The Royal Mail. Shockingly bad service since Cubie Street Delivery Office Closed.

Earlier this year the delivery office for my area at Cubie Street in the east end of Glasgow closed. This was followed by the closure of the other delivery offices in the east end of Glasgow.

The Royal Mail delivery office for the east end of Glasgow is now in Cambuslang and more difficult to get to by public transport than most of Scotland or indeed England.

Royal Mail Glasgow East End sorting office closures = Royal Fail for Glasgow's East End

I responded to Royal Mail's response to my complaint regarding the closure of Cubie Street in December 2012, this response being detailed in this post...
Stop the closure of Cubie Street Sorting Office, December 2012

The sorting office closed early in 2013, it being quite clear that the Royal Mail were not interested in their customers at all, and their supposed consultation process was a sham! Their rationalisation was in preparation for the UK Government's sell-off later in 2013 which has now also occurred although very few wanted it, particularly in Scotland. The only way incidentally to insure it returns to being a public service is to vote YES in the impending 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

Now I am able to say to confirm that living in the delivery area for this new service has resulted in a poorer, more remote and difficult to access service.

This week, despite being nearly always in the house, I have missed the delivery of two parcels. I have tried on a number of occasions, using a 08456 number which of-course is a way for the Royal Mail to make more money out of an ever deteriorating service, to contact this delivery office to arrange re-delivery as I am meant to be able to do this for free (fat chance!).

Each time the automated system has supplied me with a re-delivery date which is unsuitable for me, and you can no longer speak to a real person. I think they have all been sacked.

I have tried throughout this year to avoid having parcels delivered any more because of the local sorting office closure.

Cubie Street Sorting Office closure is Royal Fail.

Besides calling their premium rate number to re-arrange a failed Royal Mail delivery I can do the following...

1. Re-arrange for the delivery to be sent to a local Post Office. However this costs extra.
2. I can try to re-arrange this delivery online. However this means I must have a computer which is fine for me, but not others who do not have online access.
3. Leave the parcels where they are and let them be returned to their original address meaning I am out of pocket and have not received what I ordered.
4. I can let them deliver it to another person, which for most parcels is not a problem, but I don't want them to do this as standard. Being absolutely sure that the parcel you had arranged for was definitely going to be delivered to me, as opposed to being dumped on anyone close by was the unique selling point that the Royal Mail used to have, but not any more.
5. Get to Fullarton Drive to collect both parcels. I am unsure as to what size they are so don't know if I could carry them, and plus it would take me most of the day to get there and back since I have no personal transport, plus I would again be out of pocket this time in money and time due to the Royal Mail's ever deteriorating service.
6. I can never arrange to have another parcel delivered to me ever again, which is what I would like if we can't have our local delivery or sorting office back!

What a shame for all the online companies that I used to order from. Now if it won't fit through my letter box I try not to order online, so trying to avoid this irritating problem of the Royal Mail's making.

Royal Mail Cubie Sorting Office = Royal Fail at Fullarton Drive Sorting Office

STOP THE PRIVATISATION OF THE ROYAL MAIL

The UK Government is currently preparing the way for the privatisation of the Royal Mail.

Privatisation

This, rather than Scottish independence, is by far the biggest threat to a decent postal service within Scotland (Indeed voting yes in next years referendum will likely mean the immediate stopping of the deterioration in postal services within Scotland).

Deterioration in service

Royal Mail’s management has been preparing for this for some time by closing local delivery offices, ignoring the needs of local communities and vastly increasing the charges to the users of their services. After all it is being forced to make a profit and is required to no longer care about anything else.

ignoring the needs of local communities

In my case I now avoid having parcels delivered if at all possible as it is virtually impossible for me to actually get them due to the distance of the new delivery/sorting office from my house, the lack of public transport to it, and the cost of having the item redelivered in a way I can actually easily get it.

Do we want the Royal Mail to go the way of electricity?

Do we want the Royal Mail to go the way of electricity, gas, railways and English water?

I think not!

Sign the petition...

https://www.change.org/petitions/vince-cable-save-our-royal-mail# 

"Royal Mail: Stop the closure of Glasgow's Cubie Street sorting office" on Change.org.: Update: Response Email to Royal Customer Services

Dear Royal Mail,

I thank you for your email of 06.11.2012 regarding the closure of Cubie Street Delivery Office.

