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Check in the Mail?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Quite a revelation tonight on the Beeb, seems the Royal Mail is in deep doo doo. Losing £800K per day and a union almost split down the middle.

Any UK resident critics or apologists care to voice your views? Im quite curious what the impact to average people over there might be. Is there any noticeable decrease in quality of service at present? Horror stories?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well the last two letters I sent (birthday card)...
    The first one just never arrived and the second one arrived in sealed plastic envelope because it had been on fire and 3/4 was burnt!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It is true that in the last few months there has been a dramatic deterioration of the service. A few examples of my own experience include:

    A letter sent first class to another address in London that took 12 days to deliver.

    At least two letters from banks and credit card companies that never arrived.

    And loads and loads of 1st class letters sent from work that were received 3 days later instead of the following day.

    In fact, the next-day delivery service you used to get from 1st class service has all but disappeared all of the sudden. This is not just to addresses in far-to-reach areas but even locally.

    I know Royal Mail loses money- although being a public service profitability doesn't concern me- but the service provided has turned more unreliable than a Downing Street statement.

    Royal Mail bosses must be to blame. One of the more "brilliant" ideas of recent was to ditch the overnight mail trains that served the country so well for a century, in favour of road distribution. WFT???

    We're having to resort at work to sending all important letters by Special Delivery (cost: nearly £4) because we cannot trust any first class letter to arrive the next day.

    It's a joke.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Geez, and I thought the Belgian postal system was bad!

    Does anyone share the view that such deterioration of classic mail services (not only UK but perhaps more universally) only bolsters the projection that such means of communication will eventually give way entirely to expanded electronic (cyber) communications?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Perhaps one day we'll be able to do instant scans of paper letters that reproduce exact replicas at the receipient's end. But there will always be a demand for snail mail... it's somehow more personal, and more official than an email.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Aladdin
    Perhaps one day we'll be able to do instant scans of paper letters that reproduce exact replicas at the receipient's end.

    You mean, like a fax?

    Actually, going back to your "profit" comment earlier. That is what has caused this problem. The Royal Mail have apparently been investing in foreign companies and they just aren't "delivering" (sorry about the pun) and so it's costing us our normal service.

    Another example of a wonderful Tory policy...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    :D at fax machines remark.

    No, what I meant is electronic delivery of letters that cannot be forged easily. For instance, when a letter in company headed paper is needed. You cannot tell from a fax whether such letter is genuine or just a simple collage. Same goes for signatures.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    hmm actually privitising the mail sector was a new labour idea

    the thing is it doesnt need to be made private, because its like privitising the railways in a way, because you dont get true choice, because if theres only one postbox of a company around, no way fair competiton, so it might as well jsut be royal mail since before it was a good service! only recently with increased privitisation its gone under
  • JadedJaded Posts: 2,682 Boards Guru
    Well I've had to call up twice just to get our mail delivered this week - so my Friday afternoon is being spent opening 4 days worth of mail for the office :mad:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i've always had good service but ...i know of some cannabis that never got delivered recently.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm currently waiting for a chequebook and debit card to arrive. They should have been here on the 16th, if they don't come in tomorrow's post I'm going to have to phone my bank and find out where the hell they are. What's sad is that I'm actually allowing an extra few days for Royal Mail being crap as a matter of routine.

    I do the post for where I work and a guy dropped off a letter and I asked him how he wanted it sent and came with a pertinent reply: "I'll send it second class, I don't want Royal Mail to get anymore of my money while their first class service is operating like a second class service." We send everything that is remotely important by DHL or Special Delivery.
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