Well my post arrived eventually - just before 4.00pm today. Different postmen day after day.

Does anyone know what is going on?

Mine comes around 13:00 - 14:00 now, used to be about 10:00 - 11:00. Had a letter the other day explaining that they are re-organising the rounds to increase efficiency, and as a result postal delivery times will change.

It's not the end of the world, RM still offer various options for guaranteed delivery services, if something is that important.

Of course it is not the end of the world Matt.

Not that long ago we used to have two deliveries at day, one early morning and the second around noon.

Until this recent latest change in deliveries we got mail between 1 and 2 pm.

The erosion of the Post Office and its services goes on to produce figures that will make it interesting to private buyers of the whole system.

I keep hoping that as my life starts towards its end the young will pick up the baton and fight for standards of service. If not you will end up with what scraps are thrown for you to scavange.

So who gets my previous delivery slot of 8.30am-10.00am? If it's all getting delivered still, I can't see the benefit!

Whoever is first on the route. I'd hazard a guess they are using less agency postman to reduce costs, and perhaps rotating existing postmen when one round is busier than usual (hence the different postmen).

As I said previously, there is no loss of standards, the standards are met, so long as you're willing to pay for it. We're living in the modern world, and imho, it's about time the Royal Mail had some competition in the industry. The same thing happened whilst BT still had the monopoly, but since they lost complete control of the network, internet in the UK has improved ten-fold, alongside massive price reductions.

I can order from ebuyer at 23:00 and have it delivered before 09:00 the following day. Now that is service.

I dont care what time it comes. Nothing that important ever comes in it anyway. I only ever see my postman during periods of unemployment so i dont know the regular patten. I get more charity bags and fast food leaflets than mail anyway.

What I don't really understand is how Royal Mail's competitors can take on mail from the big companies but the normal postman ends up delivering it. How does that make sense? Virtually every day our postie brings stuff from DHL, TNT etc.Clearly those companies are creaming off the easy stuff and leaving Royal Mail with the non or low profit ordinary mail.Hardly seems like fair competition to me.

It's similar to BT's gradually eroding monopoly on the telephony system - they have control over the "last mile". It's cheaper for companies like Sky etc, to send letters by UK Mail for instance, but at some point, they end up in RM's sorting office, where UK Mail have to pay them to deliver the mail.

Currently, RM's control over the last mile for regular mail deliveries, is protected by law; when there are postal strikes, if you want a letter delivering, UK Mail, TNT etc can all deliver it for you, but it has to be delivered in the form of a parcel and thus costs considerably more (though the likes of TNT were running special promotions at the last postal strike, for businesses wishing to send letters [as parcels] in order to drum up future business relationships thus gaining business from RM - something RM's workers don't give a shit about, and then have the audacity moan about job cuts, hellooooo??).

RM don't have any protection for final point of delivery, any of the competition can start doing this but it would take a massive investment in a somewhat volatile market.

I'm pretty sure BT haven't any protection any longer either.

Why were the competing companies telling customers they couldn't to deliver mail to businesses, unless in the form of parcels, at the last mail strike then?

BT's protection has been eroded, but no matter how much BT Group want to argue, the fact remains that Openreach and BT Retail/Wholesale are sister companies, and since Openreach have tried everything in their power to network restrict access to the likes of Easynet etc, to prevent competitors being able to offer cheaper services, and slowdown the installation of competitors customer broadband services, there is still foul play taking place. It's not the first time I have heard of people having murder waiting on Openreach to enable x providers connection, only to phone BT up and enquire, and to be told that if they go with BT Broadband, it would be up and running in 48 hours...

If it were a fair market, the BT Group should be forced to relinquish/sell either control of Openreach, or the BT Retail/Wholesale divisions.

On a sidenote, I see Openreach got a bit of a battering from Ofcom today, which will hopefully go towards cheaper prices for our services.

Ah I see, it is a legal restriction, though subtle enough for the government and RM bosses to argue there is "nothing stopping them":


One rule for one, and a different rule for everyone else, hardly makes for a fair playing field.

