Post not being delivered by Royal Mail

[gazzam]

Is anyone else living on or around Barry Road (or in ED more generally) having issues with their post not being delivered? We haven’t had anything for almost a week and I’m expecting a number of urgent items that were posted first class on Monday and Tuesday of last week. This has been a problem on and off for quite some time now, and when we do get deliveries the items are very late - it took about three weeks for me to receive a hospital appointment letter from King’s. I know there have been ongoing problems since the delivery office was closed, and the recent strike won’t have helped, but it does seem to be getting very bad. Interested to know if others are having the same problem, and any ideas for what to do about it - I’ve complained to Royal Mail but they don’t seem to want to acknowledge there’s a problem. I know Helen Hayes has taken up the cause in the past, and/or it might be worth contacting Ofcom? Either way, it would be helpful to get an idea of how widespread this may be. Edited September 22, 2022 by gazzam

[Castleton]

I've had nothing for days, am awaiting a particular card posted Friday last week! I'm in Melbourne Grove

[RichH]

I'm "Crimean Corner" rather than Barry Road, but postal deliveries here have been erratic for the last few weeks. I recently received a large number of letters in one delivery, some of which were about two weeks overdue.

This morning I posted a letter in the pillar box on Mundania Road and noted that it didn't appear to have been attended to by Royal Mail since Monday, assuming that they remembered to change the little day indicator plate.

And it's not even Christmas yet! :(

[Lynne]

Had a large delivery on Tuesday (on Worlingham) having had nothing for over a week.

[XDoc]

My Private Eye arrived 2 weeks late.

Private Eye comes out fortnightly...

[gazzam]

Quick update: I just contacted Royal Mail to follow up on my previous complaint (no post for a week now) and make them aware that this is affecting others in the area. The customer service rep I spoke to confirmed that there are known issues - apparently rounds are only being partially covered, so no-one is getting daily deliveries. But even taking this into account, she said she we shouldn’t be getting them as infrequently as we are.

I pointed out that, if they know there is a problem, they should be providing service updates on their website - when I checked this yesterday the only issues they acknowledged were in Chester, and today there are no reported/disclosed issues. Seems to me they are trying to keep this under the radar, even though they know there are issues, and I’m not convinced my complaint alone will make much difference.

So if you’re also affected and want to do something about it, try giving them a call - customer service number is 0345 774 0740 and both of the people I’ve spoken to have been polite and helpful - and/or submitting a complaint online. They have a legal obligation to deliver our mail every day and are massively failing to meet this, so should hopefully take it seriously if enough people kick up a fuss!

[Callie]

I am near Barry Rd & haven't really had any problems till about a week ago when I didn't get a missed deliver note a couple of times, luckily I was able to track & book a redelivery online as I was sent the tracking number by the seller. When I tracked the parcels they were at Lambeth delivery office not Peckham & East Dulwich, which I thought was a bit odd so maybe there is some issue with the local office. On Tuesday this week I had another missed delivery & booked a redelivery online for Thursday (yesterday) but nothing came & no missed delivery card left so I have rung customer services today & logged the failed redelivery & they have arranged another one for Monday . They couldn't tell me if there were any problems at the local office only that they could see I had requested a redelivery for yesterday & that is where the tracking stops.

[Sue]

My Private Eye arrived 2 weeks late.

Private Eye comes out fortnightly...

 

Same here, and I too received a load of post all at once after not having had any for ages.

I'm in the North Cross Road area.

[Bic Basher]

It seems to be the luck of the draw if your postal worker is working if you get your post.

Two weeks ago Private Eye was 4 days late, but the current edition arrived on Wednesday as usual.

[gazzam]

We’re lucky to get post once a week at the moment - had two items delivered on Friday, but still waiting for an important letter from my bank that was sent on Tuesday 13th. Sounds like it’s very patchy and inconsistent across the neighbourhood - hoping to get more info and an explanation when I get a response to my complaint, if anything’s worth sharing I’ll pop it on here.

[LisaBain]

We’ve had no regular post for over week and it was my son’s birthday last Friday. Most cards sent 1st class have not arrived except one that was sent from Kent on 15th sept that did arrive … on 22nd!?

[ctovey]

There's also a postal strike today and tomorrow, so nobody will get post until at least Monday

[mrwb]

Closing the local sorting office continues to work like a charm....

Strikes making it even worse.

[Penguin68]

There's also a postal strike today and tomorrow, so nobody will get post until at least Monday

 

Actually (Underhill) I have had both post and parcels delivered today (29th). I had a delivery yesterday as well from my regular postie - but over his long weekend (Friday to this Tuesday, inclusive) no mail deliveries, although I did have parcels. I was told there was a temporary manager in place in the ED office in Highshore Rd who really didn't know much - but a parcels postie who lives in SE15 told me he wasn't getting deliveries either.

It's a mess, certainly, but not a uniform one. Walks with regular posties are getting mail, but where there isn't a regular in place then it's whoever's free and available for overtime. There is no proper cover for absences, and some walks have no permanent cover at all. It's pretty well the same mess we've had since well before the first lockdown, indeed from about 6 months before our own ED office was closed.

[Bic Basher]

I also had post today, 29th. None yesterday but the postal worker was here. Tomorrow and Saturday are strike days.

