Postal route reshuffle may lead to late deliveries

9:00am Sunday 24th February 2013 in News By Joanna Codd

GOING POSTAL: The Royal Mail Alder Hills Delivery Office in Poole GOING POSTAL: The Royal Mail Alder Hills Delivery Office in Poole

AROUND 25,000 households and businesses in part of Poole have been warned that they may start receiving their post later in the day.

Royal Mail is writing to every address served by the Alder Hills Delivery Office – parts of the BH12 and BH17 postcode areas – to say it is making phased changes to the way it delivers the post over the next few weeks.

The organisation says it is trying to maintain services and keep prices as low as possible.

It explains: “Unfortunately fewer letters are now posted every day and Royal Mail needs to organise its delivery routes to be as efficient as possible.

“Royal Mail will continue to deliver in the morning and for a longer period during the day. Many customers will continue to get their mail by lunchtime.

“The time customers receive mail will depend on where they live on the new delivery route. This may be later or possibly earlier than current delivery times. When mail volumes vary, we may need to adjust delivery arrangements and times.”

Because the service is delivering an increasing number of larger items, Royal Mail is also investing in new equipment to carry mail more securely.

Bicycles are generally being phased out across the organisation for safety reasons. Instead, postmen and women go out in pairs in vans, then use trolleys to complete their rounds, reducing their risk of injury.

Collection and delivery sector manager Rob Payne said: “We are proud of the high regard in which our postmen and women are held in Alder Hills.

“The changes to delivery routes will mean that a member of our local and experienced team will still be delivering to our customers in Alder Hills.

“The local delivery team and I are fully committed to providing a high quality of service that is as reliable and friendly as customers have come to expect from Royal Mail in Alder Hills over many years.”

Cllr Phil Eades, who represents Branksome West ward, said: “A lot of people are out all day, so I’m not sure it’s that important whether the post comes at 9am, 11am or even 1pm.

“But I do think Royal Mail ought to make an effort to streamline rounds so business customers could be assured of having their post in the morning.

“Mail volumes are decreasing, but Royal Mail has brought this upon itself with the outrageous increases in first and second class charges last year. In the long term you have to fear for the future of universal deliveries.”

Comments(37)

BIGTONE says...
9:31am Sun 24 Feb 13

Sounds like they are in trouble.
If they are,it won't be too long before they are down the pan.

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RageAgainstTheMachine says...
9:32am Sun 24 Feb 13

I might be one of the lucky ones and get it earlier than my normal delivery of between 2-3pm.I can only hope!

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awsokend says...
9:57am Sun 24 Feb 13

i always get it twice a day but never on the sabbath same postie since i moved here.95% junk

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winton50 says...
9:59am Sun 24 Feb 13

BIGTONE wrote:
Sounds like they are in trouble.
If they are,it won't be too long before they are down the pan.
That's one way of looking at it.

The other way is that as the article says people are sending more larger articles (think ebay) and less letters.

A successful business adapts to meet a changing environment.

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BIGTONE says...
10:24am Sun 24 Feb 13

winton50 wrote:
BIGTONE wrote:
Sounds like they are in trouble.
If they are,it won't be too long before they are down the pan.
That's one way of looking at it.

The other way is that as the article says people are sending more larger articles (think ebay) and less letters.

A successful business adapts to meet a changing environment.
Yep...if you don't adapt to meet the changing environment.....then as I say....you are down the pan.

When business tries to shuffle/streamline etc that is a sure sign they are losing money.

Now the post office is so fragmented with agency workers etc when things are going wrong you are on your own.

There is no relying on the main organisation anymore.

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Controversial But True says...
10:48am Sun 24 Feb 13

There's no excuse to be as late as they already are, especially when half of the post goes missing on the way!

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live-and-let-live says...
11:10am Sun 24 Feb 13

what difference does it make ? my post arrives sometime in the afternoon. this is not a problem to me and it wouldnt be a problem if it arrived in the evening.

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dvdr says...
11:40am Sun 24 Feb 13

Here in BH18 8HE we are blessed with sensible, hardworking posties. They do their best, and are not afraid to use common sense - we value them, and they do a very good job for us.

I have the awful feeling that they serve us well in spite of, not because of, their management.

If only the management would get out of the way, and let the experts (the posties) do their job as people who know what they are doing, and do it well!

