Little-stevie Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Yes some posties leave cards and don't knock, that means they did not have the package with them , maybe too heavy or they think we are never in and leave in the post office.. Got a package today from USA, its only took a week and great packaging from Craig Moerer , good swift delivery and quality packaging, thats what we all want....
boff Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 "Royal Mail is in a difficult position - there is no hiding from the facts: mail volumes falling; a multibillion-pound pension deficit; less efficiency than its competitors and an urgent need for more capital at a time when there are huge constraints on the public purse."All of which sounds vaguely plausible. The problem is when you start to look more closely at the "facts" as they are being presented. Take that one about falling mail volumes, for instance. It sounds like a given. We all know that emails and texts have taken the place of letter writing in this digital age. But, dig a little deeper, and you find that part of the explanation for the falling volumes could also lie in an alteration in the way Royal Mail has gone about assessing the volumes. They used to measure by weight. Now they measure by counting the number of boxes that pass through our system. The estimate for the number of letters each box contains was put at 208, a number agreed in consultation with the union. And then Royal Mail, arbitrarily and without consultation - and in secret - lowered the estimate to 150 letters per box. Hence "falling volumes". Postal workers have always known that this claim is baseless, since it is we who have to carry the mail. And what we see is more mail, not less. Think about it. How much mail lands on your mat every morning? Is there more, or less than there was 10 or 20 years ago? It's true that there is less of the kind of mail that you are actually interested in. Most of it is advertising. But this doesn't alter the fact that - as anyone who thinks about it knows - the weight of mail is increasing year on year and not decreasing. I can't say that Cable is lying to you, but I can say that his assertions are based upon demonstrably false figures. Or take that pension deficit, currently estimated at £8.4bn. That's a huge figure. But what this bald presentation of the numbers fails to address is how the company came about acquiring the deficit in the first place. It didn't just happen. It was the result of a "pensions holiday", which the Royal Mail took from 1990 to 2003. That's 13 years in which the company failed to make a contribution towards the pension fund. Thirteen years in which postal workers continued, in good faith, to pay in their share under the false impression that the company was also making its contribution. In all this time the government clearly knew what was happening. In other words, this pension deficit is an entirely manufactured problem. It should never have been allowed to happen in the first place. When Vince Cable talks about the privatisation of the Royal Mail, he is only referring to its assets. The pension fund will remain a public liability, thus continuing the age-old relationship between the public and the private sectors: privatisation of profit, socialisation of costs. Or what about our lack of efficiency when compared with our competitors? This might make sense if we had any competitors, but actually we don't. What we have is a number of private mail companies that ride on the back of the Royal Mail network in order to extract profits from it. How many of them actually deliver any mail? The answer is, virtually none. We deliver their mail for them. The process is known as downstream access. The private companies bid for the profitable parts of the business, the bulk mail and city-to-city trade, undercutting the Royal Mail in the process. But then they drop it onto our doorstep for the actual delivery. Even their profits are generated arbitrarily and not by any kind of efficiency saving, as Postcomm, the regulatory body, actually forbids Royal Mail from undercutting its rivals. The technical term is "headroom". We have to leave room in our pricing structure in order to allow them room to make a profit. It's not exactly the workings of a "free market" is it? All of this isn't to deny that the Royal Mail is in trouble: there's no doubt about that. Millions of items of mail went undelivered this Christmas, due to the imposition of new and fabulously unworkable working methods. It has a peculiarly short-sighted management, more interested in bonuses than the long-term future of the business. It has an exhausted and demoralised workforce, reeling under the weight of increasing volumes of mail and falling numbers of staff. What it needs is a moratorium, a period of assessment, in order to understand what its problems are, and what the cures might be. It needs extensive consultation, with all interested parties: the government, the public, the corporations and the workforce. Experts should be drafted in to give advice. Some of those experts should be us, the postal workers - experts in delivery and public relations. Most of all it needs a brand new management committed to its long-term future. But the last thing it needs is privatisation. Totally agree with you mate 100% spot on..
macca Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 According to their website, Flavours of Spain don't use Royal Mail for deliveries - they use two different couriers. True, they use UKMail and XDP both of whom use the downstream access that Jules spoke about. If I understand it right, they (UKM or XDP) would take the parcel from Wellingboro to Edinburgh for the Edinburgh people to deliver. It had been sitting in the Edinburgh sorting office since January 2nd. I rest my case m'lud.
