Postal strike: Royal Mail rivals say they can't cope

[piranha]

Royal Mail's rivals have admitted that they might not be able to cope with the extra business that is coming their way as a result of the impending postal strike.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-mail/6336332/Postal-strike-Royal-Mail-rivals-say-they-cant-cope.html

Some rivals have reported that volumes of mail have already increased by 25 per cent this week compared with last week, as businesses and consumers start using alternative providers to the Royal Mail.

However, most rivals are already running at close to capacity, which means there is a strong chance they will not be able to cope with the expected flood of new business.

The Communications Workers Union is expected to confirm that it is implementing a national postal strike, starting next week.

Guy Buswell, the chief executive of UK Mail which handles 17 million items of mail every day, said: "All parcel delivery companies run at close to capacity. That's how the business model works. A sudden influx of volume could be dangerous. We don't want to promise to take on a huge amounts of new work and jeopardise our existing clients. We all have to be very careful."

His company specialises in collecting statements and utility bills from companies such as Lloyds Bank and E. ON, sorting them, and then delivering them to local Royal Mail sorting offices for postmen to undertake "the final mile" of delivery.

The CWU voted last week in favour of the first national strike for two years. The strike is likely to start on October 22, with different parts of the business – delivery, collection and sorting – all striking on consecutive days to maximise the disruption.

The stoppage would cause chaos in the mail system, with cheques, driving licences, credit card bills and even applications for secondary school places caught up in an emerging mail mountain.

Mr Buswell warned that parcel delivery companies, which don't rely on Royal Mail for the "final mile", would be affected far more severely.

The largest of Royal Mail's rivals, when it comes to delivering parcels to consumers, is Hermes, which delivers for retailers such as Next Directory, Lakeland and Boden.

Carole Woodhead, the chief executive, said she had seen volumes increase by 25 per cent this week, compared to the week before, fuelled by individual consumers wanting to send parcels and avoid the Royal Mail.

"If the strike is prolonged and we are inundated with volumes we will have to take that part of our website down. That is the only tool available to us to control volumes. But it is more important to keep our existing customers happy than take on new ones."

She warned: "There will be delays. There is only so much capacity in the parcel network."

[prowler]

So much for the competition myth, they all rely on Royal Mail for the "final mile" and the ones that don't, can't handle the extra business. Bring on the strike and lets see how they get on.

[hazzeem025]

Absolutely brilliant, you couldn't make it up, our rivals admitting that they won't be able to cope with the extra work.

Priceless isn't it!

Hermes couriers? That'd be the ones that stuck a card through my frontdoor telling me they'd thrown my parcel over the gate! Going to win lots of business doing that aren't you?

As for Amazon going to HDLN! Wow great move that Amazon you really couldn't give a monkeys about your customers could you because if you did you wouldn't use these cowboys! I wonder how many complaints Amazon will get over missing/non delivered/miss delivered/missing parcels now that HDNL are supposedly delivering for them?

[curlybap]

so these companies on one hand are touting for business and on the other admitting that they won't be able to cope with any extra business they get,i would suggest the union get this message out to the public and business community.

[rhino49]

Guy Buswell, the chief executive of UK Mail which handles 17 million items of mail every day, said: "All parcel delivery companies run at close to capacity. That's how the business model works. A sudden influx of volume could be dangerous. We don't want to promise to take on a huge amounts of new work and jeopardise our existing clients. We all have to be very careful."

Funny isn't it? - Royal Mail doesn't think a sudden influx of volume is dangerous - it expects it's workforce to kill themselves to accommodate it.

[OnAFlyer]

Guy Buswell, the chief executive of UK Mail which handles 17 million items of mail every day, said: "All parcel delivery companies run at close to capacity. That's how the business model works. A sudden influx of volume could be dangerous. We don't want to promise to take on a huge amounts of new work and jeopardise our existing clients. We all have to be very careful."

What's the point in customers going with these companies when the mail's not going to be delivered anyway?

[DirtyHarry]

Errr, so that's the, errrr, competition ready to take over the role of Royal Mail?

[IWW Fellow Worker]

Guy Buswell, the chief executive of UK Mail which handles 17 million items of mail every day, said: "All parcel delivery companies run at close to capacity. That's how the business model works. A sudden influx of volume could be dangerous. We don't want to promise to take on a huge amounts of new work and jeopardise our existing clients. We all have to be very careful."

Funny isn't it? - Royal Mail doesn't think a sudden influx of volume is dangerous - it expects it's workforce to kill themselves to accommodate it.

What sudden influx mate? There are dipsticks on here who will tell us the amount of mail is falling.

[Geezer]

Postal strike: Royal Mail rivals say they can't cope

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ ... -cope.html

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor
Published: 4:29PM BST 15 Oct 2009

Royal Mail's rivals have admitted that they might not be able to cope with the extra business that is coming their way as a result of the impending postal strike.
Some rivals have reported that volumes of mail have already increased by 25 per cent this week compared with last week, as businesses and consumers start using alternative providers to the Royal Mail.
However, most rivals are already running at close to capacity, which means there is a strong chance they will not be able to cope with the expected flood of new business.
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The postal dispute is becoming a national emergency

The Communications Workers Union is expected to confirm that it is implementing a national postal strike, starting next week.

Guy Buswell, the chief executive of UK Mail which handles 17 million items of mail every day, said: "All parcel delivery companies run at close to capacity. That's how the business model works. A sudden influx of volume could be dangerous. We don't want to promise to take on a huge amounts of new work and jeopardise our existing clients. We all have to be very careful."

His company specialises in collecting statements and utility bills from companies such as Lloyds Bank and E. ON, sorting them, and then delivering them to local Royal Mail sorting offices for postmen to undertake "the final mile" of delivery.

The CWU voted last week in favour of the first national strike for two years. The strike is likely to start on October 22, with different parts of the business – delivery, collection and sorting – all striking on consecutive days to maximise the disruption.

The stoppage would cause chaos in the mail system, with cheques, driving licences, credit card bills and even applications for secondary school places caught up in an emerging mail mountain.

Mr Buswell warned that parcel delivery companies, which don't rely on Royal Mail for the "final mile", would be affected far more severely.

The largest of Royal Mail's rivals, when it comes to delivering parcels to consumers, is Hermes, which delivers for retailers such as Next Directory, Lakeland and Boden.

Carole Woodhead, the chief executive, said she had seen volumes increase by 25 per cent this week, compared to the week before, fuelled by individual consumers wanting to send parcels and avoid the Royal Mail.

"If the strike is prolonged and we are inundated with volumes we will have to take that part of our website down. That is the only tool available to us to control volumes. But it is more important to keep our existing customers happy than take on new ones."

She warned: "There will be delays. There is only so much capacity in the parcel network."

[pinstripe]

Right at the bottom of the page there is an ad:

#
Beat the postal strike

Send with the UK's best carriers. Book online now from only £6.50.

http://www.interparcel.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[NWpostie]

It was like this during the last Postal strike in 2007, quite a few of them had to turn away business as they don't have th ecapacity to deal with it.

[Darren Bent]

Perhaps there is temporary work for us to earn money working for other side.

[borders]

made my day reading that !!!!!!!

[jonn]

Can't say I'm suprised by this. Amazon can go bugger themselves anyway didn't they try something like this before?

[dogfood]

Yea`they did and came crawling back.......why because we are the best most efficient and cost effective option.