Fermanagh folks hit by more Royal Mail postal delays

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://fermanaghherald.com/2023/07/fer ... al-delays/

A LOCAL councillor’s worst fears were realised when new research commissioned by the charity Citizens Advice showed an estimated 15.7 million people in the UK experienced postal delays last month.

Many of those who experienced delays said they had suffered knock-on impacts, such as missing health appointments, fines, or bills.

It came as no surprise to Cllr Victor Warrington who in April revealed that those living in the east of the county had been waiting days – and in some cases more than a week – for letters, including hospital appointments, to be delivered.

A whistleblower from the Royal Mail contacted Mr Warrington to inform him that the sorting office that serves east Fermanagh in Armagh, had a ‘parcels first’ approach regarding the delivery of mail.

“The original problem was that they were prioritising parcels over letters, many of which were of importance, so it’s no surprise that it’s been happening on a much bigger scale,” Mr Warrington said.

“It’s very disappointing as it obviously has affected much more people than here, but you can imagine how much more difficult it must be for people living in rural areas like Fermanagh.

“Those delivering the mail are not at fault. From what I was told it was to do with their managers concentrating on [delivering] the parcels first. It definitely seems to be happening across the board.”

Citizens Advice Chief Executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, described the level of delays as “appalling”.

The survey of more than 4,000 adults surveyed between May 25 and June 5 found nearly one in three (31 per cent) of those questioned – equivalent to be around 15.7 million people if replicated across the UK – said they had experienced a letter delay, while 22 per cent said they had experienced a parcel delay.

Of those who responded, 15 per cent said they had experienced a serious negative consequence, including missing important documents, missing a health appointment, or losing money through fines.

The charity also called on regulator Ofcom to strengthen its current review of postal services.

Anyone who has concerns about the delivery of their mail should contact Royal Mail customer service on 03457 740 740 or via www.royalmail.com

[Superdude]

C’mon, guys. Give Royal Mail a break. They’re still trying to catch up after the strikes last year.