Postal Delays

[hayfield]

On 19/12/2020 at 21:04, Dave47549 said:

 

I put a direct application in for Xmas temps at a Mail Centre approx. 7 miles away from me, accompanied with the info that I had experience of most sorters roles within SEAMaC. The (expected) 'thanks but no thanks' reply came back about 48 hours later. 

 

I've got quite a collection of these potential-employment 'Dear John's' now. Still, I suppose that's us workshy 50-somethings for you .. 

 

In the last financial crisis I had to change jobs, ageism actually worked in my favour. My them boss proffered older people as he felt they are far more reliable than younger people. During one crisis he manager kindly referred to me as her "get out of jail" free card. As it happens the job roll changed quite a bit during my time with the company. My first boss was proved right as we took on several younger employees, their attitude and work ethos was totally different

 

We moved house 5 years ago, my wife being 60 found it extremely difficult to find employment let alone worthwhile employment. We both have found younger people in management now having an ageist attitude, which in the end I decided not to react against, but just play up to it. Caused no end of laughter to those in the know. Sadly businesses now rather employ/promote those who pass exams rather than those who are better suited to the doing the job 

[hayfield]

20 minutes ago, D9020 Nimbus said:

The situation in Yorkshire appears to have eased. A (non-railway) parcel posted in Yorkshire on Saturday arrived Tyneside today — 48-hour tracked. A fortnight earlier, one took 10 days having taken a detour via "Home Counties North MC".

 

I bought an item on eBay yesterday, posted today. Will I get it this or next year ?

[spamcan61]

Depends, a loco I bought on eBay on the 18th turned up today via RM so not all bad.

[cessna152towser]

Today I was refused my supply of medicines by the pharmacy because they say the prescription hasn't yet arrived from the doctor's surgery.  Surgery insists it has been sent.   Luckily I have a couple of weeks supply in reserve.

[LimboBrit]

22 minutes ago, cessna152towser said:

...... the prescription hasn't yet arrived from the doctor's surgery.  Surgery insists it has been sent.

Surely it would be sent digitally i.e. pretty much instantaneously 

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

I bought an item on eBay yesterday, posted today. Will I get it this or next year ?

Same here.

[Bucoops]

I remembered I'd not bought Christmas cards for the important people - ordered Saturday, arrived this morning. So certainly some parts of the service are running very well.

[hayfield]

3 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Same here.

 

Mine was a bit of a punt A GWR plastic Python kit, which has been taken apart and what looks like a SECR 3 compartment etched brass Birdcage coach. Looks to be very well built (hard bit done) needs roof, bogies, door handles and grab handles and underframe castings. Hoping I have most of the bits required in the spares box, the Python is in bits, being plastic should be easy to rebuild, just missing the odd underframe details.

 

The fun is what have I found !! Got a bit board on Saturday night. eBay recons I will get it on Thursday !!

[cessna152towser]

35 minutes ago, LimboBrit said:

Surely it would be sent digitally i.e. pretty much instantaneously 

No, the repeat prescription is a paper document which goes back and forward between pharmacy and surgery.

[melmerby]

56 minutes ago, cessna152towser said:

No, the repeat prescription is a paper document which goes back and forward between pharmacy and surgery.

AFAIK Mine are done digitally

Here's the relevant part of the website:

 

Electronic Prescriptions

Most prescriptions are now signed, sent and processed electronically.

You have 2 choices for how this works.

You can choose a pharmacy or dispenser to dispense all your prescriptions. When you get a prescription, it will be sent electronically to the dispenser you have chosen. You can collect your medicines or appliances without having to hand in a paper prescription.

You can decide each time you are issued a prescription where you would like it to be dispensed. When you are issued a prescription, you will be given a paper copy that you can take to any pharmacy or other dispenser in England. The paper copy will contain a unique barcode that will be scanned to download your prescription from the secure NHS database.

Paper prescriptions will continue to be available in special circumstances, but almost all prescriptions will be processed electronically.

[LimboBrit]

1 hour ago, cessna152towser said:

No, the repeat prescription is a paper document which goes back and forward between pharmacy and surgery.

How quaint!

[J. S. Bach]

1 hour ago, hayfield said:

Mine was a bit of a punt A GWR plastic Python kit,  ...snip...

Mine is a traffic sign (another small hobby) from Texas "ROAD MAY FLOOD" which I will put beside my driveway.

[melmerby]

Here's a good one from RM where the tracking went completely haywire

 

 

Note the time between Item received 05 August & Item Leaving Overseas 06 August!

I actually had a "we have your item, you will be receiving it shortly (or words to that effect) at that time but then it went back to Singapore.

 

After the 11 August I heard nothing for some time and complained to RM, who said the item had gone back to Singapore as undeliverable for some unknown reason but was back in this country and the tracking was correct and I would get it soon, however the sender's own tracking showed that it had not gone back to the UK at all and was returned as undeliverable and that was that. I got a refund from them.

 

At the same time as this I had another Tracked 48 parcel that showed it had been delivered 3 months earlier from Enfield DO as soon as I had the tracking from the sender.

