The postal service

Yes - we did have 2 deliveries a day. And 2 collections from the local post-box. Since I have been using Gmail, I don’t get as much mail as I used to, except for junk. So really, I haven’t noticed any change.

We are now in the digital age and society has changed totally and completely. The rise of the internet, e-mails, smart phones and online shopping means high street shops and lots of services are affected, including Royal Mail. I think we will just have to get used to it, the erosion of services we once considered part of everyday life. Welcome to the 21st century.

Royal Mail International is appalling. 4 weeks and my envelope (where they are only accepting paper content) still has not arrived in the USA. Post Office is still advising 5-7 days for USA delivery.

Last week I got a Christmas card from lovely Australia post!

My parcel to one granddaughter in NZ never arrived sending g it in November for Christmas I complained end of January sending my receipt with the form I heard this week !!!

My nephew received his Congratulations on Your New Baby card four years after it was sent by my son via Royal Mail from Cornwall to Sussex!

Round here, collections are much reduced but we have had no reduction in deliveries (usually only catalogues)

I do love the parcel collection service as our village no longer has a post office and the ones in the nearby villages either have reduced opening or are really, really busy.

We sent a letter to the Dutch tax office on 19th December and it finally arrived on 30th January. I sent it tracked and signed for as it had important papers. Last week I got a letter apologising for the delay. I at least expected the cost of postage back but they do not give any compensation for international mail.

I sent a tube of etchings yesterday and had to pay nearly £8 to have it recorded delivery as I haven't been receiving mail. I'm just hoping it will be delivered. Such a shame as RM used to be so trusted and I would always,by preferrence, use them..

One item that's now a week late is a 48 hour tracked parcel. I've had 3 emails from royal mail saying that it will be delivered on that day. If they are not providing the service then they should refund.

I run an online business so the Royal Mail strike action followed by the cyber attack hit me pretty hard. One poor woman in Australia waited 3 months for her package which was posted on 6th December! EEEEk. Fortunately she was pleased with everything in it when it finally did arrive.

International mail seems pretty hit and miss. Some of my USA customers get their packages in about 10 days and with others its more like 3 weeks.

I had to move over to Evri while the cyber attack was on - a lot more expensive for no better service. Some of my customers paid extra for Fedex rather than risk the delay.

I have a surprise for you all- last Friday I sent two cards via Royal Mail to different addresses 'up North'- I live in the East of England btw.
The recipients of the cards both texted the next day to say the cards had arrived- Id only put 2nd class stamps on as neither was urgent!
Couldn't believe they'd been delivered the day after posting- a card I sent 1st class, in good time, to my Mum for her 80th birthday 12 years ago however, has yet to be delivered...

Last week I posted a parcel by Royal Mail Special Delivery. It was delivered in less than twenty four hours.
Thank you Royal Mail.

The post can be surprising. On 5th Jan I posted a package which arrived the following morning. It was 2nd Cass and took about 18 hours to get from the Midlands to the North Wales coast. That must be a record.

On 02 December 2022 I posted a small parcel at the Post Office to NZ and obtained certificate of posting. It had a label with a typed (large font) address, an air mail sticker and a completed customs declaration form on the front and a tiny self adhesive sticker on the back with my name & address and above it I wrote sender.
On 17 December the parcel was delivered to me - it beggars belief. I contacted Royal mail (hung on for 27 minutes) and due to the reference number on the certificate of posting they could confirm the parcel had actually never left the UK and had hung around at a "depot". No apology and offered just a book of 6 1st class stamps as compensation

I took a package addressed to Spain (tracked and signed for) to the post office. It is now on its way to New Zealand ! Called Royal Mail and they said it would be put back on the plane (all those airmiles). It was a collection of small paintings, previously sent separately to Spain by standard airmail, but never delivered to the recipient by the Spanish mail so returned to me one at a time over the last three months. I am grateful if things do arrive at their intended destination, although there have been very long delays.

We seem to get post two or three times a week only. Spoke to a friend recently who works for RM and he said the situation is dire. We live in Scotland, just to avoid confusion.

Royal mail is appalling and should be changed from Royal to UK Mail they do not deserve the title of Royal.
I had a hospital appointment arrive eventually through the post six days after I was supposed to go!

My DS works for Royal Mail and says the problem lies with the top man who is actually being looked into by Parliament for his lies and running of the Company. He messed up BA before taking on Royal Mail and is in the process of doing the self same thing with this company allegedly. The workers are furious with him because he is prioritising the parcels over the letters and changing rounds so the posties work longer days with different conditions which they say won’t work. The company Hubs are not working as they should and he’s seems to be trying to turn Royal Mail into DHS or similar! Apparently he’s hopeless at justifying any of his ridiculous changes and actions in Parliament and if you watch him on YouTube you will see he’s more worried about giving his share owner’s money than running the company how it’s always been run! It’s the same old saying ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it’.
There’s too many of these people nowadays trying to ‘fix’ companies that are working and efficient in my humble opinion.

Daisymae

One item that's now a week late is a 48 hour tracked parcel. I've had 3 emails from royal mail saying that it will be delivered on that day. If they are not providing the service then they should refund.

How fast is Royal Mail to Australia?
International delivery lead time takes 6 - 7 working days for Royal Mail Standard services. Signed and tracked Royal Mail services can take 2 - 5 working days.

That has never happened but it took 5 weeks during Covid lockdowns.

Now: A parcel posted tracked (airmail) last Thursday took two days from Post Office to a hub in Northampton where it sat for three days before it was sent to another hub near Heathrow.
It now says "Item leaving the UK" but presumably it has not yet left after 7 days.

nanna8

Last week I got a Christmas card from lovely Australia post!

Australia Post is hopeless too, I doubt my parcel will fare much better if it gets there!

And on top of all this they're now putting the price of stamps up! It will now be £1.10 (a 15p rise) for 1st Class, and 75p (a 7p rise) for 2nd Class. What a rip off!!

Bluedaisy

Interesting! What is his salary, I wonder 🤔

The postman who delivers to my daughter's block of flats simply goes in and dumps the lot on the floor rather than deliver to each flat's postbox as happened previously. We suspect that someone is simply throwing it all away as she has not received her last three letters about hospital appointments.