Small packet delays - South London

[javaman]

Hi

I've just been told at my local parcels office in South London (SW4) that there is a **FOUR MONTH** delay on delivering small packets in this area. I (and the rest of the people in the queue) had a good laugh at this - "You're joking, surely?") but was told that this was the information that they had been told to tell the public!

There are number of points:

1. Can this really be true? I would like some informed person to comment

2. Is there any point in going through the Royal Mail's claims procedure for delayed post in these circumstances?

3. If the four month delay claim is true, why is this not acknowledged on Royal Mail's customer-facing websites? What efforts are being made to clear this backlog (like a moratorium on posting packets to affected areas)?

4. Incidentally, on a separate point, the parcels office in SW4 is only open in the mornings till 1230 for collection of undelivered parcels. What is the reason? How can this be considered as in any way adequate?

J.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Not London based myself but thought I should point out that any answers given by members will be unofficial.

But your point 3 (or should that be 4) is well taken and is one of those things we ourselves question - it is normal for opening times at callers offices to be 7.00am - 12:30pm across the whole of the UK now. Although we always hear rumours that they are changing them to provide a better service.

My Own callers office in Northern England will apparently be open from 6am to 6pm over the Christmas Period.

[Stormproof]

Our Callers office is 7am-7pm, I heard that this could possibly be reduced to make savings and put part-time staff in. WTG RM thats modernisation

[Ahebban]

You can try for compensation, but i feel sure that RM will have invoked some clause whereby they can evade paying out because of the industrial action. RM had anticipated matters getting worse back in August/September when Postcomm agreed to suspend the normal fines procedure in the light of impending industrial action.

The fact that it was RM's blatant disregard of existing Agreements that caused the industrial action is lost on RM unfortunately.

Even our small town DO is experiencing delays in the delivery of packets and flats (mailsort magazines etc).

[johnnyp]

1. Can this really be true? I would like some informed person to comment

Strikes have been taking place in SW London which includes SW4 since June at least once a week,so yes i would think there is a backlog but not on the scale that you have mentioned.I may be wrong but i think you have been mis informed here and the reason why is that area management have told the CWU this week that all offices except SW16 will be clear of any backlog by Friday of this week.

2. Is there any point in going through the Royal Mail's claims procedure for delayed post in these circumstances?

No as they will say it is strike affected mail stuck in the system.

3. If the four month delay claim is true, why is this not acknowledged on Royal Mail's customer-facing websites? What efforts are being made to clear this backlog (like a moratorium on posting packets to affected areas)?

Royal Mail tell a lot of lies when it comes to backlogs,they say that things are under controll and normal services are only slightly disrupted when this is really not true,there attitude is it will get there in the end,they will not pay overtime to posties to clear backlogs as they see it as a reward for striking.

4. Incidentally, on a separate point, the parcels office in SW4 is only open in the mornings till 1230 for collection of undelivered parcels. What is the reason? How can this be considered as in any way adequate?

The enquiry offfice as SW4 opens from
08.00-12.30 Mon -Friday
08.00-12.00 Saturday

The postie on the door works from 07.30-15.30 Mon - Sat
He covers the door from 08.00-12.30 once that door closes he then has other tasks to do such as sending back items to senders that have not been collected,all the items that the posties in SW4 have not delivered on a daily basis have to be dated and stored for customer collection,he also returns all dead letters for SW4(items that have gone away,incomplete address,not know etc this could be up to 3000items a day)

Royal Mail do open some offices in SW London untill 19.00(Battersea SW11 is one i know off)and the CWU at SW4 have asked management to open the enquiry offices untill this time but you need to have 2 posties on the door for security and thats where costs come in to it.They will not pay to provide this service which is a shame really as since we switched to one delivery a day(managements idea by the way)we have never had so many items returned by the posties as most customers have gone to work by the time we get out.If the enquiry office opened later as weve asked then customers would be able to pick up items on there way home from work.

[javaman]

Thanks for some interesting comments.

I am, of course, a "mere customer" in all this, albeit one who wants his parcels delivered in a timely and efficient manner on the basis of what I have paid for.

I agree with those who commented that the four month backlog I was quoted is "unbelievable". I have no way of knowing whether it is or not. My missing packets are not tracked so I can't locate their whereabouts by looking at a website, like I can with some non Royal Mail deliverers.

While the backlog at SW4 may - or may not - be dealt with by the end of the week, I assume there must be other backlogs elsewhere in the country where the packets originate?

On my separate point, I would also like to pick parcels up from a central location, when undelivered, at a reasonable time of day - like the afternoon. As has been mentioned, the opening hours of the SW4 office are clearly out of line with other offices elsewhere and are unreasonably restrictive from a customer's point of view: why is there not a national policy on this?

Somebody needs to start getting real, real fast

[antcpfc]

On my separate point, I would also like to pick parcels up from a central location, when undelivered, at a reasonable time of day - like the afternoon. As has been mentioned, the opening hours of the SW4 office are clearly out of line with other offices elsewhere and are unreasonably restrictive from a customer's point of view: why is there not a national policy on this?

