Royal Mail Sorting Office Closure Meeting..

[Bic Basher]

Thanks to the continuing mail farce, I've had to cancel a magazine subscription and travel up to Charlotte Street to buy a foreign magazine.

[ali2007]

I'm a little late here but can I just say, perhaps the public turn-out was low at the first meeting about this closure, because people didn't know it was happening?

I would have been there had I known the meeting was taking place.

Too late now obviously...

[singalto]

The meeting was advertised on here if I remember correctly. I went to it and was surprised by the small number attending. I don?t think the outcome would have been different if everyone affected had turn up though.

[KellyG22]

Long queues at the sorting office today as staff try to cope with a new operating system which doesn't seem to be working well. Despite getting there before opening at 8am I wasn't at the counter until 8:30am (there were only 9 people in front of me!). I wouldn't recommend going today unless you have to.

[Sue]

singalto Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The meeting was advertised on here if I remember

> correctly. I went to it and was surprised by the

> small number attending. I don?t think the outcome

> would have been different if everyone affected had

> turn up though.

Yes it was well publicised on here.

And I agree more people there would have made no difference.

More people writing to Royal Mail might possibly have made a difference, though I doubt it.

Since privatisation they seem to care more about their shareholders than their customers.

What a surprise.

[jimbo1964]

Just tried to collect a parcel from Highshore. Absolute joke. The queue snaked out almost to the street. People half way down the queue were talking about a 45 minute wait. Cars driving up and down the road as nowhere to park. I abandoned it. Royal Mail have massively underestimated this. I'm furious about it. Nothing but greed from Royal Mail. I'll be writing to the MP and Harriet Harman.

[Bic Basher]

A slight 'improvement' in the post today, only a whopping four days for first class mail to reach me!

[KidKruger]

Received the much-feared Royal Mail red card through the door ?we tried to deliver but...?, having popped-out for 20mins.

Darn it.

Was going to Peckham anyway, so hey no problem popping round the PO to collect my parcel.

Queue from basement where I presume you collect parcels right back to street. One bunch of pissed-off people.

Feck it. The t-shirt was only a ?10er. I can?t blow 2hrs of my life for that. I guess someone else will get it.

Having seen this and realising that I don?t have such huge time slots to give away, RM is effectively off my radar now.

[Sue]

singalto Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The meeting was advertised on here if I remember

> correctly. I went to it and was surprised by the

> small number attending. I don?t think the outcome

> would have been different if everyone affected had

> turn up though.

Yes it was well publicised on here.

And I agree more people there would have made no difference.

More people writing to Royal Mail might possibly have made a difference, though I doubt it.

Since privatisation they seem to care more about their shareholders than their customers.

What a surprise.

[singalto]

We must also remember that the people for whom Highshore rd is their sorting office must be pretty hacked off about the extra queueing

time...

[Penguin68]

I think there are three issues here which are being confounded.

(1) Was it right to close Sylvester Road? ? The sorting office is Edwardian, is no longer fit for purpose (as claimed by the PO and not disputed by the unions) and does not offer staff the sort of facilities they would now expect. Closing the sorting office and disposing of the asset is not an unreasonable business decision. PO staff who will now receive Inner London weighting through being Peckham based also clearly benefit and that, with improved staff facilities, may well explain the low key union response to this change.

(2) Can people in ED be delivered mail from a sorting office in Peckham? ? Again, it seems entirely possible to do so ? problems in current delivery may stem either from backlog from the closing Sylvester Road or normal teething problems of changing a system. I would give it a month (say to mid October) to allow changes to bed-in and only pursue the PO for failure to meet standards (6 deliveries a week, Monday to Saturday to domestic premises, first class mail delivered next day) if they are continuing to fail then.

(3) Is Collection of undelivered mail from Peckham an acceptable substitute for collection from Sylvester Road? Here it is clear that the location, lack of parking and long queues already being experienced suggest that an alternative collection point more local to SE22 is an immediate requirement. It is this issue which most effects people and where it is unlikely that time will prove any remedy. This is the area where ED people have and will continue to suffer a significant degradation of service. It is here that effort (assuming the issue at (2) is resolved) should be focused.

Amended to say that although I have had deliveries (and slightly better than immediately before the move) they are still intermittent and late. The 'service' received since late July from the Post Office has been a disgrace, for whatever reason. These should be our first port of call at this stage. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services The Post Office is failing in its duties to us.

[geh]

no mail, all week!

[jimbo1964]

(3) Is Collection of undelivered mail from Peckham an acceptable substitute for collection from Sylvester Road? Here it is clear that the location, lack of parking and long queues already being experienced suggest that an alternative collection point more local to SE22 is an immediate requirement. It is this issue which most effects people and where it is unlikely that time will prove any remedy. This is the area where ED people have and will continue to suffer a significant degradation of service. It is here that effort (assuming the issue at (2) is resolved) should be focused.

