First class post how long?

littlerock

Not sure where to post this admin move if necessary.

According to the Royal Mail, 93% of first class post arrives the next day. I am thinking that my sorting office is not achieving this. In the past there has been a guaranteed collection by a Royal Mail van of all letters and parcels from my local post office at around 3.30pm. The sorting office is around a mile
away and this is an urban area. This collection time as shown on the box outside the local PO has recently gone back to 4 pm . In practice ieems to be creeping forward and is now shortly after 2pm.

Last week I posted a birthday letter from the post office first class at 3pm and noticed the box was nearly empty. It did not arrive for two days. The other day I noticed the RM van outside the PO at around 2:30pm. So yesterday to be sure, I went in there just after 2 o'clock to send a package to my sister. I had to queue for around 15 minutes. When I got to the counter I asked if it would go first class today if I paid for that and the desk clerk, who I have not seen before and has quite a strong Indian accent. said "Post collected all the time."

I thought i was early enough and so paid for first class. While she was sorting out the stamps, a Royal Mail Collector arrived and started taking away the mail sacks. So I said to her, "is he collecting today's main collection because if so and if I am going to miss it here, I will take it round to the sorting office myself. " "No " she said, " those sacks something else.". I handed over my money, watching him depart, and asked her again, " Are you sure it will go day.?" "I tell you, post go all the time" she repeated and before I could ask for it back, threw my package into an empty mail sack in the corner behind her.

My package did not arrive until midday 2 days later ( it is quite a late delivery there.) So I had paid first class for something which arrived two working days later, for the second time in a fortnight.

Despite the notice saying collections at 4pm daily it is creeping earlier probably so they can get all the local collection rounds in before the afternoon shift ends. Which means posting it after 2pm it will not go first class even if it says on the box it will and you pay for that.. Problem not helped by new counter assistant just shouting "Post go all day" when you ask collection times.

I suppose all I can do is post in the mornings but I would rather they told the truth.

PDC

Pretty sure we don't get a daily delivery some days, sometimes for a couple of days. Presume this is from a lack of staff from speaking to the postmen we do get.

I think if you want to guarantee something will arrive next day you need to use Special Delivery these days.

theonlywayisup

It is a busy time of year and if you want a guaranteed delivery timescale you need to pay for it - Special Delivery.

How relevant is the clerks accent?

Dan-Dan

First world problems

Aylesbury_Duck

theonlywayisup wrote: »

How relevant is the clerks accent?

I suspect OP is just trying to paint a picture and the clerk's (assumed) ethnicity and accent was obviously something OP considered important.

phill99

RM offer no guarantee of First Class being delivered the following day. If you want that then you pay extra for their guaranteed service!!

Innewhambo

I work in the industry and the Royal Mail SLA for 1st class is 93% drop next day and the 7% balance on day 2. It's not a guarantee of it getting there its just the agreed service level. If you want to have better chance of it getting there next day, get it into the postal system by noon.

Norman_Castle

I suppose all I can do is post in the mornings but I would rather they told the truth.

The post office should be able to tell you when the last collection is rather than giving a vague response. Try asking your local sorting office.

littlerock

My point was that the local boxes and post office have notices up saying final collection from PO is at 4pm. In the past it has been at 3.30pm so this seemed an improvement but in fact the afternoon collection ,( there has only ever been one,) seems to have crept forward by an hour not back by half an hour. I suspect this is the local Sorting Office gaming the system.

I mentioned the difficulty communicating with the counter clerk because she had a strong accent which made it difficult to pick up all her words,. The young man in the queue in front of me who sounded eastern European also struggled to follow her. Plus she did not give me the information I needed.

So you are saying at this time of year there is no point in paying
for first class post for next day delivery as it would be a waste of money. You have to use Special Delivery.

theonlywayisup

littlerock wrote: »

So you are saying at this time of year there is no point in paying
for first class post for next day delivery as it would be a waste of money. You have to use Special Delivery.

No. I am saying that if you want a GUARANTEE of next day delivery you have to pay for the GUARANTEED service.

First Class is NOT a guaranteed next day service.

Quite simple but you seem to be struggling with it.

littlerock

Not I am not struggling with it. I am saying if you pay extra for first class service you need a pretty good expectation of it arriving the next day. I live near a sorting office in an urban area and was posting to another urban area. Twice in the past ten days I have paid for first class service and I posted both items well in advance of the announced collection time at my local post office. ( I even wrote 1st Class on the front of the envelope.) Neither item arrived the next day but took 2 days.

Posters here say that at this time of year I cannot reliably expect to get next day delivery without using Guaranteed Service. I am saying based on my experience, it is risky paying extra for First Class Service as you have no real certainty it has a good chance of arriving the next day.