We can see Big Ben and the Wheel amongst other sights from our back bedroom window - the wilderness it most certainly isn't. Granted we've had about a foot of snow and the local council doesn't have our road on its gritting database - I know this because I flagged down a gritting lorry last year and asked why we weren't getting any. After telling me this he did kindly reverse and did our road at my request - a result.
Back to the point: Our road has today had organic vegetables delivered to those on their list, a washing machine repair man came next door, milk has been delivered to the very few that still want it. We've even had a Betterware catalogue delivered and collected. (No joy for them from us as usual).
But where is our post? 3 chuffing days and no sign of either a foot or van delivery.
Is it an Elf n'Safety thing? "Oooh, it's slippy out there we'll leave it." Do the managers have no authority with the unions. If I was manager I'd get volunteers for Saturday pm overtime and get it done.
Annoyed - yes!
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>> We can see Big Ben and the Wheel amongst other sights from our back bedroom
>> window
So can I and I live in Cologne, flat screen monitors on the window sill and Google Earth are great.
>> Is it an Elf n'Safety thing? "Oooh, it's slippy out there we'll leave it." Do
>> the managers have no authority with the unions. If I was manager I'd get volunteers
>> for Saturday pm overtime and get it done.
>>
>> Annoyed - yes!
>>
Who's budget would you be cross charging this too and who would be liable for insuring these volunteers ?
What if you got a few of the nutters who go out in cars and deliberately cause accidents falling over and "injuring" themselves. Until you get rid of the ambulance chasers and some of their clients you've got Bob Hope.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 4 Dec 10 at 00:17
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Perhaps no one has written to you?
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Look on the bright side, you'll probably receive ten letters today.
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gmac - I meant postman volunteers as in...."who wants some overtime this week ?"
Budgets - don't make me laugh - long term sickness, job and finish, strict job demarcation - Royal Mail is one of the most inefficient and money wasting organizations on the planet. They are totally unaccountable: they lose your valuables, don't have a decent audit system and eventually after much complaint the best you'll get is a book of stamps as compensation.
I have had numerous fights with them and got nowhere. As a builder in the past I used their special delivery service to get contract tenders delivered by 09.00 am to meet 12 noon deadlines. They let me down several times. With the help of the recipient I found that postie was falsifying delivery times to "prove" delivery by 09.00am. What happened ? Nothing. No-one got sacked.
It's a self-serving outfit that wants 100% privatizing just as soon as possible.
Rant over.
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I have else where on this site posted a letter from the Post Office....
Im guessing this will affect you.
''Conditions are of course changeable. Below are areas where services are currently most affected:
London
The delivery of mail may be affected in some parts of the SE and SW postcode areas.''
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In our area mail isn't getting to the town because of problems on the railways. It's nothing to do with whether the posties will/can deliver or not.
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sat 4 Dec 10 at 07:37
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I thought they'd switched all mail delivery to the roads? I haven't seen a Royal Mail Train for years...
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they dont use trains anymore
i had my first post of the week at work yesterday
i suppose if you have poor postmen up and down the country with broken legs it might make national news if they start shooting a few so i am willing to forgo my bills and final demands for a week
they are only capable of so much remember and the post office is in turmoil at the moment with redundancies reappraisals and how little they actually have to do before all the final tasty bits are sold off to the are abbs
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>> they dont use trains anymore
In that case the mail vans/trucks can't get to us from the sorting office which is the other side of 15 miles of hell called Wolf Creek Pass. www.metrolyrics.com/wolf-creek-pass-lyrics-cw-mccall.html
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Royal Mail use road transport and a small fleet of aircraft including a 737 based at East Midlands airport which acts as a hub.
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>> Royal Mail use road transport and
>>
Beware of the small trucks during the night.
I consider them as "white van man" and steer well clear of them.
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Not much goes by train. The last TPO ran several yeras ago and for a time PO abandoned rail altogether.
A low key service was subsequently re-introduced, mostly on the West Coast line using the purpose built ABB Class 325 sets.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4568133.stm
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Our postman lives 20ft from our house. Id love to hear the excuse for post not arriving!
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Our local postal delivery workers (there must be a better non sexist term) are on foot and on bike, and I doubt anyone could have made deliveries yesterday. For one thing many workers would not have been able to get to work, such was the snow and ice on side roads. Today it is possible, but slow. I do not blame them, as I can wait a few days for a letter or a parcel if it means the workers do not injure themselves. One thing RM do need to do is issue workers with slip on ice grips for their shoes. But I suspect that would require too much initiative and cost for the RM management to stomach.
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No sympathy at all - the Betterware catalogue man can get to me so why not the precious postie.
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...the Betterware catalogue man can get to me so why not the precious postie...
We know why, don't we?
Because if the Betterware man doesn't get to you, he don't eat.
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Ah do Postie's get paid if they don't turn in then...like teachers?
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The Betterware person may have a commission coming if you order something, Postman Pat does not. He gets paid anyway.