Source - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8327863.stm

I was talking to my regular postman the other day and he told me he mightn't be on this round much longer because the RM were giving the longest serving postmen a choice of which round they wanted to do and since then it's been a different postman and later deliveries

Probably in an attempt to stop them spitting their dummies out and going on strike again, thus leading to more loss of business and further job cuts.

It's the long-serving ones who tend to strike, as they think the company should revolve and evolve around their needs, rather than the needs of the business or the customer.

It's very easy to bash Royal Mail and yes prices have increased as the years have moved on. Leaving that aside and thinking about what you get for your 46 pence - IMHO Royal Mail really is exceptional value for money

TNT did a trial in Liverpool in 2009 of delivering to letterboxes.

How on earth do you define the difference between a letter delivery and a parcel delivery?

Our company office is at home in Bromborough, we dont hold our breath on getting deliveries!! Its that bad here. We LWAYS get post, wether its personal, invoices, cheques statements or sales catalogues (business) etc. Here we can go a day without post. have complained to the main office in Rock Ferry but no joy. In our previous place in Birkenhead no probs.

ours comes at different hours of the day and pushes parcels through the door rather than knocking so buy time parcel is on our side pf the door half the packaging is ripped open
Other week he was putting our mail in other neighbours door and vice cersa. I took the neighbours mail and posted through their door but we didnt recieve ours including a birthday card for my 4 year old daughter last month that hasnt turned up

That's a huge assumption. It is often the longest serving people who have seen the mistakes in the past that management want to repeat every time they come up with a "new" concept developed by playing boardroom bingo (throw all the buzzwords in a hat then make a sentence by pulling them out one by one).

I totally agree, 46pence to post a letter for delivery hundreds of miles away is pretty good.
As regards the earlier comment about Royal Mail strikes, I am not sure I can remember them on strike recently.They did not strike with the public sectors (they are a private company) on 30th November last year.

Indeed, but they refuse to accept any change, and then go on strike - in the process, sending more and more business to competitors, which means they have to endure further job cuts, and heavier workloads for the staff that remain. Confidence in Royal Mail is at an all-time low tbh, and will probably never recover. I've noticed however, businesses are starting to use them a lot more where possible (had multiple deliveries off Amazon and ebuyer this week, both parcels and packages, all via RM), so they could really do with avoiding another strike.

Postmen have probably the worst (modern-day) reputation for striking.

It is PC to say postmen, should it be postal delivery worker, or postperson lol...

A private company, with government protection; whoever said protectionism was dead, surprised it hasn't ruffled a few feathers within the EU CC yet...

All of Royal Mail protection was removed it is a free market.

Its in the competitors interest to make as much propaganda as possible to bring Royal Mail down as they want it divided up and shared out because they aren't prepared to risk their own investment in challenging the market head on.

So you're saying the VAT rule leaves all RM's competitors on a fair and level playing field?

In other ways its biased against RM (the same as it was biased against BT at one point) ....

Cherry-picking.

The non-RM mail companies only bid on the big lucrative contracts, but this means the companies (usually RM) that do all contracts are then left to pick up the less lucrative contracts which biases their ability to make profit.

Royal mail are obligated to provide services which the other companies don't have to comply with.

I'm working on the VAT rule lol

Of course, it's swings and roundabouts, but a lot of the revenue problems, RM, and their staffs attitude, have bought on themselves over recent years.

There is certainly something to be said for the fact they deliver well into the Scottish Highlands and other remote/desolate places, that even DHL and UPS won't bother with, but they do usually charge a premium for these locations (though letters don't attract any premium). I'd hazard a guess though that it isn't losing them as much money as companies simply ditching them because competitors are more reliable (if RM were operating a consistent, high quality service, then companies would tend to stick with them upto a point, but to offer an unreliable, inconsistent service, which over the past 10 years, has been plagued with strikes, any company may as well choose the cheapest operator, as quality can't be any worse).

The latest bill separates Royal Mail and Post Office from what I understand, also latest ofcom stuff seems to introduce the concept that stamps are not linked to Royal Mail but are universal in nature (but guess who will be delivering those letters to the more isolated parts. This possibly(?) isolates the vat rule.

