Privatised mail: a second-class delivery
The government wants to privatise the Royal Mail. But what would the new service look like? An examination of how the Dutch do it exposes unhappy customers and exploited workers.
If you think it's bad now...
Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
A Post about Post!! Are you waiting for a letter that never arrives?
Here on Warham Road we're getting increasingly concerned about the number of letters received for Wightman Road and we're guessing vice versa -yes we know they both begin with a 'W' but their post codes are quite different. Just this week I took an important tax letter to our equivalent number house on Wightman but to date our mis-delivered letters are never redirected.
Do other residents have the same problem? Do we need a petition?
Tags for Forum Posts: mail delivery problems, royal mail
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ruth on
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Just to add my rant too. Junk mail gets through it seems but there are days goes by when nothing comes. Am waiting for a cheque- doubt it will come. My local postie is a nice but harassed guy. On his days off things go awry. we are paying more for postage but service is abysmal. In Victorian days you could send a letter and it could get there the same day!
Anyone got any pigeons?
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Permalink Reply by Sa1 on
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I've had 4 letters from the same place (not a bank) which haven't reached me in the last few weeks. I've checked and they have my correct address so I'm not sure what is happening. I've also had the thing with envelopes that look as if they might have something interesting in them being opened slightly.
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I've had the red card when I was actually home and they definitely didn't ring the bell - extremely frustrating. Especially as it seems to take 2-3 days for the post to get back to the charming 3rd World style post office on Broad Lane (although the postie never fills out the bit saying how long you should wait). Ugh, I hate going to that post office. So very depressing.
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Permalink Reply by pamish on
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The staff in that P.O. are very helpful I find, they get a load of flak because of post f*ckups, but they are a different section altogether.
A bit of bling in the shop part would make those long queueing sessions more pleasant. Does anyone ever buy any of those extraordinary trinkets in the cabinets? A small tea shop would go nicely in that space - the Tottenham Tea Rooms revived? - they used to be almost next door.
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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We have too. Many times.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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In housing management circles I've heard this practice called "feathering". The caller drops a "Sorry You Were Out" card as gently as possible, without snapping the flap of the letterbox or alerting the resident (or their dog).
I'm very pleased you mentioned the poor standard of some sub-post offices. With many other people, I opposed both the privatisation of the main Bruce Grove Post Office and later the closure of sub post-offices. But some small post offices can be grim and depressing places - despite the best efforts of staff.
A few months back we were at Tally Ho Corner in Finchley, and looked into the Crown Post Office there. What a contrast! A lot more space and less clutter; seats; and a ticket system.
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Permalink Reply by Tina on
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I totally agree about the post. I have given up complaining about parcels being left on the doorstep whether I am in or not. Also get post for other streets, usually a lady in Allinson Road for some reason. I live in Seymour so not much similarity in the addresses.
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This morning a "do not bend" letter was folded neatly in half and shoved though our letter box. Are they at war with us over something or are we just collateral damage?
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Aaargh. That really would have me down the depot with a blunt instrument.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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Old joke -
Envelope is delivered clearly marked - " Photographs - Do Not Bend "
Pencil addition from postman - " Oh yes they do "
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There's a fantastic book which details how all these problems come about as a result of 'modernisation' or so called 'efficiency savings'. It's called 'Dear Granny Smith - A letter from your postman', by Roy Mayall, published by www.shortbooks.co.uk and it is a real eye-opener.
From the blurb on the back:
This book is a letter to you, me, all of us, from a British postie. A fascinating, eye-opening, heartfelt letter which goes behind the scenes, through the ages, in the sorting room and out on the daily round, to tell the other side of the story.
At a recent staff meeting, a postman asked what the modernisation of the Royal Mail would mean for "Granny Smith" - the little old lady who lives alone and for whom the mail service is a lifeline. "Granny Smith isn't important", was the reply. "Granny Smith doesn't matter anymore".
Well, Dear Granny Smith is an attempt to explain why she does matter. An appeal to all of us to spend an evening by the fire with a cup of cocoa and take a quiet moment to read a letter from the people who are the real Santas, not just at Christmas but all year round....