Clothing company ditches agreement with Royal Mail

[johnnyp]

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/ ... ticle.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A DERYSHIRE mail order clothing company has announced it is pulling the plug on a contract with Royal Mail worth £1m a year because of the carrier's poor standard of service.
Christopher Nieper, managing director of Alfreton fashion business David Nieper, said the walkouts by postal workers were the final straw and he is now looking at switching his custom to another carrier.
David Nieper, which produces handmade garments, has used Royal Mail since it began trading back in the 1950s.
The independent fashion house sells through mail order. It not only relies on Royal Mail to deliver its products, but also to distribute 10 million catalogues each year to customers across the UK and Europe. A fresh round of strikes by Royal Mail staff had been due to take place on Friday and yesterday but they were called off after last-ditch talks, and unions and management have agreed to talk about how to modernise the service.
Mr Nieper said that for his business the damage had been done and he is looking for a new carrier, such as TNT or DHL. He said Royal Mail's performance was ruining his company's reputation and undoing good work by staff. He said: "We've had enough. Our staff work hard to fulfil orders, often preparing parcels for shipment the same day.
"All that commitment to customer service is then ruined by Royal Mail failing to deliver on time and letting us down."
Mr Nieper believes his business is one of Royal Mail's largest accounts in the area. He said in the past the firm had been let down on several occasions by Royal Mail and the impact of the dispute between postal workers has forced his hand. He said: "It would seem that Royal Mail are prepared to let our custom go. As a successful mail order business we will do whatever it takes to put our customers first and safeguard our employees' jobs – unlike Royal Mail."
David Nieper manufactures 99% of its own label clothes at its Nottingham Road factory. The label is known throughout Europe. As well as the HQ and retail showroom in Alfreton, it has offices in France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland.
After being asked to comment on Mr Nieper's decision, a statement by Royal Mail said: "Royal Mail and its people are focused on delivering a great Christmas for all customers. We will be working hard to retain and win business customers large and small by continuing to offer highly competitive services."
John Dowson, head of policy and representation at Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber, said: "There was always the danger that some companies would decide to leave Royal Mail for good, due to the strike action. But I think the majority will stick with Royal Mail simply because they are cheaper than most."

[mydaily]

Good luck to them, lets hope everything is well packaged to withstand being left out on doorsteps in the rain etc...

[mailman337]

You'll be sooooryyyyyy !!!!!! :cfo :mfo

[weetrogg]

Theres a company called boo hoo who do clothes in glossop, last wed they told us we were not required to pick up their stuff anymore, friday morning they were on the phone asking for their usual collections to be re-instated. Now i appreciate the disruption and trouble the strikes cause customers, but what these small companies need to understand is if RM is fully privatised their mailing costs will go through the roof. Do they seriously think TNT,DHL or any other private parasite will let you post a packet/letter from one end of the country to the other for 40p?? If we are privatised prepare for cost to double and things like regional pricing to be brought in.

Can anyone tell me of a privatisation of a former public service where after privatisation the service provided got better and cheaper???

[barbario]

I wonder who is actually going to deliver all those catalogues.

[Wessex]

I wonder who is actually going to deliver all those catalogues.

Let's guess- me and you

[Wiggins79]

I would be interested to know what the companies other problems with RM were as they state that the strikes were the 'last straw.' Wonder if it was related to the service by postmen and women or something to do with management? But of course, saying it "was the strikes wot did it" makes a much better headline.

[rhino49]

Mr Nieper's Statement is what is known in the rag trade as a "Business Fart" - it contains a lot of hot air, smells a little suspicious and is likely to get you in the s**t if not judged carefully. No doubt his garments for grannies business has had a few hits during the recession and he needs a bit of publicity, but using an excuse like that is clutching at straws. We are not on strike now and strangely enough people like Amazon have not left us as threatened (at least half a dozen on my route today - all with RM post labels), because they know that fleeting problems aside - no one does it better than we do.