Exactly. I wonder if either the Lordship Lane or FH Road PO's have enough storage capacity?

[Sue]

jimbo1964 Wrote:

------------------------------------------------------ I wonder if either the Lordship Lane or

> FH Road PO's have enough storage capacity?

I doubt it very much.

Why would they? They have never previously needed it.

Also, queues are bad enough at Lordship Lane at some times now, without adding additional pressure.

Excellent post Penguin btw.

[Bic Basher]

I would have thought the most immediate action is for the Royal Mail to hire three more postmen for the SE22 postcode area. Even if it means hiring agency workers in the interim.

[singalto]

I got post today, Sunday! I hadn?t seen that postie before...

[DovertheRoad]

This is nothing short of a disaster for local amenity value. Particularly challenging for elderly residents looking to receive a parcel - how can they be expected to take a bus then wait 30 mins to an hour just to pick up a parcel?

Penguin - good post but couldn't the facility be reconfigured? If "Edwardian standards" means decent toilets, heating an open plan space why did they not explore that option?

Will continue to write to MP...suggest everyone does.

[Trousaprezz]

A postie from the SE22 office lives near me (not in SE22) and I bumped into them earlier. They don't want to be identified but this is their insider's view...

"The move was forced upon us by Royal Mail. We didn?t ask for it and Peckham didn?t either. While the Peckham office is bigger than Silvester Road it?s already crowded with unsorted parcels after just one week. Because of the travel time between getting from Highshore Road to the delivery point in SE22 and doing the reverse at the end of duty people have been unable to complete their deliveries. You?d think that Royal Mail would have considered this and put in resources to cover it but surprise surprise they didn?t and they don?t seem to have any plan to sort it. It?s a proper shambles and the management that dreamt up this ridiculous situation and then forced it through need to take responsibility and the more customers that complain to Royal Mail and write to the MP the better."

[Sue]

Bic Basher Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I would have thought the most immediate action is

> for the Royal Mail to hire three more postmen for

> the SE22 postcode area.

Just to note that postal workers aren't necessarily men!!!

[Bic Basher]

Trousaprezz Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> A postie from the SE22 office lives near me (not

> in SE22) and I bumped into them earlier. They

> don't want to be identified but this is their

> insider's view...

>

> "The move was forced upon us by Royal Mail. We

> didn?t ask for it and Peckham didn?t either. While

> the Peckham office is bigger than Silvester Road

> it?s already crowded with unsorted parcels after

> just one week. Because of the travel time between

> getting from Highshore Road to the delivery point

> in SE22 and doing the reverse at the end of duty

> people have been unable to complete their

> deliveries. You?d think that Royal Mail would have

> considered this and put in resources to cover it

> but surprise surprise they didn?t and they don?t

> seem to have any plan to sort it. It?s a proper

> shambles and the management that dreamt up this

> ridiculous situation and then forced it through

> need to take responsibility and the more customers

> that complain to Royal Mail and write to the MP

> the better."

Profit before practicality.

[Sue]

DovertheRoad Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

>couldn't the facility be

> reconfigured? If "Edwardian standards" means

> decent toilets, heating an open plan space why did

> they not explore that option?

The Sylvester Road office was no longer fit for purpose because it wasn't large enough, given the increase in mail order deliveries etc.

However I believe options to extend it in some way weren't really investigated because Royal Mail just wanted to sell it off at a profit.

[jimbo1964]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Bic Basher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > I would have thought the most immediate action

> is

> > for the Royal Mail to hire three more postmen

> for

> > the SE22 postcode area.

>

>

> Just to note that postal workers aren't

> necessarily men!!!

I believe the Americans now refer to their non gender specific postal operatives as 'Letter Carriers'. Which sounds shit.

[sandyman]

Received a package Saturday evening through letterbox. Should've been signed for but postie didn't even ring bell. I guess they just wanted to finish round as quickly as possible. Can't say I blame them as it currently feels like an omnishambles.

[sandyman]

Quite often had red cards through door when I was home and didn't mind the stroll to Sylvester Road to get me out of the house. If it now means going to Peckham because they aren't doing their job properly that's another matter...

KidKruger Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Received the much-feared Royal Mail red card

> through the door ?we tried to deliver but...?,

> having popped-out for 20mins.

> Darn it.

> Was going to Peckham anyway, so hey no problem

> popping round the PO to collect my parcel.

> Queue from basement where I presume you collect

> parcels right back to street. One bunch of

> pissed-off people.

> Feck it. The t-shirt was only a ?10er. I can?t

> blow 2hrs of my life for that. I guess someone

> else will get it.

> Having seen this and realising that I don?t have

> such huge time slots to give away, RM is

> effectively off my radar now.

[cella]

Postie in our house!