[JRK]

It's all over east D, it's been awful on and off sin ce the sorting office closed on Silvester road. I am so fed up with it and cross but also feel helpless and have given up even complaining as royal mail don't even admit to any wrong doing or claim to have sorted it then 3 weeks later it's awful again. Had a card yesterday my mum sent to encourage my daughter for her first day of school. That was sent 1st September! It's beyond a joke now and noone takes accountability. Even when I post things special delivery they are turning up damaged and days late so it can't just be East Dulwich, though I think we must be one of the worst affected. I wish something could be done about it.

[katiec-o]

It’s an appalling service. I’ve written to Helen Hayes to see if she can shed any light.

[Penguin68]

Update - Monday 3rd October - my postie (south Underhill) says they are concentrating today (after the strike) on delivering 'tracked' post and parcels and will start on letters etc. tomorrow. I assume that strategy is also being applied to the other ED walks - but of course if your walk doesn't have a regular postie you will be relying on allocated relief people.

[rjsmall]

I just received a letter today that was dated 4th August - luckily it wasn't too time critical. It was only sent from Bishopsgate - I think I could have delivered it more quickly crawling on my hands and knees.

[Sue]

I went online today to track a package supposedly being delivered today, and there is a load of stuff from Royal Mail about why items may be delayed at the moment.

[Agapanthus2005]

Not sure it's any reassurance - but we're in SE5 (top of DKH / Grove Lane / Camberwell Grove area) - we have had just two postal deliveries, yes TWO since mid-August. It's a BIG issue across the whole area.

Have complained repeatedly to the Royal Mail service line, and in mid September was told if I was 'desperate' to go to Camberwell Station Road Sorting Office to pick up post. Which we did - to be handed over a MASSIVE pile of undelivered mail.

Have been told this is all down to lack of staff and our postie being taken off our 'watch' and put onto other areas on an adhoc basis... means he can't then catch up with everything not delivered to us; so a vicious cycle. Then throw in the weekly post strikes and it's a perfect storm of 'no mail'.

Basically - we now only get post once a month, unless we go and hunt it out ourselves. SHAMBOLIC.

[Dietforlife]

Hi

I’m on Oakhurst Grove and have also been having huge issues with post- coming in big batches odd times on a Saturday- when I do get my parcels. There’s several items sellers have told me they sent weeks ago and still not here.

I’ll add a complaint online and also try to call in.

Ps. I should mention that a post man did actually admit to me that there is a big backlog in sorting office owing to strikes (have a feeling he slipped that at in error, I might add…)

[Bic Basher]

First delivery of the week at 6.20pm on a Thursday evening. Private Eye 1 day late.

[Penguin68]

In the first 25 years or so of living in East Dulwich (more like 28) I received 3-4 items of post delivered daily over 6 days in the week - somewhat over 20 items a week. I now feel blessed if I get 2 deliveries a week (still accounting for 20+ items). I am more likely to receive catalogues than the journals and magazines I pay for, which are inevitably delivered several days late, if at all. I assume catalogue merchants have a better pull with the Post Office than magazines (they probably send out a lot more).

How has it come to this?

I have given up writing to Helen Hayes and to the Post Office Chair(Person) - I get a rushed backlog of delivery and 'improvement' (and I use that word quite wrongly) for no more than a fortnight before the service (and I certainly use that word quite wrongly) once again regresses. The posties themselves are still struggling, against all the odds (by which I mean the joke management) to deliver, but there are now too few of them, and without effective direction, to deliver (see what I did there?) against their statutory requirements.

The costs of the first class (and second class) stamps soar (and now they carry advertising on them in their QR codes, so another source of income to the PO) but the delivery standards which are statutory are hardly ever met - at least in our neck of the woods.

And the Regulator (who clearly doesn't regulate) is, frankly, taking money under false pretences.

[gazzam]

Thanks for all the responses, it seems this really is a widespread and persistent issue.

A quick update from me: I got a meaningless response from customer services (we’re sorry, thanks for telling us, we’ll look into it) from a “no reply” email address. So I scoured the internet for email addresses that might work and seem to have got lucky with [email protected]. I forwarded my complaint and explained that I won’t consider it resolved until (1) I get a detailed explanation of what’s causing the issues and what action is being taken to resolve them, and (2) there has been a sustained and consistent improvement. I copied Helen Hayes and Ofcom ([email protected]) for good measure, and emailed Helen about this separately too.

I’ve just received a holding response from the Chairman and CEO’s office saying “As part of Royal Mail’s Senior Team, I have been asked to look into this and I appreciate the opportunity to do this for you. I would like to offer you my sincerest apologies and reassure you I will do my utmost to help”.

Initially I was encouraged by this, but then logged on to the Forum and saw your post @Penguin68 - it seems you’ve been down this route already without success, which is disappointing to hear.

But perhaps if enough of us take the problem straight to the top then it might get some attention - I know from my own experience of working in large organisations that the more noise there is on an issue, the more likely it is that senior people will sit up and take notice. So if you have the time and inclination, please do send a complaint to [email protected]. And copying MPs and regulators never hurts!

I have no illusions that this will quickly lead to improvements, although similarly to Penguin68 it does seem that complaining has led to a better service for me, albeit it may only be temporary - and that’s not really the point of what I’m trying to do here. I’d like Royal Mail to devote time, effort and resources to understanding and fixing the wider problem - but perhaps that is a vain hope…

Please do post if you contact the CEO’s office and hear back, it would be great to get a bit of momentum on this and see if we get anywhere. I remember the story was picked up by the press, including the Guardian, when the Delivery Office closed - I wonder if there’s any prospect of getting it back into the media, even if only local rather than national?