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and betterware dont have to slug round with 20 kilo on their backs ;-)
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I had an ex-postie working for me for the last few years. Totally dependable and high work ethic. He left because he felt undervalued and bullied 'cos he cared. Can't say I blamed him given some of the horror stories he had.
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...He left because he felt undervalued and bullied 'cos he cared. Can't say I blamed him given some of the horror stories he had...
I'm not saying all posties are lazy, but it's a very cliquey job.
If you don't fit in - for whatever reason - they'll have you out.
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The local sorting office manager lives across the road from me, if anyone is going to get mail I would think we will. As the JCB only dug us out this morning, I would think we will get a delivery on Monday.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sat 4 Dec 10 at 14:00
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>> I had an ex-postie working for me for the last few years. Totally dependable and
>> high work ethic. He left because he felt undervalued and bullied 'cos he cared. Can't
>> say I blamed him given some of the horror stories he had.
Shame on you, you should have treated him better ... Okay, sorry, I assume you were explaining why he left the post office, ahem, cough cough.
I think the problem is that the RM is slowly losing large sources of revenue, due to email etc. and the management are responding by imposing absurd terms, such as having to walk and deliver at X miles per hour, I think I read that it was 3 miles per hour. Cripes!
It is a shame because mail and the post office services are an important part of your society in my opinion. Non RM parcel couriers are nowhere near as good, and if you have to go to the depot to collect, it can be a 30 mile drive!
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Non RM parcel couriers are nowhere near as good,
>> and if you have to go to the depot to collect,
Can't agree with that we buy quite a lot via the net so average 2 to 4 parcel dels per week.
Most will ring and leave stuff hidden (tucked away here) if there's no neighbour about, we egt regular chaps from 2 or 3 couriers and have developed a mutual trust with them, Parcel Force just return to the depot for us to get.
The only problems we've had over the years has been with RM, non dels and no note left, not forgetting the theirf who was pilfering our mail for several months..we got a large bundle from RM once their fraud investigation was over.
It's in the independent carriers interests to get parcels delivered, not only will they have to redeliver but undelivered items will be a pita for them when they start their 40 or so collections after 80 or so drops...i couldn't do it and take me hat off to them..oh and i always let them through on the road.
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No post today - again. The little newsagent, with a shop at the end of the road, managed to drive his regular 12 miles and open up at 7am as usual. There's a full stock of papers and deliveries have been made.
For heaven's sake - the snow's nearly all gone now. We can't have postie working a Saturday afternoon now can we - it's probably against his human rights.
As for pulling out the stops on Sunday - dream on.
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>> Non RM parcel couriers are nowhere near as good,
>> >> and if you have to go to the depot to collect,
>>
>> Can't agree with that we buy quite a lot via the net so average 2
>> to 4 parcel dels per week.
I don't doubt your experiences one bit. I had an independent courier not deliver a note through the post box, the item got returned after a week at the depot, and the sender got billed for the return journey. I must admit I don't want valuable items left on the door step, or nearby.
But most of the functions can be hived off to the private sector, except that some such as pensions are important for old people, especially the disabled. My late mother was able to get to a post office, but only just, in a scooter. But they are closing them, and the alternative would have been to trust a stranger such as a visiting nurse with her pension details and debit cards to get money. And I know that one or two are thieving so and sos. (Most aren't but how do you know which is which?)
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such as having to walk and deliver at X miles per hour, I think I read that it was 3 miles per hour. Cripes!
In fact the chap I was talking about referred to this - new "walks" were designed and then tested by office creeps who jumped over fences and sprinted around the round to make it in double quick times - other posties were then expected to match or improve on this time. If there was one slacker in your team the entire team's bonus was lost. They had to get in earlier every morning to ensure that there were was a serviceable van available, if you didn't you'd end up having to use your own car to get to your walk.....no expenses and no thanks.
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The local postie here is excellent - he stopped last week when I was out with the dog to get me to sign for a parcel save me a trip to the Office an then delivered it to the house and took a letter I had for posting...been off work he has having been savaged by a dog on the round....wouldn't care for his job...
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When time and motion get involved usually with piece work pricing they'd always get some brown noser to set the rate, it's good to see the BN's get shafted with everyone else once they've outlived their uselfulness, unfortunately they're often too thick to realise what's happened.
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Dulwich, you obviously have a major bee in your bonnet about Royal Mail don't you?
Privatise - yeah thats great, has worked wonders in the power industry hasn't it?
Definitely no price fixing there? Great competition has driven prices down hasn't it? There are no signs of inefficiencies are there? Brilliant customer service, transparent pricing policies.
Mmm I am quite happy for Royal Mail to deliver my junk mail whenever they want, do all my bills etc online. Can't actually remember the last time I eagerly awaited a delivery from Royal Mail.
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>> Can't actually remember the last time I eagerly
>> awaited a delivery from Royal Mail.
>>
No online shopping, no snapping up an indispensable Ebay find, then pouncing on it or intercepting the postie before you get asked "What's in that parcel?"
?
Last edited by: hawkeye on Sun 5 Dec 10 at 14:50
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My mail arrived this morning (sunday) so a pat on the back for Royal Mail.
