Post not being delivered by Royal Mail

[dulwichbloke]

Still waiting for ‘signed for’ (recorded) delivery letter posted on 16 October. Can’t even track recorded delivery - the website says that only becomes possible after they have tried to deliver it!

Postie told me there are huge piles of unsorted recorded delivery packages//letters at the Peckham sorting office and just now they are not even attempting to deliver recorded - only tracked/special delivery items. They should publicise this so people know not to use that service for anything they need to receive as a matter of some importance.

[L_M]

It’s been really shocking for 2+ years.

Perfect storm of closing Sylvester road sorting office, and covid pandemic where staffing issues were a big issue.

[Penguin68]

Perfect storm of closing Sylvester road sorting office, and covid pandemic where staffing issues were a big issue

Whilst it's true that Covid quarantine and protecting the vulnerable certainly added to the problems, the position was already dire at least 18 months before. Covid simply made a bad position worse. There were already walks completely uncovered in the area and reliant on relief and over-time work - once Covid hit there was no slack (in fact the opposite of slack) throughout the area. A concentration on parcel delivery (not unreasonably) simply further exacerbated the situation, meaning that no attempts were made to sort or deliver ordinary post.

But the fact that the SE22 DO (i.e. Peckham) was regularly cited as being significantly underperforming (when the same Covid issues were true across the country) speaks volumes.

[Spartacus]

If you think it's bad now, I feel that the Christmas post rush will make ot ten times worse

[niozza]

Given up on ever seeing those parcels from mid-October TBH.

Got mail delivered this morning, but haven't seen a parcel van for several weeks now.

Our postie said to avoid RM for the foreseeable, which speaks volumes.

Will this ever be sorted?

[smooch]

Interestingly, outgoing post is not a problem - letter to Cornwall arrived the next day..... Its all just sitting in Peckham I fear.

[AidanOliver]

I live just off Barry Road and the problems are ongoing.

This morning I received two copies of Private Eye: the current one and the previous one - over a fortnight late. Postal deliveries are generally very sporadic, and almost everything is late.

[Lynne]

I was stupid enough to hand in a parcel and forgot to put the stamp on it. Yet this was delivered quickly to the right address (thanks, everyone)

Yet they haven't been able to get perfectly legal post delivered in to SE22 for nearly two years now. So it's not strikes or Covid.

[Kathleen Olander]

I have escalated my complaint to The Postal Review Panel. If you have already complained to CEO's office and have a reference number this is the next step.

[mrwb]

Almost seems like the now closed local delivery office on Silvester Road was a key piece of infrastructure...

Got a birthday card sent 1st class 6 weeks late and magazines from a month ago... First post in weeks!

[Sue]

I have escalated my complaint to The Postal Review Panel. If you have already complained to CEO's office and have a reference number this is the next step.

 

I haven't even had a reply from the CEO's office 🙄

[Bic Basher]

This is what happens when the Royal Mail became a commercial business rather than a public service.

Flogging off the old sorting office obviously made them a few million, but has decreased the quality of service where postal workers now have to drive from Peckham in diesel guzzling vans to the furthest reaches of SE22 just to deliver post when in the Sylvester Road era, they'd walk to all parts of ED.

I think Helen Hayes really needs to drum into Royal Mail that they need to acquire a new site for the East Dulwich sorting office within SE22 which will enable postal workers to provide an improved delivery service instead of cost cutting which only ruins their reputation.

The actual posties who do the rounds here are nice people who are fed up with the mess as much as we are.

[Bic Basher]

Email from the Royal Mail today.

 

We're sorry to advise that parts of the SE22 postcode area may experience disruption to deliveries due to resourcing issues at the East Dulwich Delivery Office.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding.

We'll be back in touch to inform you when the resourcing issues have improved.

[colb2015]

Email from the Royal Mail today.

 

We're sorry to advise that parts of the SE22 postcode area may experience disruption to deliveries due to resourcing issues at the East Dulwich Delivery Office.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you for your understanding.

We'll be back in touch to inform you when the resourcing issues have improved.

 

Unlikely to ever hear from them again so.

[Sue]

This is what happens when the Royal Mail became a commercial business rather than a public service.

Flogging off the old sorting office obviously made them a few million, but has decreased the quality of service where postal workers now have to drive from Peckham in diesel guzzling vans to the furthest reaches of SE22 just to deliver post when in the Sylvester Road era, they'd walk to all parts of ED.

