Royal Mail - Covid affecting service

[DIW]

15 minutes ago, micklner said:

A Xmas card arrived 2 days ago .

And....that's about 340 days early! 

[Steadfast]

On 18/01/2022 at 00:11, John M Upton said:

Yet the parcel couriers like DPD, Hermes and the others seem completely unaffected?

 

Odd...

No sick pay for the self employed contractors that form the majority I'd imagine.

 

Jo

[Jonboy]

For at least one of the above the self employed drivers have (or had last time I spoke to one of their drivers ) to pay for cover if off sick as well as losing the days money.

[hayfield]

12 hours ago, Steadfast said:

No sick pay for the self employed contractors that form the majority I'd imagine.

 

Jo

 

12 hours ago, Jonboy said:

For at least one of the above the self employed drivers have (or had last time I spoke to one of their drivers ) to pay for cover if off sick as well as losing the days money.

 

Having been self employed for 29 years this is part of being self employed running your own business. When I took holidays I had to arrange cover and if I got very busy I had to contract work out, which again either costs money or reduces profit

 

The problem with some of these delivery companies is they needed a large number of couriers quickly and at low pay rates, they seemingly employed far too many unsuitable types who in the end were unable/unwilling to carry out what was needed. Or simply totally unaware of the commitments they were making

[unravelled]

In Brockley, London SE4, our deliveries are still being delayed, but starting to appear. This week I've had a hospital letter dated December 21, and a RM tracked 48 package posted on December 29th.

I fear there are large "last in first out" heaps of mail at the back of some delivery offices, slowly being worked through.

 

Dave

Edited January 21, 2022 by unravelled

[melmerby]

No problems here.

We are served by Moseley District Office and it seems to be coping OK, my steady stream of small ebay purchases is still ariving around the expected day as well as Tracked 24 & Tracked 48 parcels

[hayfield]

Again we don't seem to have received any post since Tuesday, I am waiting for one package sent 3 days ago plus BT sent me a parcel for next day delivery, however I had a message from Royal Mail stating it would be delivered tomorrow, looks more like the postmen are fed up with changes forced on them by management and working to the book.

[Mike_Walker]

Today I've received a Christmas card posted in St Louis MO on 3 December!  No idea which side of The Pond it got held up on.

[BMS]

Two points

A first class posted hospital letter dated 5/1/2022 arrived yesterday, 20/2/2022. Fortunately the hospital had contacted me via BT and I am now recovering from the hernia op; appointment was for 10/1/2022.

Secondly a Post Office person assured me today that the poor postal service locally (Hoylake) was NOT due to Covid but to reorganised duties which they are now recovering from.

[zarniwhoop]

12 hours ago, Mike_Walker said:

Today I've received a Christmas card posted in St Louis MO on 3 December!  No idea which side of The Pond it got held up on.

I too received a chrimble card on Saturday - posted in France on 8 December. Could have been delayed anywhere (or mis-routed), but it arrived in the end.

[hayfield]

19 hours ago, hayfield said:

Again we don't seem to have received any post since Tuesday, I am waiting for one package sent 3 days ago plus BT sent me a parcel for next day delivery, however I had a message from Royal Mail stating it would be delivered tomorrow, looks more like the postmen are fed up with changes forced on them by management and working to the book.

 

We got a postal delivery today with a Tracked parcel, no small packed which was sent 4 days ago

[john new]

Some Christmas cards delivered today that were obviously posted before hand! One received by us here in Dorset from a UK based medical service and a friend has, coincidentally, reported on FB getting one in Spain today sent by a mutual friend of ours who also lives here in Dorset.

 

Although I can’t now find it I saw a headline on the BBC this morning stating that Royal Mail are downsizing staff numbers despite these delays, if it is true then it seems it is another now privatised body (having to?) put profit before service.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by john new

[JJGraphics]

1 hour ago, john new said:

Although I can’t now find it I saw a headline on the BBC this morning stating that Royal Mail are downsizing staff numbers despite these delays, if it is true then it seems it is another now privatised body (having to?) put profit before service.

 

Yes, 700 "managers" to go.