I would like to take you up on a few points mentioned...
1. 'Whilst I understand your concerns I would like to reassure you that Royal Mail has amalgamated offices before and we will be working to ensure that there is a smooth transition'. This indicates that the decision is irreversible and any consultation that has or will be completed is entirely irrelevant. This is not the mark of an organisation that truly does concern itself with its customers. Nor is it a mark of an organisation that is meant to be a public service.
2. 'If you are unable to visit your nearest Delivery Office to collect undeliverable items, we can arrange a redelivery back to your address or an alternative address within the same postcode area free of charge or to a local Post Office for a small fee (please note Special Delivery items cannot be delivered to an alternative address)'. Your point stating that you can arrange redelivery back to the requested delivery address is not satisfactory unless this redelivery can be made on a specific day and time when the person expecting the delivery can be present. If it is just a specific day this requires the person expecting the delivery to be present all day and also available at the required time during that day, is unsuitable for most (whether through having to work, other activities or rest). To expect people on limited incomes to pay extra to have the item delivered to a post office close to where they stay is also not satisfactory - what if they do not have any spare money so that this can be carried out?

Therefore the only option for serving your customers adequately within the Cubie Street delivery office delivery area is for that delivery office to remain open and for the operational changes and new technology to be employed within the existing facility and for the relocation to be cancelled.

In addition the recent vast increase in the cost of stamps for letters will further discourage people from using the postal service. This is at a time when the Royal Mail have stated that the volume of letters being sent is reducing. Is it any wonder when the speed of delivery has vastly deteriorated? It used to be possible to post a letter in the morning first class and be certain of the time of uplift and subsequent delivery. It was even possible to be almost certain that it would arrive the same day in some cases using first class. Now you can't be sure that it will arrive the following day prior to the open of business, or even on the following day at all.

I know in my family for the first time this year the cost of postage is barring the sending of Christmas greetings and parcels by mail when it has never done so before. So if the vast increase in prices was to ultimately improve services and therefore encourage people to use the mail service then it has failed.

I continue to look forward to hearing that Cubie Street delivery office will remain open and its services to its customers unaffected.

Yours faithfully

Christopher Crawford

Royal Mail: Stop the closure of Glasgow's Cubie Street sorting office - Update

Further to my post of 03.11.2012 I decided also to email Royal Mail direct regarding the Cubie Street closure and the below is what I received back from them. I have today subsequently responded which will follow in a separate post...

Dear Mr Crawford

Thank you for your e-mail in relation to the closure of Glasgow Cubie Street Delivery Office. I am sorry if this has caused you any concern or inconvenience.

We do not take operational changes such as this lightly and give them a great deal of thought including a 6 month consultation period with our trade union colleagues. All parties are in agreement that it is vital that we change to enable investment in new technology and equipment and upgrade operational facilities. This helps to ensure we have a world class organisation which will provide the most efficient and effective network for delivering the post and a safe working environment for our people.

Whilst I understand your concerns I would like to reassure you that Royal Mail has amalgamated offices before and we will be working to ensure that there is a smooth transition. We appreciate any changes may impact on our customers and our planning activities always give due consideration as to how we can best protect and serve their interest. This will continue to be a top priority during any operational changes. Such considerations include the way we collect mail for delivery and how customers can collect undelivered mail.

If you are unable to visit your nearest Delivery Office to collect undeliverable items, we can arrange a redelivery back to your address or an alternative address within the same postcode area free of charge or to a local Post Office for a small fee (please note Special Delivery items cannot be delivered to an alternative address). This can be arranged by calling the number on the 'Something for you...' card we leave or by visiting www.royalmail.com/redelivery.

Thank you for contacting us about this matter and we hope you will find our reply both helpful and informative. Please accept our apologies once again, and if we can be of any more help, please get back in touch.

Regards

Diana Reid

Customer Service Advisor

Royal Mail: Stop the closure of Glasgow's Cubie Street sorting office

I just signed the petition "Royal Mail: Stop the closure of Glasgow's Cubie Street sorting office" on Change.org.

It's important.

I am ill with fibromyalgia, and on a good day can walk to Cubie Street to collect a parcel which the Post Office have tried to deliver while I am out. However if this plan goes ahead I don't know what I will do. I have no transport, and I note that a bus route is 20 minutes walk from the proposed new sorting office at Cambuslang. I also know that you can get parcels delivered to your local post office but this involves another charge of £1.50. On my limited income this is not an option, so the only way is to instruct anyone intending to send me a parcel, is not to do so. It is time that the Post Office started actually thinking about its customers.

Will you sign the petition it too? Here's the link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/royal-mail-stop-the-closure-of-glasgow-s-cubie-street-sorting-office

Thanks!

Christopher