Post in Sydenham

The place for serious discussion, announcements and breaking news about Sydenham
Mrs.E
Posts: 28
Joined: 11 Feb 2008 13:11
Location: SE26

Post in Sydenham

Post by Mrs.E »

Hi All,

I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the length of time it takes to receive post. I'm not sure if this is just a Sydenham thing but currently it can take up to 2 weeks to receive something posted first class by family or friends in the UK.
I have also experienced cards / letters going missing as well.

Is this something others have also experienced?
ALIB
Posts: 1553
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 21:34
Location: East Sussex

Post by ALIB »

Unfortunately i have been the victim of identity fraud.

12 months ago someone went to the Forest Hill sorting office and had my post redirected 'for collection at the FH sorting office'. This was after they had applied for credit cards, using completely wrong details. Many card applications were rejected, but one card was authorised and subsequently used for £3K of purchases.
Numerous calls and letters to the post office resulted in the situation being resolved. (the police didn't want to know)

However my wife has currently waited 3 weeks for things she ordered from a reputable supplier from EBay and i am similarly waiting for 2 weeks for a parcel from the bank.
I'm not panicking yet, because since the sorting office closed at Silverdale, our postal service has been erratic at best, and at worst....**bites tongue **

Me thinks i better speak to the manager at Forest Hill again.

(and you better watch to see if Barty has any other comments to make)
lbere
Posts: 238
Joined: 6 Sep 2006 16:11
Location: se26

Post by lbere »

Strange, my husband and I were talking about this at the weekend. We get no post for days (maybe four) and then a whole bundle on one day.

Are the post office short of posties that they only deliver to certain roads on certain days?
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

Haha yes, me and the Post Office don't exactly see eye to eye....

I still have a pile of around 30-40 items of post that has been mounting up over the last nine months or so. This post has been misdelivered by the Post Office to my address.

I advised Royal Mail Customer Service of the issue in January. They promised to investigate and send the local Delivery Office Manager round to pick them up.

Still waiting for that collection to happen, a couple of months ago I wrote again. I received a reply apologising again for the inconvenience caused and assuring me that the postman was one of some 20 years experience and that the local delivery office manager had been informed.

The pile of misdelivered post continues to grow. I have received no contact from the local delivery office manager.

I wonder whether, if I have dozens of misdelivered items in my possession, whether dozens of items of my post are in the houses (dustbins) of other local residents?

I also wonder whether, having taken it to RM Customer services, the organization as a whole is a bunch of <EXPLETIVE>s instead of just the local staff.

I am also now a strong supporter of Royal Mail privatisation.
nimbos
Posts: 2
Joined: 6 Aug 2009 16:04
Location: Silverdale

Post by nimbos »

Remember that there have been a series of postal strikes across London recently. This has been affecting service for a couple of weeks, and is set to continue and spread :cry:
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... =102700768
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

Great attitude......let's go on strike, build up a big pile of undelivered post in the sorting office, and then get paid overtime to deliver it all.

PRIVATISE, PRIVATISE, PRIVATISE.
simon
Posts: 965
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 15:35
Location: Longton Avenue

Post by simon »

Barty, why do you assume that privatising the service will make it better?
Willy
Posts: 236
Joined: 22 Feb 2007 15:07
Location: Sydenham

Post by Willy »

well it couldn't get much worse!
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

simon wrote:Barty, why do you assume that privatising the service will make it better?
Because companies other than Royal Mail will get involved in delivering post.

Because these companies will know that in a competitive market, if they fail to perform to the required standard, they could ultimately lose the right to deliver post.
jasonwebber
Posts: 12
Joined: 2 Feb 2009 15:43
Location: sydenham

Post by jasonwebber »

yeah, look how great the railways are now they are privatised. plus private companies make money on all the profitable services and we, the tax payers, just end up paying for the non-profitable bits. at least now the one goes some way to make up for the other. i'm just not convinced that things like railways and post systems can be both excellent AND profitable, at least not nation-wide.

on the other hand, i have been waiting for a package for ages now so whoever is running things - please can you do some deliveries!
simon
Posts: 965
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 15:35
Location: Longton Avenue

Post by simon »

Barty wrote:
simon wrote:Barty, why do you assume that privatising the service will make it better?
Because companies other than Royal Mail will get involved in delivering post.

