Royal Mail Sorting Office Closure Meeting..

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Second redelivery request wasn?t delivered despite emails confirming they would be. Couldn?t get through on the number that is listed on the missed card. Emailed Royal Mail who said they would be in touch in three days, after three days they emailed to say they would be in touch in ten days after investigating. I emailed Helen Hayes who replied back saying that she would look into it. It?s so frustrating and a complete shambles.

I miss my post lady too, I have a new one who appears to be quite stressed, which is a reflective on the whole service currently.

[singalto]

Mind you, I took in a parcel for someone who had requested a redelivery for that specific day but wasn?t in fact in when the postie came with it. And it was at a ?normal? postal delivery time, not 6pm!

[Sue]

My packet has finally turned up. Hooray.

Obviously not on the day I was told it would be re-redelivered on (aka yesterday).

The last entry on the Track and Trace (what a joke) page was at 4.08am on Friday, which says "Item prepared for redelivery".

On the front of the packet is a sticker with 4/10 written on in bold black marker. That was the day when it was originally supposed to be redelivered, when I waited in all day (as I did yesterday). According to the Track and Trace page, at 6.26am on 4 October it was "due to be delivered today". So where the f*** has it been in the meantime?

I spoke to my postie this morning. He said that there are currently three people delivering post to my road. He was delivering backlog post. Someone else is delivering "current" post. Yet another (the person with my packet) is delivering larger items.

He said that since the move to Peckham, each postie is doing one and a half roads rather than one, for less pay. I would have thought a walk would be more than one road in the first place, but what do I know.

He also said "Don't go to the office to pick things up." He said the queue stretches right to the main road on occasion.

He said the Peckham posties are helping the East Dulwich posties out.

What a total farce.

ETA: This tracked item has been in the system since 29 September.

[redjam]

I emailed their customer service people about the various problems I've had (mail taking weeks to arrive, item left on doorstep with no one ringing the bell, items misdelivered, a booked redelivery that has still not yet appeared). I also registered my general concern about the ability of the Peckham sorting office to cope and the inconvenience of getting there. Thought I might share the reply on this, as people might be interested:

[From Royal Mail]

Turning to your comments on sorting office at Peckham. May I explain that we do not take operational changes such as this lightly and give them a great deal of thought. It is vital that we change to enable investment in new technology and equipment and upgrade operational facilities. This helps to ensure we have a world class organisation which will provide the most efficient and effective network for delivering the post and a safe working environment for our people.

Whilst I understand your concerns I would like to reassure you that Royal Mail has amalgamated offices before and we will be working to ensure that there is a smooth transition. We appreciate any changes may impact on our customers and our planning activities always give due consideration as to how we can best protect and serve their interest. This will continue to be a top priority during any operational changes.

Once again, please accept my sincere apologies on behalf of Royal Mail for the problem you've had, and our thanks for taking the time to make us aware of this. Please be assured that we take letting our customers down seriously and will use this information to make further improvements.

[Ends]

... So in other words, tough sh*t, you're stuck with this. Sorry our 'world class' service actually sucks.

I'm still waiting for the birthday present posted on 20/9, incidentally. Have booked a re-re-redelivery for Thursday. Third time lucky, perhaps?

[Sue]

".... we will be working to ensure that there is a smooth transition" :)) :)) :))

Somebody has just cut and pasted some standard paragraphs without actually responding to your points, haven't they?

There isn't a "smooth transition", is there?

ETA: What date was it that the ED delivery office actually shut down? I still haven't received any notification about this, has anybody else?

[Pugwash]

The whole reason for closing Silvester Road was the volume of parcels etc. Why not use this as a base for postmen to sort out into roads/rounds rather than a van or pavement.

[Sue]

Pugwash Wrote:

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

> The whole reason for closing Silvester Road was

> the volume of parcels etc. Why not use this as a

> base for postmen to sort out into roads/rounds

> rather than a van or pavement.

Because they have sold it for millions of pounds for housing.

[kiera]

I too have received a reply today to my complaint to Royal Mail (by first class letter dated 5th Oct.) It's very bland and concludes "The Delivery Office manager has sent his apologies and will do all that is required to ensure you receive the quality of service you should expect in future. The issues that have been effecting (sic) your local office have been resolved"

[Sue]

I've just received my third delivery of the day, from a third postman.

First delivery - two financial-related letters. Judging by the dates on them, both delayed by around a week.

Second delivery - the tracked packet I've been waiting for for ages.

Third delivery - two packets, on time.

[sandyman]

I've just got home to find a package addressed to me that was too big to fit in letterbox. Not on doorstep, no red card left, package was on wheelie bin on the street - on the day the bin persons come. I guess I should consider myself lucky it wasn't nicked or thrown in the dumper.

[Sue]

sandyman Wrote:

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

> I've just got home to find a package addressed to

> me that was too big to fit in letterbox. Not on

> doorstep, no red card left, package was on wheelie

> bin on the street - on the day the bin persons

> come. I guess I should consider myself lucky it

> wasn't nicked or thrown in the dumper.

Was it definitely delivered by Royal Mail?

Because I've had similar experiences with other companies.

[sandyman]

Royal Mail bang to rights on this occasion.

See picture - apologies for quality - it says "Delivered by Royal Mail"

Sue Wrote:

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

> sandyman Wrote:

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

> -----

> > I've just got home to find a package addressed

> to

> > me that was too big to fit in letterbox. Not on

> > doorstep, no red card left, package was on

> wheelie

> > bin on the street - on the day the bin persons

> > come. I guess I should consider myself lucky it

> > wasn't nicked or thrown in the dumper.

