In message
,
at 05:49:55 on Thu, 13 Mar 2014, Recliner
remarked:
I'm not near the mail depot, so I'm sure some people get theirs much
earlier.

I'm about half a mile from mine.
--
Roland Perry

On 12/03/2014 19:49, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 17:36:23 on
Wed, 12 Mar 2014, Charles Ellson remarked:
Will that be a variation of the Post Office taking everyone for a ride
with the guarantee that 1st Class Post will arrive by 10AM the next
day?

Where does it guarantee that First class mail will be delivered by
10am? On the Royal Mail Web site, it just says, "Aims to deliver the
next working day including Saturdays".

It looks like confusion with e.g. "Special Delivery" which has two
options of "guaranteed by 1pm" and "guaranteed by 9am".

SD also seems to have an informal "not before 7am", just so they don't
wake people up too early!

As for the rest of the deliveries, they do seem to have crept from
7.30am to noon over the last 20yrs (my anecdata).

Here in S London it has gone from 7:30am about 30 years ago to now no
earlier than 3pm usually about 3:30.

--
Martin

replies to newsgroup only please.

"Martin Smith" wrote in message
...

Here in S London it has gone from 7:30am about 30 years ago to now no
earlier than 3pm usually about 3:30.


No doubt you've heard of the Arab sheikh who upon asking his Son what
he'd like for Christmas (unusually a Christian family in a Muslim area
-) )
and on being answered, "A Cowboy Outfit, Dad!" went out anf bought
the Post Office for him?

On 13/03/2014 10:21, Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
For me the main annoyances are the need to put yourself under
virtual house arrest when expecting a delivery and it still doesn't come

Amazon will now deliver to local shops in some areas. I've used that
service amnd found that it works very well. An email is sent to you when
the item is ready for collection, take some ID and sign for it. In my
case the shop is a dawn-to-dusk type place.

Other supply companies are available.

--
Dave,
Frodsham
http://s1213.photobucket.com/albums/cc461/Davy41/

---
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On 13/03/14 14:29, Dave Jackson wrote:
On 13/03/2014 10:21, Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
For me the main annoyances are the need to put yourself under
virtual house arrest when expecting a delivery and it still doesn't come

Amazon will now deliver to local shops in some areas. I've used that
service amnd found that it works very well. An email is sent to you when
the item is ready for collection, take some ID and sign for it. In my
case the shop is a dawn-to-dusk type place.

Other supply companies are available.


Amazon Lockers kick ass too - just need to have more of them -
especially at main London railway stations (bringing the thread back on
topic). Their lack of appearance at places like Charing Cross is very
conspicuous.

It would be extremely convenient to grab your package prior to getting
your homeward bound train as you'll probably have a car or be within
easy walking distance at the other end.

Also be nice to grab smaller items on the way into work too.

In message , at 14:29:41 on Thu, 13 Mar
2014, Dave Jackson remarked:

Amazon will now deliver to local shops in some areas. I've used that
service amnd found that it works very well. An email is sent to you
when the item is ready for collection, take some ID and sign for it. In
my case the shop is a dawn-to-dusk type place.

In my case the closest Amazon locker is 15 miles away, has no car
parking anywhere nearby, and still claims to be open only "Thur - Sat:
07:00 - 23:00" despite every appearance that the supermarket in question
is open at the very least every day, and quite possibly longer hours
than that.
--
Roland Perry

On 13/03/2014 14:54, Tim Watts wrote:
[...]
Amazon Lockers kick ass too - just need to have more of them -
especially at main London railway stations (bringing the thread back on
topic). Their lack of appearance at places like Charing Cross is very
conspicuous.

Though you can't use them with the 'free' supersaver delivery option.

(And when I've used one it's always left my posterior alone.)


It would be extremely convenient to grab your package prior to getting
your homeward bound train as you'll probably have a car or be within
easy walking distance at the other end.

Also be nice to grab smaller items on the way into work too.

On 13/03/2014 08:37, Optimist wrote:

I find the courier firms are far superior to RM for customer
service. They actually answer the phone when you ring the number
on the card to say they have a package for you but you were out.
They will leave in the porch or elsewhere if you wish.

RM usually don't leave items in porches because of the risk of theft.

RM put a card through the door instead of trying to deliver the
package, when you ring they don't answer, they won't leave items to
be collected at the local post office but at an inconvenient depot
on an industrial estate.

Royal Mail is actually three businesses. Post Office counters and
Parcelforce are distinct from the letter delivery business. Letters
(and packets) are held at the delivery office for collection at the
callers office. The local Post Office is a place where you can buy
stamps, though you can have redeliveries made to a local Post Office
for an additional fee.
--
Phil Cook

In message , at 16:42:17 on Thu, 13
Mar 2014, Phil Cook remarked:
I find the courier firms are far superior to RM for customer
service. They actually answer the phone when you ring the number
on the card to say they have a package for you but you were out.
They will leave in the porch or elsewhere if you wish.

RM usually don't leave items in porches because of the risk of theft.

Can descend into farce. I had a parcel delivered at my front door last
week by one of the minor couriers, where the chap said I didn't need to
sign for it because he'd already logged it as "left in back garden". It
wasn't clear if this was a one-off error on his behalf, or a widespread
form of expediting delivery without bothering to discover if the
householder was actually at home.
--
Roland Perry

On 13/03/2014 10:21, Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
Graeme Wall wrote:

I'd rather cut deliveries down to three or even two a week if it would
cut the
cost of postage.

Sadly it probably wouldn't. And with online shopping such a key part of
the
Royal Mail's business there'd be fierce opposition to reducing the speed
of
delivery or else a decamp to incompetent couriers.

Why use incompetent couriers when there are plenty of competent ones
available.

Cost and the buyer rather than the sender is the one who experiences the
problems. For me the main annoyances are the need to put yourself under
virtual house arrest when expecting a delivery and it still doesn't come,
the inability to put together a decent flat delivery service (some of them
don't even know how to buzz the reception or phone the number supplied), the
failure to come at the times stated, the remote depots that are hard to
reach on public transport and have terrible opening hours, the ludicrously
excessive requirements for ID and proof of address when you can get in, the
premium rate phone numbers and the fines sent to senders because the firm is
incompetent.


Fines sent to senders, who by?

--
Graeme Wall
This account not read, substitute trains for rail.
Railway Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail