Is it me, or is the Royal Mail crap?

I have noticed a decline in the quality of the Royal Mail postal service in the last 12 months. So, what was that strike about? What kind of service do they propose to offer for the increases in pay and conditions? Even if they agreed to giving the kind of service we had ten years ago it would be an improvement. I have been buying items on line for several years now, and without exception, private couriers beat the Royal Mail by days on every item. It is as if they really don't care about offering a credible mail delivery service. It seems as if you get your mail if they can be arsed, which, increasingly, they are not.

Does anybody else have these problems with the Royal Mail, or is it just me?

7 comments:

Hamish said...

It's just you.
Or, as Ruth says, it's patchy.
I've been fortunate enough that my experience has been consistently positive, particularly with individual posties. They have gone the extra mile to deliver badly addressed mail, mail sent to a former business address, etc.
During the last postal strike here (Edinburgh) I had a chat with my current postie; he had no wish to engage in strike action (and he wasn't in any way coerced to do so). But posties were being asked to accept impossible conditions in the name of cost-saving.
We are rapidly losing our post offices, and it seems our mail services will follow.
In my view, this represents a huge loss to our communities.

JPT said...

I'm a postman as it happens, and yes, Royal Mail is crap. In my opinion (and I'm no conspiracy theorist) I think that management eg 'government' want Royal Mail privatised (obviously and openly) and what better way to sell this to the public than running the service down so people say 'privatise it'!
Watch this space.
When it is (and it will be) privatised watch prices (inc couriers) soar.
You have been warned...

Wrinkled Weasel said...

I should agree to a point with everybody so far. Especially here in Scotland, where the local posties do indeed to that bit extra, particularly if they know you and know that you don't want to trot down to the sorting office every five minutes to claim signed for mail.

Thanks especially JPT. Tell us more if you can.

Anonymous said...

QUOTE = So, what was that strike about? What kind of service do they propose to offer for the increases in pay and conditions?

Haha- He asks the questions then answers it in a biased and incorrect way - Ironic perhaps.

The strike was over many things but it was not about an increase in pay and conditions. In fact it was about protecting the service as its is. Royal Mail want to increase the size of the rounds by approx 50% and introduce van deliveries for all duties (so called 2 in 3 CDV deliveries (2 posties doing 3 rounds). Also they want to introduce even later deliveries because it will improve the service.

On the wages side we have not had a raise this year, and I did not expect one. However, Royal Mail wish to withdraw payment of up to £30 per week we get for delivering the unaddressed leaflets that everyone hates. RM also want to remove the ceiling of 3 per week so we get more work but less pay from a business that is making more more than £1,000,000 per day. BTW Crozier got more than £1 million in bonuses this year and all managers received bonuses starting at £2,500 for the lowest level and higher, obviously, the further up the chain they were.

Rebel Saint said...

Have only got positive things to say about my own postie - who literally runs between houses, and who will go out of his way for you.

However, there appears to be a problem with the system, because I've lost track of the amount of things I've sent 1st class which take 3 days to arrive, yet the 2nd class parcel I posted 3pm to the other side of the country arrived the next day!

Wrinkled Weasel said...

I am glad there are real posties out there to put their case. Thank you, but what about the claim (verified by a PO leaked memo, that too many parcels are left at the sorting office and instead, a "you were out when we tried to deliver this parcel" note is left, in spite of householders who say they were at home at the time?

As for the strike, it failed to hit a note of sympathy from the public. I can remember when you could post a tuppeny-ha'penny letter at ten in the morning and it was delivered by four in the afternoon, the same day. Now, even First Class is a meaningless concept.


It is time the PO had a level playing field with the private sector. At present it enjoys the protection of a monopoly.

As for prices rising, I would pay double to get a decent, reliable service.

Bob said...

I've worked for parcelforce ( offshoot of royal mail and carries parcels over a certain weight)and DHL as a delivery driver. Parcelforce depots were archaic compared to the modern DHL depots. The vans at parcelforce were ancient and mine broke down a few times. The staff try their best under a regime of constant cutbacks and huge losses. We didn't leave parcels at the depot and tried to deliver them. The main problem as far as I could see was that we were delivering when people were out at work (9 to 5). With parcelforce there was no incentive to try hard to deliver the parcels as the folk who were lazy weren't penalized for returning with their vans still full. DHL have private operators who deliver at nights and weekends and only get paid once the customer/ neighbour has signed for the parcel. A defiinite incentive. I noticed a few freelancers were working with parcelforce but the money is poor and there's no security of job / pension etc.