Post not being delivered by Royal Mail

[lilolil]

I still haven’t received birthday cards that were sent or my daughter’s gift (would’ve been in an envelope) that were posted in October.

No post this week so far.

[Spartacus]

I, bizarrely, got one letter yesterday. Addressed to "the legal owner" from Foxtons

Junk, paid for mail seems to be getting through 😂

[Kathleen Olander]

  Quote

I, bizarrely, got one letter yesterday. Addressed to "the legal owner" from Foxtons

Junk, paid for mail seems to be getting through 😂

 

Yes that's right, that's all I am getting in general. Yet, subscription magazines are not

arriving, at least not on time.

Still no regular parcels since 4th October!

[Sue]

I have received this from Helen Hayes today - it is hard to think of anything that she could do about this sorry situation that she has not already done or is doing:

Dear

Thank you very much for writing to me regarding Royal Mail services in the SE22 postcode.

I am very sorry to hear about the current unacceptable level of service you are receiving. It is particularly concerning that you have not been receiving vital hospital correspondence, or time sensitive documents.

I have been raising my concerns about the serious failings in local Royal Mail services for many years, and constituents across a number of different postcode areas are currently raising concerns once again about poor and infrequent service. As you mention, we have seen particularly poor service in SE22 since the disastrous decision to close the Silvester Road sorting office by Royal Mail. I would like to reassure you that I had nothing to do with this closure. In fact, the local ward councillors and I warned at that time that moving delivery services to Highshore Road in Peckham would create huge problems. Highshore Road is a long way from the furthest parts of SE22 and the topography in this area is challenging. We campaigned vigorously for Royal Mail to open a new fit for purpose delivery office in the SE22 area, but they refused.

I wrote about the Royal Mail last year in 2021, and I am saddened that we are still facing the same issues. If you would like to read this article, it can be found here: https://www.helenhayes.org.uk/royal_mail_0221

As your local MP, I have been urging Ofcom to take action against Royal Mail for its poor service. I have also been calling on Minister’s to intervene to improve the Government’s oversight of postal services and ensure Royal Mail is accountable to the public.

Locally, I meet with Royal Mail frequently to raise the concerns of my constituents, most recently earlier last week. I am concerned that we appear to be seeing a deterioration just as we are entering the peak Christmas period for deliveries. I made the point to Royal Mail that I do not believe that these issues are related to strikes.

I have also recently written to Royal Mail on behalf of many constituents who share the same issues in SE22. In my emails, I set out concerns about delays of post and the reduction in the frequency of deliveries. Many constituents face missing out on vital information and time sensitive packages, which I find unacceptable. I have asked that these concerns are investigated and that Royal Mail set out the steps that are being taken to improve services before the busy Christmas season.

Please let me know if you would also like me to write to Royal Mail on your behalf also, as I would be happy to do this.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Helen

[Bic Basher]

Had a phone call today telling me the doctor will be contacting me with regards to a hospital appointment by letter! They seem to have no idea that the postal service in ED is next to non existent.

[Twoddle]

  Bic Basher said:

Had a phone call today telling me the doctor will be contacting me with regards to a hospital appointment by letter! They seem to have no idea that the postal service in ED is next to non existent.

 

Similar issue. You can ask them to send it to someone you know outside the area as a temporary measure.

I don't know anyone else in London outside SE22 and so my item is now being sent for the third time since late September. Third time lucky they said!

[Puppa smurf]

I have just left the Peckham post office after filing my second complaint. I asked to speak to the manager one is in a meeting not coming in and the other is having a rest day. The lady behind the counter informed me that Dulwich has no staff and there are piles and piles of packages and boxes of post. Staff are off sick or their not coming in.

She only gave me one letter which is first class from 3 November. She said the boxes are not her problem it's a Dulwich problem and she works for Peckham she cannot help me. The manager will be in the office tomorrow if anyone wants to go down there.

[-_-]

You lot need to look for alternatives to Royal Mail. go electric where possible, use alternative delivery operatives and make plans to collect all of these important documents in person from an allocated location. When you really think about it, what is it you need to have delivered to you exclusively by Royal mail? If the answer is "more than you'd think" then maybe you should start thinking about being more active in supporting the strikes. Hurry the decisions along. I see a lot of complaining to the CEO about individual experience but nothing about the overall state of their business. You all know how awful it is for the postal workers at christmas, their workload more than doubles without much additional resourcing to accommodate it. The strikes are more about remedying this sort of thing than it is pay (which is also of importance, of course).

