R M sorry over 'third class' postal service in Andover

[POSTMAN]

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NEW delivery procedures have left the postal service in Andover in meltdown, forcing Royal Mail to apologise for the “poor service”.

The Andover Advertiser has received several reports of sporadic deliveries, post going to wrong addresses and people missing hospital appointments in both Andover and Ludgershall over the past few weeks.

In Andover, an Eastfield Road resident has been receiving post for three other properties, forcing him to deliver items to the correct houses himself.


TomTorrance, 48, has been repeatedly receiving post for the properties either side of his address and for the same numbered property on Vigo Road, but it was only when he was waiting for a cheque from his insurance company that he realised there was a delay.

Mr Torrance, said: “My car was in the garage and I was waiting for the cheque to arrive to get the car sorted out.”

The final straw for the coach driver came when he saw the postman on a neighbouring road after waiting a week.

Mr Torrance asked him whether he was delivering to Eastfield Road and was told that there would be no deliveries that day due to time constraints, though the postman did have the cheque in his possession and handed it over.

Mr Torrance has phoned Royal Mail twice to complain and was told that a manager would ring back, but as yet he has not received a response to those calls.

In Ludgershall, one resident missed a hospital appointment as they did not receive their post on time.

Ludgershall Town Council chairman Owen White said: “People are paying for first class post and getting a third class service.”

Delays in deliveries have also been reported in the Bishop’s Way and Junction Road areas of Andover.

A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “Royal Mail has recently introduced a change to delivery procedures at its Andover office to reflect the changing nature of the mailbag – more parcels and fewer letters.

“We sincerely apologise to any customer who has experienced poor service in recent weeks, however we are confident these issues are now being dealt with.

“Any customer who has a specific concern about their mail should contact our customer service number on 03457 740740 so that their complaint can be properly logged and investigated.”

Have you experienced postal problems? E-mail your views to newsdesk@andoveradvertiser.co.uk

[POSTMAN]

Was on the failed revision list quite early.

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... =1&t=31582" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[pants123]

royal mail are making the walks impossible to do....

They should tell the customer mail cannot be delivered because we have slaughtered all our posties to death with impossible work loads. And Because hedge funds want more money and dont give a s h i t about the mail getting delivered..

[pants123]

O my god , ive just looked at the list... its massive...

Are they still failing??

thats unacceptable if you want a successful business..
looks like a deliberate attempt to destroy the uso..



And they want more cuts. more walks out...

Two words.... cuckoo cuckoo..

[rubberbond]

What list is that? Complaints list? Fed up customers list?
And the solution is to make walks bigger? What an organisation. Privatisation at its finest.

[DB1100]

O my god , ive just looked at the list... its massive...

Are they still failing??

thats unacceptable if you want a successful business..
looks like a deliberate attempt to destroy the uso..



And they want more cuts. more walks out...

Two words.... cuckoo cuckoo..

We are in the middle of our second revision and that looks even worse,criss crossing main roads,no toilet facilities and parking on tight bends,you couldn't make this sh1te up,the incompetence is staggering.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Andover's post woes continue



ROYAL Mail has reiterated its apology as post chaos continues in Andover, with the Advertiser receiving dozens of complaints from readers in the wake of last week’s front page article.

As reported last week, Royal Mail admitted there had been issues at the Andover sorting office but said any backlog had now been cleared.

However, the Advertiser understands that about 100 properties in the Bishop’s Way area are still suffering delays.

Film producer Louise Clarke, of The Cloisters, recently ordered parcels which were dispatched from Ebay and Amazon on 1 March, but didn’t arrive.

The 50-year-old said: “Ebay and Amazon agreed to send replacements because we thought they had gone missing. Twelve days later we collected the original parcels and the replacements weren’t there. I guess we are going to have to pay to send the replacements back.”

Properties on Louise’s road often go a week with no post, although she said on Tuesday that missing packages have finally started to be delivered this week.

She added: “We’ve had problems for a while and haven’t had regular post for some time.

“I am angry because we are just starting a new business and I want to order some bits online and we can’t rely on the delivery. It is frustrating. It is a major inconvenience.


“We don’t blame the staff, it must be a management issue.”

The Advertiser has been inundated with messages from our army of readers across Test Valley this week complaining about Royal Mail.

Some claimed they had been told that Royal Mail had been cutting staff hours and making post rounds bigger by a third.

When asked to respond, it admitted there had been changes at the Andover sorting office but maintained that any issues had now been resolved.

A spokesman said: “Royal Mail has recently introduced significant changes to its delivery procedures at Andover sorting office.

“We sincerely apologise to customers who have experienced poor service recently, however we are confident that mail deliveries are now running normally. Any customer who has a specific concern about their mail should contact our customer service number on 03457 740740 so that their complaint can be properly logged and investigated.”

THE Advertiser has been contacted by dozens of readers in the wake of last week’s front page. Here are just some of the complaints...

I read in the Advertiser of the chaos caused by the changes to postal delivery routes in Andover.

I live at The Cloisters on Junction Road and we have had no post since March 4. We are still awaiting delivery of a signed for parcel, which was due on the fourth, as well as a guaranteed next day delivery item, which was due on the 10th. We are also awaiting a set of NHS test results. I have been down to the post office to complain, but was told to return home and wait for the items to be delivered.

I am very pleased that you made the issue into your front page. It has been a fortnight since some houses in the area received any post, which is, under the terms of the Universal Service Obligation, against the law. Meetings have been arranged with Sir George Young to discuss the issue.

Stefan Putigny, of The Cloisters, Junction Road, Andover





I had thought our recent poor postal delivery service had been caused by a change of postman settling in to a new round. It wasn’t until I read your headline that I realised it was a much wider problem.