I got the parcel without getting any other tracking info until it came through the door, at which time the fully tracked journey became apparent (and did not include Enfield!)

 

[hayfield]

43 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Mine is a traffic sign (another small hobby) from Texas "ROAD MAY FLOOD" which I will put beside my driveway.

 

I have just checked, its coming using Hermes  

 

Will it even make it to Essex ? 

[TheQ]

2 hours ago, cessna152towser said:

No, the repeat prescription is a paper document which goes back and forward between pharmacy and surgery.

At one time our surgery would accept telephone requests for prescriptions, the surgery is also the pharmacy. Then they stopped that, and you have to put in the paper form attached to the previous prescription.

 

So far we have had no delays to post or any of the courier service..

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by TheQ

[meatloaf]

Updates from work at the post office today...

 

Tomorrow is the last day to post special deliveries that they are guaranteeing will be there on xmas eve.

 

As of tomorrow prioriy is being given to special deliveries. 1st and 2nd class parcels are very low priority.

 

Parcelforce have suspended all international services. We are not to accept anything going outside the UK via parcelforce.

[LimboBrit]

44 minutes ago, meatloaf said:

Parcelforce have suspended all international services. We are not to accept anything going outside the UK via parcelforce.

Is there any reason for this?

[Bucoops]

3 hours ago, hayfield said:

 

I have just checked, its coming using Hermes  

 

Will it even make it to Essex ? 

 

I have no doubt. The question is which one?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_County

[newbryford]

37 minutes ago, LimboBrit said:

Is there any reason for this?

 

Lack of international flights as 40 countries have currently stopped accepting planes from the UK may have something to do with it.

Edited December 21, 2020 by newbryford

[BokStein]

IIRC, Parcelforce have their own fleet of planes and an international hub at Tollbar just outside Coventry?

 

 

[adb968008]

Well in South London, the mail seems to be all over the shop.

 

ive sent a dozen plus cards etc in the last 14 days, so far big fat zero have arrived... one was only going to the other side of South London, about 10 miles max, so I think I can firmly point the finger at Croydon.

 

deliveries are all over the shop to.. one from Rails took 14 days to arrive, same day as another arrived sent two days earlier. Ive stuff from early December thats not arrived, stuff from last week showed up, you just cant predict it.

 

I went to the local post office today, they've not had a pick up since Friday and been told to reject anything other than Special delivery / 1st class signed for, unless that can safely store it..  half their shelves have been stripped in panic buying, theyve stored parcels on the shelves awaiting RM collection instead, so it looks like they are running out of warehouse space in my part of the world too... perhaps they could rent shelf space from Sainsbury's, as Ive noticed thats been stripped bare again today too. Despite Tier 4 lockdown, it hasn't stopped everyone coming out on the streets.. its rammed packed today.

 

South London is becoming reminiscent of communist Poland.. nothing works, shelves are bare and everyones wandering the streets...next comes solidarity..

 

 

Edited December 21, 2020 by adb968008

[meatloaf]

1 hour ago, LimboBrit said:

Is there any reason for this?

None that theyve specified, but reading between the lines parcelforce stuff goes on the sea whereas RM goes airmail. 

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, hayfield said:

I have just checked, its coming using Hermes  

Mine is coming via FedEx.

[newbryford]

1 hour ago, BokStein said:

IIRC, Parcelforce have their own fleet of planes and an international hub at Tollbar just outside Coventry?

 

 

 

Possibly so, but aren't Royal Mail (ParcelForce is a subsidiary of Royal Mail)  planes for "internal use" only and international stuff is shifted on other carriers?

(A quick check and internal UK RM traffic seems to be contracted out to Titan Airways.)

 

As these countries have stopped accepting flights from the UK - does that also include freight (mail/parcels) traffic?

 

Not UK, but there is a report of a Covid outbreak in Australia being caused by international flightcrew not obeying local rules.  So it is understandable that these 40 countries will say no to all flights. Hopefully on a temporary basis.

 

I have a minor connection with logistics [*] so I fully understand Parcelforce's decision.

 

[rant on]

Whatever - it's Christmas time, parcel/post is far higher than previous levels.

Is it really such an issue if stuff is delayed a bit?

Especially as large parts of the developed world seem to assume a position of over-indulgence once every orbit of the Sun in late December.

 

Are we all in danger of suffering  cabin fever during these restricted times and starting to act a bit unusual?

(From personal experience, I do actually believe that is true)

 

Like many others doing far more important tasks than me (and I salute you all across many walks of life that have kept things living and running), I have had very little time off since March and looking forward to switching my work email to auto-reply for 11 days from this Thursday.

 

[*] Having to reply to (sometimes snotty) emails from customers wondering where their parcel is and blaming us for third party issues.

 

[/rant over]

 

[Sir TophamHatt]

7 hours ago, newbryford said:

Is it really such an issue if stuff is delayed a bit?

 

But what happens if it's something you could do with, but has supposedly been lost in the post?

I ordered something early December.  Have been given a refund but not sure if the seller did actually post the item.  I don't need two of them but don't want to spend the money (more money as the first was a good deal) on a second item if the first will turn up in the next 30 days.