Fears over business impact of later post

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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DELAYS in postal deliveries will leave businesses opening letters so late they will not be able to do anything about them, it has been claimed.

A huge decline of 13 million letters every day in the past five years has prompted Royal Mail to reorganise delivery routes.

The firm has admitted there will be some delays as it gets used to the new system, but this has left businesses worried about the potential impact.

Concerns raised include cash flow issues for smaller companies, with cheques arriving by post too late to be paid in.


In a statement to Lincolnshire customers, the firm said it needed to make deliveries in the LN postcode area "more efficient", while also balancing the workloads of staff.

It read: "We're using smarter ways to arrange routes, based on each day's mail volumes, to make them as efficient as possible.

"It's possible, therefore, that you may experience some changes to your delivery patterns as we introduce these new ways of working and some customers may receive their deliveries a little later than they're used to."

The LN postcode is used for several county locations including Lincoln, North Hykeham, Horncastle, Woodhall Spa and Market Rasen.

Royal Mail spokesman Marie Gray told the Echo: "Royal Mail needs to respond to the huge growth in electronic communications and the resulting decline in overall mail volumes – which in the UK means there are now 13 million fewer letters posted every day compared to five years ago.

"This operational review has been undertaken on the basis of a national agreement reached earlier this year between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union, endorsed by postmen and women in a national ballot.

"We will monitor the new arrangements to ensure this is the case."

Lincoln BIG chief executive Matt Corrigan said they already did not see their post until later in the day and any further delays could cause real problems for firms.

He said: "You're going to be opening post so late in the day you can't do anything about it.

"It's a real shame. If the Royal Mail is to compete with other couriers it needs to offer a comparable service.

"Businesses rely on the post for orders, which need to be processed.

"And customers expect that, if they've written to you, then you will be able to deal with it swiftly – but that might be more difficult if the post arrives later in the day, and it has knock-on effects for the level of customer service a business can provide."

Lincolnshire County Council economic development executive member, Councillor Eddy Poll, said: "If businesses say these changes will cause them a problem then I've no reason to doubt that. I suppose we have greater reliance on other forms of communication now.

"I have to say my written correspondence in my 10 years in local government has dropped off tremendously. Mostly it is now e-mail and telephone."

[Wessex]

Funnily enough if there are fewer letters you might think that you might get yours a bit earlier rather than later .

[Stormproof]

Personally I'm getting more mail then I ever did years ago and no doubt everyone is the same. I can't see where the drop in mail volume is

[DGP1]

Personally I'm getting more mail then I ever did years ago and no doubt everyone is the same. I can't see where the drop in mail volume is

You know you shouldn't bait him (and his side kick) because he'll come on repeating his same old story.

[not me]

wasnt so long ago we were told mail didnt matter to businesses?

"It's a real shame. If the Royal Mail is to compete with other couriers it needs to offer a comparable service.

which ones are they?

[bensonhedge]

"We're using smarter ways to arrange routes, based on each day's mail volumes" a.k.a-lapsing

[DirtyHarry]

What a shambles.

As someone quite rightly pointed out, if there's less mail, which we all know isn't the case at all, then why, oh why, has it got to be delivered ever later in the day?

An utter shambles, built on a bedrock of total dishonesty.

Still, when Europe dictates, Britain must obey, mustn't it.

[Wiggins79]

"It's possible, therefore, that you may experience some changes to your delivery patterns as we introduce these new ways of working and some customers may receive their deliveries a little later than they're used to."

Have we started employing political spin doctors now? Talk about being economical with the truth. The simple fact is if before a postie had a 6AM start and an 8hr duty then theoretically last letter would have ben 14pm. If you push the start time back to 7AM and extend the delivery time to last letter 15.30 then someone, somewhere is going to get there mail a potential hour and a half later than normal. And that's before someone throws sick and it has to be covered on OT, which menas if another postie who doesn't deliver his last letter until 15.30 then has to go and deliver another round, then we are talking a bit more than a "little later than they're used to."

[worktotime]

Personally I'm getting more mail then I ever did years ago and no doubt everyone is the same. I can't see where the drop in mail volume is

yes your right , do they mean the 13million items come through as dsa which dont get counted in m/cs but we have to deliver it , and the only reason they are changeing the size of the duties is to get rid of people to save more money not for the quality of service , because they have pushed the job to the limits its the only option, the next thing will be mon-fri and no saturdays which will mean more job loses ,

[Phantom]

Yes it is through DSA