POSTAL STRIKE - anyone with a small business - alternative post services for letters?

[WotzNow]

How are you managing with the postal strike?
Do any of you use any of the alternatives listed here?

POSTCOMM site see link for Licensed postal operators.

I am sitting on a large pile of urgent mail to go all over the UK. Any ideas?

FWIW: I don't not want to debate the stike.

I don't think there really is as Royal mail still do the delivery even if the sorting is done by someone else.

that's what I thought after clicking on a few of the companies.

arrrggggghhhhhhh

i've been using a dhl business to business contract but they don't do personal home deliveries etc but a good alternative to using special delivery.

even if you do find one (DP and i were talking aboutit this morning) when you buy stamps its still royal mail that gets the money from them.

is it letters or parcels?

do fed ex deliver letters?

thanks for replies it's mostly letters and large packet sizes (royal mail sizing).

Normally standard 1st class letters and upto £1.80 per item, I pay.

Spent nearly £35 yesterday to get some urgent things out on 7 items. I can't bill for sending.

I am managing craply I send parcels by royal mail and I haven't sent any..sending some today but it's not financially viable to use a courier it is my business time coming up now as i sell toys and party stuff...i am ppanicking..i can't order stock in case i can't sell it i was relying on the next two months for my years income and its not much anyway

If it helps, i received todays post at 12. only 3 letters but was the stuff sorted by other companies.

busiest time

zippitippitoes that's tough isn't it.

Our local service in Liverpool has continued today, so I may have to drive to Warrington (about an hour away), to try and post it there before the next national one.

Made me think of this item that I found this morning
bbc business news Firms losing money and sympathy

zippitippitoes - Special Delivery has priority and the Royal Mail Managers deliver them, even on strike days. You have to go to a post office branch for this service and ATM they won't gurantee next day delivery or provide the extra insurance cover for loss.
Ask if you can have a batch of the little forms to fill out at home (add adress details and such) to save some time.

Still works out about £4.30 for the lightest items. So even a letter would be this much.

the trouble is most of my parcels are small value say between 10 and twenty pounds so it just doesn't work out viable because they cost over 7.oo to send special

my items start at 10p each lol

madness - lol

I have been doing Special Delivery and haven't dared work out how much of a loss I have made the last few days. My items are often less than £10 so I'm sure the Special Delivery has meant that I have been operating at a loss.

I've looked and looked and can't find a viable alternative for light weight parcels so up the creek without a paddle if this keeps up.

Maybe we sould recruit a network of MN courier services?

And include coffee mornings at drop off points

What a great idea, sign me up

Sign me up too!

orders from my website shop are so small and light that I really don't have an alternative to the Royal Mail first class, so the strike has me tearing my hair out!

Trade orders are bigger packages, so I'm looking at courier services, but they will work out dearer. At the moment I'll have to stand that, or increase my carriage charge. What a headache!

I've finally been brave enough to look at the Royal Mail site to see what is happening next week. Have I read it right, are they on strike from Monday to Friday ?

DH's job looks like it is rapidly going down the pan & this next strike is really going to hammer my pathetically small business. I feel like giving up at the moment

I think so

Industrial action: an update from Royal Mail Friday 12th October update

QOUT: 'After lengthy negotiation we are very disappointed that the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has announced more strike action starting on Monday 15th and ending on Friday 19th October. This action will take place at different Royal Mail sites across the country at different times. We are currently assessing the impact that this will have on services, and will communicate this as soon as possible.'

I sent out 5 Special Delivery parcels on Tuesday 11 Oct, and only 2 on the post office tracking system, are showing they have been delivered. The rest are still not confirmed.

chocolateteapot - I don't know what to suggest. I am trying to send emails and pdf files instead of post. But some things I need to put in envelopes and they are low cost items too.

What's happening to the backlog? I expect loads will go missing.

I've been really lucky with Special Delivery, over 20 of mine have been delivered. All are on the system and only a few haven't got there. But it is so much more than 1st class that I am sending some out at a loss I think. Mine are all small packets, and a lot are under 250g.

Time to bite the bullet and hike postal charges, give Special Delivery another go - but I think that this time round they are unlikely to get through as there will be a big backlog. I think you're right, a lot are going to vanish.

The escalating unofficial action makes it highly unlikely that Royal Mail can clear the backlog of 80?million items ? accumulated during the five-day strike which ended this week ? before the new wave of official strikes starts on Monday.

here www.telegraph.co.uk

they will be striking one day next week.

tbh lots of the stuff i have ordered have turned up ok. yes there is a backlog but rm are working very hard to clear it.

why will loads vanish?? have faith

Sorry Southeastastra, I am being very unfair, you're right, there is no reason why it should vanish So can I check, it's just one day they are striking and not the whole week ?

yes just one day next week though i'm praying that the talks will have some impact today