Royal Fail Woes

[*-SARIN-*]

So after yesterdays "discussion" with the PO reference why i had to tell them what was in my parcel i got a red slip through the door this morning for a signed for parcel.  Racing up the street i read the "new" red slip and noticed that it stated that my parcel would be ready for collection the next working day and also had a new bigger red box that said that i would need ID.  Hmmmmm, i could see that this might be a wasted trip.  Not sure whether i couldn't get it till the next working day or the fact that the old slip stated this as well but i never noticed it i continued on.  All was good and i got my parcel but it might serve as a warning to others that in the future you might have to wait until the next day?

[Deleted]

Mine are all next day and need ID. I try to get a redelivery for a saturday

[lairey]

Mine are all next day too, and they state you need ID, but if the regular guy Paul is working, I don't need to show it - does that mean I visit the sorting office too often?

[charliehorse]

*-SARIN-* as far back as I can remember the slips all say/said next working day or 24 hours.
Can't have you turning up at the sorting office looking for your parcel when the postie still has it and is only half way on his round

[buggritt]

Reading usually helps in cases like this.
By the way, you don't have to tell the PO what's in your parcel. They only need to know it hasn't got anything on the dangerous goods list in it.

[*-SARIN-*]

Apr 21, 2015 15:54:41 GMT charliehorse said:

*-SARIN-* as far back as I can remember the slips all say/said next working day or 24 hours.
Can't have you turning up at the sorting office looking for your parcel when the postie still has it and is only half way on his round

No i agree and they usually state leave for x amount of hours until you try to go and get it but i've never noticed "next working day" before.  As it happens it tried to be delivered at 0925 and i picked it up at 1530.

Apr 21, 2015 16:06:45 GMT buggritt said:

Reading usually helps in cases like this.
By the way, you don't have to tell the PO what's in your parcel. They only need to know it hasn't got anything on the dangerous goods list in it.

Oh i read it but it seems that it's not true, i didn't have to wait until the next working day, i got it 6 hours later.  I also noticed that this time there wasn't the leave it x number of hours written on the card or the space to do it.  I stated what you said about there being nothing dangerous or restricted in the parcel and they said that if i didn't tell them what was in it then they were refusing to take it.  This is where the problem started as i believe that i shouldn't have to tell them what's in it.  Anyway the guy at the counter next to me backed me up but stated that it was down to the individual PO managers whether they required to know what was in it of just whether it met with their guidelines.  In the end i told them it was poster paint, next time it'll be anal lube again

On further investigation it seems that courier companies also demand to know this info before they will accept a package and have done so for some time.

[glen]

I used to work for royal mail (20 years) and nearly all collections are after 24hr. Worked in the callers office, and the arguments over the time to wait before collecting, well I could write a book.

[macmagoo]

The reason you are asked to wait 24h is because if you are not at home the postman pouches off when he is finished. In most cases he pouches off at the post office, the pouch then circulates to the Mail Centre or Distribution Centre, then back to the Delivery Office to await collection.

[Perpetua]

My local main Sorting Office, the parcel collection desk closes at 2pm anyway . . . mid day on a Saturday, those limited hours are more of a bug bear for me.

[buggritt]

*-SARIN-*, it's absolutely not down to the PO manager. There's a set blurb, just many counter staff obviously find it repetitive so it's easier to ask "what's in it". I don't think they are being arsey, most of the time, they just are swamped with "must does" and regulations.

[lexs1411]

When they asked me what was in my Parcel My reply was your guess is as good as mine waiting on 6 parcels (I have the BUG) must stop buying. He then just handed my parcel to me

[*-SARIN-*]

Apr 22, 2015 9:35:47 GMT buggritt said:

*-SARIN-*, it's absolutely not down to the PO manager. There's a set blurb, just many counter staff obviously find it repetitive so it's easier to ask "what's in it". I don't think they are being arsey, most of the time, they just are swamped with "must does" and regulations.

This time and on other occasions they were definitely being arsey, point blank refusing to take the package until they knew exactly what was in it, not even just the category that the item came under.  As i mentioned before i thought that they only had to ask if it had any restricted items in it but i accept your explanation that it might be due to having to recite every item that cannot be taken and is easier to just ask.

lexs1411 this was for me posting a parcel not collecting.

macmagoo i must have a decent collection department at my PO because i've never had to wait 24 hours, just the amount of hours written on the card and even then they are open until 0730 - 1730 with two hours closed for lunch.  It seems that my branch might be gearing up to be the same as the rest or as a fail safe in case the package isn't back at the collection point when i turn up.

What i have learnt from this thread is that there seems to be no consistency between branches and they all interpret the rules and regulations differently.

[glen]

Royal mail are trialing extended opening hours in selected locations, as for waiting times to collect depends on the amount of mail returned by the postman as undeliverable I.e nobody to sign for it, no answer etc. In the office I worked in there was so coming back it was physically impossible to have it ready the same day, its the same at most large offices, things are differant if its a small rural office, where the volume of returns is significantly less