1st Class Mail

[wymberley]

Was wondering why D&C Constab' hadn't cashed my variation cheque and have just found out. The clue is in the numbers - namely in this case the '1' in the title and which identifies the speed of delivery. Give or take I'm 7 miles from the Force HQ and my application was posted on the 6th and delivered on the 12th. 7 days to do 7 miles so 1 mile a day. 

[Centrepin]

10 minutes ago, wymberley said:

 7 days to do 7 miles so 1 mile a day. 

Faster than the police responding to a 999 call though.

[la bala]

Had the same recently. Posted a letter 1st class signed for at a cost of £2.60. It took 6 days to get there.

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, i sent my renewal recorded just to make sure but at £7 😂

[London Best]

I took my last renewal personally to HQ and asked the reception desk to pass it to the Firearms Licensing Manager.

[Andy H]

17 minutes ago, London Best said:

I took my last renewal personally to HQ and asked the reception desk to pass it to the Firearms Licensing Manager.

Same as this handed direct to firearms front desk , Do not trust the mail.

[wymberley]

Have to say that this thread reflects a somewhat sad state of affairs and I see now that the Post Office will be using DPD and EVRI to deliver mail in the Christmas period. Speaks volumes regarding the Royal Mail performance.

[Red696]

32 minutes ago, wymberley said:

Have to say that this thread reflects a somewhat sad state of affairs and I see now that the Post Office will be using DPD and EVRI to deliver mail in the Christmas period. Speaks volumes regarding the Royal Mail performance.

The PO don’t “use” anybody they are just re-sellers of services offered by other companies, including RM.  They are also proven liars and criminals.
 

Before privatising RM it was not in the governments interest to be selling ( via PO counters ) services from couriers that were in direct competition with the governments own delivery service, but RM is now private so the conflict no longer exists..  

 

RM is hamstrung with it’s USO, something it’s competitors have never had to comply with hence why some of them refuse to deliver to the Highlands & Islands and have no obligation to carry firearms.

 

I wonder how many will try to send airguns via the alternative providors offered by PO counters, and then cry foul when the items are discovered and destroyed? Just like PO counters offering enhanced insurace on PF48 deliveries for firearms knowing that you cannot claim greater than the standard terms of £100.

 

The letters side of RM burns through money because of the USO and the outdated work practices so tightly controlled by the CW union ( strong union supporter, ex rep, and ex member of CW union ).  Does anyone remember TNT doing letters for just business customers?  Guess who delivered them, and at a cost that TNT dictated to be less than that of the stamps we have to buy.
 

RM desperately needs fixing but it is not in the unions interest to see that happen, they will fight with their last breath to keep the USO as it also maintains their control over the day to day management of the business.

 

Remove the USO, level the playing field, and lets see who comes out on top both commercially and in delivery performance.

 

Mail shouldn’ t be complicated but it is…

[London Best]

In Queen Victoria’s time, mail was delivered next day. 
I hadn’t realised it was the unions who had ruined Royal Mail. 
It was bound to happen, they have ruined every other industry. 
(Strong anti union attitude.....he who pays the piper should call the tune.)

[Red696]

42 minutes ago, London Best said:

In Queen Victoria’s time, mail was delivered next day. 
I hadn’t realised it was the unions who had ruined Royal Mail. 
It was bound to happen, they have ruined every other industry. 
(Strong anti union attitude.....he who pays the piper should call the tune.)

Not just the Unions, sadly the near century of under funding kept it in the dark ages as far as technology and mechanical sorting were concerned.  
 

I entered RM as a manager after 20+ years in the very competitive Logistics industry, I had a very keen commercial and productivity mindset, I did not fit in with either the management or the workforce.. and despite my Union rep background I found the negative and combative Union stance to be intolerable ( most of the operational management supported it as it hid their ineptitude ).

 

As for next day in Victorias time, it really wasn’t…. ie. Nothing could get from London to Scotland and onwards to the recipient next day back then, within each city maybe.

[Yellow Bear]

1 hour ago, Red696 said:

Not just the Unions, sadly the near century of under funding kept it in the dark ages as far as technology and mechanical sorting were concerned.  

In the late 70's I was involved in the construction of a new main sorting office in Liverpool.  The number of things that had to be done "the old way" was huge, mostly due to union "requirements", not the least of which was the security system which made simple mech handling/sorting virtually impossible.

[marsh man]

On 06/11/2023 at 18:19, wymberley said:

Was wondering why D&C Constab' hadn't cashed my variation cheque and have just found out. The clue is in the numbers - namely in this case the '1' in the title and which identifies the speed of delivery. Give or take I'm 7 miles from the Force HQ and my application was posted on the 6th and delivered on the 12th. 7 days to do 7 miles so 1 mile a day. 

We often give the Royal Mail some bad reviews and at times it is justified , take the one and two day strikes leading up to last Christmas and how long the post and parcels were taking, a total nightmare , but since then I have had very good service and items posted Saturday morning have normally arrived on the Monday , last Saturday morning I sent a parcel to the Highlands in Scotland 2nd class before the mid day collection and it arrived Monday morning , I know this is not always the case but you have to give credit where it is due .

