Man sees red over Royal Mail collection in Tunbridge Wells

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Man sees red over Royal Mail collection in Tunbridge Wells


http://www.courier.co.uk/Man-sees-red-R ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A retired Royal Mail sorter from Tunbridge Wells has criticised his former employer for what he claims is a "second class service".


Roger Walker of Hunters Way in Showfields is infuriated the company is changing collections from some of its post boxes from 5pm to 9am.

The 64-year-old said those people missing the earlier collection would have to go to a post office or a hunt for one of the designated boxes which had retained a later collection time.

Royal Mail said it was it was "low-volume postboxes" which had moved to a "collection on delivery".

Mr Walker, who is a standard bearer for the Royal British Legion, told the Courier: "If you post a letter on a Monday morning and they have emptied the boxes, then they won't empty them again until the next day. You'd have to go to the post office in Ramslye. I was told they were rolling it out across the area."

He added: "It's a second class service. I am not happy about it. You post a letter on a Monday first class, and they might not get it until Wednesday or Thursday. It used to get there the next day."


He believed the changes were a money-saving exercise.

Mr Walker is also concerned people will not realise their letters have missed the collection.

"How many of us pull up at the boxes and chuck our letters in without checking? People need to know they will probably not get collected until the next day."

Royal Mail spokesman Sally Hopkins said: "We would like to reassure all our customers in Tunbridge Wells that we will retain a high level of access to late collection posting facilities (4pm or later).For this reason, existing post-boxes further than half a mile from a late posting facility are not included as part of these changes.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Collection on delivery means the mail collection from certain postboxes will be carried out by the local postman or woman on their delivery route, at a time dependent on where the box is located on that route. This will typically be between 9am and 3pm in urban and suburban areas. The indicator tab on the post box will show if the collection has been made."

She said around 2,000 new postboxes would also be added to the existing 115,300.

She added: "A significant decline in letter volumes means that many postboxes no longer cover their costs. Rather than decommission uneconomic low-use postboxes, we aim to improve the efficiency of our collections arrangements."

[El-Bandito]

Wow a pensioner having a whinge. Email Moya she's listening, apparently.

[NWpostie]

The world has moved on since he was last in the Post Office, even ex posties people pre 1994 wouldn't recognise anything today that they would know previously when they were in delivery, the building would be the same but the camaraderie and banter has gone, its every man for himself. bullying daily. nope if that pensioner has any sense he would stay out of it and help the poor brow beaten donkey... err postie instead of whinging.