Tag Archive for Royal Mail

Royal Mail Customer Complaints Down by 10%

October 22, 2010 Joe FitzPatrick MSP No comments

Dundee MSP Joe FitzPatrick today responded to figures showing that customers have made 1,800 complaints over lost or damaged mail in 2009/10, a 10% drop on the previous year.

Joe FitzPatrick said:  “The Royal Mail handles a huge volume of mail, despite email and the internet, in fact, it could be that the internet has actually increased the volume of mail being handled daily.

“It is probably inevitable that some mail will get lost or damaged and while it is very irritating indeed if it is your mail, the numbers are still very small, around 0.0064% of the total mail handled.

“I note that while the number of complaints about lost mail in the DD postcode area went up marginally from the previous year, the complaints over damaged mail fell and the total amount of compensation paid out this year was slightly down from last year.

“I sympathise with those who have been forced to make complaints and will take up any such case that is brought to me from constituents.

“In general, I am very supportive of the Royal Mail and a firm believer in the continuation of the universal service obligation under the present set-up.

“I will strongly oppose any further privatisation of the postal service under plans which might in the future be proposed by the Con Dem coalition government.”

Jim Barrie Calls For Royal Mail Privatisation To Be Scrapped

July 2, 2009 Uncategorized No comments

Jim will fight for retntion of publicly-owned postal services

Jim will fight for retention of publicly-owned postal services

The temporary shelving of the UK Government’s plans for part-privatising the Royal Mail have been welcomed but the moves should be cancelled permanently according to Councillor Jim Barrie, Convenor of the SNP Group on Dundee City Council.
Jim Barrie said: “I welcome Mr Mandelson’s u-turn on moves to part-privatise the Royal Mail but I want this to be more than just a temporary reprieve. The government should announce that it is permanently abandoning these unpopular and potentially damaging privatisations.
“Privatisation of Royal Mail should not just be put off for another day, it should be ruled out once and for all.
“In Dundee we have recently lost a number of Post Offices, there have been complaints from constituents about postal delivery times and internal issues within the Royal Mail service itself locally about staffing levels and service agreements.
“I would like to see the government focussing on ensuring a long term successful future for a public Royal Mail service and for the universal service obligation.
“This humiliating climb-down, hard on the heels of a u-turn on ID cards, shows the UK government is in complete chaos.
“Lord Mandelson can’t even get his story straight on why privatisation was abandoned – first he said it was because the plans were jostling for space in the legislative agenda, and now he say it is because the economic conditions are not right.
“Royal Mail must remain in public hands. If elected as MP for Dundee West at the next General Election, I wil continue to fight for the retention of publicly-owned postal services.”

MSP and Councillors Support New Lochee Post Office Service

January 7, 2009 Council Group, Joe FitzPatrick MSP No comments

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick contacted Royal mail for an urgent update on the moves to find a new location for a Post Office branch in central Lochee and was informed that a new sub-postmaster has been appointed in a new High Street premises – the Dreams Bed Superstore – but these have to be fitted out which will take approximately 4-6 weeks.”

Joe FitzPatrick said: “I was delighted to be informed of the appointment and the new location for the new branch in Lochee.”

The MSP had been informed by Royal Mail in early September that they were negotiating with applicants to provide a location for the new branch. The existing branch will be forced to move in early February when Tesco in the Stack Leisure Park closes.

Joe FitzPatrick said: “The local councillors in Lochee, Bob Duncan and Alan Ross contacted me with their concerns that the timescale is running out for the new branch to be up and running before Tesco closes.

“There is now only a matter of weeks before that happens and we still had only rumours of where the new branch PO is to be. I asked Royal Mail for an urgent update of the situation.

“I also discussed with them how they will deal with a gap in service in Lochee if the new branch is not ready in time. Would they, for instance, provide a mobile service, or be able to continue to use the existing branch in Tesco even after the supermarket has closed?

“I have been assured that Royal Mail Group are in discussion on the situation with Tesco and are hopeful that there will be no service provision gap. It might be that Tesco itself may be remaining open after its provisional closing date or that the Post Office may be able to continue to use the premises after the supermarket has closed. Either way, I hope to have an update on the outcome of these discussions in the near future.”

Councillor Jim Barrie added: “With the closure of the Lochee Road Post office, post office users have had to travel further to get to a local PO and more people are using the branch in Tesco than before.

“It is therefore vital that there should be no gaps in service. Although there was never any danger of losing the Post Office in central Lochee, we must do everything we can to impress on Royal Mail the need to keep the service going until the new Post Office branch in Lochee High Street is established.”

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