Perhaps the Posties - who actually know what they are doing - will be allowed to get on with their job now!

I’ve got two small parcels outstanding, one posted before Christmas and another just after New Year. I wonder where they are hiding?

John

 

[BMS]

Problems around Hoylake

1. 1st class local letter sent 5/1/22 arrived 16/1/22; contents were potentially urgent.

2. Parcel from Maidstone sent 9/1/22 arrived 25/1/22

3. Parcel from Dorset sent 7/1/22 arrived 25/1/22

4. Parcel from Germany sent 22/1/22 arrived 25/1/22. (EU - Walthers 2022 Catalogue 800 odd pages).

There's a message there.

 

[TheQ]

7 minutes ago, BMS said:

Problems around Hoylake

1. 1st class local letter sent 5/1/22 arrived 16/1/22; contents were potentially urgent.

2. Parcel from Maidstone sent 9/1/22 arrived 25/1/22

3. Parcel from Dorset sent 7/1/22 arrived 25/1/22

4. Parcel from Germany sent 22/1/22 arrived 25/1/22. (EU - Walthers 2022 Catalogue 800 odd pages).

There's a message there.

 

That may be because the German parcel will have almost certainly come by air to your nearest royal mail airport via east midland. the post office hub.. It's one of the reasons Track Shack on the Isle of Man had a good reputation. Their parcels out went from the islands Airport to east Midlands then in my case to Norwich airport, so just a short delivery from there...

[Hobby]

Haven't had any issues at all with Royal Mail, but I've an eBay parcel that should have arrived last Friday lost in the Hermes network... And, no, I'm not holding my breath that it will arrive eventually!

[J. S. Bach]

Speaking of mail from Germany and the USPS:

 

January 24, 2022, 1:39 pm  Delivered, Left with Individual  CHESTER, SC 29706
January 24, 2022, 8:07 am  Out for Delivery  CHESTER, SC 29706
January 24, 2022, 7:56 am  Arrived at Post Office  CHESTER, SC 29706
January 24, 2022, 1:41 am  Departed USPS Regional Facility  MID CAROLINA-CHARLOTTE NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 23, 2022  In Transit to Next Facility
January 21, 2022, 4:01 pm  Arrived at USPS Regional Facility  MID CAROLINA-CHARLOTTE NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 21, 2022, 8:50 am  Departed USPS Facility  HYATTSVILLE, MD 20785
January 20, 2022, 11:28 pm  Arrived at USPS Facility  HYATTSVILLE, MD 20785
January 20, 2022, 10:27 pm  Departed USPS Regional Facility  MERRIFIELD VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 19, 2022, 11:17 pm  Arrived at USPS Regional Facility  MERRIFIELD VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 19, 2022, 10:26 pm  Departed USPS Regional Facility  DULLES VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 19, 2022, 8:40 pm  Arrived at USPS Regional Facility  DULLES VA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 18, 2022, 10:14 pm  Arrived at USPS Regional Facility  QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
January 18, 2022, 3:29 pm  Processed Through Facility  ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
January 8, 2022, 11:04 am  Processed Through Facility  FRANKFURT/FLUGHAFEN, GERMANY
January 5, 2022, 3:58 pm Acceptance GERMANY

 

It is almost apropos to RMweb as it is a record called The Sounds of London that I first found out about here in TNM.

[cessna152towser]

Had a new experience with Royal Mail.   Wife bought medicinal lotions costing in excess of one hundred pounds through mail order.   Seller sent package by signed for mail and has proof of posting to our address here in Scotland.   Tracking showed item as delivered but we did not receive it.   Post Office investigation shows item was delivered to an address in Blackpool Lancashire "in accordance with the label which was on the parcel".   Seller says he hand wrote our address on parcel and had no customer in Blackpool.    Post Office clerk told sender he is unlikely to succeed with a claim as the item has been delivered.    It seems to me, either someone else's label got accidentally stuck over our address (a long shot) or there is a corrupt individual in some sorting office re-addressing random parcels to his own or a friend's address in hope of hooking something of value.   Can anybody think of another explanation?  Has this happened to anyone else here?   Apart from the financial loss it worries me as a regular seller on eBay that model trains which I sell could be misdirected.

