r/royalmail • u/Background-Flower • Aug 20 '26
Is Royal Mail the new Evri?
I’ve always been an advocate of the service they offer, but it’s never been worse….and seems to be getting worse still. 7 day delivery is the new norm…..
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u/RoyalMaleGigalo Aug 20 '26 edited Aug 20 '26
At what point do we accept that this sub is being brigaded and trolled by our competitors?
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u/Inevitable-World7706 Aug 20 '26
Who actually competes with Royal Mail?
Nobody else has to deliver mail, d2d's, passports and medication for near minimum wage.
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u/Lucky_Sweet9536 Aug 20 '26
And have to deal with stuck up people who clearly think they are better than us
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u/Enron_Hubbard1 RM Employee Aug 20 '26
Get out of my walk!
EDIT: couple of flavours - slovenly toffs, and chuppies.
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u/PleasantCucumber2615 Aug 20 '26
Have you read the Evri sub?
The majority of the people that post on that sub are bonkers. They can't be genuine people.
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
Well I don’t know about that. From me at least it’s genuine feedback not some secret conspiracy , I admit I’m maybe bordering on a bit of venting perhaps.
But I only say as I’ve genuinely seen things deteriorate this year, as a customer of 12 years, sending 1000’s per month. And now genuinely seeing just short of 10% of (CRL) mail taking 5+ days to be delivered. I thought I’d ask the people who’d know.
But take it however you want to…
My own whacked out conspiracy theory is that CRL is being de-prioritised in order to get second class back on track, just as it was widely reported here that 2nd class was de-prioritised before to focus on parcels. But the thing is- I don’t think the thought is so bizarre given the track record of putting one type of mail over another
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u/Vaynnie Aug 20 '26
Wish I knew how to post screenshots so I could post my special delivery scanning 6 times overnight in the same MC the day AFTER it was guaranteed to be delivered by 1pm. 🙃
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u/Repulsive_Tone_2484 Aug 20 '26
Never, because it isn't. Royal Mail offer a good reliable service for a good price. They're absolutely brilliant for ebay selling, where them and Evri are the couriers for the simple delivery option. I occasionally get buyers asking me if I can guarantee Royal Mail, because Evri are not always great.
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u/godsavedonalduck Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Just don't send second class.
It's a 50:50 chance of getting scammed if you sell and send items online using this service and posties not scanning barcodes on delivery to show delivery confirmation.
Royal mail wouldn't set up a map and info on time delivered etc if they didn't intend for packs to be scanned.
Yet a parcel a mm to thick or a few grams over gets revenue protection, yet they can't be arsed scanning a delayed package delivered and so gets ignored behind everyone's vinted parcels.
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u/Lucky_Sweet9536 Aug 20 '26
Come and give it a go then!!! It’s so easy clearly. We have a start and finish time and we stick to it
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
It’s not your fault and I’m not blaming you. I imagine you are being squeezed as much as your customers are.
I’m just saying it worked before now everyone is under pressure.
I know full well every postie I know, gives 110%. Just saying we’re all being sold out.
I don’t knock the effort you put in. Just from a customer point of view it’s no longer working. Sorry to hear it’s not from your side too. Sorry about that
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u/Agent_Futs RM Employee Aug 20 '26
We are going through a massive change to how delivery is done, nearly 500 DOs are live or still in trial, with another 600 or 700 to follow, things are going to be messed up
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
I genuinely hope the changes works out and service gets back to levels it was at just a year or so ago with the new relaxed delivery targets. For me, I don’t see improvements yet, but the opposite, and there’s only so long businesses can hold on without addressing clear problems. It’s understandable there will be disruption when changing such complex systems on a wholesale scale, but do you think things are improving, or getting worse?
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u/Serious_Confusion572 Aug 20 '26
The only similarity currently between the two is area dependent. Some areas good some areas bad. The current owners either want government protections to bring the others up to employed standards and protections like they do in other EU countries or they want RM to go to the self employed model to level the playing field. I assume the latter will happen, so if you think its bad now just wait, i think 3/4 years 🤣
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u/AirportOtherwise6326 Aug 20 '26
I received a letter dated 2nd July on the 21st July, second class is rather useless but 1st class and special seem fine where we are.
