http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/news/3 ... ng_review/
By Michael Pickard »
ROYAL MAIL’s much-maligned new delivery system, Pegasus, could be reviewed in the face of continued criticism from residents, businesses and postal staff.
The new delivery system, designed to cut costs by reducing the number of walks made by postmen through the town, began in Watford on September 1 but has so far left workers struggling under the weight of backlogged mail.
Talks have taken place between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union at the town’s sorting office, in Ascot Road, to resolve the problems, with the possibility of creating new routes from those under the most strain.
Glenda Marcus, who runs a small business, said she received a first class letter on Wednesday that was posted on September 17, and after receiving no post on Tuesday, had two deliveries within half-an-hour the next day.
Ms Marcus, from Meadowbank, Oxhey, said: “That’s not a delivery service. And they say they haven’t got a problem.
“I don’t ask a lot. I just ask for my mail be delivered daily.”
One postman who works at the Ascot Road depot said the situation “had not changed”, during the four weeks since Pegasus was installed.
He said: “Postmen are going out delivering mail and still getting slaughtered by members of the general public about why their mail is not arriving.
“The only way to resolve the situation is by going back to where we were four weeks ago.
When you get walks going over three-and-a-half hours, you have to take some roads off the walks and make new walks.”
Alan Walsh, branch secretary of the Communication Workers’ Union, admitted Pegasus was “poorly conceived” and though the backlog is better than it was, said “it’s a long way from being right”.
However, Mr Walsh moved to reassure residents that postal staff were not taking industrial action, and said talks were held yesterday (Thursday) and on Wednesday to discuss creating some new routes from those under the most strain.
He added: “They’ve accepted the need to do something with the deliveries.
“Whether it will run until Christmas I couldn’t say. There are still quite a few problems to iron out. Hopefully it will be fixed within the next couple of weeks.”
A Royal Mail representative said: “There are no backlogs of first or second class mail in Watford and only a tiny amount of backlog of other mail, less than a 50th of an average day’s volumes.
“No new walks have been introduced although we continue to use extra resource where necessary and review the situation.
“The changes, which have been brought in without problem in hundreds of delivery offices across the UK, were brought in following consultation with staff and the union before implementation and all addresses in Watford continue to receive a delivery every day, six days a week.
“We can assure customers that we continue to do all we can to ensure they continue to receive the service they are entitled to.”
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of course they can f*** up more 
