Post not being delivered by Royal Mail

[Penguin68]

Royal Mail are blaming CWU but we know full well that this has been going on long before the Industrial action.

It would be really helpful when writing to Royal Mail if you could remind the people in the Chairman's Office who answer the letter that (1) this problem has been going on with the (moved) Dulwich Delivery Office since well before Covid Lockdown (let alone the CWU strikes!) and that - even during the strikes - getting post re-directed out of SE22 means that delivery is only 2 days late, and not weeks. They will be using a stock response at the moment to delivery delay complaints without bothering to check what the actual issues are.

Amended to say - it might also be useful to add a link to this thread in any letter (or the previous threads if you can find them) - it helps when the Chairman's Office knows that this has publicity issues coming with it, and isn't a one-off whinge

[Sarahbmh]

I had to order a new card on 4th October, it still hasn't arrived.

I also received a hospital appointment letter that was posted on the 7th October which arrived on the 28th!

[tomparker81]

We moved to Crystal Palace Road four weeks ago and have had post four times since then despite having paid for a redirect from our previous address. It's a shambles.

[colb2015]

i just don't understand how absolutely nothing appears to be happening to sort this mess out. As many have observed, this is not just a recent occurrence and using the CWU strike is a disingenuous excuse. They must be inundated with complaints but yet nothing changes. Clearly demonstrates that from top to bottom incompetence and lack of accountability is rife.

[niozza]

For what it's worth, I've just sent my complaint- highlighting the fact that it's nothing to do with the strikes/Covid.

Told them not to bother sending a "regrettably, due to strike action.." type of response as it would be disingenuous, so not sure if I'll ever get one!

Should I do so, I'll keep you posted.

[niozza]

Received a reply both from RM and Helen Hayes. The RM one is quite apologetic, but no solutions brought forward.

Interestingly, they said: "Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us."

So please when you complain do so using the ceo office email other users flagged on this thread!

[Kathleen Olander]

Received a reply both from RM and Helen Hayes. The RM one is quite apologetic, but no solutions brought forward.

Interestingly, they said: "Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us."

So please when you complain do so using the ceo office email other users flagged on this thread!

 

So the ceo office is denying being contacted in last weeks by myself and others on here?

What did Helen Hayes say, she didn't bother to respond to me?

[tiddles]

That is the exact response I had - they said it was due to industrial action and they had not received any complaints about the closure of the local sorting office!! They really are in complete denial about this!!

[niozza]

Hi, the way I am reading RM's response is that they have received several complaints very recently but before the strikes not much for the past 8 months. But it's my interpretation of it.

Helen Hayes said: "I am very sorry to hear about the current unacceptable level of service you are receiving. As you may know, I have been raising my concerns about the serious failings in local Royal Mail services for many years, and constituents across a number of different postcode areas are currently raising concerns once again about poor and infrequent service.

I know that many residents have experienced problems with their postal deliveries since the SE22 Delivery Office closed in 2018 and that this continues to impact people’s lives. [...] I meet regularly with Royal Mail to press them on the need to improve postal delivery services in our area and please rest assured that I will continue to do all that I can to raise residents’ concerns about this important issue.

Royal Mail have unfortunately consistently failed to acknowledge the seriousness of the issues or the depth of the impact that they have had on local residents in SE22, and please rest assured that I will continue to raise my concerns. In my recent correspondence, I have mentioned that I also do not believe that these issues are related to strikes."

Hope this helps.

 

Received a reply both from RM and Helen Hayes. The RM one is quite apologetic, but no solutions brought forward.

Interestingly, they said: "Regarding your comments of there having been issues previous to the industrial action, I can see we in the CEO Office were contacted at the end of last year into the beginning of this year, but nothing over the last 8 months. Customers may have contacted us via the usual Customer Service channels within this time but I won’t be able to locate those unless the customer comes directly to us."

So please when you complain do so using the ceo office email other users flagged on this thread!

 

So the ceo office is denying being contacted in last weeks by myself and others on here?

What did Helen Hayes say, she didn't bother to respond to me?

[Penguin68]

Today my first postal delivery of the week (yes, it is Friday) - 15 items, almost all promotional magazines except for one real communication and 3 subscription magazines - one a satirical fortnightly, only a couple of days late (but it always used to be delivered on time) , and 2 political weeklies - one a full single week late, the other 2 weeks late(!). That is, with current fast moving events, completely useless.

Clearly the CWU action has impacted this, but not to that extent.

