Do you think we should have another delivery company for post other than the Royal Mail?

rubin16

So just had some post as not had any for a while and had an important letter for an appointment that I have now missed because royal mail didn't deliver in time. The letter was dated the 8th March so took them 20days to deliver.

I wish there was another postal service in the UK, as Royal Mail are getting worse and worse each year with some letters not even arriving for weeks on end, and its not a reliable service anymore. I'm still waiting for my PIP result letter that was meant to be sent 2 weeks ago. They have the cheek to put up prices but can't deliver on a service we are paying for. I think we should have another option for our mail now and get rid of royal mail all together.

Do you think we should have another postal option in the UK? curious of everyones thoughts.

Albus_Scope

I've had some terrible luck with sending things with Royal Mail, including a parcel with a lot of rare corals being left in a cold depot over a bank holiday weekend! They found the box three days later, after I complained that it hadn't been delivered.  They'd left it right next to a radiator and basically cooked all the coral. 

I know they're under a great deal of pressure currently and it really is getting worse each year. Most 24hr deliveries are now 48+ hours. But I'm still getting better service with them than some other delivery services that I won't name.   

Albus_Scope

I remember them well @letitbe at least now I'm only stressing about post arriving once a day now. 

Bashford61

all I notice about the post is the bills get through the good letters like pip results don't. I get PDFs sent to my UC page .

rubin16

I'm lucky if I get post once a week these days, and when I check the date on the letters its like 14-20days ago haha. Its getting so bad at the moment and they have the cheek to put prices up when they can't even deliver on expectations.

Jimm_Scope

I've actually had pretty good experiences with Royal Mail. When we needed to send something to the States it was so cheap compared to sending something from the States to here. 

I do think that service has worsened though, now that profit is the main motive.

Even the USA keeps their main postal service out of private hands.

W_Webster

In the Netherlands they have a few postal services. PostNL is the renamed version of the Royal Dutch Mail of about 15 years ago, and there are various smaller services in action now too. Some are more specialised in delivering parcels, others are more specialised in important mail. I haven't lived in the Netherlands for almost 18 years now, so I don't know them all by name. When PostNL was born out of privatising the Royal Dutch Mail, their work was just as bad as the British Royal Mail is today (leaving parcels with coral next to heaters for days was a regular thing, or ditched mail in the bushes was common too). From what I understand, after the other "private" delivery services were established (also for regular mail) PostNL had no choice but to clean up their act and do much better. Yes, they are still very late in delivering, but there are less reports of lost mail or ditched postbags in the bushes (thank heavens). BUT, I understand they want to get rid of the Saturday mail delivery. However, the other private mail companies are ready to pick up the **** if this is to happen. So, all in all, there is an improvement in delivery, choice - and (up to a limited) level - in prices as well. Providing you are willing to go through a 5 to 7 year "teething" period of getting things right (read: better).

rubin16

W_Webster said:

In the Netherlands they have a few postal services. PostNL is the renamed version of the Royal Dutch Mail of about 15 years ago, and there are various smaller services in action now too. Some are more specialised in delivering parcels, others are more specialised in important mail. I haven't lived in the Netherlands for almost 18 years now, so I don't know them all by name. When PostNL was born out of privatising the Royal Dutch Mail, their work was just as bad as the British Royal Mail is today (leaving parcels with coral next to heaters for days was a regular thing, or ditched mail in the bushes was common too). From what I understand, after the other "private" delivery services were established (also for regular mail) PostNL had no choice but to clean up their act and do much better. Yes, they are still very late in delivering, but there are less reports of lost mail or ditched postbags in the bushes (thank heavens). BUT, I understand they want to get rid of the Saturday mail delivery. However, the other private mail companies are ready to pick up the **** if this is to happen. So, all in all, there is an improvement in delivery, choice - and (up to a limited) level - in prices as well. Providing you are willing to go through a 5 to 7 year "teething" period of getting things right (read: better).

Interesting, Yeah I feel like if there was some competition for royal mail to be up against they will clean up their act. As theres no other main delivery company for post other than royal mail it feels like they can do what they like and were stuck with them. Its just getting to a point now where its becoming useless as my appointment letters are coming late and arrive after the appointment was meant to be so I missed them. If we had a choice to who to use for delivering post I think it would have a positive affect on royal mail to make them clean up their act.

michael57

bit of heathy competition might shake them up  

Bashford61

michael57 said:

bit of heathy competition might shake them up  

were end up the same as all the other "add competition" situations the illusion of choice  

johndtay

Competiton may be good. I usually get things through quickly the post but it can vary. It doesn't help when you can get documents to you almost instantly through email. I do wish, dwp and other departments try and go over to digital for those who can use it. Just keep the post for those who can't.

Councils also are mainly digital these days, and the only letters seem to be planning depts.

OverlyAnxious

I don't see how any new company could compete with RM on letters.  They already have post boxes all over the UK which must be checked regularly by hand.  They have mail routes all over the UK that work because of large volumes.  And can get letters delivered for under £1.

