Royal Mail have published a list of 27 areas in England and one in Northern Ireland where they are not currently able to provide a regular post service.
They say this is due to ‘resourcing issues’, for which you can pretty much read they are being hit hard by Coronavirus with posties self isolating or sadly in some cases ill from the virus.
This is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that Royal Mail have had to publish a long list of areas which won’t be receiving a regular post service. There have been sporadic incidences in the past, but these have generally isolated incidences for a few days or a week at the most while a deep clean of mail distribution centres took place. For Royal Mail to suspend the regular post service in 28 areas shows how serious the situation across the whole country is becoming.
If you are in an impacted area, you simply won’t receive mail regularly and it won’t be available for collection unless you’ve received a card through your door (and unless you’re a key worker why weren’t you home to receive your parcel anyway?).
Our postal workers have done an amazing job with sadly from some little or no thanks and even bitter complaints in the run up to Christmas that intended gifts didn’t arrive on time. Frankly if that was you then you should have ordered earlier and been prepared and even if last minute Tier 4 lock downs caught you on the hop then it’s time to stop complaining and be thankful you are still safe and that posties are still working.
My local postie is amazing
My local postie is absolutely amazing. Due to lock down, he is no longer able to van share and has a long walk back to the delivery office every day after he has completed his round. He is invariably cheerful even through he’s doing difficult job and like many other’s he missed his Christmas.
Tier 4 slammed the door shut on the opportunity to visit his parents who lives 80 miles away on Christmas Day. He’s now hoping that perhaps by his Easter Break he’ll be able to visit and open his Christmas presents with his family. Oh… and he worked right up to Christmas Eve and between Christmas and New Year to make sure everyone else got their cards and presents. If you see your postie keep your distance, but make sure you give them a wave, a smile, and thanks for the service they give you and yes that includes when your post is late… they still delivered it!
Regular post service suspensions
“Due to resourcing issues, deliveries in the following areas are likely to be limited. If you need to collect an item for which we’ve left a ‘Something for you’ card from the Customer Service Points at one of these offices, please check royalmail.com/services-near-you for details of our revised opening hours. If we’ve not left a ‘Something for you card’, and you do not have alternative arrangements in place, we’re sorry that your mail will not be available for collection.”
– Royal Mail
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| Ashford (TN23-TN27) Barnsley (S70, S71, S72 and S75) Basildon (SS13-SS16) Bow (E3) Bury St Edmunds (IP28-IP33) Chelmsford (CM1-CM3) Christchurch (BH23) Daventry (NN11) Debden (IG7-IG10) Enfield (EN1-EN3) Grays (RM16-RM20) Hampton (TW12) Highbury (N5) Hornsey (N8) |
Horsham (RH12, RH13) Ilford (IG1-IG6) Leeds City (LS1-LS5) Lewisham (SE13) Magherafelt (BT45, BT46) Margate (CT7-CT9) Rugeley (WS15) Somerton (TA11) South Ockendon (RM15) South Woodford (E18) Upper Holloway (N7) Wandsworth (SW18) Wellington (TA21) Widnes (WA8) |
10 Responses
Why can the postie not be a “she”? Or a “they”?
Hey Jim, where I’ve said “He” or “Him” I’m referring to my particular local postie who happens to be a man.
Where I’ve referred to posties in general (e.g. “give them a wave, a smile, and thanks”) I’ve used them or they. As it happens my relief postie does generally happen to be a woman.
I wonder if they could have worked out a contingency plan to offer a reduces service over a larger area rather than totally suspending services to some address.
Getting mail delivered 2 or 3 times a week would be far better than getting none.
I have not had the eBay store on since the 14th Dec just to many cases were getting opened and their is no compensation, I cant afford that, I just shut up shop.
Even had one leave me bad feedback saying item arrived a week late this is after he had opened his case and got his money back (eBay eventually removed it).
As far as Royal Mail go well I do not think anyone blames the posties and staff in the sort centres. Apart from the scanning that should be getting done.
I work as a key worker in delivery in the evening driving one of the supermarket vans about all over Scotland.
We have all the same pressures so understand their is little or no social distancing constant demands for more and more , customers not taking any care, turning up a door step in the pitch black which have been untreated to be met with a box where they expect you to decant their 8 crates of tinned tomatoes and pasta. Not even a thanks.
They however scaled up to meet demand 9 drivers to 55 in 10 months. the vans never stop as soon as one driver is back another one leaves.
We have had plenty of positive cases and isolating it is a high risk place. All the same issues RMG have but are delivering.
Increased the delivery slots and the time to deliver by extending the hours to more unsociable ones basically it is 24 hour operation now I will not get home till midnight tonight and up for 7am.
Royal Mail would have to do the same…longer operating hours so the work can be spread out so people can social distance. It is the only way to do it…
As far as the likes of eBay go time to actually provide some support, be realistic with customers , stop letting people open cases, but I expect we will get the normal lip service…
Exactly Sam
Your delivering “in the same pandemic “
Hermes are delivering
We have sent hundreds of packages via my hermes during the pandemic,
And lost only one ?
Dozens via DHL
& UPS
With no problems
Royal mail must be especially susceptible
@Victor
Royal Mail workers – Susceptible to being lazy
probably more to do with better conditions of employment,
hermes guys deliver or they dont get paid,
which might not be the healthiest thing to do for the rest of us these days
Getting tired of delayed parcels with RM.
RM Tracked 24 Signed For taking whole 9 days from North East to Reading… maybe through Australia??
Don’t even make me mention standard 2nd class parcels…
Any alternative to RM folks ??
We send a lot of Large letters, quite few Tracked parcels.
I love RM when it works… It’s been really horrible ride since mid Nov last year.
Our last invoice (for Dec) was 3k + vat. Not a lot, but happy to take it somewhere where they have some respect for a business customer(s).
Royal Mail should rename itself to Rico Mail… with that level of professionalism… take your money (for delivery) and not bother to even touch it.
My birthday card got posted on 22 January from headinly leeds to illthorpe orchard park estate hu6 9er hull it’s February l have still not received it was special delivery