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Has your post been hit by delays?

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Profile photo of Hannah Downes Hannah Downes Consumer Rights
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Royal Mail has been experiencing delivery delays over the last few weeks as its staff have been affected by the pandemic. Has your post not turned up?

If you’re waiting on a long-overdue parcel from Royal Mail, you might be in one of the 28 areas that’s had Covid postal delays due to workers being off sick or self-isolating.

Royal Mail released a list of postcodes on Tuesday that are likely to receive limited service due to coronavirus.

Some have complained they’ve had to wait as many as three weeks for their post to arrive, while others were thankful to receive some belated Christmas cheer!

This has led to some concernt that vaccination letters may arrive late (please remember to watch out for scam attempts), but the vaccine deployment minister Nadhim Zahawi has said that the government is working with Royal Mail to prioritise those letters.

Your delivery rights

Though it’s best to be patient with post at the moment, you do have rights in some instances to ask for your money back.

If you paid extra for nominated-day delivery and your parcel doesn’t arrive on the agreed date, you can ask to have the extra money you spent on special delivery reimbursed back to you.

And if your parcel doesn’t arrive after 30 days, you can cancel the order and ask for a full refund.

Your rights are with the retailer you bought from, rather than with Royal Mail, so be sure to contact the store if you think you’re entitled to a refund.

Has your post been affected?

Has your Christmas gift still not arrived? Do you have a ‘next-day delivery’ parcel caught up with the delays?

Christmas cards still at large?

Whether you’re in one of the affected areas, or live in another postcode that’s experienced issues, let us know in the comments.

Are you receiving your post less regularly during the winter lockdown?

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Comments
78
Lol says:
16 January 2021

We live in East Lincolnshire, between 12th and 29th December we had no postal deliveries at all. Outgoing items posted on 10th December to addresses 75 miles away were deilvered on 22nd December. Christmas cards still being delivered on 14th January. No informaton from the Royal Mail Management whatsoever. Bank cards and caninie medicine also delivered late.

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christine cook says:
16 January 2021

No post whatsoever in the 2 weeks up till xmas, then a delivery xmas eve. One delivery since- today, a huge pile

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Sue says:
17 January 2021

I fully understand that post will be delayed during Covid 19 but I cannot believe that they thought it was alright to increase the cost of postage.

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Chris says:
17 January 2021

Over the last few months, letter post has often arrived once a week or less often, and then I get a bunch of letters at once. Looking at the sent dates they have taken between a week and a month to arrive. Our postwoman said they’d been told to prioritise parcels because of the Covid delays.

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Danae says:
17 January 2021

Got my birthday cards a week after my birthday on NYE, despite them being posted before Christmas

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Martin Butler says:
18 January 2021

In SW19 London. Usually daily delivery but items can be late – one second class item from North London took ten days

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Ian says:
18 January 2021

test

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John Ward says:
18 January 2021

Failed.

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Tony Wallwork says:
19 January 2021

I live in Maidstone and on 4.1. 2021 received my first delivery from prior to Christmas. Amongst the mail received was an important hospital letter posted 4.12.2020 and several Christmas cards. As at 19.1.2021 there is still an outstanding Christmas card. On the first delivery day following Christmas Royal Mail only delivered parcels.

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StA says:
20 January 2021

Internet router from new supplier posted Royal Mail Track24 4 days before supply was due to start. Arrived after 6 days, with no online tracking info at all.

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Mrs G. Cunningham says:
20 January 2021

I collected post from my mailbox on Friday 15 January. I had 2 x letters dated 30/12/2020, 1 x letter dated 05/01/2021 and 2 letters dated 06/01/2021.
Because the letter dated 05/01/2021 from Universal Credit arrived late I missed a telephone appointment with them and on trying to rectify and get another appointment, was told by them I should take it up with the Post office to ensure I get my post on time.
The DWP clearly do not recognize the problems the Postal service are having.

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Deris Clarke says:
25 January 2021

I posted 5 Christmas cards and 1 letter(first class) in a local postbox a week before Christmas and they have not been delivered to date. Hawkesley, Birmingham.

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Kathy Thurston says:
28 January 2021

I live in East London and have been experiencing serious delays with post since early November. I had two b/day cards one from Exeter and one from Croydon mail centres – both posted on the 9th Nov 1st class, both cards arrived on the 18th Nov. Xmas card which was posted about a week and half before Xmas day again 1st class – arrived 6th Jan. I receive post about 2 – 3 times a week currently but it was definitely more often back in Oct and before but since November it’s not been good.

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Foxy says:
22 February 2021

I find it quite incredible that people are still posting chistmas cards, even though they’re aware of the strain that Royal Mail are under. I

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wavechange says:
22 February 2021

Your post has been delivered two months late, Foxy. 🙂

I delivered my local cards on foot as part of my daily exercise regime.

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John Ward says:
23 February 2021

As part of our occasional outdoor exercise routine we delivered all ours on foot to the nearby posting box round the corner. Some of the recipients were probably within walking distance but we thought the Royal Mail would be grateful for the revenue.

The Royal Mail were under strain because too many people left their Christmas cards to the last minute, not because there were too many of them. We included cards to the sorting office staff and our local posties. I can honestly say that we have not had any delays or other problems with our postal service before or after Christmas 2020.

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wavechange says:
23 March 2021

I am receiving regular mail but yesterday afternoon I had a call from my home insurer seeking payment for renewal of my insurance. Their office is in town, not far away. They sent the renewal invitation by email and I paid is morning by phone, but I wonder if the renewal documents will arrive soon.

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wavechange says:
23 March 2021

I am receiving regular mail but yesterday afternoon I had a call from my home insurer seeking payment for renewal of my insurance. Their office is in town, not far away. They sent the renewal invitation by email and I paid is morning by phone, but I wonder if the renewal documents will arrive soon.

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wavechange says:
6 April 2021

To provide an update, the missing insurance renewal documents did arrive.

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David says:
27 March 2021

I live in Cambridgeshire. Over the past year not one item has arrived late. Most arrive within the 24 hour or 48 hour time scale indicated on the packet

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katetica says:
6 April 2021

I’m not located in one of the areas listed as affected but it appears that post wasn’t collected on Saturday 3 April (supposed to be a normal service that day, even though wedged between Easter holidays), even from the supposedly “Priority” Postbox. A priority package (a Covid test sample) was posted via “Tracked 24” nearly three hours before the declared last collection time but didn’t actually start it’s journey until three days later, which probably means the sample is no longer valid. I am willing to be understanding when it comes to regular collection and deliveries but surely “priority” means that such services should be prioritised?

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Anthony Piggott says:
3 December 2021

It is now December 2021.
The RM services are still rubbish. We receive mail and small parcels sometimes about once a week, twice if we are lucky.
One delivery from RM had so much advertising leaflets included. Priorities wrong I think.
I had one important letter (pension company) that was dated the 12th Nov that arrived on the 30th Nov 2021.
I send small parcels, (from my ebay selling, using ebay packlink) and the RM tracking is never updated and the parcels never arrive quickly. It is impossible to find out if they have been delivered unless i ask the buyer directly.
So Hermes get my (small amount) of business, but they also have their moments when it goes wrong.

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rodger poole says:
25 January 2022

I was 75 0n january 15th.I am STILL waiting on at least 6 cards 5 posted in london (1rst class and some posted up to 8 days in advance and 1 from Bristol (again 1rst class and 10 days in advance).I wouldn’t have had any had I not gone down to the sorting office which had another 3 there . Surely can’t all be down to covid, otherwise the hospitals would be overflowing

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