Consumer focus publish Royal Mail survey

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://postandparcel.info/30473/news/co ... il-survey/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More than half of UK postal users (55%) claim to have received a ‘Sorry You Were Out’ card even though someone was at home to receive the item, according to figures released today by Consumer Focus.

Nearly a quarter (23%) reported this happening three times or more in the past year.

The high numbers affected by this issue reflects the changing way we use the postal service - a decline in the number of letters delivered and an increase in the volumes of parcels such as goods ordered on the Internet.

With 37% describing the collection of mail from Royal Mail and other delivery offices as ‘inconvenient’, Consumer Focus is calling on Royal Mail and other couriers to keep up with the world around them and develop more suitable ways of delivering parcels and packets.

Possible solutions include extending the opening hours of delivery offices; leaving mail at Post Offices; evening deliveries or locker banks where customers are contacted by mobile phone or email when their mail has been delivered to a secure locker - similar to a successful system in Germany.

Robert Hammond, postal expert, Consumer Focus said: “There’s a growing body of evidence that the ‘Sorry You Were Out’ card issue is far from a series of isolated incidents as Royal Mail has claimed. This issue has to be thoroughly investigated and the problem stamped out.

“The high regard many of us have for Royal Mail will fade rapidly if they can’t find a way of delivering parcels conveniently.”

Nine in ten (92%) see the postal service as important to them - over two thirds (68%) said very important. Three-quarters felt they had received a good service from Royal Mail in the past year, despite the survey taking place during the national postal strike.

The survey also found:

Nine in ten (88%) of us send at least one item of post in a typical month, with over half (57%) sending between one and five items

Four-fifths had sent a parcel or letter in the past month with two thirds sending a parcel or letter in the past week Only one in a hundred (1%) of respondents use post as the most common way of keeping in touch with family or friends, preferring to communicate by telephone or email instead.

[Ahebban]

ICM interviewed a random sample of 2028 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 4th – 8th November 2009. Surveys were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults.

The above was taken from the notes of the article ''Survey reveals ’sorry you were out’ card frustration'' published by Consumer Focus that appears on their website ... http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It seems to me a huge leap of faith to translate percentages based on the above sample of 2028 as bearing any relation to postal users countrywide.

I am sure other posties have come across the same phenomenon as I did yet again today ...

You knock once, wait, you knock twice .. no answer. Write out 739 card, post card and two letters through letterbox, turn, get half way up path when door opens .. ''sorry, didn't hear you knock''. How the f**k can they not hear you tap on the door 10 times (two bursts of 5 knocks) with your bare knuckles and yet hear three pieces of paper hit a carpeted f**king floor!



I only heard the guy because I forgot to put my mp3 player earplugs in before leaving the door as i normally do!

[morleyposty]

my following question related to the thread

im p/t and most of the time the walk is thrown in.
now whilst on my walk a 739 is amonst the letters which i did not know was there until i post it to the paticular address.

even though the 739 is intended for a packet which i dont have. what do i tell the customer if he/she comes out saying where is it?
hate being in those situations

[TrueBlueTerrier]

my following question related to the thread

im p/t and most of the time the walk is thrown in.
now whilst on my walk a 739 is amonst the letters which i did not know was there until i post it to the paticular address.

even though the 739 is intended for a packet which i dont have. what do i tell the customer if he/she comes out saying where is it?
hate being in those situations

Tell them the truth that you only pick up the bags and deliver whats in it. Explain they never give you the packet and perhaps they should contact Customer Services on 08457 740 740 - PS some Callers Office have small cards you can give out ask yours for a few.

[pinstripe]

"Consumer Focus is calling on Royal Mail and other couriers to keep up with the world around them and develop more suitable ways of delivering parcels and packets."

I've a very simple solution. Make it legal for us to kick the door in if there is no answer to the second knock. Then every packet gets delivered. Or if that is too extreme, enforce householders to have a working doorbell that they can hear.

[smokerjim]

"Consumer Focus is calling on Royal Mail and other couriers to keep up with the world around them and develop more suitable ways of delivering parcels and packets."