We are no longer receiving daily post and our deliveries are not until about 5pm. Both the collection and delivery service now seem to be entirely random. I am glad you have brought the matter to the attention of Royal Mail and I hope your intervention will be a spur to them to remedy the problem.

Patricia Adams, of Dauntsey Lane, Weyhill





I was so interested in your article regarding the post service. I live in Ludgershall and have been getting intermittent deliveries for weeks.

I have written to Royal Mail and made two calls. Customer service were so rude; on one occasion I did get through and was assured we should have post six times a week. I saw the postman recently at the top of my road with his carrier and walked up to speak to him. He was putting the post back in his van and said he had finished but would not be delivering any more in the road, as he had small packages to deliver and had run out of time.

I watched him drive past my house and drive into my friend’s drive, leave a box on her doorstep and go. When I approached him again a couple of my neighbours were also talking to him about the post. I told him I was going to ring Royal Mail again and repeat his story, but he said he would get into trouble if I repeated it.

Two weeks ago we had a family bereavement and we are awaiting various legal correspondence regarding the estate. We have been assured it has been posted by solicitors, but we are still waiting.

Joanna Plank, Ludgershall





I have been having problems with my post in Parkview Close. I often receive my neighbour’s post and she has received mine.

A few weeks ago I was waiting for a sign-for letter. The post lady put a card through the door saying I could collect it later at the sorting office. I heard her put the card through so my partner went out and asked her for the letter.

She said she put it through a different door, a few doors away, and that they were away. I did call the number on the card and complain.

On Friday I had a letter for a completely different street in Charlton. I reposted it and wrote on it that it had been delivered in error.

My elderly neighbour said last August she found several letters for different houses in the street had been left on her lawn.

Josie Walker, of Parkview Close, Andover





I live in Wye Court. For many years I have received the Radio Times, always on a Tuesday, between 11.30am and 12.30pm.

Last week it arrived on Thursday at 3.45pm. I phoned the post office and my call was not answered.

Today my post arrived at 11.30am. Perhaps the sorting office has been sorted?

Paul Jones, of Wye Court, Andover



Following your article in last Friday’s Advertiser, I would like to report that on Monday last week I received all the mail for a neighbour, who in turn received all the mail addressed to my husband and myself.

Today (Tuesday) I have just collected the mail from my post box.

Two items are addressed to another property at the opposite end of the village and the other item is addressed to a named property not too far away from here. I will deliver that one myself.

Eunice and Keith Hiscocks, via e-mail In a way it was a relief to read the story in the Advertiser because it made me realise I am not the only one suffering with postal problems. Come on Royal Mail, buck your ideas up. We pay a lot of money for deliveries so this really isn’t good enough.

Pat Robinson, Longparish

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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I HAVE just returned from holiday and read your article on the postal service.

I was going to complain to the Post Office on my return about the changes that seem to have been made.

Our postman informed that he was leaving the round and we would have a new postman.

This was because there had been a reorganisation of the rounds yet again and the round covering our village (Goodworth Clatford) had been enlarged and encompassed parts of Andover.

We had post nearly every day with the old postman but it was obvious when the new postman started that postal services had altered.

We had five or six days with no post and then suddenly 10- 15 letters in one day. We would see the post van go up one side of the road but not return to cover the other side. Neighbours were getting wrong post, we had post for Upper Clatford and other parts of the village.

The old postman knew the residents, who was elderly and where to leave items if out.

It is not the fault of the postman but the managers who think they know best, rather than thinking of the customers and the postmen who have to undertake the rounds.

Jennifer Rundle, Goodworth Clatford, via e-mail

[TrueBlueTerrier]

No stamp of approval for postal system

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Round in circles with my letter

I HAD a card through the door on 11 March to say there was a letter which needed signing for.

As we were out it would be taken to the post office where we could collect it from.

My brother went on the Saturday after to collect it but they couldn’t find it, they took his phone number and said they would speak to the postman who left the card and call my brother when they had done this.

He did not hear from them so I have now been there. They still can’t find it but said most probably it’s still in the delivery bag.

I asked if the postman has not returned back since 11 March? “He’s been moved to another round now,” was the reply.

They have taken my phone number as they will search for it again.

I asked for the office phone number to ring them directly on as no one called my brother previously, but they told me to ring the central number as they have been told not to answer the phone there.

What hope do I have in them finding my letter?

Name supplied, via e-mail



No post ... no birthday cards

THERE has been an issue with our mail since December 2014 at Perham Down.

We have our postman on long-term sick, so our mail was only being delivered twice a week.

After many of us residents complained to Royal Mail, nothing ever got resolved.

Then two weeks ago mail was only being delivered once a week. How appalling – my daughter had no birthday cards, I had missed hospital appointments, totally unacceptable. I have since been in touch with our local MP George Young. ii’s now being dealt with by him.

It has been a terrible ongoing problem here, why can’t they just employ another postman for Perham Down?


Debbie Spencer, Perham Down, via e-mail



Service is a disgrace

I THINK we can safely say that the local post service is a disgrace, judging by the number of unhappy readers getting in touch with you.

I will only add that virtually everyone on our street has been affected over recent weeks and months. A town-wide problem indeed.

Mark Jones, via e-mail It’s a joke FIRST-CLASS post is a joke. We often get our post at 3pm or later, some days were get two deliveries and then at other times can go for up to a week with nothing.

Why do we put up with this shoddy service?

Name and address supplied, via e-mai



You asked if anyone is having postal problems.

On March 19 I received a letter that was posted a week earlier in Essex. It was sent first class and date stamped 12 March.

Sue Baker, Anna Valley, via e-mail