MSE News: Royal Mail to start leaving post with neighbours

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  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    Pincher wrote: »
    Somebody has to pay for delivery, or do you only buy from websites that do free delivery? Given the choice, I prefer a pick-up point I can go to at a time of my choosing, versus waiting all day, and then I'm in the toilet when the door bell rings.


    always good to jump in with both feet
    The seller must offer local collect 2 & pay RM a yearly fee to offer such a service
    on top of postage
    So how many places do you buy from that offer it?
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    Maybe if you clocked off a little later you would have time to knock a neighbours house.

    Our post used to be with us for 7:00 now we are lucky to see it this side of Midday - except on a Saturday when it appears early, nowt to do with the postman wanting to get home for the football.

    Off topic, I had to send some some tools back to the supplier. Royal mail wanted around £27 to send it back, I went with CitiLink who came to me to collect the parcel and have it there by mid-day next day for £5.70

    So for nearly £21 more the royal mail wanted me to go to them to send it.

    About time the Royal Mail was privatised and had an efficiency test to root out the dead weight and archaic attitudes to service.

    Evolve or die, simple

    interesting comment
    evelve or die
    so would that involve working later for free?
    Do you understand the irony of your statement,when you also drop the habitual line of how your post use to come early?
    post arrives early on a Saturday due to different working practices/mail feeds.
    Though it tells me you are yet to actually feel the bite of a 'modernised' delivery revision
    You will then be happily getting your mail 'late'
    why are you comparing RM price to a courier?
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    The_Miser wrote: »
    I'm concerned by the concept of "Opt Out" as conceived by the Post Office /Royal Mail. I "opted out" from their junk leaflet deliveries which was fine until they started filling my letter box again. OK so I know they get paid but I don't want to see trees unnecessarily felled. It turns out that their idea of "opt out" is until they decide to opt you in again - but they don't tell you and opting out takes weeks to come into force.

    I'm OK with my neighbours but if I have to travel suddenly (which is frequently) whilst I hold some item then will the Post Office come and take it back again? If not then the item may not be delivered for months.

    would probalby be a good idea to lear the difference between the Post Office and Royal ail for a start.
    how long ago did you opt out of D2d?
    its a 2 year opt out
    Royal mail will take an item back if a neighbour hands it back
    its would then be subject to the same retention period from the original delivery attempt
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    Hmm i don't actually have any neighbours...will they be likely to leave it with the opticians that my flat is above?

    Dont see why not
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    custardy wrote: »
    interesting comment
    evelve or die
    so would that involve working later for free?
    Do you understand the irony of your statement,when you also drop the habitual line of how your post use to come early?
    post arrives early on a Saturday due to different working practices/mail feeds.
    Though it tells me you are yet to actually feel the bite of a 'modernised' delivery revision
    You will then be happily getting your mail 'late'
    why are you comparing RM price to a courier?

    Hopefully the following links should provide some substance to my 'spurious' claims

    http://www.parcelforce.com/send-uk

    http://www.parcelmonkey.co.uk/city-link-next-day

    Enjoy


    now list Citylink prices direct
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    Pincher wrote: »
    The opt-in or opt-out choice is ridiculously crude.

    I want to be able to nominate my alternate delivery address, so no postie need waste time lugging parcels to my door in the first place. then write it on the parcel

    I want to be able to register my preferences with the Royal Mail Sorting Computer, by taking relevant proof of address and ID to a Sorting Office. The Sorting Office will take my photograph and issue me with a two part code, one code in the Sorting Office, the other one sent to me by recorded delivery, to prove I live at the address. so does this computer come out on delivery?

    I use the two part code to register an account with the Royal Mail website. I now enter and modify my delivery preferences online. The RM computer now generates a QR code (2D bar code), containing a URL link to my RM account. I now print this as a sticker, or even have it made into a plaque, and place it near my letterbox. The QR code is discrete, so the neighbours know nothing about my preferences.

    I envisage there to be an app, which runs on an Android phone, or a standard issue mobile device, which allows the postman to scan the QR code, and:

    1. Send an e-mail to say delivery attempted, parcel at depot.
    2. Look up my preferences
    already available and working with RM tracked(you forgot SMS)

    Hopefully this is rare, because the Sorting Computer has already diverted the parcels and Signed For items to where they should go.
    again,is this computer coming on delivery?

    I would think there is a Holiday Mode, where everything is kept in the Sorting Office, for a fee. Obviously, I would log on to set the account to holiday mode. Preferrably, I can state the holiday period in advance, so when I book the tickets in March, I can inform the RM computer I will be away in July, 7th to 21st.
    RM already offer Keepsafe


    Normal Mode preferences
    _____________________

    Could be as simple as try next door, No. 14 Dale Road, NM5 6HA.

    Or leave it with a for profit collection/drop off point like CollectPlus, 9 High Street, NM5 6HG. Obviously I would need to setup an account with the corner shop.

    My preference would be non-Signature letters and small packets that fit through the letterbox should be delivered, everything else please keep at the depot, and send e-mail to notify me. you get one or the other. The USO doesnt allow for cherry picking.you realise this email would have to be manually done?