It is not the posties' fault that the mail system is driving people away from using their services, and are using email instead wherever they can. The posties have to work for the system that employs them, and make the best of it, but they have my sympathy. They are the people that we, as customers, see, and they (at least in my area) are worthy of much praise and support, because they do a first class job for us as customers.

Well done, BH18 8HE posties!

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Lord Spring says...
11:56am Sun 24 Feb 13

Royal Mail will continue to deliver in the morning and for a longer period during the day. Many customers will continue to get their mail by lunchtime.

That is if you have lunch at 1700 hrs

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awsokend says...
12:27pm Sun 24 Feb 13

dvdr wrote:
Here in BH18 8HE we are blessed with sensible, hardworking posties. They do their best, and are not afraid to use common sense - we value them, and they do a very good job for us.

I have the awful feeling that they serve us well in spite of, not because of, their management.

If only the management would get out of the way, and let the experts (the posties) do their job as people who know what they are doing, and do it well!

It is not the posties' fault that the mail system is driving people away from using their services, and are using email instead wherever they can. The posties have to work for the system that employs them, and make the best of it, but they have my sympathy. They are the people that we, as customers, see, and they (at least in my area) are worthy of much praise and support, because they do a first class job for us as customers.

Well done, BH18 8HE posties!
I agree with every word you say
also you live only doors from me
I live in Kitchener Cresent.

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aerolover says...
1:50pm Sun 24 Feb 13

When Bournemouth did it reshuffle it made thinks 100% worse. Don't know who benefited but it wasn't me. Years ago we had our mail by 7.30 now it's anywhere between 14.00 and 16.30.
Have complained and was told all mail should be delivered by 14.00. So mine is late everyday and never seem to be the same postie.

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lelbel says...
1:55pm Sun 24 Feb 13

I also live in Kitchener Crescent we defo need a new postie,the amount of times our post is put through other peoples doors is discusting.Perhaps he needs to visit specsavers.we have even had a letter for a totally different road, thats how bad it is

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Joefraser says...
2:27pm Sun 24 Feb 13

When I was a youngster ( late sixties, early seventies ) we used to have two deliveries, first post around eight am, second at about eleven am. Now, after years of supposed progress instigated by high paid executives, we get one delivery at about two pm. Progress? Go figure.

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matt68 says...
2:47pm Sun 24 Feb 13

lelbel wrote:
I also live in Kitchener Crescent we defo need a new postie,the amount of times our post is put through other peoples doors is discusting.Perhaps he needs to visit specsavers.we have even had a letter for a totally different road, thats how bad it is
oh poor you and i guess you never make mistakes in your job!

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djkent says...
3:01pm Sun 24 Feb 13

they put there prices up and this is what we get we dont get post until 3pm and when it rains they dont come new postman or women once a month discusting service wrong letters sent and the fact it now takes 4 days for a first class letter to arrive terrible service

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losthope says...
3:02pm Sun 24 Feb 13

IF it arrived by 1pm or 3pm that'd be fine. All too often my post arrives either around 5 or during the evening, when we all reshuffle the letters that went through the wrong doors!

(Still, it's a good way to meet the neighbours and check on the elderly...)

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EGHH says...
3:15pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Thank God I use email for all my correspondence. The only things I get delivered are items from Amazon and eBay, then they go to my office as no one is at home when the postie finally arrives at my address.

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l'anglais says...
4:44pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Anyway, what's so Royal about your Mail?

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asj says...
5:51pm Sun 24 Feb 13

am i the only person that would prefer the postman to come late afternoon or evening? working every day just means i have to drive 5 miles to Alder road to pick up any thing bigger than a matchbox. or should i give up work and be home all day!

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muscliffman says...
6:36pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Lord Spring wrote:
Royal Mail will continue to deliver in the morning and for a longer period during the day. Many customers will continue to get their mail by lunchtime.

That is if you have lunch at 1700 hrs
Exactly, But every cloud has a silver lining, if my post gets much later in the afternoon it will be arriving first thing in the morning just like the good old days!

And many thanks to whoever it is in the Post Office system who has cut open my third letter recently, presumably believing incorrectly that the plastic cards inside were debit/credit ones.

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arthur1948 says...
7:14pm Sun 24 Feb 13

any later and ill get it tomorrow

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Mrspud28 says...
7:27pm Sun 24 Feb 13

To be fair I don't care what time my bills arrive. The later the better, or even never.

