Do the Royal Mail/Post Office need competition?

[robschneider]

No.

Well you would say that. And you accuse ME of living in the 50s. Oh the irony.

Absolutely they need competiton, the service they provide is simply not good enough. Whilst of course the amount of letters has shot right down in recent times, the amount of parcels being sent has gone through the roof. Royal Mail haven't really adapted their business model to what the average consumer requires in 2016.

Even for the few letters that still get sent, even 10-15 years ago they'd be on your doormat by 8am latest unless you lived right out in the sticks. Today, sometimes I get my post as late as 1pm. And of course second post has been axed (although it might as well be first post with how late postie arrives.) Again, that's not acceptable.

And as for parcels, they're useless unless you have a little old lady who you can babysit it.

Agreed on water, gas and leccy by the way. Ultimately that's coming down the same feed regardless of supplier, and you're not going to have a power cut where nPower customers are off but E-on stays on. The only real difference is with broadband - which is still the same telephone network for ADSL - or TV.

[cwathen]

And of course second post has been axed

This is something that has always intrigued me - the axing of 2nd post which apparently took place in 2003 following a trial in 2002. Yet never in my living memory (goes back to the mid-80s)) can I ever recall more than 1 delivery per day. It did used to be a lot earlier than is the norm now, but I've never experienced the postie coming back around in the afternoon with another lot of letters.

What I find even more intriguing is that Plymouth was part of the trial for withdrawing 2nd deliveries and I first moved there at the end of 2001. Yet I did not get 2 deliveries a day in that year prior to the trial starting despite the fact that the system apparently existed.

Was anyone regularly getting 2 lots of post a day more recently than circa 30 years ago?

[WillPS]

I thought it had to do with parcels being delivered separately? Certainly I used to receive packets separately to everything else.

[Martin Phillp]

And of course second post has been axed

Was anyone regularly getting 2 lots of post a day more recently than circa 30 years ago?

Yes, One delivery at around 0830 and the second delivery at around lunchtime.

[WillPS]

Even for the few letters that still get sent, even 10-15 years ago they'd be on your doormat by 8am latest unless you lived right out in the sticks. Today, sometimes I get my post as late as 1pm. And of course second post has been axed (although it might as well be first post with how late postie arrives.) Again, that's not acceptable.

You think it's unacceptable that your mail arrives 4 hours later in the day than it once did? Unacceptable?!

Jesus fucking christ.

[thegeek]

And of course second post has been axed

Was anyone regularly getting 2 lots of post a day more recently than circa 30 years ago?

Yes, One delivery at around 0830 and the second delivery at around lunchtime.

Likewise 9-ish and 1-ish, in suburban Glasgow.

I can't remember if it was the same postie who did both - I think it probably was.

Now (in East London), we still effectively have a two delivery system: the postie who does letters, and the one in the van with parcels and other bulky items. The latter has been known to be really helpful and go back to the depot to get something from a previous day if I've not had a chance to collect it yet, and on one occasion spotted me walking down the street and handed a parcel over to me there, after establishing that I wouldn't be at home by the time he got there.