IMHO the Royal Mail blew it when they closed loads of post offices, the trade from ebay/internet has grown immensely but household deliveries are difficult if nobody is in. A "collect from your local post office which is now open until 6.30/7.30" instead of the thousands of failed deliveries would make sense to the provider and the customer. Royal Mail would have had the buildings in place to provide this service and be a massive competitive edge over the competition and have their own niche market.

Imagine that you just get an email/txt saying you have a parcel to collect from your registered post office - it just sounds too convenient all round doesn't it.

Yep, you make a good point, they have invested/partnered with PayPal and eBay to offer their online postage services automatically to eBay sellers, with a small discount, and yet as you say, they don't have the infrastructure to make the service convenient for the recipient.

I dread the delivery note through the door "your parcel is at your local dso" which always goes onto say "it will be available for collection 72 hours/3 working days from the time of the original delivery". And then "your local DSO is open for 3 hours a day, and if you work, tough".

Pathetic, abysmal service, at least with the likes of City Link etc, you can collect the parcel the same day as the delivery attempt, else they will re-attempt delivery the following day. Ordered new laptop a few weeks back, on Friday for Sat morning delivery before 12, and DPD actually sent me a text in advance with a 1 hour timeslot, and I could reply to them to let them know of a more convenient time for me etc... Fantastic, RM deliver something recorded or special, and it can be 48 hours before the sender even gets notification that it's been delivered lol.

RM could learn a lot of things, but their staff would also have to learn to be more flexible and adapt to the modern-world - which they seem unable/unwilling to do, and would rather suffer job losses until we get to the point whereby the RM goes bust.

There are a couple of parcel firms that I have to collect from Wrexham and outskirts of Liverpool, some charge redelivery fees as well (even though you don't always get sufficient time to cntact them). Like you say, I dread that card, but usually its in next morning if you try.

Prenton sorting office is ok, its open a lot, Pacific Road seems to make it as awkward as possible (as Heswall used to as well, if its still open).

The Royal Mail are atrocious. In the last 3 months I have had 2 deliveries 'atempted' even though someone was in and waiting for them (no knock, no doorbell). 5-6 correctly addressed letters delivered to my neighbours. 5 properly labelled parcels delivered that were not even for my street, let alone a neighbour, the only similarity in the label being the house number, the rest being different. Numerous letters not arriving. All this bundled in random delivery times between 9am and 4pm.

The quality of service has rapidly declined recently as far as I can see.

I dread any online deliveries that state 'royal mail'

At least fast food takeaway leaflets are reliably regular lol

To be fair, where you have a duff postman, if it was another company running it, it could well be the same person delivering - there's always going to be some poor workers.

I've always had good service from my postmen and delivery times used to be great when you got deliveries before 9am.

This is known to happen in a few instances:

When the postman (postpersons?) is delivering from a van, and can't be arsed to get the parcel out incase they have to put it back in the van, so they just card.

When it's being delivered on a regular post round, they sometimes can't be arse carrying it, so they just card instead.

The other time it happens, is when it is supposed to be delivered by a van, but no delivery slots available, so they pass it off onto the postmans round, who then leases it at the DSO because it's too big to carry.

Panorama did a whistle-blower investigation in RM a few years back, and it was pretty damming for both elements, management and staff. It revealed a lot as to why the service, and the public perception of it, is, for want of a better word, shit.

Usually I would agree but the service I got at Pacific Road just trying to locate a parcel (let alone pick it up) was lack luster at best.

EDIT: Oh and not forgetting the recorded delivery package that HE signed and posted through the door :S

I remember years ago, when I was a kid (90's), for years we had the same, reliable and friendly postman, named John, who was fantastic, well known within the community. My nan and grandad who lived a 2 minute walk away, had another postman name Ken, who they had known for so long (20 years+), they just used to let him walk in the house and he'd appear in the living room with the mail, exchange a few pleasantries, and be on his way. He used to send them Xmas cards, but I don't think he paid for delivery rofl.

Ah, those were the days. Both are probably retired now, how times and the world we live in changes eh?!

Yeah, they're really terrible at Pacific Road, they won't even look for the parcel half the time if you turn up before the 72 hours stated on the card, even if there isn't a queue.