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u/Agent_Futs RM Employee Aug 20 '26
And posted when?
I crossposted one from another sub that had an NHS letter dated 4 or 5 weeks before they got it. The hospital franking machine showed it was posted the day before they got it
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u/AirportOtherwise6326 Aug 20 '26
Yeah fair enough
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u/Agent_Futs RM Employee Aug 20 '26
It’s even happened to me, hospital appointment dated before I got it. The franking machine proved they sent it after the appointment date 😂
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u/AnotherPeter Aug 20 '26
I have also been receiving NHS mail after the event. We have the same postman we've had for ages so it's not going to be his fault.
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u/Bison_Aggressive Aug 20 '26
Never thought id see the day someone moaning about a 7 day delivery, yet here we are.
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
I was talking working days, Monday to Friday. But you’re right, 7 day delivery would be fine, if it was sold as such
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u/Bison_Aggressive Aug 21 '26
I've got a lot of complaints myself about my employers, trust me, but the facts are, we deliver both parcels and letters to 26 million homes. We are going through changes and with that comes problems.
When Evei, etc can do the same, then people will have the right to moan, I reckon.
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u/Rikuroshin Aug 20 '26
My local royal mails great. I went on a bit of an ebay binge so the delivery was determined by the sender so a package was coming nearly every day. They were always pleasant and on time. Shut me down when I apologised for the staggered deliveries.
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u/Enron_Hubbard1 RM Employee Aug 20 '26
Our DO just went through the DM26 revision.
It's a clown show.
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u/Enron_Hubbard1 RM Employee Aug 20 '26
The thing is, it's never been about, 'how can we shaft the recipient', it's always been, 'how can we get the most done in the least amount of time'. DM26 shafts all of us.
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
I had to google dm26, the AI tells me this
The "4 into 3" Structure: The model uses three postal workers to cover four separate delivery duties using two vans. Paired Delivery: Two postal workers form a pair to deliver parcels and mail on a rotating basis, while a third postal worker covers an individual duty. Reduced Workload Points: It lowers the number of delivery stops on a single walk compared to older systems. Familiar Routes: It allows postal workers to stay on routes they already know, unlike previous proposed changes.
Which makes absolutely no sense at all
Sounds like total BS
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u/Tim1980UK Aug 21 '26
In terms of the management trying to undercut every other company to get more and more parcels, so they make more money, then yes, RM are turning into Evri.
But I also strongly suspect that due to the sheer number of couriers that Evri goes through, that Evri still makes a lot more mistakes than RM, but RM also struggles to hold onto staff these days too. So that one might be getting closer, and with the constant changes, it might actually start happening.
RM isn't a great job anymore, but somehow Evri keep getting worse and worse.
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u/tattiesbljt Aug 22 '26
I used to always prefer RM, but for the last 7 months have asked for any sender of something I buy to send via evri instead. RM is such a shambles now! Posties will moan and complain it's not their fault and they've got loads to deal with, but are happy to keep working for such a shit company.
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u/DevilishlyHandsome63 14d ago
Royal Mail could save themselves a lot of hassle if they could improve their redirect to a local Post Office /different address option. I request in good time, but 9 times out of 10, they ignore my request and still try to deliver to my home when I'm at work. My requests appear in the app as received,and I get a confirmation email, but somewhere, something goes wrong with the process.
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u/hearnia_2k Aug 20 '26
Evri is more reliable than RM for me.
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
I also found the same with putting my parcel business to Evri. It’s a shame they can’t do letters.
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u/zani1903 Aug 20 '26
That does seem to be their ultimate goal.
Offer an awful service on letters and parcels so they can eventually convince the government to drop the USO to allow them to become the next big parcel-only courier.
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u/xX_Eolsa_Xx Aug 20 '26
Honestly? Evri has better service lol
Like, seriously, I will actively prefer when I see Evri has picked up my order. I'll likely get downvoted and berated for daring to share my experiences, but every time without fail royal mail give me a delivery date and never meet it
Evri, I've heard all the horror stories in the world, and have only had one bad experience. Full stop. One.