MM

[Penelope]

9 minutes ago, marsh man said:

We often give the Royal Mail some bad reviews and at times it is justified , take the one and two day strikes leading up to last Christmas and how long the post and parcels were taking, a total nightmare , but since then I have had very good service and items posted Saturday morning have normally arrived on the Monday , last Saturday morning I sent a parcel to the Highlands in Scotland 2nd class before the mid day collection and it arrived Monday morning , I know this is not always the case but you have to give credit where it is due .

MM

Yes, but that is just down to blind luck.

[marsh man]

1 minute ago, Penelope said:

Yes, but that is just down to blind luck.

Yes I know that is not always the case , but I have been buying and selling a few bits and pieces to pass the time away and I recon for the last 8 to 10 years I have had to claim for one missing parcel , since the receipts have had a Ref number to tell you if the items have been delivered I have had the odd person say they haven't received there item but when you give them all the details that say the item have been delivered and if they haven't received it then get in touch with there local depot and you don't normally hear no more 

[HantsRob]

I have had 3 things sent second class to me in the last month. 2 things surprised me:

1. RM delivered on a sunday 
2. The quickest arrived in 16 days, the longest around 25

[JohnfromUK]

A recent Royal Mail 'next day tracked' delivery to me in S. Worcs from Rugby went;

• Rugby - Bristol MC (our mail centre)
• Bristol - my local delivery office (LDO) - then unaccountably marked 'undeliverable' (I had a signed for delivery anyway that very day)
• LDO back to Bristol MC
• Arrived 3 times running at Bristol MC
• Next seen in Northern Ireland
• Arrived again at Bristol MC
• Arrived again at my LDO
• Delivered to me - and examined by both me and the postman - and address was 100% correct and clear including full correct postcode.

Total time was 17 days if I remember right.

 

[Red696]

12 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

A recent Royal Mail 'next day tracked' delivery to me in S. Worcs from Rugby went;

• Rugby - Bristol MC (our mail centre)
• Bristol - my local delivery office (LDO) - then unaccountably marked 'undeliverable' (I had a signed for delivery anyway that very day)
• LDO back to Bristol MC
• Arrived 3 times running at Bristol MC
• Next seen in Northern Ireland
• Arrived again at Bristol MC
• Arrived again at my LDO
• Delivered to me - and examined by both me and the postman - and address was 100% correct and clear including full correct postcode.

Total time was 17 days if I remember right.

 

Was it firearms related? Items of a suspicious /dangerous nature are road freighted to NI for checking ( and if required destruction ), once checked and deemed within the regulations for posting the item is then forwarded for delivery.  Apparently, where better than NI to check for firearms 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

Not saying the system is perfect ( overzealous sorter, not interested sorter, idiot sorter, damaged packing revealing firearm etc. ) but it is there for a reason.  
 

I’ve seen allsorts, SxS wrapped in binbags with a sticky address label on them, PCP ( fully charged ) airguns in buffalo river gunbags and a lable tied on for the address, clear cellothane package with “ worlds largest dildo” emblazoned on the contents.  Some of them contravene the regs and some don’t, guess which got destroyed and which embarassed the recipient?

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, Red696 said:

Was it firearms related?

No (other than being a repro of a Victorian print featuring a sporting shooting scene).  Rather amazingly, it was a framed print including the glass, but arrived undamaged after it's extended travels.

[welsh1]

I send 3-4 parcels minimum a week by RM Special delivery, the great majority get there by 1pm the next day, the odd one or two are later in the day and very rarely it is delivered the day after.
The service is not cheap but it is very good.

[old man]

Royal Mail, just another mythical beast?

[shaun4860]

On 06/11/2023 at 18:30, Centrepin said:

Faster than the police responding to a 999 call though.

Please do not turn this into another police bashing thread.

This has nothing to do with police response times!

[Red696]

1 hour ago, JohnfromUK said:

No (other than being a repro of a Victorian print featuring a sporting shooting scene).  Rather amazingly, it was a framed print including the glass, but arrived undamaged after it's extended travels.

They have absolutely no excuse for that debacle then.  

[Centrepin]

1 hour ago, shaun4860 said:

Please do not turn this into another police bashing thread.

This has nothing to do with police response times!

I haven't and I never said it was, I merely commented as I'm entitled too. Take that as you want. You're the one brought it up. If its too close to the truth, your problem not mine.

 

[udderlyoffroad]

On 06/11/2023 at 18:19, wymberley said:

Was wondering why D&C Constab' hadn't cashed my variation cheque and have just found out. The clue is in the numbers - namely in this case the '1' in the title and which identifies the speed of delivery. Give or take I'm 7 miles from the Force HQ and my application was posted on the 6th and delivered on the 12th. 7 days to do 7 miles so 1 mile a day. 

I was all set to post some sarcastic 'get into this century, boomer' comment, telling you to get with the programme, and fill in the form online and pay online, as it's 2023, after all.  But then I thought to myself "I'll just double check D&C's website that you really can submit and pay on....oh wait you can't".

Seriously, D&C, it's 2023.  Keep the printable PDFs online for the dinosaurs if you must, but please have a word with e.g. neigbouring Avon and Somerset, and stop this cleared cheques or postal orders nonsense.

[Yellow Bear]

50 minutes ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Seriously, D&C, it's 2023.  Keep the printable PDFs online for the dinosaurs if you must, but please have a word with e.g. neigbouring Avon and Somerset, and stop this cleared cheques or postal orders nonsense.

Oh come on now, then they would lose the "lost in post never received it"  excuse and the post office would not be able to play politics delaying/losing firearms applications.