Because these companies will know that in a competitive market, if they fail to perform to the required standard, they could ultimately lose the right to deliver post.
But you don't need to privatise the Post Office for that to happen Barty, you just need to end the PO's monopoly and open mail delivery and collection to competition.
The problem with that is that any new entrants to the market will only collect and deliver to profitable places so the universal nature and pricing of the service will end.
Frangipan
Posts: 60
Joined: 5 Mar 2008 13:26
Location: Sydenham

Post by Frangipan »

The market is already open. There are several companies that have postcomm, licenses, an guess what... It's not profitable to offer a domestic service. The infrastructure, staff and service level cannot be matched, let alone competitively priced. You try going to the bank with a business model for a company that will send a letter to next door or 250 miles away for the same flat rate, of pennies.

I agree that they are dinosaurs with an antiquated system and a tortoise like reaction to change, BUT the alternative is so much more complicated/expensive etc...
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

jasonwebber wrote:yeah, look how great the railways are now they are privatised.
The privatised rail network has many faults, but customer service is not one of them.

How many help points and customer information screens did you see at all but the busiest stations before privatisation? Platform staff popped out of their little offices to dispatch trains then scurried straight back into them pre-privatisation. Rail staff could turn up drunk for work and tell customers to f off and get away with it - now, if any member of rail staff is caught with 20mg alcohol in your blood (driving limit 80mg) instant dismissal.
ALIB
Posts: 1553
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 21:34
Location: East Sussex

Post by ALIB »

Barty wrote:
jasonwebber wrote:yeah, look how great the railways are now they are privatised.
The privatised rail network has many faults, but customer service is not one of them.
How many help points and customer information screens did you see at all but the busiest stations before privatisation? Platform staff popped out of their little offices to dispatch trains then scurried straight back into them pre-privatisation. Rail staff could turn up drunk for work and tell customers to f off and get away with it - now, if any member of rail staff is caught with 20mg alcohol in your blood (driving limit 80mg) instant dismissal.
I don't like to disagree with Barty. Statistics may prove me otherwise, but customer service on all train services I use have had faults. A notable one was when my wife was questioned last year about her ticket whilst disembarking at Penge East. A letter went to the rail company and an apology (of sorts) was given over the rail staff's behaviour.
Straying into politics, It is my opinion that privatising the railways was one of the most damaging things that was done to our transport system.

Similarly, i don't think privatisation of the Royal Mail is necessarily the answer. A ruddy huge rocket up the @rse of the management may work wonders, with a return to using permanent staff and not casual labour...
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

I'm gonna copy and paste bits of this thread onto a new one. Rail privatisation deserves its own thread so that this one can get back to being about the post office :)
Mrs.E
Posts: 28
Joined: 11 Feb 2008 13:11
Location: SE26

Post by Mrs.E »

Oh joy - just found we have another postal strike today :x
multisync
Posts: 282
Joined: 5 Sep 2007 06:12
Location: upper sydenham

Post by multisync »

You never know from one day to the next whats happening with the post
Gaz
Posts: 366
Joined: 17 Sep 2007 23:22
Location: Sydenham

Post by Gaz »

Mrs.E wrote:Oh joy - just found we have another postal strike today :x
Dang! Is that why I never received my spare shower part by reg. mail! :evil:
The Clown
Posts: 401
Joined: 8 Apr 2005 14:04
Location: Sydenham

Post by The Clown »

I received post this morning
Barty
Posts: 653
Joined: 14 Dec 2008 09:25
Location: With Mrs Barty, or at work texting Mrs Barty

Post by Barty »

So did I!!!

AND, to the correct address!!!!! It's a miracle!!!!!

Still waiting for a bank statement that usually comes in the first week of the month though.
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