Angry residents say mail scheme has not delivered

[POSTMAN]

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/20865 ... _delivered" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AN overhaul of Royal Mail services throughout Guildford is scheduled to begin on Monday, despite delivery delays during a
pilot scheme leading to complaints from householders and postal workers.

For the last year a trial delivery system in Merrow and Burpham has involved just two postal workers using a van. The
changes to working practices are a nationwide effort to modernise the postal system.

Union representatives met with senior management from Royal Mail this week to discuss the overhaul.

A member of staff at the Guildford delivery office in Woodbridge Meadows, who asked not to be named, said standards at the office
had fallen to an “all-time low” and blamed the management for pushing the new system.

He said: “Morale is rock bottom and staff are being held back – all my colleagues and myself ask is that we are given the
time to give our customers the quality daily delivery they deserve.

“They have more work to do over a larger area and, as hard as they try, they have failed to complete their delivery, day after day and week after week.

“We should not let Royal Mail hide behind bad weather for their poor delivery performance over Christmas.”

Ann Stewart, of Rectory Close in Merrow, said people in her area were “fed up” with the service they were receiving, while
online and telephone complaints to Royal Mail had hit a brick wall.

She said: “We haven’t had a six-day service for about a year – we have a delivery three or four times a week, if we are
lucky. Since the autumn, we have had a reduced service and we have been keeping a record and checking with neighbours.”

Mrs Stewart said as well as not getting a daily delivery, people were finding

large packets were being “dumped” on their doorsteps rather than delivery staff waiting a few minutes, then leaving a card
explaining where to collect the packet from.

She said: “Letters requiring a signature are put through the door, again without any attempt to check the recipient is at
home to sign – they just don’t have the time.

“First class post is being delivered as second class – I had two different classed letters from the same organisation, both of which took five days to be delivered.

“I have lived here for 26 years and it has not been a problem before.”

Veronica McCleery, an estate agent who lives in Merrow, said the financial cost of using Royal Mail equated to “not getting a service at all”.

She said: “It’s absolutely appalling, but not the postmen’s fault. It’s a new system and the postmen are not happy with it.”

Following a meeting of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) in Guildford on Wednesday afternoon, Terry Jackson, south
east representative, said as far as he knew, the Merrow and Burpham trial was unique to the region.

He said: “I’m not aware of anywhere else that a trial is taking place.

“CWU members agreed that duties as proposed were not fit for implementation on Monday in Guildford and the Guildford
representative has agreed to go back to management to explain our concerns.

“We don’t see how you can plan for failure – if they tried to implement it, it wouldn’t be a success.”

James Eadie, senior external relations manager for Royal Mail, said mail was being delivered to residents in Merrow on a
daily basis and there were six postal workers covering the area.

Mr Eadie said: “Changes to local delivery practices are part of Royal Mail’s commitment to modernising the business.

“We aim to underpin the future of the business and the highly valued ‘one price goes anywhere’ universal service.

“If there are any teething issues with the implementation of that programme, we will be working extremely hard to rectify
them as soon as possible.”

[TrueBlueTerrier]

“If there are any teething issues with the implementation of that programme, we will be working extremely hard to rectify them as soon as possible.”

[fishtank]

We've found a trial office.
And even it don't work.

[jlu]

same old answer from management they don/t want to know even when people complain.

[ziko]

Same old Same old - Public and Postman want a quality service v's management and government mps in it for their own GREED.
Privatise Royal mail and costs go up service goes down, then when things get a bit sticky (i.e as we've seen with the Railways, banks etc..) Public i.e the working class bails these greedy bastards out

[hubbahubba]

Same old Same old - Public and Postman want a quality service v's management and government mps in it for their own GREED.
Privatise Royal mail and costs go up service goes down, then when things get a bit sticky (i.e as we've seen with the Railways, banks etc..) Public i.e the working class bails these greedy bastards out

spot on

[ruins3696]

and all these changes being put in without union agreement and they dont seem to care well done cwu