Somebody needs to start getting real, real fast

In short mate because royal mail could not care less about you.They care about big business (just about)and that is it.When we have had out weekly team briefings and been told about some cost cutting measure or another,we ask about customer service.The reply will always be along the line of 'we are a business ,not a service'.That is what we are dealing with every day.The truth is we care more about the public than they do no matter what they say in their propaganda printed in then papers during the strikes.They want to deliver later whereas we want to get out earlier.They just dont care!

[Post Off]

You know, despite the overwhelming feeling of being shafted on a daily basis by the workloads we have to sometimes endure, I really do feel sympathy for some folks who have to put up with this inflexible side of the business of collecting their own packets.

On my separate point, I would also like to pick parcels up from a central location, when undelivered, at a reasonable time of day - like the afternoon. As has been mentioned, the opening hours of the SW4 office are clearly out of line with other offices elsewhere and are unreasonably restrictive from a customer's point of view: why is there not a national policy on this?

It's a shame that Royal Mail can't find a (flexible and paid for) solution round this. If I could, it would be to perhaps create a partnership with some local businesses that have the security infrastructure to make the collection of local peep's packets acceptable. Though, at what cost or unforeseen problems might arise from such a venture I have no expertise in?

...I've just seen your post there, antcpfc. I think some peeps are only now becoming aware of the reality of the problems we face, not that we don't care, but that the top men of Royal Mail could care even less about its (non-business) customers.

[johnnyp]

On my separate point, I would also like to pick parcels up from a central location, when undelivered, at a reasonable time of day - like the afternoon. As has been mentioned, the opening hours of the SW4 office are clearly out of line with other offices elsewhere and are unreasonably restrictive from a customer's point of view: why is there not a national policy on this?

Somebody needs to start getting real, real fast

All undelivered items of mail for the SW4 post code which are delivered out of that office in Venn Street daily are returned back there for storage or customers to collect.
Not 100% sure if we still do this service(have a look on the sorry you were out card when you next get one)but you can have your item delivered to a local post office(161-163 Clapham High Street or 49 Poynders Road the other 2 at 16 Clapham High St and 34 Abbeville Road were closed the other year by management)for a small fee(50p)where you can then collect from up untill they close(about 05.30ish)
You can also have your item re-delivered,(not outside the SW4 postcode though)back to your address.
Im not sure if we would deliver it to another address in SW4,say your work address or a friend or family house,again next time you get a sorry you were out card(we call them 739s)have a good read on the front and back as it does give you all your options.

[bitchface]

You know, despite the overwhelming feeling of being shafted on a daily basis by the workloads we have to sometimes endure, I really do feel sympathy for some folks who have to put up with this inflexible side of the business of collecting their own packets.



It's a shame that Royal Mail can't find a (flexible and paid for) solution round this. If I could, it would be to perhaps create a partnership with some local businesses that have the security infrastructure to make the collection of local peep's packets acceptable.

we already do..its called the post office
and apart from a very few small ones are 8.5 hours a day 6 days a week

[Post Off]

You know, despite the overwhelming feeling of being shafted on a daily basis by the workloads we have to sometimes endure, I really do feel sympathy for some folks who have to put up with this inflexible side of the business of collecting their own packets.



It's a shame that Royal Mail can't find a (flexible and paid for) solution round this. If I could, it would be to perhaps create a partnership with some local businesses that have the security infrastructure to make the collection of local peep's packets acceptable.

we already do..its called the post office
and apart from a very few small ones are 8.5 hours a day 6 days a week

Yeah, I kind of had a funny feeling that might be the case, but had not personally heard of it. Oh, well, you learn something every day. Well anyway, thanks bitchface for, er putting me in my place.

[Jo_M]

My understanding is customers can nominate a safe place at their address for standard parcels and oversize item to be left.
This safe place will then be noted on the walk log for the postie so that he can put any large items Except signed for items in.

The definition of the safe place should be somewhere the customer feels any item left will be safe and they are accepting resposibility for it
Also it must be safe for the postie to access it - not having to climb over fences or sneak past sleeping dogs to get to it.

The postie will then mark it on a 739 card a parcel has been left and post the card through your door.

[firestarter1]

donot forget to write a letter and sign to give permission to leave parcels(those that donot require a signiture)for the postie to take away.then anything at all that goes missing ,delivered or not you wont be able to claim..they could say it was delivered to your safe place and lost from their.and of coarse its still up to the postie weather he wants to leave them there.if you say go round our terraced housing and put in the garden shed,id tell you to foxtrot oscar.one delivery point per household.so put a box by your letter box if safe to do so.
failing that if you read the card you can get it delivered to the post office..why havnt you done that?or gone online to have a redelivery when you are actually in

[not me]

My understanding is customers can nominate a safe place at their address for standard parcels and oversize item to be left.
This safe place will then be noted on the walk log for the postie so that he can put any large items Except signed for items in.

The definition of the safe place should be somewhere the customer feels any item left will be safe and they are accepting resposibility for it
Also it must be safe for the postie to access it - not having to climb over fences or sneak past sleeping dogs to get to it.

The postie will then mark it on a 739 card a parcel has been left and post the card through your door.

safeplace is great ofr a regular postie
however when you are dumped on a 900 call duty its all you can do to get the walk up and out let alone cross check packets with safeplace instructions