I think Helen Hayes really needs to drum into Royal Mail that they need to acquire a new site for the East Dulwich sorting office within SE22 which will enable postal workers to provide an improved delivery service instead of cost cutting which only ruins their reputation.

The actual posties who do the rounds here are nice people who are fed up with the mess as much as we are.

 

Completely agree with all that.

Possible sites for a new SE22 delivery office were suggested to Royal Mail at the time.

Unfortunately some of the local posties were quite keen to move to Peckham. I went to a meeting with their union rep, which Helen Hayes was also at, and there was a definite half heartedness about backing the local residents who were trying to get the decision reversed.

I now understand (read it on here) that this is because they get Inner London weighting in SE15 but not in SE22.

[smooch]

Big wodge of post today - hurrah!!!

I am hoping that the concerted effort to communicate with head office is stirring some sort of action.

I fully understand the financial benefits to the posties to getting London Weighting - but the fact remains the potential problems expressed from closing the local sorting office have obviously manifested themselves clearly.

separate note - Privatising utilities/services do not seem to help the customer (duh!)

water

post

railways

I'll get my coat......

[mrwb]

Not when there isn't any competition. If we actually want post delivered can we choose someone else other than Royal Mail to deliver it? If we can, sign me up!!!

My guess is these issues will go on indefinitely, or at least until the destroyed infaststructure is replaced... Not likely anytime soon... Unless someone turns the Grove tavern in to a sorting office!

[Kathleen Olander]

Here is response from Postal Review Panel

"Thank you for your email regarding a recent complaint you have made to Royal Mail Customer Services.

The Postal Review Panel is a ‘ring fenced’ team that sits outside of Royal Mail Customer Services and we are empowered to review complaints from customers who have used a Royal Mail service.

To enable us to provide you with a full review, we will firstly need to collate all the information held by Royal Mail Customer Services. Also, further investigations may be necessary. For this reason, it may take 30 calendar days to provide you with a final response. Please be assured that this matter is being taken seriously and we will contact you on completion of our review or if we require further information from you."

Separately, Royal Mail are now blaming lack of deliveries on staff absenteeism. Our postman was here again today posting through junk mail and charity stuff, no proper mail except one out of date Spectator magazine. Still no parcels since 4th October. Regular tracking provided for parcels is hopeless as you cannot track until a delivery has been attempted!

[Sue]

I did get a response from the CEO's office. It had gone into my spam folder.

Here it is:

Rebecca Redmond <[email protected]>

Fri, 4 Nov, 18:11 (5 days ago)

Dear

Thank you for your email to the CEO Office. As part of Royal Mail’s senior team, I have been asked to respond to you.

The Customer Operations Manager for your area has asked me to pass on their sincerest apologies. Regrettably, due to the ongoing industrial action, the Delivery Office working hard to deal with a backlog of mail which must be cleared. In order to most efficiently minimise the impact on our customers, rounds are looped to ensure that no particular walk is without a delivery of mail for too long a period of time.

I realise that this an unfortunate situation, and I am very sorry for any impact which this may have on you. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to continue providing the best possible service to our customers during the current negotiations with the CWU.

Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us. So I can only apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you and others in the area.

If the issues do continue after all the industrial action has finished, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we will make further enquiries.

I hope this helps to address your concerns, and thank you once again.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Redmond

Royal Mail – Chairman and Chief Executive Office

So basically, it seems that if we want this situation to be taken seriously, instead of going through the "usual Customer Service channels", we need to inundate the Chairman and Chief Executive Office with complaints every time items are lost or delayed.

That might help concentrate their minds ......

Also, surely the industrial action has finished, hasn't it???

[colb2015]

I did get a response from the CEO's office. It had gone into my spam folder.

Here it is:

Rebecca Redmond <[email protected]>

Fri, 4 Nov, 18:11 (5 days ago)

Dear

Thank you for your email to the CEO Office. As part of Royal Mail’s senior team, I have been asked to respond to you.

The Customer Operations Manager for your area has asked me to pass on their sincerest apologies. Regrettably, due to the ongoing industrial action, the Delivery Office working hard to deal with a backlog of mail which must be cleared. In order to most efficiently minimise the impact on our customers, rounds are looped to ensure that no particular walk is without a delivery of mail for too long a period of time.

