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