Edited February 23, 2022 by cessna152towser
typo

[teaky]

You say the seller "has proof of posting to our address".  I cannot see how the seller's claim would not be upheld if the parcel has not been delivered to the address on the receipt.  Since the Post Office clerk isn't the one handling the claim I would still submit it if I were the seller.

 

Can anybody think of another explanation?  -  Only that the seller isn't telling you the truth but as long as they are not asking you to cover the loss then this probably isn't the case.

 

Perhaps as a regular eBay seller all you need to do is double check your posting receipt and take a photo of the parcel prior to dropping it off at the post office or courier?  (Or even at the counter!)

 

[cessna152towser]

41 minutes ago, teaky said:

Only that the seller isn't telling you the truth but as long as they are not asking you to cover the loss then this probably isn't the case.

A trusted seller whom we have bought from before and who provided a copy of his post office receipt for the parcel which confirms tracking number, house number and postcode.   He has offered free replacement.

[Quarryscapes]

2 hours ago, cessna152towser said:

Had a new experience with Royal Mail.   Wife bought medicinal lotions costing in excess of one hundred pounds through mail order.   Seller sent package by signed for mail and has proof of posting to our address here in Scotland.   Tracking showed item as delivered but we did not receive it.   Post Office investigation shows item was delivered to an address in Blackpool Lancashire "in accordance with the label which was on the parcel".   Seller says he hand wrote our address on parcel and had no customer in Blackpool.    Post Office clerk told sender he is unlikely to succeed with a claim as the item has been delivered.    It seems to me, either someone else's label got accidentally stuck over our address (a long shot) or there is a corrupt individual in some sorting office re-addressing random parcels to his own or a friend's address in hope of hooking something of value.   Can anybody think of another explanation?  Has this happened to anyone else here?   Apart from the financial loss it worries me as a regular seller on eBay that model trains which I sell could be misdirected.

 

If the sender handed it over to the post office, then the details would be entered onto the computer and labelled accordingly. If the post office counter person cocked up and put a label to somewhere else on, perhaps as simple as a type on the postcode, it this could have been the cause. 

[Mark Saunders]

1 hour ago, Quarryscapes said:

 

If the sender handed it over to the post office, then the details would be entered onto the computer and labelled accordingly. If the post office counter person cocked up and put a label to somewhere else on, perhaps as simple as a type on the postcode, it this could have been the cause. 

I had similar at the local post office as the assistant told me there was no such address and didn’t want to believe that it was not a M for Manchester but ML for Motherwell!

Fortunately sorted before sending!

[hayfield]

10 hours ago, teaky said:

You say the seller "has proof of posting to our address".  I cannot see how the seller's claim would not be upheld if the parcel has not been delivered to the address on the receipt.  Since the Post Office clerk isn't the one handling the claim I would still submit it if I were the seller.

 

Can anybody think of another explanation?  -  Only that the seller isn't telling you the truth but as long as they are not asking you to cover the loss then this probably isn't the case.

 

Perhaps as a regular eBay seller all you need to do is double check your posting receipt and take a photo of the parcel prior to dropping it off at the post office or courier?  (Or even at the counter!)

 

 

10 hours ago, cessna152towser said:

A trusted seller whom we have bought from before and who provided a copy of his post office receipt for the parcel which confirms tracking number, house number and postcode.   He has offered free replacement.

 

10 hours ago, Quarryscapes said:

 

If the sender handed it over to the post office, then the details would be entered onto the computer and labelled accordingly. If the post office counter person cocked up and put a label to somewhere else on, perhaps as simple as a type on the postcode, it this could have been the cause. 

 

 

Simply ask to see the receipt, as its been tracked the posting receipt will show the post code of where it was asked to be sent.

 

If its been sent to the wrong address its either the senders or Royal Mails fault, the buyer is protected in law by the distant selling rules.  I suppose a third option if sent via the Post Office the counter staff may have made an error. Usually businesses/sellers will keep a copy of the invoice as well. Whatever happened there should be a paper trail