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Was up at my dads today clearing his driveway and pavement and the postie was out walking and also passed a postie van delivering
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Ditto, Leif.
First mail since last Monday hit the mat this morning, (Sunday), two subscription magazines, two invitations for credit cards and my tax disc; not quite the avalanche I was expecting!
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It was pretty horrendous here last week (now on the verge of flooding) but the postwoman got through on all but one day in her usual little Clio van. Only difference was that she was given a companion to ride with her and be the one to actually risk falling over by getting in and out of the van in the snow while she stayed at the wheel. Seemed sensible to me and they must be losing the extra overtime in the figures somewhere.
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DE, I live in Zone 1. We had about 2 inches of snow. I didn't get post any day last week. There's no snow now, but I'm not holding out for a delivery today.
Southwark council haven't gritted pavements at all, mind. Presumably that's local government cuts - as last year there wasn't a spot of ice.
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First mail since last Monday arrived today. It was about two hours earlier than usual, so the postie was obviously making an effort to deal with the backlog which must have built up. Well done, postie.
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No post for a week or so at home but the post arrived at work today for the first time since Wednesday last week.........
But every day the paper delivery boy at home has arrived promptly before 8 am with my Telegraph ...
I could not believe it when he arrived unconcerned on his bike as I was busy digging my car out of the foot plus of snow on the drive last week ..... he is in line for a good tip this Christmas.
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...arrived unconcerned on his bike...he is in line for a good tip this Christmas...
Either that or a visit to the same hospital as Mrs Chopper.
I'm sure we all hope she's on the mend.
Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 6 Dec 10 at 12:01
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3mph is not a great pace, thats my normal dog walking pace and we (the dog and I) can keep that up for about three hours.
3mph is a fast pace when you take into account opening gates, sticking stuff through letter boxes etc.
Its freezing out there, really cold freezing fog, and yet the postman is still wearing shorts, flashing off the tattoos on his legs
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" Dulwich, you obviously have a major bee in your bonnet about Royal Mail don't you? "
Yes, BobbyG, I can't hide my irritation with them and it's probably better that I rant here rather than thump the next postman I see !
The situation stems from 15 years of running a business that was reliant on Royal Mail doing its thing. Frequently I was lied to when their deliveries went wrong but there is no redress. Only in the very latter years did the internet help but even then some contract tenders would only be accepted as hard signed copies. I've lost count of the number of week-ends lost driving to various places to deliver the documents to guarantee delivery. Sometimes you'd then find the building had no letter box and deliveries were only accepted by hand Mon - Fri. I ended up having the family in on the act. My 20+ year old children still don't know why we might have had "exciting" Sunday drives from London to various city centres or office parks.
It would not be uncommon for me to spend 4 hours visiting a site to quote for work. Then spend maybe another 4 preparing the tender only for Royal Mail to fail to deliver on time. I regularly did 20 to 30 tenders a month. I simply had to hand deliver many of them to guarantee my time was not wasted. Couriers weren't an option as I never knew when my own documents might be ready and £30 / £40 a time was too much.
Secondly in London the unions seem to have the strongest grip on the Royal Mail and seemingly any excuse is enough to stop working. So I imagine (and perhaps that's my problem) that managers had little influence on what work could be done in the snow due to union pressure. In my own business we had bad weather contingency plans - the guys would tidy stores, decorate and generally fettle up vans and tools. We'd double up crews on jobs that could be done in the bad weather. Once we had about 12 men at a house tripping up over each other finishing the work in record time. I wonder what postie was doing ? Can't touch the vans that's not your job. Can't decorate the office as it's not in your employment contract. Can't work a Saturday afternoon and Sunday in lieu of Thursday and Friday as again it's not in your employment contract.
You'll have gathered that I have a major bee in my bonnet about unions too. Would you like me start on the Underground or National Rail. They killed London docks, killed Fleet Street and finished off BL.
I'll close my rant with confirmation that the post arrived around 10.00am today.
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>> ........ Would you like me start on the Underground or National Rail. They killed London docks, killed Fleet Street and finished off BL.
Can you prove that?
Last edited by: L'escargot on Mon 6 Dec 10 at 13:42
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yeah
they were all heavily unionised with restricted practices, and they are now all gone.
proof enough
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Came home earlier to the dreaded red card (trip to RM depot 12 miles) left earlier this afternoon when Postie called, anyway doorbell has just gone postie had seen my car on his return trip around the round and dropped the package off - he's been very good with us so I did something I never did before - Christmas box of two bottles of wine. He is a nice bloke, likes dogs and motor-bikes.
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>> ..... he is in line for a good tip this Christmas.
My tip would be "Don't eat the yellow snow.".
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Last Tuesday's weekly magazine still missing. This Tuesday's not arrived either. Sundry collection of post yesterday, less than usual.
I live ten minutes' walk from the sorting office. Thre is no snow anywhere.
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>> My tip would be "Don't eat the yellow snow.".
Mine would be "Blind people - take off those dark glasses and give yourselves a chance", but I expect I'll go to jail for it.
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Why can't Royal Mail get to my house in the snow? - ....
