Problems with Royal Mail delivery delays - Again!

[555njp]

Understandably there were delays while RM were on strike but are businesses aware that in some areas RM are now grouping mail (letter and LL 2nd class and RM48) and only delivering once a week? This appears to be due staff shortages over the summer hols.

If you catch this wrong, it means your item may not get to your buyer for nearly 2 weeks.

I've had customers quite rightly asking why their item hasn't arrived 10 days after posting.

Had same with recent purchases too. Three items bought from separate sellers (one used several times before without problems), all three we had to chase, two finally arrived after 9 days, the 3rd is still out there but it seems our post day is now only Friday so fingers crossed for tomorrow.

This could play havoc with INR metrics.

Anyone else got this issue or is it just Essex?

[kempseykate]

No, not just Essex - I'm in Worcester just outside the city centre and not far away from the delivery office, and we have the same issue (1 delivery a week). Our parcels often arrive on a Sunday, and have taken up to 2 weeks.

We also had a RM return, which stuck at the Birmingham hub for a week, so I think there are problems all thropugh the network

[mylagoon]

Yes, I'm experiencing the same problem in Somerset. I was expecting a RM48 delivery that was 5 days late and noticed I also hadn't received any other post. I just happened to see the postman in his van. He said they were short-staffed and only delivering parcels (luckily post came the next day). We normally have a really good service,  but it's definitely less regular lately. This is a real concern for sending items out, especially when the 'expected delivery dates' start on the last day the item can be posted.

[darth_baggins]

Something I ordered on August 1st only arrived yesterday (16th). It was a letter format, 2nd class. I definitely think letters are the lowest priority.

[bravergrace]

Same here in Bristol.  The letter post only arrives 2 or 3 times a week.  Sometimes just once a week.

Some of it is local delivery office "policy", but there's also extra scope for some postmen to adjust their letter deliveries on walks, due to them emptying the smaller postboxes.  They obviously have keys to these postboxes, and sometimes use they as "nightsafes" - post the inconvenient undelivered mail into a small postbox on their walk, and collect it the next day.  This avoids them needing to return it to the delivery office, and face awkward questions/paperwork.   Office thinks it's been delivered (it may even have been scanned as delivered).  Item gets delivered a day or two late.

This practice is probably against regulations, but it does seem to be happening - and it's probably actually safer than postmen taking the undelivered stuff home and storing it in their car boot or garage in the vain hope of delivering it some time when they're not quite so busy.

[qualitycardsandgifts]

Royal Mail deny it, but I have been told by a postie that  parcels are being given priority and sacks of letters and large letters are piling up in sorting offices

Couple of feedback saying item was slow to arrive and another INR case for something that was posted last Friday  

[keepincaseshop]

Also noticed the same a lot of items are delivered withing 5-6 working days instead of 24 hour service. I have tried to raise it with ebay - they said, that i need to provide letter or email from Royal mail confirming that they have an issue.... Obviously RM would never confirm any issues.... (anger)  and we pay with our late delivery rates ...... and performance... 

[bazinga-games]

Just a few days ago someone opened an INR - it was for a Recorded LL.  Luckily it has now been delivered - but it did take RM a week to do so.

Also, I've just put in a claim for a Special D parcel that was not delivered on time  😠

[litp*records]

---

@bazinga-games wrote:

Just a few days ago someone opened an INR - it was for a Recorded LL.  Luckily it has now been delivered - but it did take RM a week to do so.

Also, I've just put in a claim for a Special D parcel that was not delivered on time  😠

---

Recorded...now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time!

You are better off sending Tracked 48, RM prioritise that over Signed For (or Recorded as it used to be known!).  Signed For doesn't even get "signed" half the time...I personally think it's a scam.

1st class is a scam also... 1st or 2nd seems to arrive in the same time (2 days normally) so paying extra for 1st is literally paying money for nothing.

Special Delivery is indeed meant to be guaranteed next day, but that guarantee was suspended during the strikes.  I wonder if it's been reinstated?  Well...you're about to find out I guess!

These days I try and avoid large letters, I will even put items that COULD go as a large letter inside a bigger box (with a ton of padding) so it has to be sent as a small parcel, at a cost of £3.45 for Tracked 48.   If RM don't want to deal with letters/LL then so be it!

[modelmorph]

EBay need to establish a truthful communication line between themselves and Royal Mail and update estimated delivery times accordingly. They say they do but it's based on what they are seeing as delivery times. If Royal Mail have issues (like those mentioned) then this is not quickly reflected on the sites estimated delivery dates. 

In terms of delivery, Royal Mail are a poor company to deal with now, nationalise the postal service like other countries and vote for a party that will invest in our postal infrastructure, especially as we transition to less brick and mortar purchasing. If I was King Charles I'd be telling them to remove Royal from the company name and probably opt for a better service, it could be called Royal myHermes. 

