By Royal Mail in firing line as exceptional amounts of post causes delays over festive season
Royal Mail has acknowledged delays to its deliveries amid “exceptionally high volumes” of post and anti-Covid measures.
The company said it had hired about 33,000 temporary workers to support its 115,000 permanent postmen and women to help manage the anticipated growth in parcel volumes.
The postal group said:
“Despite exhaustive planning, some customers are experiencing slightly longer delivery timescales than normal”.
It came as people complained of late or missed deliveries.
Retailers including John Lewis, Boots and HMV have also blamed Royal Mail for delivery delays.
In a statement, the delivery service explained:
“Royal Mail is working hard to deliver the most comprehensive and high quality service we can to all our customers, large and small”.
“The combination of greatly increased uptake of online Christmas shopping, in no small part driven by the recent lockdown, and the ongoing COVID restrictions mean that all delivery companies are experiencing exceptionally high volumes this year”.
Online shoppers contacted Royal Mail, as well as contacting retailers directly, to complain about parcels failing to arrive in time – in some cases weeks after they were expected.
People also complained their post was arriving less frequently.
Many small businesses are taking to social media to explain the circumstances in which the postal delays are leaving them.
One post from a small business, in a plea to customers, read:
“Every small business i know is having the same issues and every time an order doesn’t arrive quickly, we are just as gutted as you are”.
Despite an overhaul of complaints, others expressed sympathy for postal workers having to meet a surge in demand during the pandemic.
One postman from Manchester, said:
“Everyone I speak to in the office feels awful that people aren’t getting their Christmas cards and presents and many of us are working several hours overtime every day to try and prevent things backing up too much”.
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