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benjamin says...
7:28pm Sun 24 Feb 13

When we first moved to Poole over eight years ago, we had a regular, reliable and local postman. Deliveries were around 9 am.
Then a new system was introduced. A van arrives at the end of the road about 12.30.Two postmen go their different ways around the neighboring streets. The identities of these postmen varies day to day. The result is that letters go missing or are delivered to wrong adresses. The only benefit is that we no longer need to give Christmas boxes because we never get to know the postmen.

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lelbel says...
7:45pm Sun 24 Feb 13

matt when it happens all the time you must be a postie yourself,if you kept making mistakes in your job you would get the sack END OFF

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Mrspud28 says...
8:20pm Sun 24 Feb 13

lelbel wrote:
matt when it happens all the time you must be a postie yourself,if you kept making mistakes in your job you would get the sack END OFF
So your mr perfect? Doubt it! Everyone makes mistakes, just like you posting your stupid comment

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lelbel says...
9:17pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Mrspud28 wrote:
lelbel wrote:
matt when it happens all the time you must be a postie yourself,if you kept making mistakes in your job you would get the sack END OFF
So your mr perfect? Doubt it! Everyone makes mistakes, just like you posting your stupid comment
lol changed your name,mistakes lol again, on a daily basis with posting in wrong doors,just as silly as your username,no one is perfect but at least i can read,what address is on the letter.

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guisselle says...
12:07am Mon 25 Feb 13

Our posties are great, always friendly
and we get it by 1 p m rain or shine!
Thats BH16 for any budding detectives
out there!

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guisselle says...
12:10am Mon 25 Feb 13

At the end of the day the most post we
get now are bills and some take away
leaflets! Got to go and check my emails.

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Superuser says...
3:25am Mon 25 Feb 13

Er?

If "fewer letters are now posted every day", then presumably fewer are being delivered. Why are the deliveries not getting earlier with this reduced workload?

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purpleflower57 says...
8:13am Mon 25 Feb 13

I live in BH12 area, about 10 minutes walk from the delivery office. Over the past few months, we have had a different postie virtually everyday, and the mail always comes at different times each day, the latest we had mail delivered was 5 o'clock at night!

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Mr Angry. says...
8:35am Mon 25 Feb 13

The service is terrible already.........luck
y to get a delivery 3 times a week........and my post is regularly delivered to the wrong address

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wizzydolphin says...
8:54am Mon 25 Feb 13

I live in the BH12 area and I always get my post before 11am, same postie. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones

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awsokend says...
10:22am Mon 25 Feb 13

I had 3letters today, posted in France yesterday at 6 o **** last night
that's good service you know.

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awsokend says...
10:24am Mon 25 Feb 13

6 o clock even

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speedy231278 says...
10:57am Mon 25 Feb 13

The reason they deliver post later is because posties get paid per day, not per hour, and once their round is finished they are free to go home, whatever time that may be. Therefore, the beancounters in the accounts don't like the potential for a postie to have finshed their round by late morning, yet get paid until the end of their shift. So the number of posties is reduced, they are given other task to do in the morning, so they go out later, finish later, and are therefore gainfully occupied for almost the entire period they are paid for, rather than half of it. I once spent a half day working in a sort office as a temp. It certainly showed me just how poorly run and why everything is such a mess, and that was 10 years ago. It's worse now at the customer end, so gawd knows what is happening in those sorting offices!

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suzigirl says...
12:53pm Mon 25 Feb 13

djkent wrote:
they put there prices up and this is what we get we dont get post until 3pm and when it rains they dont come new postman or women once a month discusting service wrong letters sent and the fact it now takes 4 days for a first class letter to arrive terrible service
DisGusting!!! LOL

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delta3 says...
1:24pm Mon 25 Feb 13

This is a failing business that needs to accept we are all not here to pay for their pension deficit. Can anyone tell me why they can still use the name 'Royal Mail' despite being a private company?
I recently received a package from main land China which got to the Uk and through customs nearly as quick as it took a Royal mail employee to deliver it for the last 7 miles of it's journey. People who have been with the postal service for years should be put out to retire so new staff can start a new as the bad old days of strikes and perks are over, welcome to the world of big boy business.

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