I've a very simple solution. Make it legal for us to kick the door in if there is no answer to the second knock. Then every packet gets delivered. Or if that is too extreme, enforce householders to have a working doorbell that they can hear.

We can't kick the doors in - think of the H&S implications....the amount of AOD would go through the roof! However, what if we were issued with L1A1(LAW)s ( aka M72 LAWS )? Only 2.5kgs, disposable after use, and the shaped head charge are perfect for blowing holes in brick or concrete walls without penetration ( basically - demolish a 2ft hole in a wall without going through the next 4 or 5 walls! ), you'd never have any customer lollygagging when you ring the bell again ( and they'd make sure the bell worked perfectly too ) and imho, the perfect accompnyment to the Webley .38s we need to deal with troublesome dogs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M72_LAW" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mydaily]

How many of that 55% actually got while you were out cards and not an underpaid item card. I get it everyday customer comes running or most likily heckles you like a piece of s*** saying why did you not knock and waving the underpaid item card in the air. My response is The same everytime. I did not need to as don't carry the item, read it again it's a underpaid item card. I then carry on walking as they moan and groan.

[smokerjim]

How many of that 55% actually got while you were out cards and not an underpaid item card. I get it everyday customer comes running or most likily heckles you like a piece of s*** saying why did you not knock and waving the underpaid item card in the air. My response is The same everytime. I did not need to as don't carry the item, read it again it's a underpaid item card. I then carry on walking as they moan and groan.

I've had that many a time. so I'll spend a minute or two explaining the proceedure ( including having the choice to not pay for it ), I'll then say my farewell & if they seem bright enough to know better, remind 'em all the info they need is on the card ( with just a smidge of smug know-it-all bastid about me )

[Rennie]

totally agree with many customers chasing me with an underpaid card and NOT a 739! probably counts for most of the survey. The other is also a managers trick to save a bit of money (surprise, surprise!!) They have been known to look at the parcel shelf and all the extra money needed to deliver them. Oh I know I'll see who's got a parcel, write out a 739 and put it in the frame for delivery. That way the customer can collect the bloody thing themselves and save me a bundle which will in turn make me a tidy bonus! It happens quite a lot apparently in offices with high numbers of PT and casuals! i'm sure the final plan Rm have is for all our customers to get so fed up they either stop sending or collect it themselves! Sorted!!

[POSTMAN]

Ok,deep breath,here's some instances of what's happened to me this week alone.

One place,done the knocking thing,saw the spy hole went dark as if someone's behind it,then went light again,so waited,knocked again,nothing,thought feck this, wrote a card and scarpered.

Another one,which was today,knocked on the door and someone looked out from a side window,waited,knocked again,nothing,wrote a card and scarpered.

Another one,knocked,nothing,as writing card knocked again,as putting card through door saw someone behind it,waited,nothing,thought again feck this and scarpered,bout 20 mins later going back to my van some dude comes out of the house waving the card,but was someone different because of the clothes he's wearing,says he's just got in and found the card,i said you're having a laugh as someones in there as i saw them,looks at me with a blank face.

Want more?,knocked,nothing,write card and knock again at the same time,nothing,go,coming back down the other side of the road 10 mins later bird comes out waving the card,i said i knocked,she said i know i asked who is it and you didn't answer,ffs!

I'm spoiling you aint i,want another,knocked AND rung bell nothing,done them again,nothing,writing card and had to move to a ledge,saw through the widow some bird doing her hoovering,knocked on window (scared the s**t out of her) and waved packet.

One more,knocked, you know the rest,some bird chases me down the road,sorry i was on the phone.

Oh,and had loads of the underpaid ones,parcelforce and courier ones.

[Debbie]

Dont you just get that feeling now , as soon as you reach for your cards and pen that everybody is watching you. I find myself standing at the door speaking very loud ' yes im knocking, and ive rang the doorbell twice, yes ill knock again, ok b*****ks ive got to write a bloody card out now. ',
I feel like a criminal, think they do it on purpose.