And for people doing a customer-facing role, sometimes their general attitude plainly stinks.

I can understand if they have targets to meet and now have bigger rounds, less time, etc, etc. But they are paid for a minimum service level that they should at least provide as stated, like you said Matt, the age of the friendly 'above and beyond/anything to help' postman is long gone. But so it seems has some of the basics too.

They're unwilling to adapt with the times, yet don't seem to respect the core-values and working ethics of the old-skool.

I've never been a posty though, so I guess I have limited scope for complaint. I'm still entitled to an opinion however.

At least that (postie) is one job they can't "offshore" !!

Shhhhh

Don't give them idea's, where there's a will, there's a way.

So that is what the offshore wind farms are really for????

What, to blow the mail to you?

21st century message in a bottle?

How green is that

In the last two weeks i've had three packages not received, and letters for my neighbours delivered to my house and had to deliver myself. Also i have received and re-directed letters for Kenilworth road in Neston and i`m in Kenilworth rd ,Seacombe! I don't know where my two reg post men have got to, but they are definitely missed!

I got a card through my door a couple of months back and it said i could rearrange delivery, pick it up from the depot or could have it delivered to local post office for collection, although this one has a charge for it. Surely they should not be allowed to charge for this since the postal workers go and pick up parcels from each post office and it'd just be as easy to drop off parcels there at the same time?
My parents are constantly getting post for the people in the next road, not just neighbours, even though they are correctly addressed. The house number is the same but the road name and postcode are different but they get 2/3 letters a week for other people. They used to take them round but now they just give them back to the postman or put them back in the postbox but they got one of the letters back a second time last time they did this.

Was it a card from a courier? Courier services work differently from post offices.

I can honestly say that most posties I've worked with do try their best but mistakes do happen.I once put all guys mail and packages through his next door neighbours who were out and had to knock and tell him,thankfuly he was ok about it but you do have to be careful when going down i.e. stanley street / stanley ave as you go in to auto pilot.Myself if I have a package thats too big for the letter box i'll try next door and as a last resort look for a place to leave it thats safe and out of view,if you do the same walk you get to know the people and most are happy for you to do this so they dont have to wait 48hrs to pick it up.the jobs worth posties mainly come from the fact a guy in southport put a recorderd delivery letter through a old ladys house while she was out to save her the bus ride to pick it up and she then rang up his manager to thank him for the help only to get sacked the next day,this led to strikes and he eventuly got his job back but since then the attitude has been to do it to the book.Mistakes can and will happen but if its a common thing then the postie should be pulled on it.It is a crap job now compared to 5 years ago but at the end of the day its a job.with regards to the late post we are only contracted to work till 1pm anything after is volentry overtime and as the walks have changed and gone longer most don't want to work it so he/she takes it back to i.e. new ferry who will try and give it out to anyone willing to do it mostly agency workers but if not its left till the next day.

cant fault our postman always says good morning and delivers round about the same time every day .if he has a parcel for us and we are not in he will give it to a paticular neighbour that he knows we trust.so dont tar them all the same.

no it was royal mail

I think you need to understand what happens when you're not in for a parcel delivery. The package goes back to chester and is re-distributed and then held at the local sorting office usually for a week and then kicked back to the sender or sent to belfast for holding if the sender's address can't be determined.

I think you need to understand what happens when you're not in for a parcel delivery. The package goes back to chester and is re-distributed and then held at the local sorting office usually for a week and then kicked back to the sender or sent to belfast for holding if the sender's address can't be determined.

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If your local delivery office is working the new van share system your packages get returned by your postman to his D.O. When he finishes so they don't need to go back to Chester for 48 hrs & should be ready to be collected the next day.

It was my postman that left the note and I rang and rearranged delivery for a couple of days later and the postman brought it back. I didn't go anywhere to pick it up

Not postmen per se I was considering, just the sudden variation in delivery times. If the post arrives at 4.00 pm I would rather receive it by 8.00 am. I happily remember a much, much better service than that which we have now.

A box full of our coastguard kit was returned to Dublin for some reason. Seems a bit silly really as there's plenty of sorting offices around. Then it went on to get 'lost' and they had no idea where abouts it was.