General Chat

Dear Post Office, I really believe in you, I always post as much as I can and almost never pay bills on-line. This Christmas you have disappointed me. I know the weather has been awful and it has been difficult to deliver because of the snow but, really, you should be ashamed of yourself. Today you delivered to our home a book that my daughter ordered on the 7th December as a Christmas present for her brother. As it did not arrive in time she went out and bought another and arranged for a refund for the online book. So now she has the refund and the book as well and all because you could not get your act together. This online retailer is said to be having financial difficulties - I for one can see why.

7 day made to measure curtains took 4 weeks to arrive.

Next year I may not use you as much as I have in the past because you have proved unreliable.

What a shame.

How do they manage in Scandinavia or Russia, for example, I wonder?

Now I cant complain. Everything but birdseed which was coming from the channel islands, arrived on time. Postie even left a parcel with next door in case it was urgent. We do that here, neighbours being honest.

In our house, the items we ordered earliest arrived last.

We imagined the sorting office with everything arriving being chucked on top of a massive pile, then when the roads cleared the mail was delivered from the top of the heap down.

My Daughter lives near Norwich,and I live in Sheffield.

Her birthday is on the 30 Dec so on the 18th I sent her Christmas and Birthday cards at the same time and in the same postbox.

Her birthday card arrived on the 31st Dec,and her Christmas card on the 7th Jan, I could have walked there quicker!

Hello Annina, how's you. Hope everything is okey in Sheffield.
Are you still knitting.
Take Care
Julia in Derbyshire

I posted 2 parcels on the 16th December 1 to Cornwall it arrived 24th December and the other to Scotland still has not arrived

Posted parcel to USA 16 November - still has n ot arrived. Do not know who to blame - US mail or ours!

My Shaun the Sheep dvd's, ordered the week before crimble arrived next day from amazon, so did some silver coins I'd ordered from birmingham.
But I've said it before, we have some superb posties here in north devon.
Its a real pain in the butt if you're on the wrong end of poor service but on the other hand millions of people recieved millions of packages on time.

I am in Exeter and my daughter still has not got her parcel posted on the 16th Dec

Forgot to say I sent it recorded delivery also

Son-in-Law is a postman and hasn't received a payslip (sent by post)since the beginning of December. he says the backlog at his sorting office was cleared by the New Year. There were some days when they could only deliver within a half-mile radius of the sorting office because of the state of the roads and pavements.

Congratulations to our local postie for delivering correctly the post card which just had our first names, street name and village.

My daughter ordered 2 scooters. One arrived a few days before Christmas the other was being shunted all over the country so she cancelled it but it arrived after Christmas. Hubby had gone miles away to a shop to get 2 so the twins had the presents on time. She made arrangements to return the original 2 but a few days after they were collected 2 more arrived. This wasn't the Post Office but a delivery service for which she had paid £60 for special delivery. Needless to say she requested refund, said they couldn't but a few days later all monies were refunded. If people realised what goes on in the sorting office of Royal Mail they wouldn't complain so much - I know my husband worked for them for 30 years.

I always knew my postman/lady for years and enjoyed regular chats with them when they had to ring bell. For past 4-5 years we have had everyone and anyone. As for our mail it is regularly delivered now between 5-6p.m. we have not worked out whether it is early or late. Living in a village we have only ever had one delivery. I always left a c.card taped to door at christmas addressed to 'our postman/lady'. Don't do that now - as we do not have a regular. They should have a regular route, they have, like milkmen and newsboys saved lives in the past by alerting the services.

Son lives in Winchester - he knew he had an appointment in Soton hosp this Friday but no details had arrived until yesterday - taken 6 weeks to travel approximately 11 miles! Winchester - a city - lost its main post office about 1 year or so ago and moved into WH Smiths - it must be a nightmare, there was hardly room for books before!

Cheltenham post office is also in WH Smiths.

I must say though that all my Amazon orders (quite a few) were delivered before christmas. One making it by the skin of its teeth, but it was ordered later than the others. I only had about one card delivered after Christmas thatw as not posted late. Becaue I know there is often a problem I posted the only two parcels I needed to post early and they both got there OK.

We have been lucky for at least 10 years we had the same postman. the past year he has not always delivered to us so we have had stand ins because he was more use in the office I believe. However, he retired last week. *We miss you Jim* And we haven't had a regular postman so far. Shame!!

Thanks for all your replies. The thing is that if I cannot rely on the post I won't use it: I can always buy and deliver my own gifts - in the past we used to do the whole M25 circuit in one day, dropping off pressies and cards - and I can pay all bills and make appointments, etc, on-line. Why do I need the post office these days?

Just a thought as we were very disappointed this year. Oh, and for the record, our postman is the same we have had for 13 years. He apologised. Nice man.

I am lucky to still have my regular postman "Dave". Yes he did get a Christmas Box this year. He is always cheerful and has just survived another round of changes locally. We lost our local sorting office now 5 miles away if you miss a delivery. Not far if you drive but with an hourly bus service not easy for the elderly or Mums who are less mobile.
I had all my cards by Christmas, parcels ordered earlyish, because of the weather, came too including printer ink fairly late as it was running out.
Yesterday Dave knocked as he had a card addressed to my son and his wife, with the first line of their new address, then part of my address and my post code !!! But beacause he remembered their name from when they lived with us about 3 years ago he knocked to see if he was right. Good on him.
So I have praise most recently for my local service.

Linda :o) XxX

Your Dave is the reason why the post office has survived so long, He and others like him keep it going. I always try to speak to the postmen at some point so that I know them, but it is difficult when they keep changing them. Did holiday relief here on a country round in the days when we did it on a bicycle. Really enjoyed getting to know the people.