>

>

> Was it definitely delivered by Royal Mail?

>

> Because I've had similar experiences with other

> companies.

[Bic Basher]

The post is far from normal here. Still waiting for a magazine posted 1st class on Monday.

[Sue]

Bic Basher Wrote:

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

> The post is far from normal here. Still waiting

> for a magazine posted 1st class on Monday.

?? But it's only Wednesday, so only a day "late"??

[uncleglen]

kiera Wrote:

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

> I quite agree, but from the Financial Times'

> article, it seems it was part of a deal agreed

> with the union - so therefore agreed to by the

> postmen?

probably a financial deal...no common sense involved!

[Woody16]

Have spoken to the Royal Mail complaints line three times about the current shambolic service in general and my parcel that was sent almost 5 weeks ago. They had a response from the delivery office saying that several temporary postmen have been fired due to poor performance and that as of this week the service is back to ?normal?. They?ve also advised that there?s no way my parcel would still be in the system after so long, so to write it off as lost :( Very upset. Perhaps it was delivered somewhere stupid like a wheelie bin on bin day as others have experienced.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

A relative dropped me to Highshore office, only two counters. Queues super long at 9am. Complete shambles as they took forever to find my parcels, only 5 out of 7 were found. I couldn?t wait any longer for them to find the other two so I?ve got to go back. She said from Monday there will be no more redeliveries when I complained that I requested redeliveries that didn?t arrive. Completely stressful experience.

[singalto]

No more redeliveries? What?

[Sue]

DulwichBorn&Bred Wrote:

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

She said from Monday there will be no

> more redeliveries

What does that mean? That from now on if you miss a delivery you have to go and get it from the office?

Suppose you can't, eg due to illness?

Clearly it has been absolutely pointless lately requesting a redelivery, as that appears to be just completely ignored, however surely they should be getting their publicised redelivery system working properly, not just scrapping it?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

She just said no more redeliveries from Monday and that we have to collect then she went off to serve the hordes of fed up customers waiting whilst I had to rush back to my poor relative waiting ages for me in the car. Makes sense as to why redelivery requests are being ignored but they need to tell us that and not send confirmation emails approving the redelivery.

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

3 parcels were from the same day yet they only found 1, don?t they pile them all together since it?s the same address and delivery was attempted on the same day hence the one missed card?! I?m dreading going back and enduring the queue.

[Sue]

I suggest we inundate Royal Mail with letters/emails about this fiasco.

Copy them to Helen Hayes, who is already fighting a battle on our behalf.

Phone calls may not be recorded anywhere, despite what they say. It's hardly in their interests to do so, is it?

This really can't go on. It's disgraceful.

[Penguin68]

She just said no more redeliveries from Monday and that we have to collect

If true this is outrageous, it specifically reneges on what Helen Hayes was told directly at her meeting, and what those of us who actually got a letter from Royal Mail about the closure and move to Peckham were told in writing.

An absolute disgrace, if true. And means that Peckham, alone amongst any other sorting office is offering a worse service to customers already disadvantaged.

[ianr]

> She just said no more redeliveries from Monday and that we have to collect then

I think any removal of redeliveries could be regarded as a breach of RM's obligations under The Postal Services (Universal Postal Service) Order 2012, article 4 of which runs:

Delivery

4. Where a service described in this Order requires delivery of a postal packet, delivery shall be effected if?

(a) the postal packet has been delivered to the postal address marked on the postal packet;

(b) the postal packet has been delivered to a person named as an addressee on the postal packet;

© the postal packet has been delivered to another delivery point requested by the addressee or approved by OFCOM for the purposes of this paragraph; or

(d) an unsuccessful attempt has been made to deliver the postal packet in accordance with sub-paragraphs (a), (b), or © and a universal service provider offers the addressee a choice of redelivery within a reasonable period and an opportunity to collect the postal packet from any of the following places?

(i) a post office;

(ii) a delivery office; or

(iii) another collection point approved by OFCOM for the purposes of this paragraph.

Ofcom also found, in their 2013 consultation and review, that redelivery was regarded by customers as an essential service. "Most respondents to our consultation agreed with our proposal to specify Redelivery as part of the universal service." The papers are listed and linked at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/information-for-the-postal-industry/upso.

Ofcom are diligent in holding that it is RM's responsibility, rather than theirs, to deal with complaints about RM's service. Their webpage on postal compaints says "Although it is our role to regulate the postal industry, we are unable to investigate individual complaints about postal operators." https://www.ofcom.org.uk/postal-services/complaints-about-postal-service

It strikes me that we are getting beyond the area of individual complaints -- there seem at present to be signs of a systemic breakdown of at least a part of the service, ie daily deliveries, and now ? redelivery, over a whole postal district; and that it's possibly capable of occurring in other areas too, in similar circumstances. I hope Helen Hayes raises the question: at what stage in such a case is Ofcom going to have any duty to act as a regulator?

[Dulwich Born And Bred]

Sorry, just got home. Royal Mail left a parcel on full view on my doorstep, thankfully it wasn?t stolen!

I?m hoping the post lady who told me and my friend that no redeliveries were going to be made was incorrect but the fact that none of us are getting our redeliveries and Royal Mail has not bothered to answer my email about why my redelivery requests have been ignored makes me believe that the redeliveries are not going to be carried out currently. Maybe it?s a temporary thing? I?m back tomorrow to try and find my other two parcels so I?ll try and find out more (if they aren?t too busy!) and I?ll email Helen Hayes now. I told them I couldn?t even get through to them on the number listed on their missed card but they didn?t have anything to say to that.