£500k payout over lost post

[RobertT]

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010 ... lost-post/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

More than £500,000 has been paid out by Royal Mail in a year following complaints about lost, delayed and damaged post in the West Midlands and Staffordshire.

The payouts follow around 50,000 complaints from customers. The service, which is facing being partly privatised, is also battling an increasing pensions deficit and a drop in the number of letters sent.

Pat McFadden, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East and former post office minister, today said: “Paying out half a million in our region alone because of dissatisfied customers suggests they have to focus on delivering good service to the public.”

Across the B, WV, WS, DY and ST postcodes covering the Black Country, Birmingham, Kidderminster and Staffordshire areas, 54,917 complaints were made to Royal Mail in 2008/2009, with £523,458 paid to dissatisfied customers in around 23,000 cases.

Most of the money, £282,118, was paid to complaints from the Birmingham postcode which covers most of Sandwell. In the B postcode, 26,199 complaints were lodged and cash paid out in 9,809 cases.

Privatised

Another £54,417 was paid following 7,835 complaints from customers in the WS postcode – Walsall and parts of Cannock and Lichfield.

In the WV postcode, Wolverhampton and surrounding areas, £47,326 was paid in 2,132 cases after 5,572 complaints, while in the DY postcode, Dudley, Stourbridge and Kidderminster, £53,404 was paid out in 2,400 cases after 5,489 complaints.

In the ST postcode, Stafford, Stone and Penkridge, £86,193 was paid out in 4,358 cases after 9,822 complaints.

Nationally in that year Royal Mail shelled out more than £13m in compensation for delays and goodwill payments.

It was revealed this week that Royal Mail could be partly privatised. A spokeswoman today said: “If a customer is unhappy we would urge them to contact us.”

By Helen Cartwright

Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2010 ... z0sdWZiMZt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Judgee]

Rm bosses couldn't give a crap about customer service no more. Surely all these complaints is hardly news?

[DirtyHarry]

Rm bosses couldn't give a crap about customer service no more. Surely all these complaints is hardly news?

Have to agree, customer service comes a very poor second to the relentless pursuit of profit, and we haven't been officially privitised yet, so worse, much worse, has yet to come.

[westlondonpostie]

Pat Mcfadden Labour MP