I realise that this an unfortunate situation, and I am very sorry for any impact which this may have on you. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to continue providing the best possible service to our customers during the current negotiations with the CWU.

Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us. So I can only apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you and others in the area.

If the issues do continue after all the industrial action has finished, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we will make further enquiries.

I hope this helps to address your concerns, and thank you once again.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Redmond

Royal Mail – Chairman and Chief Executive Office

So basically, it seems that if we want this situation to be taken seriously, instead of going through the "usual Customer Service channels", we need to inundate the Chairman and Chief Executive Office with complaints every time items are lost or delayed.

That might help concentrate their minds ......

Also, surely the industrial action has finished, hasn't it???

 

I suspect many of us on here have received that exact same cut and paste response. Farcical that they are still blaming the CWU strike.

[Kathleen Olander]

" Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us. "

So what have I and others been doing then?

More strikes planned by the way, 24 and 25th November.

[niozza]

You're right. I received the exact same thing and it originally ended up in my spam folder as well!

Haven't been given a reference number though so not sure I could take it further (ie Postal Review Panel). Not that it might make a blinking difference seeing how 'seriously' they are taking the whole affair...

 

I did get a response from the CEO's office. It had gone into my spam folder.

Here it is:

Rebecca Redmond <[email protected]>

Fri, 4 Nov, 18:11 (5 days ago)

Dear

Thank you for your email to the CEO Office. As part of Royal Mail’s senior team, I have been asked to respond to you.

The Customer Operations Manager for your area has asked me to pass on their sincerest apologies. Regrettably, due to the ongoing industrial action, the Delivery Office working hard to deal with a backlog of mail which must be cleared. In order to most efficiently minimise the impact on our customers, rounds are looped to ensure that no particular walk is without a delivery of mail for too long a period of time.

I realise that this an unfortunate situation, and I am very sorry for any impact which this may have on you. Please be assured that we are doing all we can to continue providing the best possible service to our customers during the current negotiations with the CWU.

Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us. So I can only apologise for any inconvenience this has caused you and others in the area.

If the issues do continue after all the industrial action has finished, please do not hesitate to contact us again and we will make further enquiries.

I hope this helps to address your concerns, and thank you once again.

Kind regards,

Rebecca Redmond

Royal Mail – Chairman and Chief Executive Office

So basically, it seems that if we want this situation to be taken seriously, instead of going through the "usual Customer Service channels", we need to inundate the Chairman and Chief Executive Office with complaints every time items are lost or delayed.

That might help concentrate their minds ......

Also, surely the industrial action has finished, hasn't it???

 

I suspect many of us on here have received that exact same cut and paste response. Farcical that they are still blaming the CWU strike.

[Penguin68]

The fact that we are getting (yes, I did as well) almost exactly the same identical form letter (with the reference to 'nothing for 8 months) in and of itself belies any notion of 'it's all news to us gov'. Clearly if you have a form letter for complaints about the SE22 DO then it very much is old news, since you have a pre-prepared weasel response.

[niozza]

I pushed on with the CEO office and this is what I've got. Basically empty words, you judge for yourselves. And no parcels received for over a month now.

Dear ,

Thank you for your email to my colleague, Rebecca.

I appreciate your frustration with the situation and once again I offer our deepest apologies.

Regrettably I am unable to provide you with a materially different response to that which you have already received. We are doing all that we can to provide the best possible service to our customers, including those in your area.

This is a challenging time and there is not a simple solution, but the staff in your local Delivery Office are doing everything that can be done to minimise any disruption and process the mail as efficiently as possible.

Kind regards,

Luis Ponte

[Kathleen Olander]

I too have pushed on with CEO office and I also had a reply from Luis Ponte as follows:-

"Thank you for your email.

I am very sorry that you remain unsatisfied with the frequency of your local mail delivery. As per my previous correspondence, we are doing all that we can to provide the best possible service to all of our customers, including your area.

Deliveries may be affected by the ongoing industrial action. This also causes a backlog of mail items which can affect the service for several days after. In addition, your local office regrettably is currently facing a much higher level of absence than normal, leaving them low on staffing resources. Nonetheless they are processing and delivering as much mail as they are capable of doing, and rounds are looped to ensure that no area goes too long without a delivery.

I recognise that this may be inconvenient and distressing, for which I again offer my sincerest apologies. We hope to have normal service levels resume as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Luis Ponte

Royal Mail - Chairman and Chief Executive Office"