Letter: Concerns raised about worsening Royal Mail service

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/you ... l-service/

I was both relieved and horrified to read your coverage of the lack of postal deliveries in our area (Advertiser, September 15) ; relieved because it showed I was not fussing about nothing, but horrified by what seems to be the near collapse of our fine British postal system.

Just last night I had written to the chair of our parish council to register my concerns because we haven't had any deliveries for at least a fortnight and I'm awaiting two important letters - a medical appointment and my renewed Senior Railcard which was sent on 4th September (and I obviously can't use until it arrives). Apparently, there are ways of contacting Royal Mail to inquire/complain by phone or online but if you try to do this, both require an item to have a tracking number which ordinary letters and cards don't have, even if you've used an expensive first class stamp. Hopeless! What about being able to ask where all our post has been for the last fortnight or more?

This all follows the notices that went up on local postboxes a few weeks ago saying that they would now be emptied at 7am - meaning that, unless you got up at the crack of dawn, even your first class mail wouldn't be collected for two days so couldn't possibly be delivered on time... even if there were deliveries.

I had a prompt reply from our helpful parish councillor to my email, who has, in fact, been pursuing this matter since July with Royal Mail - to little avail - and with both Cllr Phil North and MP Kit Malthouse.

Maybe it's time that the Royal Mail was honest with us all and admits that it cannot provide the service we expect. Then we would know to stop wasting our money on expensive postage and cluttering up post boxes and sorting offices with our cards and letters that may never arrive or arrive so late that they are totally pointless.

Carolyn Coleman

Name and address supplied

Update: On Friday, September 15, Carolyn received one of the letters she had been waiting for.

[ANDREW CROCOMBE]

Cant understand how or why RM are allowed to ,continue to destroy this once great company, seemingly untouchable and out of control. As to postbox times, the 3 we collect from, say 9a.m - we don't leave office until 930-10. (Bristol) the only solution is : make the rounds smaller and re-employ the 12 thousand that left - both will not happen. Make your own minds up Roll on Christmas dear oh dear.

[Mr Rush]

the only solution is : make the rounds smaller and re-employ the 12 thousand that left - both will not happen.

If there were any real regulatory pressure being applied, RM would be forced to improve the appeal of the job to new starts (pay, conditions) in order to urgently fill those vacancies.

Perhaps if the CEO were strapped into a machine that administered a lethal poison if 1st Class performance dropped below 94% that would communicate real intent to turn things around, versus buying cheap shares as an act of confidence.