Royal Mail, beyond a joke now

[SueEllen]

Lordy! Thanks for this. I was about to send out an expensive item via signed-for RM, but I’m not sure who to use now.

Despite their terrible reputation, Evri have been ok but the things I sent out were cheap.

Ask the recipients who the best couriers in their area are.

For example Evri are tulip where I am but Yodel and the rest are fine.

[eek]

Lordy! Thanks for this. I was about to send out an expensive item via signed-for RM, but I’m not sure who to use now.

Despite their terrible reputation, Evri have been ok but the things I sent out were cheap.

Anything expensive is at your own risk unless it's RM Special Delivery.

I was surprised to discover a while back that the cost of Special Delivery for heavy items is way less than it used to be.

[ladymuck]

Compared to postal services in other countries, RM is pretty good. Internally, compared what it used to be, it's definitely gone downhill. Hard to say if it would be any better if it had remained in public hands.

I've always advocated the price of a first class stamp, that can get a letter from one end of the country to another is good value. However, the latest price hike is starting to push it.

I used to take part in postal surveys, where you post test items all over the country of varying sizes with an RFID tag inside so they can see where the item went and where the bottle necks were. That's where the performance stats come from. The majority of the time, stuff does turn up when it's supposed to. However, there are pockets around the country where the local delivery office is struggling.

RM is unique in that it HAS to deliver a letter service to every premises in the UK. Other courier/delivery firms can pick and choose where they want to operate.

[NigelJK]

Private Eye has it that Amazon parcels get priority over 'normal' parcels within RM. I'm 3 miles from Crewe and I get both an Amazon van and the RM parcel delivery for my Amazon purchase. All returns are via Evri and all parcels I send are via Evri. Not had any go missing yet.

[ladymuck]

Evri lost a parcel from Hobbs last year. They have no customer service, no means of contact unless you are a retailer. Unless you tell them the courier set fire to your house, they will not accept any contact.

Hobbs kept telling me the parcel wasn't lost and so they couldn't issue a refund because that's what Evri was telling them. If it wasn't lost, why couldn't they say where it was?

It took a month of me contacting Hobbs every couple of days before they accepted that Evri had lost the parcel and issued a refund.

[vetran]

Evri lost a parcel from Hobbs last year. They have no customer service, no means of contact unless you are a retailer. Unless you tell them the courier set fire to your house, they will not accept any contact.

Hobbs kept telling me the parcel wasn't lost and so they couldn't issue a refund because that's what Evri was telling them. If it wasn't lost, why couldn't they say where it was?

It took a month of me contacting Hobbs every couple of days before they accepted that Evri had lost the parcel and issued a refund.

from herpes to evri std.

that rebrand went well then!

[d000hg]

Ask the recipients who the best couriers in their area are.

For example Evri are tulip where I am but Yodel and the rest are fine.

Yeah it's really down to the individual. When we moved 5 miles it changed dramatically who we knew we could trust and who we dread seeing on the consignment note!

I do love that RM (and others) can collect a return and within seconds Amazon confirm the refund - once it's marked collected I'm not worrying if it gets lost.

Evri lost a parcel from Hobbs last year. They have no customer service, no means of contact unless you are a retailer. Unless you tell them the courier set fire to your house, they will not accept any contact.

Hobbs kept telling me the parcel wasn't lost and so they couldn't issue a refund because that's what Evri was telling them. If it wasn't lost, why couldn't they say where it was?

It took a month of me contacting Hobbs every couple of days before they accepted that Evri had lost the parcel and issued a refund.

This is one reason I care who I buy from. Amazon have always been very quick to refund or ship a replacement, many other companies insist on checking it is lost first - which is understandable, but irritating.

[cojak]

Anything expensive is at your own risk unless it's RM Special Delivery.

I was surprised to discover a while back that the cost of Special Delivery for heavy items is way less than it used to be.

Yes, I realise that. It’s more about risk assessment, if the package is more likely to get to the recipients I’m more likely to use that courier and take the risk.