Royal Mail Customer "Service".. where next?

[evenhope]

Just recently I have ordered 2 lots of goods off the internet that have never arrived. One was a bra for £32 and the most recent some bobux baby shoes.

Both items (from different online retailers) were sent 1st class RM. Both have had to send out duplicates- loss for them and extra delay for me.

I sent an email to royal mail to complain. We have been in the situation before of our mail being stolen within RM. Got a standard reply back saying with the number of items they get they can't trace them blah blah (not interested).

I sent another one to say I wasn't satisfied with that response having previous had mail stolen. Got another one back saying

" My manager has been made aware of your concerns, and we have reviewed the details of your complaint. Regrettably we are unable to help you further as we are satisfied that your complaint has been dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Thank you for contacting me about this matter and I am sorry that I could not send you a more favourable reply. Please accept my apologies once again, and if I can be of any more help, please let me know.
"

Appropriate manner?!!!

Basically if you need to order anything make sure it is sent by courier and not Royal Mail because they couldn't care less that things "go missing" within their organisation

Does anyone work for RM or know how to actually get them to take any notice? MP?

Can't help I'm afraid but they are useless. The fact you have to pay extra for recorded/signed for and all that is basically them admitting that if you put it in the normal post it may well never arrive.

They are rubbish.

Good luck. Is there some kind of regulator to complain to or a govt department or something? They are supposed to meet standards set by the govt after all so there must be someone you can complain to there. Watchdog???

That's all my ideas I'm afraid...

Ooooh, I'm going to be watching this one. Whenever I get a parcel the postie just leaves it on the doorstep. Sometimes doesn't even bother to ring the doorbell, just dumps it and runs. I've sent several emails of complaint to customer services, they keep saying sorry and it keeps happening.
So, I need to take it further really, but not sure how to. Customer services just seem to go "ooops, sorry" and think that's enough.

I recently complained to them because we keep getting mail for other streets..I got a reply saying they couldn't find our address on their system so "regrettably were unable to deal with our complaint"..do they have millions of these fobbing off letters?

They are in a position of power though as there is no alternative for personal mail so they have a guaranteed income. The service gets worse and worse but as we can't vote with our feet they have no need to give decent service/respond to complaints/give a flying f*ck.

Useless arses.

Postwatch is the Consumer watchdog for postal services - if you have already complained to RM then go to Postwatch- www.postwatch.co.uk/
they are in a position of power because they have the universal service agreement in place- but it is being erroded (UK Mail and the like cherry picking the money making part of the business and leaving RM to deliver the final mile). We will all be much worse off without them. remember the railways where all the branchlines closed at the detriment of the mainlines- the same thing is happening to the mail.
RM Customer service may not be ideal- but your perception of the service is somewhat skewed if you think that they can trace the millions of first and second class items they handle on a daily basis- that is not possible.

I will remember that website chugga, thanks. Not asking too much though surely that your mail doesn't vanish!

yes but they do a marvelous job considering how badly addressed, spelled, packed some items are. Over a million items a day end up at the return packet centre to try to examine them to identify the sender if it can't be delivered.

Just wondering if you work for the post office?!

no but can't say what i actually do do- but there is a strong hint above. It really tees me off when people slag off the service when they don't appreciate what service they have actually paid for. As a recipient you haven't paid anything.

Actually I sort of disagree with you chuggabopps. In most cases, they do a brilliant job - yes we can't be arsed to pack things right, put the right amount of stamps on (partly because the bloody post office closed so we just have to guess) and can't spell the simplest addresses (I've had mail delivered to me as 'the house at the end of the road with the thatched roof' .

However there are cases where mail mysteriously disappears several times to the same address and it's not taken seriously. My bank statements went astray for nine months continuously and a chance conversation with one of my neighbours indicated she had a similar problem. RM Customer services sent me a book of stamps to say sorry but didn't take it very seriously. I take evasive action (changed bank details and switched to online statementing) because I was concerned about identity theft. I also contacted the police and suddenly RM were interested.

It is a serious issue if the mail is being interfered with or stolen. If a specific address simply isn't getting mail through - and to be fair you don't always know that you are missing stuff till your elderly aunt asks how you spent the £50 she stuffed in an envelope for your birthday last year - and it keeps happening, it's imperative that proper investigations take place IMHO. Not least because everyone will assume the postie is a crook whereas it could be any one of many links in the postal chain.

Having said, my new postie is a nice chap, I've made friends with him and now my post gets through.

Evenhope - do contact postwatch, it's well worth taking things further if you aren't getting any joy.

Chugga my flippant "arses" comments obviously aren't aimed at everyone who works for RM, just whoever it is who tears the corner on all my letters to see what is in there. Hope I haven't offended anyone.

And I have no idea what happens to the stuff that goes missing, whether it is lost or nicked or whatever, but it is very upsetting when it happens.

As a recipient you don't pay anything, but surely the cost of delivery is what the price of the stamp is for?

It just annoys me that these days if I want to send anything I actually want to get there (i.e. not a postcard or something) then I always have to pay extra to have it registered/recorded or whatever.

In other words I don't trust RM at all not to tamper with/steal/lose items.

This has definitely changed in the last couple of years, it used to be a service I did trust.

chuggabopps I appreciate they can't trace something, but I don't think they are taking it seriously. How much other stuff has gone missing that we don't know about?

wmmc we often get envelopes that have obviously been tampered with. My mum now sends birthday cards in brown envelopes with printed address labels because anything handwritten arrives open or not at all

I went to post something a while ago and was told at the PO that if I wanted to guarantee it would actually get there I'd have to pay a huge supplement. Why should we?

Thanks for the link- I will contact them.