What is the point, of having a Royal Mail?

[Ivor Windybottom]

Oh the irony. I'm not even over on the left.

Is there anybody in here that you consider as central?

That's your choice, but it's different to the rationale

Most rampant lefties think they're somewhere in the middle.

You'll find out what middle looks like when we get a sensible government.

It seems that not being anti-capitalist makes someone far-right according to some in this dystopian present state of things.

 

[fillyboy]

Trouble with RM/GPO whatever you want to call it is that it's been asset stripped for as long as I can remember. I worked there as a postie for about 6 weeks during the mid 70's recession. There were no jobs to be had elswhere, despite that few people wanted to get up at 4,30 in the morning. The wages were crap but there was unlimited overtime. Coincidentally, I worked at Slough GPO when Alan Johnson worked there although we never met. Many years later we exchanged a few emails after I wrote him complimenting him on one of his books, turned out he knew several of my mates dads who were posties. Nice bloke, I've always said if he had run for PM, I'd have voted Labour again. (yes, again, I was a bit of a socialist in my younger days).

Anyway, back on topic, first the telecoms part was taken away, then opened up to allow competition to tender for postal deliveries, obviously the competition only tendered for the big cities.
I've no idea how much a first class stamp is these days, whatever it is, as Carman said, it's not enough to cover delivering a letter to an isolated cottage on a remote Scottish Island.

 

[HayMaker]

I've never had a problem with RM. A few times I've had parcels delivered to the wrong street but that was down to a rather dim posty that was doing holiday cover. Both times, I phoned their complaints line and got my mail back a day or two later. Another time I sent a parcel which someone bought on Ebay. It never turned up. I refunded the buyer, did an online refund application and was refunded for the price it sold for and the postage, within a few days. Then about 3 weeks later my parcel turned up so I sold it again.

IMO, this is the measure of a good company. They can't control what some of their dumb staff do, but they can make it right. At the opposite end of the spectrum is DPD, Herpes, Evri etc, who occasionally get things wrong but when you try to complain or sort it out, they don't give a ****e.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Most rampant lefties think they're somewhere in the middle.

You'll find out what middle looks like when we get a sensible government.

It seems that not being anti-capitalist makes someone far-right according to some in this dystopian present state of things.

But who do you view as central in this forum ?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

They can't control what some of their dumb staff do, but they can make it right.

This isn't a problem with their staff, our local sorting office is a mile away - I cannot see staff, piling mail up, until their is enough for it to be worth their while delivering, it has to be an instruction from above, and I suspect it must affect the entire street. We used to spot the postie almost daily, making deliveries, but now only very rarely, and usually when we get a batch, or pile delivered.

t the opposite end of the spectrum is DPD, Herpes, Evri etc, who occasionally get things wrong but when you try to complain or sort it out, they don't give a ****e.

Evri seems by far the worst, and we have an ongoing problem with their driver just dumping parcels anywhere on the premises, despite someone being in, despite us asking for them leaving in a sheltered particular spot. Fed up of playing hunt the parcel - We complain every time, never get a reply. His predecessor was much better, knocked at the door, and handed it through our front window. We had parcels left out in the weather, all week, because their system has failed to notify us of the delivery, including small packages which would fit through the letter slot. What a shambles they are..

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Roads? The NHS?

Hospitals, schools etc