His customers won't be happy when the new delivery service leaves them a card telling them to collect their parcel from a depot twenty miles away and to bring six different types of identification with them, and he won't be happy when he looks at his budget sheet.

A company I deal with for outdoor clothing sent me an email today advising me of pretty much the same thing and I have replied that the service I had when they used Royal Mail was exemplary and I will now look elsewhere until I receive another email telling me that they are back with Royal Mail as a business partner and I won't have to worry about delivery companies who employ owner drivers that quite frankly don't give a s**t about service.

[antcpfc]

Nr Nieper's Statement is what is known in the rag trade as a "Business Fart" - it contains a lot of hot air, smells a little suspicious and is likely to get you in the s**t if not judged carefully. No doubt his garments for grannies business has had a few hits during the recession and he needs a bit of publicity, but using an excuse like that is clutching at straws. We are not on strike now and strangely enough people like Amazon have not left us as threatened (at least half a dozen on my route today - all with RM post labels), because they know that fleeting problems aside - no one does it better than we do.

His customers won't be happy when the new delivery service leaves them a card telling them to collect their parcel from a depot twenty miles away and to bring six different types of identification with them, and he won't be happy when he looks at his budget sheet.

A company I deal with for outdoor clothing sent me an email today advising me of pretty much the same thing and I have replied that the service I had when they used Royal Mail was exemplary and I will now look elsewhere until I receive another email telling me that they are back with Royal Mail as a business partner and I won't have to worry about delivery companies who employ owner drivers that quite frankly don't give a s**t about service.

GREAT POST

[F0zziebear]

This is one of the reasons I left RM. I disagreed with the concept of privatisation they were putting forward. As pointed out the service may become more competitive for a while, but ultimately prices will rise as competitors merge. There is simply not enough room or volume in this country to provide enough revenue for several fixed networks. We have seen this in telecoms, rail and we are now hopefully not going to see it in the postal world.

I also have to agree regarding the quality of service. Whilst I get annoyed about some of the slap dash uniform issues, and senior management with unbuttoned shirts it will still be better than casual labourers doing the rounds. I think we shall call it the lesser of two evils.

The argument of the neo-liberals that the free market will provide has been blown out of the water. These businesses that think the grass is greener on the otherside should take a warning from history.

[smokerjim]

The argument of the neo-liberals that the free market will provide has been blown out of the water. These businesses that think the grass is greener on the otherside should take a warning from history.

No hope of that when there is a chance of them getting more sales / profits, just because some chancer says "Demand this change, you'll satisfy your avarice." They probably wouldn't even notice the same chancer muttering "Ignore the fact I said that every time before, & it's been proved a lie......this time, it's different, honest!"

[Post Off]

Some very good points there, especially by 'weetrogg', rhino49, and F0zziebear.

Erm, what I was originally going to say is that this one article (and its like) is like the kind of article that is so prevalent in our situation, in that it does not want to be seen as rocking the boat, and therefore becoming less popular in the eyes of their readers.

Certainly I can well believe the need to use other couriers while there are strikes, but really, some of the commenting under that article leads me to wonder whether there is any room left in their (the general public's) understanding for what is acceptable employer behaviour. I mean, in that very article, you even have this quote...

...we will do whatever it takes to put our customers first and safeguard our employees' jobs – unlike Royal Mail."

Perhaps, in their minds-eye that must have equated to 'posties', and not the commercial side of the business. Sometimes I wonder whether people even bother to read. Probably too easy for them to fill their head with the mantra of the day?

The other thing I wanted to say... is that we've got men and women working their bollix off (so-to-speak) in Royal Mail, and the only people that like to complain how fortunate they should be are those one-armed, business c*nts who probably hated all the people who ever employed them in the same capacity that we now find ourselves in.

As for having your own business, I can only imagine that it must be a hard slog (at first), and that the hours worked are long, but that still doesn't give anyone the right to slag us off the way that they do.

Maybe it's just this damned credit crunch period we're going through which is making the rich want to work us further into the ground for nowt? Or, maybe they're just a bunch o' rich barstewards no matter the economies of the day?