[wyntersemporium]

I sent 48 tracked 31 July no sign of it. Supposedly stuck in Greenham SO.  Been into RM And they told me more likely lost and claim 

[litp*records]

---

@modelmorph wrote:

EBay need to establish a truthful communication line between themselves and Royal Mail and update estimated delivery times accordingly. They say they do but it's based on what they are seeing as delivery times. If Royal Mail have issues (like those mentioned) then this is not quickly reflected on the sites estimated delivery dates. 

In terms of delivery, Royal Mail are a poor company to deal with now, nationalise the postal service like other countries and vote for a party that will invest in our postal infrastructure, especially as we transition to less brick and mortar purchasing. If I was King Charles I'd be telling them to remove Royal from the company name and probably opt for a better service, it could be called Royal myHermes. 

---

Royal Mail is just a trading name, they're actually owned by "International Distribution Services"

[arkwebus]

It seems very random.  I ordered some rail tickets bought Monday evening and delivered [2nd class] on Tuesday luchtime!

In all my years on eBay I have only had one UK item that failed to be delivered in eBay's estimate.    That was an "almond Mars bar" which was sent "Post Free".  Seller thought that meant no stamp needed!  So it took 15 days and I had to pay £££!

@555njp 

[4_bathrooms]

---

@litp*records wrote:

---

---

Royal Mail is just a trading name, they're actually owned by "International Distribution Services"

---

Not quite correct. Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Limited; RMG are owned by International Distribution Services. IDS also own GLS, the profitable parcels business. IDS has threatened to put (loss making) RMG into adminstration if things don't improve; which would certainly make things interesting.

[555njp]

---

@arkwebus wrote:

In all my years on eBay I have only had one UK item that failed to be delivered in eBay's estimate.  

Same for us until recently. We always used RM for everything except large heavy parcels which are much more cost effective elsewhere. However, after the strikes last year, then a spate of lost mail (several items went missing over several weeks) we switched to other couriers whenever possible. 
Trouble is we still rely on letter and LL items and are starting to see a lot of very late deliveries and a corresponding increase in INR cases being opened.

RM WAS the best in terms of reliability and pretty good on price too but not so reliable now, it's also dreadful to deal with for compensation claims!

---

[555njp]

Thank you all for your replies. At least it's not just us suffering RM postal delays. Spoke to the Post Office today, said they were aware of SOME reduced deliveries due to staff shortages but obviously haven't made it public. Also said other couriers had similar issues, but then they would say that wouldn't they?

I read it as: We can no longer afford to pay overtime or bring in temps to cover holidays or periods of high demand so tough luck!

[theelench]

Could well be, I've just been to post a parcel at a main post office.  Two windows open rather than the usual three or four and notices up saying Closed for Lunch between x and y hours and closing early (5pm?) due to "Unforeseen circumstances" that look, to me, like staff shortages.

Also having one or two deliveries of letters a week (my energy bill took nearly two weeks to be delivered from Bristol) and I've seen posties delivering parcels on Sundays here in E. Kent.

I did wonder why my EDD from ebay was still as laughable as usual when these obvious problems (apart from missing counter staff) have been evident for months.  I thought it just confirmed my suspicion that ebays 'Dynamic Calculation' was only wishful thinking by ebay, but perhaps not.  

[triple512]

My RM48 package arrived today.......13 days after purchasing and 11 days after posting!

[gbrtrading1]

I had a case with a buyer in Staffs, so would say it is part of a nationwide issue. It was sent as a large letter 48. Here is the timeline of events:

Saturday 29th July. Order placed.

Monday 31st July. The order was collected by Royal Mail, as part of the daily collection.

Sunday 6th August. He messages to ask where it is. I ask him to wait a bit longer and advise it'll likely turn up soon and has just been delayed in transit.

Wednesday 9th August, He messages to say still no delivery and wants a refund or replacement. So a replacement gets sent that day, because surely the replacement will be delivered without issue...right?

Tuesday 15th August. He messages to say neither the original nor the replacement has turned up and wants a refund now, or he'll get ebay involved. I tell him to open a case for item not received, which he does that later that day.

Wednesday 16th August.... you know it! Postie turns up with the original and replacement. I send a follow up message asking him to close the case and hope he agrees that this is all down to Royal Mail being poor in his area. So far, case closed and no bad feedback left.

This has been going on at too high a level over the summer months. Things don't always escalate to opening a case, but a lot of sellers will be in the same boat, seeing items sent on a Monday turn up at the weekend, or during the following week. The buyers often don't understand how this can be, because the ebay estimate was 2-3 days, and in their mind, that means either 2 or 3 days, not 2 or 3 days, but could be 2 weeks.

It's a shame about Royal Mail, but if they don't get enough staff for the job, this will continue, and they'll see market share fall further and further.

Ebay delivery estimates are another matter, but really don't help under these circumstances. Sometimes the dispatch by date given the seller and the estimated delivery date given the buyer are the same date. That needs to be fixed.

[bizzy-lizzy99]

This has just happened to us. Posted 5th August by 2nd Class Signed, delivered 15th August to an address in London.

Fortunately the customer was very patient and left good feedback.