I don't actually blame the (striking) posties; the ones I see are generally hard working and as diligent (when they are not on strike) as they can be, given the hopeless management they work under. This is all traceable back to the wholly wrong decision to close the local DO without finding a suitable local replacement. I accept that the Sylvester Road set-up was well past its sell-by date - with very poor working conditions and no longer fit for a purpose where packages now are far more dominant over letter post, but jamming two DOs (Peckham and East Dulwich - SE22) onto one site - and not caring about the consequent understaffing and sub-optimal use of space - has led to appalling service - and not just for the ED customers, as I understand Peckham deliveries are now also farcical.

Perhaps if a concerted effort to write to the Chairman's Office - reminding the staff there that this is a long-running story that dates well before lock-down, let alone industrial action, and which was (at the time of the announcement of the initial DO closure) already being flagged up locally and by our MP as a disaster in the offing (there is no benefit of hind-sight here amongst the customers and local politicians, just the managers) it might help focus minds.

It must also be clear to Ofcom that regulators are being derelict in their duty to ensure that Royal Mail meets its service quality targets - when a single DO is failing (literally) to deliver against them, and has done so consistently over 4 years the failures to deliver e.g. first class post within a working day cannot be 'lost in the roundings' across the nation as a whole.

This is a continued disgrace.

[Twoddle]

First delivery today for about a month, 2 second class letters from BT. Spoke to the postworker, they have 6 batches of post backed up instead of the normal 1 or 2 with a shortage of people to deal with them. He said they'll be delivered eventually.

I've also been expecting 2 packages since late-September, yes I've been to the depot.

[Sue]

I emailed the CEO's office yesterday, and copied in Helen Hayes.

I have had an automatic response from Helen, but not from Royal Mail.

However today I suddenly got a small pile of post, though it seems to be recent items, not the items which appear to be stuck in the system somewhere.

I directed the CEO's office to this thread (apart from giving examples of my own delayed and missing items) and asked what Royal Mail intended to do about the appalling delivery service in SE22.

I made clear that the problems started when the delivery office at Silvester Road closed, with SE22 deliveries (or lack of them) now based in SE15, and therefore could not be blamed on either Covid or industrial action.

I await their reply with interest.

[green bean]

I’ve received a standard cut and paste reply to my recent complaint about the long standing postal delivery issues. Second year my young daughter received no birthday cards on her birthday (with flurries erratically arriving over the following weeks). One lost credit card,

“I’m sorry you haven't received mail for a number of days and can fully understand your concerns. Every item of mail is important to us and we typically pride ourselves on the high level of service we provide, so I’m very sorry we appear to have let you down on this occasion.

I’ve reported this issue to the manager of your local delivery office and recorded the details under reference 1-8635655491. The manager has checked information on deliveries in your area and can confirm there no known issues. All items are being delivered as they arrive into the local delivery office, however, the manager has noted there are delays impacted by recent industrial action which they currently have a plan in place to resolve this.

Standard First and Second class items aren’t tracked through our network, so unfortunately I can’t confirm the whereabouts of any outstanding items you're expecting. If your items haven’t been delivered after 10 working days from the day they were posted, I’d advise you to contact the senders as they may wish to complete a claim form for loss, this can be done at www.royalmail.com/claims

Thanks again for reporting this issue and I hope this resolves your complaint.”

Obviously I have responded that their reply doesn’t resolve my complaint and is discourteous and disingenuous. Asked them to try providing a considered response to my complaint. Provided link to this forum discussion and reference to having also been in correspondence with Helen Hayes MP - and noted that there is widespread agreement about there being long standing issues pre-dating recent industrial action.

Seems clear that Royal Mail themselves are unable or unwilling to acknowledge their failings in SE22 area. Is the next step raising a complaint with Ofcom? Anyone tried that?

[Kathleen Olander]

As I am still receiving little post and was still unsatisfied. This is what the Royal Mail CEO office told me to do.

"Thank you for your email.

I am very sorry that you remain unhappy with the response provided to your complaint. Your complaint is already with the Chairman’s office, and senior staff are aware of the issues. My colleagues and I are empowered to respond to customer contacts on behalf of the CEO and board members.

The manager covers deliveries for the SE22 postcode area. Whilst I am unable to go into the specifics of coverage and operational organisation, I can assure you that your particular walk or address are not being unfairly targeted or affected by the current challenges.

We are doing all that we can to minimise the impact of the industrial action on our customers. This involves a number of strategies and solutions which are employed across the country, and depending on the area.

Should you remain dissatisfied with the response, you may wish to have your case assessed by the Postal Review Panel. They can be reached by emailing [email protected] – take care to ensure you quote the reference number from the top of this email should you choose to contact."