    I would also like paid for diversion services, so I can send a secure e-mail from the registered account, asking that they put everything in a big envelope, and post to my chalet in St Anton (I wish).
    its called a redirection,it costs money

    I'm going to let you into a little secret here.
    RM delivery offices lurch from day to day.
    Theres not enough staff. Managers spend their days chasing around trying to patch holes in a big dam.
    My old office has lost around 10% of its staff in the last couple of years.
    It was already under staffed by around 10%
    its a daily process of managers foisting parts of walks on other posties by begging,bullying or whatever means they can.
    lapsing they call it,in our office it can mean staff having 1/3 of a duty added to each walk.

    android handset? lol. You have never suffered at the hands of RM IT and equipment. the 'new' PDAs cant even handle deliveries.
    The were originally brought in as for van deliveries only.
    however the have no simply bumped them onto foot deliveries
  • temporary1
    temporary1 Posts: 37 Forumite
    edited 28 September 2012 at 6:26AM
    Every one of life's paths should be considered an automatic no unless you've expressly chosen to say yes! What sort of world are we now living in where anything can be done to you because it's become expected that you'll say yes to everything?

    How long is this one sticker supposed to last for? A sticker doesn't sound particularly rugged or sunproof to me.
    Since they're forcing some of us to have to make this choice, the P.O should be required to supply us with something a bit more hardy and semi-permanent for free, in order to make this extra hassle a one-off inconvenience - especially if we now have to keep ordering replacement stickers to put up to keep repeating our 'choice'!

    This 'choice' should be about wanting to make a decision not HAVING to make one.
  • custardy
    custardy Posts: 38,365
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    temporary1 wrote: »
    Every one of life's paths should be considered an automatic no unless you've expressly chosen to say yes! What sort of world are we now living in where anything can be done to you because it's become expected that you'll say yes to everything?

    How long is this one sticker supposed to last for? A sticker doesn't sound particularly rugged and sunproof to me. Since they're making me have to make a choice, the P.O should be required to supply something a bit more hardy and semi-permanent to anyone for free - in order to make this extra hassle a one-off inconvenience - especially if we now have to keep ordering replacement stickers to put up to keep repeating our 'choice'!

    This 'choice' should be about wanting to make a decision not HAVING to make one.

    If you are going to moan,at least get the right name
  • Pincher
    Pincher Posts: 6,552
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    edited 28 September 2012 at 8:25AM
    custardy wrote: »
    I'm going to let you into a little secret here.
    RM delivery offices lurch from day to day.
    Theres not enough staff. Managers spend their days chasing around trying to patch holes in a big dam.
    My old office has lost around 10% of its staff in the last couple of years.
    It was already under staffed by around 10%
    its a daily process of managers foisting parts of walks on other posties by begging,bullying or whatever means they can.
    lapsing they call it,in our office it can mean staff having 1/3 of a duty added to each walk.

    android handset? lol. You have never suffered at the hands of RM IT and equipment. the 'new' PDAs cant even handle deliveries.
    The were originally brought in as for van deliveries only.
    however the have no simply bumped them onto foot deliveries

    I am aware of the dire straits of the Royal Mail from news items over the years. It is entirely admirable that we don't have more American style "going postal" incidents. There, there, let it all out.

    Not every e-retailer offer Local Collect, neither do they all offer CollectPlus. GIVEN THE CHOICE, my corner shop is a lot more accessible, open long after the Post Office closed at 17:30.

    I was describing a system where the computer helps to reduce wasted journeys, surely that is a good thing? I described how I would like it to work, not how rickety the current system is. I have used Redirection before, it is not an ad hoc service, which allows for online editing of preferences on a daily basis.

    One further improvement, we can already find my address by typing my Post Code and house number, and since I must enter my name when buying online, this allows the unique identification of my registered account. This means the address label can be printed with my QR Code, and we might as well include some tracking information. This means the moment an item enters the postal system, it is tracked and sorted automatically, and my online account can keep me informed. When a parcel arrives at the nearest depot, it wil be scanned as usual. The computer will give the "keep it here" beep to tell the staff not bother delivering. The computer then sends an e-mail or SMS text, according to my preference, and I turn up at my convenience to pick it up.

    With the QR Code, it is even possible to redirect the post during transit. Imagine, I request mail be sent to my hotel in Manchester, but it arrives five hours after I check out. I log on, change the destination to my new hotel, and tell the Manchester hotel to drop the letter in the nearest letter box.
  • I remember the days when the GPO did the phones and the post and most of the time you would get your post before 9am and the stamps and postal charges were quite reasonable ...and it wasn't that long ago either.
    And you know something they even claimed they were making a profit.!

    So what has gone wrong ?

    In these days of computers, high tech sorting fast vans and cars, mobile phones you would think that the service would be cheaper and improved.

    However this is not the case.. you cannot even get through to them on the phone anymore either (even with their 0870 numbers it's a recorded message service)

    I think if it were fully privatised this would worsen further as all the other privatised utilities have proven.

    Anyone here have an explanation as to why the postal service is now so bad?
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