Who manages the Royal Mail for complaints?

[DTCwordfan]

I send three parcels to the USA to my daughters over there, age 8 and 12, one week before the RM's suggested deadline. They did not arrive on time, i.e by yesterday.

Two disappointed girls and sorry, I do not find the weather conditions from the very start of December much of an excuse, indeed I calssify it as pathetic when one has spent nearly 30 quid on sending the three parcels..

Who is responsible for policing the RM as I am not going through their cr-p of customer service, which, at first sight on-line, has been designed to obsfurcate the process from the very outset. And they only serve to serve themselves.

[Postdog]

Well before you blame our end, it is known that the States have one of the rubbishiest mail services going and they are the ones at the delivery end. And besides, you can only take it further IF you have gone down the road you are supposed to go down first.

[DTCwordfan]

I lived in the States in for several years and 5 weeks out should not be an issue - it is probably this end this time.

Next year I am thinking Fede/UPS/or DHL - it's more guaranteed and probably not that much more in cost for what amounted to 6kg in totum.

You have lost yet another customer I think. I look forward to the demise and bankruptcy of the RM....

[boxtops]

I have mailed stuff to the US and under normal circumstances it takes a couple of weeks to get there.
If the planes carrying the mail haven't been able to leave the UK due to the snow then of course the mail will be delayed. The snow came on 1 Dec in some areas. You have to go through proper channels and form-filling first - nobody is going to be impressed by you blasting your way to the top of Royal Mail if you haven't been through the process first of reporting non-delivery/making a claim for the value of the items sent. You need to get a form from your local PO and fill it in, giving details of what was sent, and sending the original of a proof of posting form (which presumably you have) - they then investigate and respond. They write to you then telling you what to do if you are not satisfied.

[Postdog]

Yeah, happy Christmas....

[boxtops]

^^PS even DHL couldn't get out if there were no planes.

[DTCwordfan]

To which I add F--k --ff - it shows upn how cr-p the RM has become. 5 weeks, even allowing for the States end is just not good enough.

And a Happy Christmas to you future unemployees

[DTCwordfan]

and I will take it up with Vaughan Williams who was/is a RM director.....who was at biz school with me.

[boxtops]

I hope that's not aimed at me, DT, I don't work for the post office, why should you think I do? I just know how it's worked for me when I have had a package to the States go missing and I made a claim.

[ABerrant]

Since November, the United States Department of Homeland Security has increased security measures for items carried on passenger airlines. As a result, mail entering the US from around the world, and including the UK, that would normally be sent via passenger aircraft, must now travel by other means, including ships and cargo planes.

[Postdog]

I'm already out thanks. Took £50,000 early redundancy at the begininning of the year, paid the mortgage off, done sod all work, and been on a cruise and to Egypt this year.

[boxtops]

With all the major delays in the inland post at the moment, DT, your ex business school mate is likely to have more on his plate than just your parcels. Sorry, but you are not the only one who has ordered or sent presents this year which are going to arrive after Christmas - the backlog has been in the news for the last couple of weeks.

[DTCwordfan]

they would have factored that into the RM timings I would hope....but then maybe not.

No it wasnt at you boxtops.

And I note Mark Higson, a fellow alumni. is MD of the RM. He has an e-mail accessible to my post grad school and we grads......so I shall raise this subject of (i) completely unacceptable service and (ii) the torturous route to cust complaints, with him directly.

[Postdog]

Oh and if you have connections, why didn't you use them instead of posting on here? As if........

[DTCwordfan]

Sorry to be arrogant, it can be summarised as often "it is not what you know but who you know" - and I hate to say that in many cases at this level, you have no idea of what the ground-swell opinion is unless there is due personal contact. I have been on the receiving end in a number of senior positions in energy businesses that I have been in and you welcome the feedback and questions....

[boxtops]

Gee, if we all emailed people we used to know when something went wrong which is happening to hundreds of other people..... I was at school with people who are now MPs but I wouldn't dream of contacting them about personal issues. That's string pulling and IMO won't get you anywhere, you are one of very many at the moment.

I use RM all the time for worldwide mailing of packets and parcels and I don't find their customer service arrangements remotely complicated - you write, they respond.

[boxtops]

^^ and PS yes I do understand what you are saying - many people at the top in other organisations don't get to hear what's happening at the bottom - but I am still not convinced that this is the way to get your non-delivery resolved, not given the backlog at the moment.

[DTCwordfan]

I came on here to see if anybody had an interesting angle on dealing with this faceless insensitive organisation without pushing the top; (their overall web site is not that good). Obviously no success on that score so I shall now terminate this thread and use my inside lines.

Thanks.

Happy Christmas to all.

[Postdog]

You a yank (Not you Boxtops)? You got that big headed "I am" attitude so I'm just wondering. I still say it's down to the other end.

[boxtops]

DT - let us know if it works, I for one would be interested to know if you make headway that way. Since any problems with my mail to the US have been resolved satisfactorily in the past by dealing with RM (and not via the website), it could be useful to know what you find out.

[jno]

tried Postwatch?

http://www.consumerfo...rg.uk/get-advice/post