Royal Mail and Post Services

[se22]

The regulator has approved 2nd class deliveries on alternate days, excluding Saturdays. So Monday, Wednesday and Friday on week 1. Tuesday and Thursday on week 2. Don't know when it starts but in theory it will be better than the current haphazard service. Earlier this week I received bills and other items which had been in the post for 2 weeks. Definitely not the fault of the posties.

[Spartacus]

Will we notice any difference compared to now ?

In the dim days before electricity light our street lights, the idea of two classes of mail meant that 1st class was delivered in the morning and 2nd class later in the day (yes two postal rounds per day) 

But now, with modern technology and other "efficiency" changes we get one or less rounds a day and 2nd class is now within 3 days. Somehow I feel the death throes of a ine great postal service 

[Sue]

47 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

Will we notice any difference compared to now ?

In the dim days before electricity light our street lights, the idea of two classes of mail meant that 1st class was delivered in the morning and 2nd class later in the day (yes two postal rounds per day) 

But now, with modern technology and other "efficiency" changes we get one or less rounds a day and 2nd class is now within 3 days. Somehow I feel the death throes of a ine great postal service 

But in those distant days, there was no other means of communication for most people.

There was semaphore, then morse code, then telegrams, then landline telephones (no idea of dates or what order they were invented or introduced). 

Actual written letters might be carried around the country on horseback or in stage coaches.

I'm so ancient I remember it was a big deal to get a birthday telegram on my birthday, and my parents didn't have a phone for ages.

Now many things are done by email or other online methods, and most people (at least in this country) have mobiles.

And if something needs a physical copy, it can usually be printed out at home (or at a print shop if you don't have a printer).

So actual physical post is becoming less and less important for the vast majority of people.

I'm pretty sure the idea of first and second class post was originally in terms of the time taken between posting and delivery (first class next day, second class longer) and nothing to do with the time of day things were delivered, but I stand to be corrected.

If the changes mean we get things like new bank cards and random items we've ordered online quicker, then great, but otherwise I can't see it's going to make much difference to most people.

Even things like hospital appointments are dealt with by apps and/or email these days.

Edited July 10 by Sue

[jazzer]

So everything postal wise is likely to take longer, pay more = get less. 

This is the beginning of the slow and gradual death of Royal Mail. 

[Penguin68]

A political weekly I subscribe to was often delivered to me on Monday or Tuesday after its Thursday publication. Or later. Never before Friday. 

They have changed their delivery from Royal Mail to a courier service and for the last 3 weeks it's been posted around 7:30 on Thursday morning or before! 

Presumably that must now cost in for them. 

The slow death of Royal Mail may not be that slow... 

 

Edited August 21 by Penguin68

[Sue]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3v37plv2edo

Interesting article about Denmark stopping letter deliveries.

[Pugwash]

Currently getting post 2/3 times  a week.

[Penguin68]

I've now had no post in Underhill for close to 3 weeks (parcels a-plenty) - I'm missing a cheque from someone and 2 full weeks of topical magazines - is it just me or are others experiencing an even worse than usual service. I used to get 1-2 deliveries a week, totalling 15-20 items. 

[Azalea]

On 10/07/2025 at 13:31, Sue said:

But in those distant days, there was no other means of communication for most people.

There was semaphore, then morse code, then telegrams, then landline telephones (no idea of dates or what order they were invented or introduced). 

Actual written letters might be carried around the country on horseback or in stage coaches.

I'm so ancient I remember it was a big deal to get a birthday telegram on my birthday, and my parents didn't have a phone for ages.

Now many things are done by email or other online methods, and most people (at least in this country) have mobiles.

And if something needs a physical copy, it can usually be printed out at home (or at a print shop if you don't have a printer).

So actual physical post is becoming less and less important for the vast majority of people.

I'm pretty sure the idea of first and second class post was originally in terms of the time taken between posting and delivery (first class next day, second class longer) and nothing to do with the time of day things were delivered, but I stand to be corrected.

If the changes mean we get things like new bank cards and random items we've ordered online quicker, then great, but otherwise I can't see it's going to make much difference to most people.

Even things like hospital appointments are dealt with by apps and/or email these days.

I get hospital appts by text a lot now and also on the My Chart/Epic if your appts are at certain hospitals - Kings, Guys and Tommy’s and the Brompton.

[CPR Dave]

I remember when Helen Hayes was our MP she made a big fuss about this in the House of Commons.

Now Labour are in government the service is even worse and we hear crickets instead of our representatives standing up for us.

Edited October 7 by CPR Dave

[Penguin68]

Helen Hayes went to bat for me on a number of occasions,each time I did get a sudden influx of elderly mail. And then service fell away again. 3 or more weeks ago I did get a few things, the postie said there was lots more waiting sorting. But since then, nothing. Frankly it's a disgrace. 

[Sue]

3 hours ago, Penguin68 said:

I've now had no post in Underhill for close to 3 weeks (parcels a-plenty) - I'm missing a cheque from someone and 2 full weeks of topical magazines - is it just me or are others experiencing an even worse than usual service. I used to get 1-2 deliveries a week, totalling 15-20 items. 

I'm in Ulverscroft Road.

So far as I know I'm getting all the post I'm expecting, but of course if there was anything not delivered which I wasn't expecting, I would never know until it eventually arrived.

No problem at all with packets and parcels, and my postie is lovely! 

[Dulwich dweller]

We've been getting almost regular deliveries to the Gardens/ Kelmore grove again. It was awful at one point 6 months back. I suppose it's hit and miss depending on where you are. Our sorting office is Peckham.

[Penguin68]

9 hours ago, Dulwich dweller said:

Our sorting office is Peckham.

Sadly everyone's in East Dulwich is. The move has been nothing but a complete disaster for us. And now  I gather that the office isn't even open most of the time, if you could get to it. It must be so disheartening to be a postie there knowing your bosses are forcing you to give a poor service by prioritising more lucrative parcel delivery. That was so much a privatisation too far. 

[Dulwich dweller]

8 hours ago, Penguin68 said:

Sadly everyone's in East Dulwich is. The move has been nothing but a complete disaster for us. And now  I gather that the office isn't even open most of the time, if you could get to it. It must be so disheartening to be a postie there knowing your bosses are forcing you to give a poor service by prioritising more lucrative parcel delivery. That was so much a privatisation too far. 

It does seem to be more parcels than envelopes getting delivered around here too.

[Pugwash]

We have had post 3 times this week.

[Sue]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/15/royal-mail-fined-ofcom-missing-delivery-targets?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Jenijenjen]

I suspect this fine was anticipated by RM in their aim of getting everyone to use their more expensive tracked and signed for services. I had an important letter to send and was reluctant to use the ordinary and unreliable 1st class post so sent it 'signed for' at a cost of over twice as much. It's like the unreliability of 1st and 2nd class has become a marketing tool for more expensive services.

Paranoid - moi?