[green bean]

Ah, thanks for posting - that’s useful info. Have just forwarded my original complaint log to the CEO anyway - with a covering further complaint about the inadequacy of the response - so will be interesting to see if I get a similar response from the CEO. Next step thereafter will be the Postal Review Panel…

[niozza]

So....are they suggesting parcels posted on 11/10 are ALL lost? Awaiting 4 since then, a birthday ruined and no joy at the sorting office. It would be nice to know what one should do and have less apologies and more actions to fix this mess!! Mail is sort of ok (with some delays) but I haven't seen a parcel delivery for weeks now...

[green bean]

I think their suggestions to my complaint were all a standard cut and paste reply. Advice from the post person I spoke to on the door step after my daughter’s birthday was don’t claim for anything and that it would all turn up eventually… most things did surface eventually, but some things alas have still not (never?) turned up! Impossible to navigate their complaints or recompense systems when the service is this erratic!

[niozza]

Thanks green bean, sorry to hear about yet another ruined birthday...

[Puppa smurf]

I have been waiting post since 1 October. I lodged a complaint was given a reference number and told I could go down to the depot to collect my mail. Upon arrival I was told "it hasn't been sorted it will take me two hours to sort and I'm not doing that" by the employee.

I explained I'm waiting for post as I need to send stuff back otherwise I will be fined and was met with shrugged shoulders. I then telephoned customer services gave the reference who told me in order not to be fined I should pay the company money so they will send it tracked and at least I won't be fined.

He denied there was a problem. To which I replied my regular postman has told me there is a backlog so what are you doing about this? To say they were not helpful is an understatement. I was left with you will receive a letter about your complaint

[Kathleen Olander]

I have e-mailed CEO office at Royal Mail again today and copied Helen Hayes in. By the way Helen Hayes has still not replied to my previous e-mail other than usual acknowledgment.

We have had no regular parcels, other than signed for, since beginning of October. Time sensitive publications never arrive in time since September and go straight into recycling.

Our regular postman arrived in a van today and still managed not to deliver anything.

If you are not receiving your mail please complain to CEO'office and Helen Hayes MP to keep the pressure on.

[Penguin68]

I have e-mailed CEO office at Royal Mail again today and copied Helen Hayes in. By the way Helen Hayes has still not replied to my previous e-mail other than usual acknowledgment.

 

Quite curiously, ditto, again today - my experiences regarding untimely delivery of periodicals matches yours.

I suspect Ms Hayes is currently inundated by being 'copied in' to correspondence with CEO Royal Mail - if we can anticipate any response it may well be in her regular constituency letters if she has taken up (again) the cudgels on our behalf. I believe she (or her office) is more likely (in my experience at least) to respond when she is the main addressee rather than a cc - not unreasonable when she is handling (I'm guessing) quite a high load of more direct personal cases.

Copying in an MP gets the CEO response moved into being a 'flag case' (old PO jargon dating back to the days when it was still a government department and then a nationalised industry) where you are more likely to get an official actually thinking about the issue.

[Kathleen Olander]

I have e-mailed CEO office at Royal Mail again today and copied Helen Hayes in. By the way Helen Hayes has still not replied to my previous e-mail other than usual acknowledgment.

 

Quite curiously, ditto, again today - my experiences regarding untimely delivery of periodicals matches yours.

I suspect Ms Hayes is currently inundated by being 'copied in' to correspondence with CEO Royal Mail - if we can anticipate any response it may well be in her regular constituency letters if she has taken up (again) the cudgels on our behalf. I believe she (or her office) is more likely (in my experience at least) to respond when she is the main addressee rather than a cc - not unreasonable when she is handling (I'm guessing) quite a high load of more direct personal cases.

Copying in an MP gets the CEO response moved into being a 'flag case' (old PO jargon dating back to the days when it was still a government department and then a nationalised industry) where you are more likely to get an official actually thinking about the issue.

 

See my previous post. I had already written to Helen Hayes and had no response, hence I just copied her in when I contacted the CEO's office again. She did respond to another poster on here though.

[Penguin68]

I had already written to Helen Hayes and had no response,

Apologies, I had misread your post. I suspect that Ms Hayes is running out of responses to the endless and justified complaints about our (lack of) Postal service. Short of a reference to Ofcom there is probably little else she can do, and I'm not sure how such a reference can be made. And I'm not sure what Ofcom would really do - they are a very weak regulator (IMHO) save where telecom regulation is concerned, and there they have the excellent past record of Oftel (and particularly Don Cruickshank) to lean back on for precedent.

[BrandNewGuy]

The move to barcoded stamps will mean that they/we will be able to track regular first and second class post. I wonder if that will make them do something to improve the service, but I'm not holding my breath... Edited November 7, 2022 by BrandNewGuy

[Bic Basher]

No post here for 8 days, despite postal workers not being on strike last week.