Royal Mail delivery depot in "chaos" (Bolton)

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/display. ... _chaos.php

ANGRY customers claim Bolton's main Royal Mail delivery depot is in chaos, with some people having to queue for nearly two hours to collect parcels.

They have reported queues of up to 100 people waiting outside the Bolton North delivery office off Calvin Road for packages which could not be delivered to their home because they were out.

And after a long wait to get to the front of the queue, which has snaked its way across the car park during the busiest times, some customers were told their parcels could not be found.

Royal Mail has apologised for the delays, and says a rise in the number of Christmas gifts being ordered over the internet may be to blame.

It has drafted in extra staff to help deal with the problem.

One customer, Julie Ralph, aged 42, first went to collect her parcel - a pair of boots ordered through internet trading site Ebay - on Saturday.

After waiting for an hour, during which Mrs Ralph said around 100 people were queueing, staff put the shutters down at the usual 12.30pm closing time and told angry customers to return on Monday.

She tried again on Monday and again had to queue for an hour.

"My parcel couldn't be found even though it was somewhere in the building," said Mrs Ralph, of Alder Street, Great Lever, who described the situation as "chaos" but said staff were doing their best.

"It seemed like this was the response given to every other customer and there were cheers when a parcel was actually found.

"There are trolleys of parcels everywhere, parcels all over the floor - no wonder they can't find anything - and there were so many customers complaining about the wait and still not getting their parcels."

Mrs Ralph finally received her boots today after spending another half-an-hour in a 30-strong queue in rain during her lunch-hour.

Jackie Court, aged 65, of Bury New Road, The Haulgh, today got her hands on an Indiana Jones DVD she had ordered as a gift at the third time of trying.

She said she had queued for an hour and three quarters on Monday, three quarters of an hour on Tuesday and another half an hour today.

She said: "I'm disgusted. There must have been around 80 of us queueing on Monday afternoon. We were told they were short-staffed."

Dave Mitchell, aged 41, also today picked up his parcel, a speed camera detector, on his third visit to the depot, after a 40 minute wait.

Mr Mitchell, of Eastgrove Avenue, Sharples, said: "I'm pretty annoyed. If they have an unusually high number of parcels maybe they should have an unusually high number of staff to cope with them."

Jesusa Piper, aged 58, of Ramwells Brow, Bromley Cross, said she had repeatedly tried to ring the depot to ask if her parcel, jewelery for a relative, could be re-delivered, but that she could not get through.

After queueing in the rain today lunchtime, she tired of the wait and gave up.

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "In recent weeks, there has been an unusually high number of parcels returned to the delivery office at Calvin Street in Bolton because no-one was in to receive them.

"As a result there has been a longer than usual queue for customers who have been collecting their parcels.

"We are concerned about the current situation with waiting times, which is unacceptable, and we apologise to customers affected.

"We are doing everything we can to resolve this and we are also using extra staff to deal with enquiries in the office and extra drivers to attempt to re-deliver parcels."

A special answering machine hotline has been set up so customers can leave a message to arrange for their parcels to be re-delivered. The number is 01204 517758 Customers can also arrange to have their parcel delivered to their nearest Post Office for a charge of 50p.

From December 5, the office will also open later than usual on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the closing time extended from 5.30pm until 8pm.

The delivery office moved from its former home behind Bolton's main Deansgate post office two and a half years ago .

[TrueBlueTerrier]

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "In recent weeks, there has been an unusually high number of parcels returned to the delivery office at Calvin Street in Bolton because no-one was in to receive them.

I bet this is happening round the country after all its not that long ago we went on to later starts and now we get out later - I wonder if there is a connection.

Yes there is - RM HQ and their joined up thinking again.

[andy2007]

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "In recent weeks, there has been an unusually high number of parcels returned to the delivery office at Calvin Street in Bolton because no-one was in to receive them.

I bet this is happening round the country after all its not that long ago we went on to later starts and now we get out later - I wonder if there is a connection.

Yes there is - RM HQ and their joined up thinking again.

I think that they are just hoping that people will pay to have their parcels sent to the local Post Office (if they still have one!), to cut the queues!

50p per parcel doesn't sound much, but it soon adds up.

[BoltonPostie]

Ha Ha no wonder the twats wanted me to return to work and work in the callers office!