As all these problems mount up and the public patience wears thin, postal workers are then being stopped on the street for a ten minute q+a about the situation further adding to the delays. Would you prefer these workers to stay long beyond their working hours to accomodate this as well? It is an incredibly physical job, Kilos of weight over several miles each day, especially with backlog. We cannot and should not expect postal workers to mainline anything we can get elsewhere and shame on any of you computer literate people should you complain about a christmas card this year. We all know it'll be bad until the the new year so lets just make alternative arrangements.

UP THE WORKERS!

[-_-]

I should explain, I joined to rant because it looked like my postman was going to have a nervous breakdown this morning and I had just had a particularly annoying meeting so wanted to yell-type into the void.

This happens every year, a few of you have even typed as much, figure it out. Im almost 90% digital now and unlocked the secret cheat codes by being nice to my postman:

-If you cant avoid Royal Mail, get it sent tracked.

-Claim refunds from royal mail and enjoy the added bonus of it turning up later anyway.

Seriously people, its a blessing when you think about it.

[niozza]

I don't think anyone on this thread said anything negative / dismissing about any postman. The reason we're complaining is that MANAGEMENT (not poor postal workers) failed time and time again. I even asked my postman if the complaints would reflect badly on him before I complained, but he actually encouraged me to complain and be vocal about it. Same with the lady in Peckham - she strongly suggested us to complain in writing. Sometimes when you buy certain items there is no alternative other than RM and occasionally people might want to send you items using RM. I told all my friends not to send me anything for the foreseeable but don't think it's the answer.

We are complaining about lack of accountability, which is something I believe postal workers agree upon when thinking of management.

[-_-]

I would argue that the "absent mail without a recent strike" sentiment echoed in a few posts within this thread could be classed as an unintentional complaint in their direction. I dont even think there's a managerial spell that can be cast to squeeze those days without staff into a normal days work. How do you absorb the weight of those items into a regular day without some kind of stress on the worker? Ive no idea what their sytems are so perhaps Im wrong but I cant imagine it being much different. I just want to steer the conversation towards a positive local action in favour of the strikes because it seems to me like the sooner they realise how much we rely on this stuff, the sooner we can return to some reasonable normalcy... and my post man will return to his usual cheery self!

[Penguin68]

  Quote

If you cant avoid Royal Mail, get it sent tracked.

Not, actually, your option if it's your bank(s) sending a statement or card, HMG sending Road Tax information, licence information, tax information or demands etc.; local authorities sending out stuff (including traffic and parking fines) - someone else, e.g. utilities, sending a bill reminder etc. (not everyone is on the internet) etc. etc.

[Penguin68]

  Quote

I dont even think there's a managerial spell that can be cast to squeeze those days without staff into a normal days work.

Yes there is, it's called proper and effective management. In Silvester Road days the SE22 walks were properly staffed and 3 additional staff were in the DO after the walks went out, to hand out parcels and as relief/ cover staff. As the walks were all local staff could also readily complete their walk and return and, if necessary or if desired do an 'over-time' walk. Posties are employed over 5 days a week to cover 6 days of delivery, which meant reliefs were needed for rest days. Additionally summer leave was covered effectively by the 'spare' two posties in the DO (one was always needed on duty there). There were, it is true, problems associated with mass staff sickness (e.g. flu) but there was no legal need to isolate if ill.

DOs have always been able to deliver 6 days of regular post delivery, and many outside SE22 still do. No 'spells' required - just good management, recruitment and retention.

We all (and Helen Hayes in particular) made it clear before the move that moving staff delivering in SE22 outside the district would inevitably be sub-optimal and cause problems. It was and it did.

The strikes have certainly caused additional problems for all DOs - but it is clear that the ED DO has been brought even further down on it's knees than before - but it hasn't been properly managed for 4 years - and the abominable service we now have is simply the poor management chickens coming firmly to roost. Most other DOs have had service hiccups following strike days but have very soon recovered (ask around of those not living in this Royal Mail wasteland) - people cannot believe what we have been putting up with for so long!

[Bic Basher]

The issues here I think are about cover. If there's no cover for a round, then the round simply doesn't get done until the postie returns to work which has happened here more than once since the move to Peckham.

