Info on the Post Office strike please?

[Paul Humble]

Ive used Fastway for parcels for ages now after loads of run ins with the PO. But as for letters, I dont see any competition to the Royal Mail so ill just have to wait it out.

[Hugh Potter]

I normally use interparcel.com (or co.uk), they aren’t the cheapest but, I can pay with paypal and book all online so it’s nice and easy in that respect,

If royal mail would compete with the couriers on a next day service i would use them exclusively, as it is, once you go over 2kg you’re into £20+ for next day special delivery, more for the before 9am or 1am services.

Fastway look good, was on their website earlier, i believe you buy tickets / packing slips in advance and use them as you go, only reason i didn’t use them this am was because my packages were all going to north Wales, which didn’t appear to be covered on their area list!

I probably use 150+ 1st class stamps a month and lots of other "large’ and airmail stamps too, the amount of post that goes missing is painful, mainly because it’s almost always when i’ve been too busy or lazy to go into town and get proof of post. prob cost me £50 this year easy.

Hugh

[John Childs]

We’ve been using Fastway too.

We have the odd late delivery (sorry Matt) and, in a fit of temper, I resolved to change carrier. However, thinking about it logically, I’m minded to stay with them.

Their advantages are their low prices and minimal paperwork. Most other carriers have booked collections, either by phone or internet, and that means that if you’re not in the system, then the driver doesn’t collect. With Fastway, our driver pokes his nose in when he’s passing, so if we finished a job two minutes previously, it still goes on that day, rather than having to wait until the next.

Yes, they make the occasional mistake, but probably no more than any other carrier, and I think their other benefits make it in our interest to stick with them.

Hugh, Fastway do delivery anywhere in the country. Where they don’t have their own franchisee operating they have a deal with one of the other carriers to deliver.

[Hugh Potter]

ah right, thanks John,

i’ll have another look.

what do you do about insurance? i’m often sending out orders well over the £50 standard insurance price, if it’s over 2kg i use interpacel with added insurance cover to £250 /500 (costs £2.50 or £5 respectively) and it costs about £16 for guaranteed next day, if under 2kg it goes special delivery for about £7.00-9.00,

My best wholesale customer suggested fastway, he even suggested getting them to collect from me on his behalf, which is fine by me until i queried the insurance, a £3 price is great but, if £400 worth of product goes missing then he wouldn’t want to accept liability and as such, i wouldn’t be prepared to send it knowing that it wasn’t insured for it’s full value!

cheers,
hugh

[David Rowland]

ok so fastway is one method,
so what happened to other companies like TnT Post? can we use them during this strike?

[Peter Normington]

only the post office can collect & deliver letters for less than a pound,
so for posted bills etc. there is no cheaper way to do it, it is illegal for anyone else to charge less, but I believe that changes soon.
that is why they have quite a bit of leverage, at the moment,

Peter

[John Childs]

quote Hugh Potter:

what do you do about insurance?

Nothing. 😳

[David Rowland]

ok, so Email and Fax is the only way then basically

or use the scouts lol

[Paul Humble]

Ive seen 2 Royal Mail vans this morning, I thought the strike was nationwide.

[John Childs]

quote Paul Humble:

Ive seen 2 Royal Mail vans this morning, I thought the strike was nationwide.

We’ve just had our delivery. 😀

[John Gregson]

Had my post this morning as usual – posty said the strike is tomorrow. 🙄

[Gary Birch]

Are these strikes just 1 and 2 day things or are they for longer.

Sorry I don’t watch the news much …. it just depresses me. 😳

Cheers

Gary

[John Thomson]

I think it is sorting staff today and delivery drivers and postmen/postwomen tomorrow.

John

[Liam Pattison]

the strike today is sorting office/mail center staff, and tomorrow it’s delivery staff. So that’s why you get mail today, you may get some tomorrow, but only if your postman is not on strike. He wont have much to deliver though as nobody is sorting it today. So there will be huge amounts to deliver on saturday and monday.

I believe special deliveries are still guaranteed as managers and ‘black legs’ (a non striking postman!) will do them.

These are the only scheduled strikes so far, but if they don’t come to an agreement they will announce more strikes in the following weeks. I’m pretty sure they have to give seven days notice.

Liam

[Gary Birch]

Thanks for confirming that. I think I can cope without getting my bills till Monday cos thats all I seem to get recently 😕

Cheers

Gary