Blog-Ed

umm...
might it be something to do with the postal strike??? I know its meant to be over...but I believe they still have a big back log.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3229335.stm

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/contactus/customerupdate.asp

Erm... well the credit card statement and cheque went missing in August. So no, I don't think it's to do with the postal strike.

Oh and the PIN number was posted with something else at the same time (which has arrived), no idea about Mandy's letter :(

The Royal Mail truly are CRAP and they are RIPPING US ALL OFF. Not only do they deliver my letters into my neighbours doors (and vice versa) but I have just spent the ENTIRE day trying to get through to their customer services to have a parcel redelivered. What pisses me off is that you have to get through to the number then choose an option ONLY to find the department continually engaged (ie. you HAVE to pay for the call even though they are engaged). What a rubbish company. What they need is some competitors - that way they might make an effort to provide a decent service. FROM AN ABSOLUTELY PISSED OFF MEMBER OF THE BRITISH PUBLIC.

Totally agree with folks above. I've had increasing incidents of mail not arriving - birthday cards, contracts for services (I run a software consultancy from home. Latest, and the last straw, is a VAT return with cheque for over £3000 I sent to HMCE which never arrived.

First class mail is now treated as second class in London it seems. Usually takes 2 to 3 days to arrive. Local postman have no idea of addresses and I think they just bin letters for which they cannot find addresses for.

Sooner competition comes in, the better. Very angry with Royal Mail.

Just like to say, the royal mail are absolute crap, they have lost several items i have sent, postal orders, and even recoreded delivery items. I totally agree, they need some competitiors, and get there arses into gear.

The general public should start a petition!!

Do Royal Mail have any competitors at present?
If so who?

Since 1st January 2006 the postal market has been fully liberalised so any company with a licence can collect,sort and deliver mail in the UK.

The likes of DHL,TNT,Business Post,etc are slowly creaming off the best RM business like in major towns and cities.They will never go to the remote parts of Scotland as it's not cost effective.

Most competition at the moment is what's known as downstream access,where they collect mail from a bank for example,sort it and then give it back to RM for delivery.Look in the top right hand corner of your bank statement envelope and if it says something other than Royal Mail then it has been handled by a private operator.

i work for royal mail and yes there service is getting worse are start times have changed to 0630 as it was 0500 few years back no over night sorting in the smaller offices they have made walks longer and now want to stop week end collecting from post offices and boxs have you working less hours stop all over time clear post box no more than 2 times a day
i work 34 hrs and i earn £204 per week
the top boss who have never seen the inside of a post bag say that we are over paid and under worked the way things are going a we are preparing for a national action posted 30th april 07

I am really fed up with royal mail maybe if they did there job right then i would be behind them on this strike !!1: never rec a birthday card with vouchers in (my sister posted me) recieving mail that has been opened ! mail going missing or been posted through neighbours door not just one but half a dozen!!and the main thing the big delivery van leaving the posties mail to be delivered ON SOMEBODYS DOORSTEP Yes you read right all of my streets mail left in a large red bag on the doorstep or luckily enough at the side of his wheeli bin !! I have even received mail from a member of the public on another estate that was found on his driveway !!! well what do you think to it all would you give them a pay rise !! cos i certainly dont think so maybe there are some posties out there who do there job well but come on

Well I posted a video and a cd to a friend 7 weeks ago and it hasn't got there yet, I suspect some thieving git at the post office has the package, it's not the first time this has happened to something I have sent, I have just read that Royal Mail has just announced a free parcel service for families of British troops serving in Iraq and pakistan, HMMMM, wonder how many of those will escape the grubby thieving paws of the Royal mail employees?

I also ordered a calendar several years ago, and I waited, and I waited, 2 months went by, and I contacted the company I ordered it from, who said it had been sent weeks ago. Several weeks later when emptying my washing machine I caught sight of something behind it--the edge of a flat package-yes the calendar, the stupid postman had only dropped it through the window above the washing machine several weeks earlier, no note through the door to let me know or anything.

On another occasion a parcel containing a valuable item was left on my doorstep all day (right next to my bin cupboard where it would have been relatively safe)-open to the elements-(it rained that day), and neither myself or my partner came home at lunchtimes, also this was a notoriously rough area--so it could well have been stolen.

and lastly for now, a rare book I got off Ebay was roughly jammed into my letter box and was damaged in the process,there is no way it was going to go through, and the manager at the post office just said that "It couldn't be avoided"

I heard the postperson delivering my mail today (I was about 3 feet from the door) and heard the letters dropping onto the floor in the porch. I went to collect them and found amongst the letters a card stating a parcel had not been delivered because I was not in!
No-one knocked at the door or rang the bell (bell working). This has happened before as well! Are they too busy to deliver parcels & shove the card through then dash off?
I rang to complain as this is an inconvenience now – I am off work ill and will struggle to collect it. They cannot redeliver till Monday & this is too late – besides – the same thing might happen!
I am told that if I send someone else to collect it I must give them my passport, drivers licence or credit card for ID!!!!! No chance! Don’t even have a credit card but if i had It wouldn’t be leaving my possession. Was also told the person collecting the parcel for me would need similar ID of his / her own.
My complaint was not even being logged and I was aware no record was being made & I had to insist they log it officially before any details were taken – so it seems apparent that many complaints probably never get recorded.
On top of this I frequently get mail addressed to other persons – in same street or adjacent streets & have to deliver these myself. Also, I have had bank statements seemingly fall into a black hole since they get sent out but never arrive. Gone paperfree now!
Worse still, there is a pink envelope, unopened & undelivered it seems, that was lying on my front path near my gate on Wednesday (not addressed to me or neighbours) but got blown into street as it was very windy. The letter is soaking & filthy so I have no intention of picking it up & delivering it or putting it back in the postbox. The postperson seems to have ‘dropped’ it when delivering my mail on Wednesday.
They should get rid of the ‘Royal’ part – you expect top class service with ‘Royal’ in the name. There is nothing Royal about this service unless Royal goes with inefficiency, poor service & ignorance.

totaly agree with you all ...the postal service sucks... i too have had loads of mail gone missing...had parcels left on my doorstep where anyone could take it (i was in and the lazy arse never even bothered to knock on door) also had cards saying unable to deliver shoved trough with my mail before checking to see if im in....god it makes me soooo angry...also waited at my local sorting office for 1 hr to be told they could not find a parcel and had to go back 3 days later to pick it up when they eventualy found it.....defo need another postal company as i dont know anyone with a good word to say about royal mail!!

Hi,
I am someone who uses Royal Mail frequently and am absolutely appalled at the amount of Mail that is lost????
I send everything by recorded delivery and still it does not get there!!! Also on checking on the Royal Mail website most of my reference numbers are not signed for, even though I pay a whopping 70p per item for this service.
Why do Royal Mail therefore take our money but do not deliver this service - I call this FRAUD!
We the public have enough to put up with without being ripped off by yet another so called establishment.
When I fill in the forms to say that the items have not arrived, and this is evident on there own website I am told they ASSUME IT HAS BEEN DELIVERED because the customer (delivery address) will not answer their mail to them. How do they know there mail reached them? do they send it by recorded delivery?
Please tell me I am not the only one that this is happening too.
I would also like to hear from anyone who works for the Royal Mail.