Theres more parcels because we are now going out an hour and half later and not even catching people taking their kids to school now,but hey they brought the shite system in, YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW RM.

[greynut]

'Royal Mail has apologised for the delays, and says a rise in the number of Christmas gifts being ordered over the internet may be to blame.'

Reeeeaaalllly, do ya think?


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Please stop... please please............. my side hurts.

[Broxi51]

What happens when the xmas rush arrives and the parcels double at Bolton. What are RM gonna say then? eggs for Easter perhaps

[axeman]

same here packets everywhere no room in calers office yorks full of them all over the place ...yes well done royal mail expect there to be utter chaos over the next few weeks .....later starts , what a good idea

[dvbuk55]

same here packets everywhere no room in calers office yorks full of them all over the place ...yes well done royal mail expect there to be utter chaos over the next few weeks .....later starts , what a good idea

Before later starts the bulk men would be loading their vans by 6 and be out on the road at 6 45 with a load of parcels - now they aren't leaving til 9 too late for the workers and mums who have left with the kids. In the afternoon they are still out at 3 and the mums have gone to pick the kids up. Really great planning - not insurmountable though - just needs the duties rearranging to go back to the old days of late packet deliveries started at - which was discarded about 10 years ago - the thought then was we would be done and dusted by 1pm and close the office down til the night shift started at 10pm. Of course that didn't happen because the SA collections which were supposed to be centralised never happened. So back to square one?, two? three? - I've lost count of the crazy plans that have revolved over the years.

[Captain Scarlet]

Same here in Dunfermline as PHG has asked for more staff in callers office, didn,t help that Dim,s take packet guys off duties and onto walks,cos regular o/t guys are back too late to do another 1/2 dely and no-one to do packets for a day or two!!!
Later starts load of sh"*e customer service, forget it.
Me thinks there is a lot of problems in store for RM, but Lieghton won,t be around cos he will have fu^*ed off by then.

[St.Dave]

Our office is full of returned parcels and it's mayhem. We are currently getting 2 full packet bags a day and sending roughly 1/4 back each day due to people being out when we arrive.
Our managers are doing their best to clear the backlog and get the que times down but the callers office is so small.

Hopefully Bolton will return to normal soon

[dvbuk55]

Our office is full of returned parcels and it's mayhem. We are currently getting 2 full packet bags a day and sending roughly 1/4 back each day due to people being out when we arrive.
Our managers are doing their best to clear the backlog and get the que times down but the callers office is so small.

Hopefully Bolton will return to normal soon

I think it's only going to get worse everywhere the real xmas rush hasn't started yet and final parcel posting is still two weeks away. I remember some years ago still delivering christmas parcels in the middle of January because the powers that be had failed to make sufficient provision for them before xmas.

[F0zziebear]

1. RM knew years ago that usage of parcels was rising, but to re-structure many of the delivery depots caller offices was almost impossible, and there was no inclination to invest in this area. A classic mistake

2. However! This may encourage more people to send their items special delivery. This would not necessarily solve the fact that people are now more likely to be out when specials and recordeds are being delivered. Specials give RM about 60% profit margin so just remember where your wages are coming from! (which products)

3. THere is also a higher chance that more mail will be delivered to work addresses. I am already beginning to do this with items ordered off the interet. This means that more mail and parcels could be delivered by van to post rooms, and possibly lightening the load for walks. OK so maybe a long winded and future development.

Sometimes it is worth thinking through the impact and it isn;t always so bad

F0zz

[blackadder]

its the glorious way forward, what great vision shown by our leaders. now wheres that song,things can only get better. how the hell has a great british postal system gone to this, have to say im rather ashamed

[TrueBlueTerrier]

You have a point on Specials as recently I have seen an increase of them on my walk. However, it used to be 6 months ago that you got rid of 90% of them as people were waiting for them.

But with the later starts people have other things to do like going into town to do shopping etc and at present I have to pouch off about a 30% of them. Thinking about it we are actually out doing deliveries from 0940 to 1400 and the cheap fares are 0900 to 1500 on local public transport so even if they are expecting a parcel they may not wait in because they have other more important things to do.

[mark21]

Our callers office full of parcels, looks like customers are in for a long wait. Already queueing down the road.