[Kathleen Olander]

  Bic Basher said:

The issues here I think are about cover. If there's no cover for a round, then the round simply doesn't get done until the postie returns to work which has happened here more than once since the move to Peckham.

 

My regular postman is still doing his walk, he is just not delivering anything of importance.

Subscription stuff, letters with postage stamps and small parcels have not been sorted for weeks and are therefore not being delivered.

[Penguin68]

The Sunday Times has an article today (it's behind a pay-wall, so no link) suggesting this problem is quite wide, with the Royal Mail focusing on premium posted mail and telling staff to deliver this instead of 'normal' mail, posted first class or not. I had a Covid testing kit posted to me on 2nd November - my testing window (part of the ONS survey) closes shortly - but no kit delivered yet. Royal Mail claims it prioritises testing kit, it clearly doesn't!

We have too many stories from insiders of piles of mail sitting unsorted as the profitable (or more profitable) stuff gets prioritised. Soon we will know that if we want to send anything ourselves (or get anything sent to us) we must pay for tracked or other premium (expensive) services.

Frankly it's an insult to the late Queen and to the King that they are still able to hide behind the epithet 'Royal'. 'Rogue Mail' would be more appropriate.

[jazzer]

Does a postal Ombudsman service exist?

[Kathleen Olander]

  Quote

Does a postal Ombudsman service exist?

 

Yes, Ofcom

[-_-]

I think the main culprit here is privitisation, not just the relocation of the sorting office. Relocation shouldnt really matter as long as travel time is accounted for but I suspect a few numbers were crunched during the move to sweep that allocation under the carpet. So you take an entire office, move it 10 minutes away from its initial location and add 20 minutes to every walk to account for return times also (perhaps im being a little generous on the tiimings here but you get the point). 3 or 4 walks adds an hour to the office so you can see it quickly adding up right? I strongly suspect they'd prefer to take hours OUT of the business rather than inject more into the office. I also strongly suspect they're not about to relocate again to a closer location regardelss of whether it would make a saving or not (it wont) so we need to move on from the relocation complaint. It's a 4+year old complaint and its got us all nowhere. Now I dont want to keep banging the drum on this but I really think our best bet is to look at these strikes properly. Several times within this thread (the annual thread) people have talked about unavoidable Royal Mail items, things you cant get in any other way. The strikes are not only for pay but mainly because the post force is being expected to deliver this stuff along side much more profitable items, in increasing volumes within tighter time constraints. In many cases they are even implementing planned overtime which basically means your mail is planned to fail in heavy periods unless you delivery person works over their time, regularly. This is nationwide. Bombarding the CEO with the knowledge that you havent received a letter or whatever isnt doing anything, theyre so many steps removed from the problem their response is just protocol. I believe the postal workers are already fighting for this to not get worse each year so we need to back them instead of coming on here and winding each other up annually. Royal mail needs better resourcing, less profit, tell the CEOs that

[smooch]

Does anyone have the email for the manager at Peckham Sorting Office?

the address I had before bounced.

[Spartacus]

The track and trace site for Royal Mail seems to be down which makes it even more fun trying to gauge if your letter or parcel will arrive

[apod]

  Quote

The track and trace site for Royal Mail seems to be down which makes it even more fun trying to gauge if your letter or parcel will arrive

 

It's been down for days. I am as well waiting for the parcel sent on 31/10, I am still hopeful it will get delivered eventually.

[Kathleen Olander]

Post today consisted of a checkatrade leaflet a Sofa.com leaflet and a Thames Water bill.

Radio Times and Spectator have not arrived for weeks and as they are tired of extending my subscription are going

to send tracked for next 2 weeks.

In the meantime no small parcels have arrived at all since 4th October and no way of tracking.

[Twoddle]

Finally two of my packages came, one with a letter dated 28th September, another dated mid-October. They're both obsolete now.

I'm awaiting a third to arrive from when I chased it up last week.

[RichH]

^^^ Yes, perhaps a tiny ray of hope. This afternoon I had my first delivery of a small package via Royal Mail since September. Granted, this was a replacement item and it should have been delivered on Saturday, but at least it did turn up! It was delivered by a random chap in a black tracksuit so I'm guessing not a full-time RM employee. But maybe they've finally got some temp staff in to help.