirement is fairly early, plus disability pensioning off quite regular. Especially since Covid which hit the workforce incredibly hard. It's not a job young people want to go into, for whatever reason (daft, as it's a great career). This used to be dealt with by bringing in agency staff but Thompson has imposed swingeing cuts meaning that DO managers cannot afford to bring in agency staff, therefore fewer posties to do the work, therefore stuff gets left.
  4. In addition, fewer agency staff available full stop post Brexit / Covid.
  5. Thompson got rid of thousands od depot managers post Covid - these were the guys who ensured everything went out when it should go out and assigned overtime - that system has now broken down.
  6. Morale at rock bottom due to all of the above, meaning that posties are slower, less willing to work beyond hours. Reduction in available overtime due to cost cutting has also led to working to rule.

If you pay extra for recorded delivery then your parcels WILL still be delivered on time.

Thank you for this, very informative.

onemouseplace · 04/11/2022 17:35

I hate RM now. I resent paying extra for special delivery/ recorded for them to do their basic job.

stopringingme · 04/11/2022 17:35

First class is not a guaranteed service so if you needed it by a certain time, you could have paid extra for guaranteed delivery.

I think it is brilliant that you can send a letter for 95p, and it gets anywhere in the United Kingdom usually the next day.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page