Staff shortage blamed for late delivery

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2069 ... e_delivery" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Staff shortages at Royal Mail in East Reading have caused problems for residents who are receiving their post as late as 8pm.

Nick Field, from Antrim Road in Woodley, is fed up with having to wait until the evening to receive urgent post.

Mr Field, 34, has been forced to delay dealing with important documents as his post is failing to be delivered in good time.

Mr Field, who is a house-husband, said: “We used to have steady mail but for the last three weeks we’ve been having it later and later.

“We have had important paperwork going backwards and forwards and we have been waiting for letters to come back the day we need it. Having the post at eight at night is delaying me another day.”

Mr Field complained twice to Royal Mail but said their response is inadequate.

He said: “I have complained and they said anything up to 3pm was acceptable. I thought fair enough but we have more bad days than good. Now it’s coming at four or five and last night it was 8pm.”

“I called again and they shrugged me off. They said if we have made one complaint we cannot complain again.”

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We would like to apologise to the customer for the lateness of his mail delivery. We currently have a number of vacancies at our East Reading delivery office which has stretched resources.

“We are recruiting additional staff to fill these vacancies and in the meantime our postmen and women at East Reading are working extremely hard to maintain service to our customers.

“The overwhelming majority of customers in the area are receiving their mail as normal but we apologise to any customer whose mail has arrived late.”

[postghost]

“I called again and they shrugged me off. They said if we have made one complaint we cannot complain again.”

Brilliant, they are bullying and intimidating customers now....

[DirtyHarry]

Well, what with the new space-age technology we're soon to be lumbered with , which will mean that mail will get into delivery offices later than is currently the case , methinks, the folks in East Reading really 'aint seen nothin' yet !

[motherhubbard]

“I called again and they shrugged me off. They said if we have made one complaint we cannot complain again.”

Brilliant, they are bullying and intimidating customers now....

Maybe we should start delivering grievance procedure advice to our customers.

[smokerjim]

There is a simple plan to solve this problem in Reading DO ( or anywhere )

1. Recruit more staff, and spend a week training each one, on delivery - so they are given the best possible introduction ( yes it will be hard work, but everyone will support you as much as possible )

2. Equip staff properly - give staff the best value uniform, pouches etc, it doesn't need to be the best or most expensive, just something that does a good job for a year or two at a great price....the cheapest wears out / fades / breaks too quick, and staff end up looking like tramps...if issue kit is cheap and nasty, what makes you think we'll bend over backwards to keep it pristine? And another thing, for delivery foot wear, NO EXPENSE SPARED should be the watchword

3. Consult with us - before trying to change equipment or uniform, or work plans, ask for our opinion - we use them day in day out & we might have some good ideas ( I've been using cargo trousers & shorts since I started 4 years ago, long before the mythical new uniforms were trialled ).

4. Reward staff fairly and equally, it's fine to give a mgr that earns twice as much basic as I do a bonus.....but I would expect his bonus to be no more than twice that of mine.....especially if I'm the one doing the physical labour, working all my hours, and working rest days or postponing AL to cover duties for that mgr ( especially if he rarely does any of the above at best ). Equally if the amount of hrs available for OPGs is reduced, it must be reduced for management too.

5. Remember that this requires long term commitment, financial and philospohical, from the top down, but within months positive results should be plain to see.....oh, hang on a minute, didn't RM use to be a Public Service, with a week's training for all new starters? Good quality & smart uniforms and equipment, with mgrs that had 'been there, done that, invented all the skives before you were born, etc' ( and like 'em or not, you had respect for them ) - I'm out of ideas and we're screwed

[Straight4ward]

I’m guessing but if people were receiving their mail at 8:00 pm then some poor sod was pounding the streets, on what - their second or third delivery of the day? Instead of some small minded twat complaining about the service, he should be down on bended knees in front of his postie giving thanks to their dedication.

(Of course Mr Field could always collect his mail from his local DO if it’s that important to him to receive it earlier in the day. Mind you that wouldn’t make much of a story for the newspaper would it? - MAN COLLECTS HIS MAIL FROM DELIVERY OFFICE)

That aside, if anyone from East Reading DO is looking in - well done guys. Brilliant effort!

[DGP1]

F**k me SJ.....................are you on the waccy baccy tonight I've read all your sensible ideas and I can't even fathom how you'd believe RM would want to even think of that what you should have said was - make everything as cheap as possible and bully staff into unpaid work to make your bonus even bigger and then they'll listen........................................wait that's what they do now

[smokerjim]

I can't afford wacky baccy, I can't afford normal baccy and food as it is ( but that's why I'm "smokerjim" not "fatbastidpostiejim" ). Actually, I'm surprised RM get away with the crap they do in NI, considering the vastly different gun laws there.....if I worked in a BT post code, I'd have got my chum, Mr Browning 9mm to speak to the screws months ago!

[DGP1]

I can't afford wacky baccy, I can't afford normal baccy and food as it is ( but that's why I'm "smokerjim" not "fatbastidpostiejim" ). Actually, I'm surprised RM get away with the crap they do in NI, considering the vastly different gun laws there.....if I worked in a BT post code, I'd have got my chum, Mr Browning 9mm to speak to the screws months ago!

TBH we've had to put ours beyond use.................and let's face it, would you want to waste anything on them



I keep telling my wife that I've had to put it beyond use but she doesn't seem to appreciate the sacrifice that I'm making

[smokerjim]

Getting married is a good way for anyone to put their mutton musket "beyond use" - as for firearms....well, I couldn't go postal on all the screws, have you seen the price of ammunition these days? I'm only PT you know ( I think that's part of the conspiracy of RMs grand plan! )

[DGP1]

Getting married is a good way for anyone to put their mutton musket "beyond use" - as for firearms....well, I couldn't go postal on all the screws, have you seen the price of ammunition these days? I'm only PT you know ( I think that's part of the conspiracy of RMs grand plan! )