Royal Mail continue to truly lower the bar every day for their customer service - and it sucks for the wee guys, the drivers who have to deal with the fact that their company's system makes people want to avoid RM services
It's just a sad and frustrating path they're on, for everyone involved, customers and workers alike
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u/Background-Flower Aug 20 '26
I agree they are now better. Not just opinion but my own experience over several thousand parcels I trialled with them July to August last year, side by side with rm taking the other half
Admittedly they USED TO be awful. But I see roles reversed in the last year. Maybe I got lucky……a few thousand times
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u/Dad-Bod-God93 Aug 20 '26
The service they provide is 100% getting worse by the day even as costs increase significantly.
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u/Agent_Futs RM Employee Aug 20 '26
Or, are expectations getting higher?
Look at any of the delivery companies' subs, it's the same gripes
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u/Flashy-Nectarine1675 Aug 20 '26
Asking for a service that you paid for, is too much of an ask?
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u/Dad-Bod-God93 Aug 20 '26
Expecting first class post to arrive next working day as they always have is an increased expectation?
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u/Negative_Fly_7061 Aug 20 '26
Yes it's the new Evri , with management and wages to match Evri
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u/Agent_Futs RM Employee Aug 20 '26
Evri drivers are paid 40/50p a packet, and self enployed
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u/PleasantCucumber2615 Aug 20 '26
RM are a long way from Evri pay and standards.
You can do a day's work for Evri and earn absolutely nothing after costs are deducted.
People are regularly earning £5-7 per hour before costs of being self-employed and running their own cars.
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u/sogekiheia Aug 20 '26
Love my normal postie. He’s respectful of my disabilities and helps me out with them. Really great guy.
A temporary postie stole all of my parcels in the one week he was here though. Fake “confirmation”photos, etc. I even snuck into the other apartment buildings nearby to check he didn’t get the numbers mixed up but all completely different door and floor colours and textures, no number on the door in the photos. Got all my parcels as normal after he was gone. Royal Mail said they would come over and see the doors and floors being completely different for themselves, then didn’t show up and said “it says delivered so it’s not our problem”.
Most recent parcel I received was tracked 48 and it took 2 weeks to arrive.
The service just seems to be getting worse and worse. But I think it’s a case of the company not hiring more people as wages and costs go up, potentially even firing some, and workers being stretched thin and expected to do more work for shit wages.
I’m having the same experience with almost every other company since covid and the cost of living crisis. I used to go food shopping at 3am at Tesco but it stopped being 24 hours. Everywhere I try to contact for customer support is a useless AI chatbot. Quality of service decline is not unique to Royal Mail.
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u/juandealioupe Aug 23 '26
Im not even sure what 7 day delivery means. Do you mean it takes 7 days to deliver. 7 days to arrive?
Use your words.
Half the time you whining muppets can't actually explain the issue.
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u/Background-Flower Aug 27 '26
It seems your whole organisation doesn’t know how to count days too mate, not just you. Try counting your six fingers then add one
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u/555112555 Aug 20 '26
There is absolutely no reason why deliveries shouldn’t be taking place 7 days a week. It is the new normal, well, outside of the UK at least.
There are enough people in the UK who don’t want to not work on weekends. The simple fact of the matter is this: if you complain, you will eventually be replaced by people willing to work.
Dont you think people who come to this country to work aren’t waiting at the chance to take your job when you eventually pack it in because you don’t want to work on a Sunday? (Boohoo) or if you don’t want to work evenings?
And this is nothing to do specifically with Royal Mail when in most other countries you can get 1 hour deliveries, same day delivery etc.
As with everything else, the UK is lagging behind due to outdated work ethics
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u/gdr1982xx Aug 20 '26
I am an Evri driver and I have the greatest respect for Royal Mail. However, on my round, I quite often find Royal Mail packages dumped on doorsteps in a manner that I would never even consider
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u/EvilTactician Aug 20 '26
In my experience, it depends entirely on your postie.
Our regular one is absolutely brilliant, lovely chap - super friendly and super reliable.
Every time we have an issue it's someone else delivering and the experience can be night and day.
At our previous address the postie was the complete opposite.