Royal Mail

[Anon751117000]

Not sure if I'm even posting in the correct place. More of a rant really. Is anyone else pi**ed off with the service (or lack of)? First class post is often taking 3-4 days to arrive. Sometimes I'm even paying extra for 1st class to still wait up to 4 days. I realise first class isn't next day delivery but really? It also took 6 whole weeks for a birthday card to make it over to the USA a couple of months ago. The frustrating thing is its now putting me off buying from smaller companies like Etsy because I have no clue if anything will even arrive. No wonder people are using Amazon more. Not blaming the postman here btw, but I really don't understand what is going on!!

Husband uses royal mail for all his deliveries and he never has issues, he sometimes has items that arrive next day, fabulous service, saying that he uses 1st class signed for.

I recently had a Guaranteed Next Day delivery parcel sent to me. The guy must have rang the doorbell and gone away immediately, as I was downstairs and went down straight away, yet nobody was there.

However, other couriers aren't necessarily better. My flatmate had a failed delivery recently because Evri said they 'couldn't find the address'.

They can't even manage to get their own letters out in a reasonable time. I've had a letter directly from them about my dog. The letter is dated the 17th September and has a 1st class printed stamp on it. I recieved the letter Saturday just gone, 12th October 😅

Royal Mail have told workers to prioritise parcels because the use of letters are dropping. They are worried other companies will steal their place in the market.

I had a tracked 24 take a week last month.

I had a notification that a Tracked48 parcel would be delivered between 10.30 and 1.30 today. As you might guess it hasn't showed up, although we've had other post.

The RM promises much but delivers very little.

There have been long term problems at our local delivery office. Initially blamed on COVId and then on staff shortages. The problem was supposed to be resolved when they recruited new staff but apparently the new staff left and the problem is worse than ever.

We rarely see a post man. We go generally 2 weeks or so without getting a delivery and when it does arrive there is usually a bundle of mail altogether. Local people complain about getting hospital appointment letters too late to attend.

A lot of people, that are able to, go into the delivery office to collect their mail if they are expecting anything.

So yes it's a shocking service where I live.

I will say though that when you do go into collect mail or you happen to meet up with the posties they are generally really pleasant and polite and it's the organisation that is the problem, not the actual staff.

We've stopped using Royal Mail at work due to things not being delivered on time or just going missing all together. We have a major problem with the local sorting office.

We have big issues with Royal Mail delivery in my town. Sometimes get no post for 2+ weeks and then a great big wad all at once. Awful service right now.

I sell on Etsy and orders seem to be arriving to customers in the allocated time frame for me. Sometimes next day for 2nd class. Hopefully it stays that way coming up to the Christmas period but we shall see 🙏🏼

the majority of my Amazon deliveries come via Royal Mail, tends to be quite quick, normally next day and I live quite remote so I always find that impressive!

Because they are parcels which are prioritised at the expense of letters.

I haven't had any mail in around 3 weeks but I should have had one medical appointment and one letter from an NHS consultant by now.

The second last time I had letters delivered followed a similar week or so's absence of mail and seemed to be triggered by a Royal Mail parcel delivery: I was handed my parcel with a large bundle of letters balanced on top. I'm tempted to order something that would be delivered by RM to see if it makes my NHS letters appear.

Letters tend to be next day too, I’ve never had a mega late letter, obviously very location dependent.

Another example of how privatisation makes things worse

Thanks Tories (and in this case Lib Dems)

I had a failed delivery the other day from Royal mail. They stated on the email that they couldn't find my address... the postman who delivered my letters the same day found it (and has never had an issue finding it) but the person delivering the parcels couldn't find it.

Our RM deliveries, both letter and parcels is shocking at the moment. I have had a friendly chat with a couple of our local posties, and both have confirmed that due to staff shortages, work practices, Mail is sorted into must go out, and can wait a bit, regardless of the service bought and paid for. We can sometimes go four full days without any Mail on our small street. It’s so bad, we have a dog on prescription meds, and I am now paying extra for delivery by another company, eg, DPD, DHL, Evri. I have an Etsy Shop as well, and have had to alter my delivery criteria around expected arrival dates from time of ordering. I try and use Evri if I can. Breaks my heart, RM was a truly wonderful British institution at one time, but the guts have been ripped out of it in the name of progress☹️

But, but - privatisation always makes things better! The power of free markets and the cut and thrust of private enterprise! Surely all our public services can be vastly improved by selling them off to (checks notes) billionaire Czech football club owners?

Half of the items stolen out of a parcel to my DD at uni a fortnight ago. Replaced with a 5-pack of socks (?!?). Apparently no comeback at all. However, they do generally actually deliver (and our postman is bloody amazing) whereas local FB group full of wayward Evri parcels.

Yes I paid next day delivery for an item. Last night at 6pm they said they tried to deliver it. They did not, I was right by my door at 6pm. No missed delivery card, they just didn’t bother.

I paid almost £19 to have two letters delivered guaranteed overnight delivery a couple of weeks ago. They arrived a day late and, while I may get the cost of delivery refunded, the lateness could have serious repercussions.

I use Royal mail still, they do a free collection service for parcels and letters and bring printed labels, so that part I find useful. I haven't had any issues with deliveries of late.

One of the issues is that many post boxes around here have collections around 7am-8am. Most people post their stuff during the day so adds another day to the collection.

For afternoon collections, need to post in the post boxes in either the post office or outside the delivery office.

Royal mail recently lost 2 letters I sent via recorded delivery. Had to replace ds birth cert for a 3rd time now.

Royal Mail has admitted they don't even deliver letters to my area three days out of every week. Cost cutting measures. Unfortunately, Amazon has gone to shit and uses Royal Mail most of the time now, which is really annoying, as they never attempt to deliver, they just say they have to force me to go to the parcel office which is only open for 2 hrs two days a week. Grrr.

That's happening a lot with my deliveries. I had the postwoman who delivers the regular mail confirm that it is literally as you state, if they can't deliver all packages during usual business hours, you will get an email saying 'delivery attempted'...she stated that 9 times out of 10 the package wouldn't have even left the local delivery office.

I had to wait 3 days for a Next Day Special Delivery item recently. I've also had packages left outside neighbours back doors, in the pouring rain. I live on a main road right by a busy bus stop, so even if I get downstairs within 5 minutes (and that's contingent on me recognising where the parcel has been left, as there is usually no identifying detail in the photo) the parcel has usually gone...