In the last few years I’ve never really had a problem with the Royal Mail. Sure some things took a while to deliver and it was a pain having to pick up parcels from the depot (the joys of Amazon) but I can live with that. Even one delivery a day didn’t bother me – leaving at 7AM for work meant I never get morning mail – it was always a 5PM event for me.
However the last few days have been….frustrating.
That’s too polite. Fecking annoyed really sums up how I feel. Since moving a year last January we have had our mail re-directed. All has been going well until last week when I came home to a little could not deliver mail postcard. Nothing odd there except is said it was for ‘a sack of mail’. This is something I’ve never had. I was expecting an eyetoy and a power cable for the Xbox that’s about to blow up but apart from that, not a lot else.
So I pick up the sack – it weighs an absolute tonne weight. To the amusement of no doubt everyone else I hoist it over my shoulder and walk through the snow (yep – cue Santa jokes) back to the car – couldn’t see any label and it was knotted expertly with string that would not break or untie. Back to the house then. When I finally got it opened I realised it was redirected mail but not mine….just a few letters that should have gone to Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Kelvin Hall Sports Arena and the Museum of Transport. Nice – that’s why it weighed so much. Grrrrr. I put it all back in the sack, phoned the sorting office to be told it wasn’t them but the Cowcaddens branch but just drop it into the local Post Office and it won’t happen again. Annoying but probably a one off. I tried about 40 times to phone Cowcaddens but the phone was either engaged or rang out – great customer service.
Imagine my surprise at getting another postcard saying ‘sack of mail’ on Monday. Went to ‘pick it up’ on Tuesday to be greeted with 3 sacks. After a bit of ‘banter’ sense prevailed and the sorting office chap opened the mail and agreed it wasn’t mine and he would complain to his boss. The bit that bothers me is the Art Galleries is shut and so it makes sense the mail is re-directed but the other two places are open! So I’ve e-mailed all three in the hope that a business complaining will have more clout that a pissed off weegie who loses his temper far too easily. I’ve also complained through official Royal Mail channels and while the guy sounded sympathetic and said he would ‘do all he could’ that was last Thursday so it hasn’t made any immediate impact. At the same time I can’t help but feel that my mail is now never going to get delivered – some postie will take revenge on my mail at some point. Total paranoia but I can’t shake the feeling. The sooner the Royal Mail has some real competition the better.
Oh how I envy you being so popular!
Yup, the post is definitely crap. For instance, I never did get that birthday card from you. Scandalous, should be shot 😉 goodness knows where it is, eh?
Aye. Mmm. Must complain some more to…er…someone.
Royal mail = bunch of thieving work shy gits.
Thefts etc from within the post are now so common that there was a sketch about it on one of the hogmanay comedy shows. Everybody I know has suffered some kind of issue at least once with the post. One thing guaranteed though, is that any junk mail will always make it through your door. Apparently that is how they make most of their money these days.
I once sent a birthday card (to Ian as it happens) with cash in it through the regular mail, it was stolen. It took me two letters and a phone call to get refunded for the card and the stamp. Never any mention of them trying to catch the thief, basically it was my fault for not sending it recorded delivery.
In recent years letter post has declined significantly, and will continue to do so. Online financials, email and the like increasingly make letter post redundant. In terms of parcel delivery the Royal Mail already lags far behind its competitors and I don’t see it catching up.
For me the only hope is that when the organisation finally admits severe financial problems, they don’t get bailed out and the mail service as we know (and hate) it will have to change. Meantime the only action we can take to speed that along is to make sure we return junk mail.