Guest julesp1905 Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 True, they use UKMail and XDP both of whom use the downstream access that Jules spoke about. If I understand it right, they (UKM or XDP) would take the parcel from Wellingboro to Edinburgh for the Edinburgh people to deliver. It had been sitting in the Edinburgh sorting office since January 2nd. I rest my case m'lud. Not entirely correct, UKmail or XDP would collect it, process and then delivered to the nearest regional Mail centre, it still has to be processed by royal mail and distributed to your Local delivery office. You may well have placed your order on the 1st, when was it collected? when was it handed over to Royal Mail? questions unfortunately Downstream access operators are unwilling to answer. They can just apportion blame upon Royal Mail. . Regarding RM Mail Centres, the Long term plan of management is closures, Reading, work transfered to swindon, 6 centres closed in the northwest......The list is endless. They have just carried out a review in London, which will see the closure of sites at Nine Elms and East London, Leaving just one, Mount Pleasant, Nine Elms in understandable due to it's location next to the New American Embassy, East London is unbelievable, purpose built site only 10 years old in an area which has probally the biggest regeneration currently going on anywhere in Brition. The view is that a Modernised Royal Mail can work with just one Mail Centre in it's Capital City is short sighted, the building is ageing, not fit for purpose, basement plagued with rats, but are the long term plans about improving the quality of service, or is it about selling off assets. West London has seen the introduction of the "Delivery Centre" which we are told is the long term vision to eventually be rolled out Nationwide. The residents of W2, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 now have thier delivery office situated on an industrial estate situated in NW10 which means the troublesome A40 has to be negoiated on a daily basis just to reach a first point of delivery, has the extended travelling time been properly factored in? have we seen an improvement in the quality of service? or have we again seen the sale of prime assets in Paddington, High Street Kensington, Notting Hill, Madia Vale and White City? Royal Mail is no longer a Public Service, the mangement have seen to that, employed by the state to asset strip, whilst being rewarded with huge bonuses for failure. Adam Cozier signed up to the downstream access deal which actualy sees us delivering third party mail at a loss!
soulmac Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2011/01/17/story16271964t0.shtm
soulmac Posted January 17, 2011 Posted January 17, 2011 Won a record on Ebay, posted from the U.S.A. on 29th November, arrived 13th January. Worse still record $30 and hit with £11.29 customs/postal charges (VAT £3.29 and £8 Royal Mail handling fee). 45 days to get to me and they charge £8 handling fee, they're having a laugh. soulmac.
Garswood Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Won a record on Ebay, posted from the U.S.A. on 29th November, arrived 13th January. Worse still record $30 and hit with £11.29 customs/postal charges (VAT £3.29 and £8 Royal Mail handling fee). 45 days to get to me and they charge £8 handling fee, they're having a laugh. soulmac. whats the deal with these custom charges and handling charges, i only ask beacause i,ve bought loads of records from america and never been charged yet...phil
Harry Crosby Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Strange carry on here. Normally our post is very slow for some reason. But seemmed to be ok over the adverse weather & xmas period. So all ok in the frozen Norf
soulmac Posted January 23, 2011 Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) Won a record on Ebay (USA) November 9th, arrived today 23rd January (Royal Mail delivering on a Sunday as they have such a backlog here in Dundee). Still waiting on another four records, all posted first class in the UK on 6/1, 10/1, 11/1 and 12/1. Royal Mail claimed in local press all the backlog would be cleared by this weekend, more lies. soulmac. Edited January 23, 2011 by soulmac
Mrtag Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 Given Up On Two Packages! Been Refunded but Wouldn't Mind Knowing What Happens To These Undelivered Parcels?
Guest Eastbank Bootboy Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 no problems down here. Southport Weekender vols. 3 to 7 arrived just after Jan 1st.
Mrtag Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 I suspect they end up on Ebay... Thats Why A Lot Of The Pics Look The Same!! They Are!! Recycled Royal Mail Undelivered !!
Mrtag Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 What Has Happened To First Class Guaranteed Next Day Delivery?? 2 More From Early Last week Not Turned Up Yet!! And Another From Sat Post!!
Spook Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 I received a Postcard yesterday (23rd Jan) mailed in New Zealand on the 20th December. Spook
macca Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 I sent a record back to a dealer in connecticut on 7th jan and my tracking number has been saying it's still in transit. when I checked again today, a little notice popped up that said the USPS have a backlog due to security checks introduced on december 8th. conversely, stuff coming from the states has been arriving no problem. funny old world.
paultp Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) I'd forgotten I'd banned myself from freebasing. Edited January 26, 2011 by paultp
soulmac Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 Still waiting on another four records, all posted first class in the UK on 6/1, 10/1, 11/1 and 12/1. Royal Mail claimed in local press all the backlog would be cleared by this weekend, more lies. soulmac. One turned up yesterday and the other three today soulmac.
Guest thierryb Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 It IS a nightmare at the moment. A package of six twelves was sent from the UK to Belgium between Xmas and New Year, and after one month still no sign of it. Usually it takes 2-8 days at the max so I can only assume it got "lost". Is it because it was heavier/larger than usual (I usually order CDs from Amazon) ? Well gutted
Benji Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 From UK to Germany: 7" posted 'insured' on dec 6 - > still waiting for it (usually 7-8 days) One jacket (i.e. bigger parcel) posted on jan 21 - arrived on jan 25 (usually 8-10 days) Looks like getting rid of backlog isn't #1 on their priority list, is it?
Mrtag Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 1 parcel yesterday only posted Saturday Pretty Good And 4 Today Didn't know I Had That Many Coming!! God Only Knows How far Back These Go!! Still there Getting Here!! Eventually
NEV Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Only waiting on one from early in the month but its a cheapie so am not too worried. BUT..... i paid for a record from JAPAN last Tuesday evening ( GMT ) and it arrived Thursday morning And ....i've just got in from work to be pleasantly surprised to find a very nice parcel that i paid for on Saturday ,all the way from USA Sometimes it pays to go that extra mile and pay for the express mail service
Guest Andy Kempster Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 been waiting nearly 4 weeks now for one from USA, reputable dealer though so have messaged him to chase hope they aint lost....not expensive but i really like them
Spook Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Things are getting through. Recieved a 45 that was posted in Cincinnati on the 20th Jan, it arrived yesterday at 08:30 (uk) 25th Jan By standard USPS postage was cheep as well $4.80. David
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