If another service started up, potentially as collection only, or specific drop off points, the costs would have to be much higher for letters.

People are willing to pay much more for parcel delivery, so that's how the money is made by smaller companies.

rubin16

OverlyAnxious said:

I don't see how any new company could compete with RM on letters.  They already have post boxes all over the UK which must be checked regularly by hand.  They have mail routes all over the UK that work because of large volumes.  And can get letters delivered for under £1.

If another service started up, potentially as collection only, or specific drop off points, the costs would have to be much higher for letters.

People are willing to pay much more for parcel delivery, so that's how the money is made by smaller companies.

Yeah I can only guess the reason why we don't have competition at the moment with royal mail is the infraststructure needed to become a reliable service, like it would cost alot of millions to put depots everywhere, have post boxes and then hire the staff. Its just a shame really as Royal mail is on a downward slope and seems to get worse and worse as time goes by.

If we did have a competition with royal mail it would shake them up and probably make them a better service, but at the moment since we are stuck with them (and they know we are stuck with them) it feels like they can do what they like and no repocusions.

I do remember however a company called TNT started delivering mail quite reliably a few years ago, I don't know what happened to them but they were in slight competition with royal mail for abit till they stopped.

Bashford61

I think there is a place for Local Post within a few miles and let the RM deal with post further afield, if you have a little business delivering 200 letters a day @ £1 some small locally based firms may have a local clientele would find it useful. If there was a way to combine it with say delivering milk in places like I live a small remote village in the Forest of Dean it may make sense,

Wibbles

letitbe said:

Albus_Scope said:

I've had some terrible luck with sending things with Royal Mail, including a parcel with a lot of rare corals being left in a cold depot over a bank holiday weekend! They found the box three days later, after I complained that it hadn't been delivered.  They'd left it right next to a radiator and basically cooked all the coral. 

I know they're under a great deal of pressure currently and it really is getting worse each year. Most 24hr deliveries are now 48+ hours. But I'm still getting better service with them than some other delivery services that I won't name.   

I remember the days when you get post twice a day lol 
lucky to get letters twice a week now

Same here - only 1987 - when I remember guaranteeing to have first delivery BEFORE I left for work in the morning at 7:30 - plus afternoon post by 1pm

Royal Mail Group Ltd is the UK’s largest postal operator, the only postal operator currently providing UK wide end-to-end letter delivery services, and the UK’s universal service provider.

Universal service obligation

The universal postal service is essentially the ‘one price goes anywhere’ principle of affordable postal services to all UK addresses. It requires Royal Mail (the universal service provider) to deliver letters to every address in the UK, six days a week, at a uniform price, and parcels five days a week.

rubin16

I got mail this morning for the first time in a few days and still no pip award letter, been waiting weeks for it to arrive. All that came was a bill. Funny how they seem to deliver bills straight away but other mail takes weeks to arrive. Had to rebook my appointment becuase I missed it as the letter arrived late, they said we'll send you your appointment in the post (goodluck with that). I'll probabley get it a week after the appointment was meant to take place again haha

Wibbles

Here is the problem......

The Royal Mail is threatening up to 10,000 job cuts from the postal service; but made £758 million in profit in the year to March 2022, but paid out most of that, around £567 million, to shareholders in dividends and a share buyback;

Only long term Solution - Privatisation !!!

rubin16

Wibbles said:

Here is the problem......

The Royal Mail is threatening up to 10,000 job cuts from the postal service; but made £758 million in profit in the year to March 2022, but paid out most of that, around £567 million, to shareholders in dividends and a share buyback;

Only long term Solution - Privatisation !!!

There was also the problem that the government sold royal mail shares too cheaply, they were worth far more than what they were originally sold for losing alot of money in the process.

I just find it cheeky that they keep increasing the price of stamps and services yet fail to deliver things on time or within the timeframe advertised. No wonder they keep getting fined too, something needs to give and royal mail defo need a wake up call as its a shambles at the moment. Its just not the same service anymore and is getting worse as time goes by. Axing jobs isn't the answer, but I do think privatisation or a different company to go in competition will help shake them up.

JessieJ

Apart from a couple of cards not arriving over time, I have nothing to complain about, appt letters arrive surprisingly quick & parcels too. One thing that has been a nail in their coffin, is a lot of things going paperless, if there is less mail, there will be less staff. How many people can say they have or are expecting mail every day, the number will be going down.

Evri have a letterbox service, don't know how that compares with RM & there might be others.

Kimmy87

I had a parcel "delivered" behind my bins, when my designated safe place is inside the blue bin. 
The seller didn't give me tracking and I only found the parcel by chance, 9 days after it had been delivered, because RM didn't put a card through the door. 
I expect that behaviour of the couriers, not RM! 

WhatThe

Royal Mail was profitable until it was privatised in 2013 by the ConDems.

Operated as Royal Mail for almost 500 years. Most workers voted against the proposals so we can't blame them,

Postage costs are rising because we send fewer letters these days.