Special Delivery - Is it really as good as it's said to be?

[fishtank]

Just an update, at least 5 of the specials posted yesterday have been delivered after 1pm, with more still out for delivery.
RM's really screwed up this xmas..

That kind of depends on how you measure a complete screw up.
Putting aside the fact that they should be pre-1pm
Are your customers regularly complaining about specials arriving after 1pm?
At the end of the day customer satisfaction overrides everything and in my experience customers want a guaranteed,secure,insured next day delivery...the actual time it arrives is very much secondary.
I actually believe that the 1pm time limit is a pointless and unnecessary ball and chain that Royal Mail should remove from the product.
Just an opinion.

[doorstepped]

it should be changed to Next day guaranteed delivery, espeially now with our later starting times and we are expected to deliver a special by 1pm to the far end of our walks and then go back to the middle of our walk for instance just to get the delivery done by 1pm.

[shipmaster122]

Oh honest, I agree with all you guys. OK, it would be great to have it delivered earlier in the day, but Next Day would be fine. But if RM want to make the challenge harder for themselves.. then they'd better get more people working at the DO's and more staff in general, which of course they wouldn't do if it was the last thing on Earth..

However, i'm not really fussed as we can now claim our money back for the shipments delivered late. It seems to be the ones up North in places like Scotland that are being delivered late, however there was one in Mansfield of all places...

[bag69]

Its all down to the new delivery methods. WE now leave the office a lot later and have a lot more delivery points, yet we are still supposed to be able to deliver SDs by 1pm. Usually this involves breaking off delivering post and rushing about in the van to deliver by 1pm. Does not always work though.

[mazza111]

Shipmaster, it's so refreshing to have a customer see things from the postie's side. Most of them agree that the 1pm deadline should be dropped, especially since they have forced in the new delivery methods, it's something I don't think they have thought of when bringing in later starts and later finishes. I wish some of the head men at RM would pop on here and read some of the problems they are creating both for the customer and the posties. I would imagine, due to the lack of communication within RM that they don't get to hear of the problems that are being caused.

IMO SD is a great service, next day with the right level of insurance. Agree that the 1pm deadline should be dropped though, especially with later starts.

[robg]

Delivering them we always cut off which means we leave the usual delivery order walking around and go and get them done then go back and continue. I think it's 99.8% at our office before 1pm. Specials come before any other mail, be it tracked, recorded or just normal stuff.

Personally I would trust SD, it's insured, reliable and works. They even have a consequential loss option, if it's late such as a contract you can claim all the costs invovled up to a maximum.

Try getting that from any other service.

I have and will bring back mail if the Specials require it.

[Cheetah]

I hear Fed Ex provide a "cracking" special delivery service, if your looking for an alternate delivery company........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUDTPbDhnA&hd=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN7Lmk5y ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seriously, the special delivery service provided by RM is excellent, so much cheaper than the competition. It very rarely goes wrong regarding security and if it's delivered late you gets your money back. If it does go wrong, heads do roll so you should have every confidence in the service, no i'm not a manager