[Update] The Royal Mail strike thread

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Russ B

I'm working for myself. It's mail order related, most of my incoming and outgoing mail is in envelope form. At the moment I'm getting by just using stamps but I'm looking at getting a RM business account and forking out for a 'franking' machine. To justify that cost I need to be sure of a business plan which I'm tentatively working out.

Although bad the economy isn't affecting my trade directly but the RM would really screw up my projected growth. It's hard enough selling the idea of small businesses to people when I have major league competition but all it would take is delivery delays to take longer (even asking people to be patient during the strikes doesn't work - most people want things NOW or they go elsewhere) and potential customers give up and take their business elsewhere.

I need a delivery service I can rely on. It should be the RM but I'm not fussy, I'll pay anyone to deliver my mail and have orders brought to me, this is why I'm more than happy for the RM to have competition if they won't do the job they're supposed to do.

I thought you under stood commercial activity? If you are unhappy with a supplier and they are not delivering a cost effective service, the you find one that does. Secondly, this strike is not going on indefinitely and will only be for a few days, yes there will be a back log, but most most other businesses and customers will be in the same boat. Any good business person will be able to explain, in clear and simple terms, what it means to their customers and how it will effect them in the short term. What level of service have you been getting from the Royal Mail in the past?

---------- Post added at 17:00 ---------- Previous post was at 16:57 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

As it happens, I am currently a statistic, but that's par for the course when you specialise in short-term contract work. But I have worked in plenty of offices and for more than one FTSE-100 outfit - one, in particular, where both the CEO and COO had a real bugbear about voicemail and phones ringing out, and used to lead by example by answering random desk phones if he happened to be passing while they were ringing and being ignored. I got a callback message on a post-it from one of them once.

I have been called upon and have been happy to take on all sorts of tasks that were not part of my core job description over the years, becauseI have always seen myself as an employee of company X rather than simply a person who does job Y.

I appreciate the general point you're making about demarcation lines, but I think - I hope - you and I both know that there's a difference between taking reasonable steps to safeguard your job, and taking extreme measures to avoid having to lift a finger and do something productive.

If one is unhappy with their conditions of employment and their career choice, they can always go and find another job; isn't that what you are suggesting the Royal Mail workers do?

---------- Post added at 17:04 ---------- Previous post was at 17:00 ----------

Originally Posted by Russ B

At the moment I don't have an alternative to RM. For the forseeable future (12 months) I'm going to be relying on customers sending me items via 1st or second class mail and me using the same service back. Nobody else does simple door-to-door delivery of mail at that level. You're right that I don't care who takes care of the mail. This is why my attitude is if the RM workers won't do the job I'll happily pay someone else in their place.

It's also why they'll never get one iota of sympathy from me. The worst thing is if my business goes under as a result of orders being lost or delayed, there's not a single thing I can do about it.

But the service they are offering for the future is likely to worse than they are giving to day. So, where will that leave you?

I'm saying that if you are employed to drive a van for 8 hours a day, and you finish all the van driving work in 6 hours, it is perfectly reasonable for your employer to seek to find useful things for you to do for the remaining two hours, and perfectly reasonable for you to go looking for another job if you can't handle that. Although anyone who actually did go looking for another job would pretty soon discover the meaning of the phrase 'don't know you're born'.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by Russ B

That there IS no competition for the RM at the moment for my needs. There may currently be delivery companies but what they offer is more expensive and does not rival what the RM can do for me, therefore they can't be considered legitimate 'competition'.

Russ, with all due respect, the liberalisation of the mail service is now well into it's third year. Just because you don't find the alternatives to be financially attractive / acceptable does not mean that they do not constitute the competition as is.

You stated earlier that you'd be happy to give your custom to someone other than RM but now you appear to be suggesting that you're not prepared to suffer some short term financial pain in order to secure the long term sustainability of your business.

That's a decision for you to make and your customers will have to abide by the consequences of that decision.

Similarly the decision to strike was a decision arrived at by RM union members who are prepared to suffer financially in the short term to secure their long term prospects. Consequently their customers and business, much the same as yours, will suffer.

It's an economy of scales.

Originally Posted by Russ B

Who's going on strike, him or the RM?

I think it's the RM, but don't quote me on that.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Flyboy

I thought you under stood commercial activity? If you are unhappy with a supplier and they are not delivering a cost effective service, the you find one that does. Secondly, this strike is not going on indefinitely and will only be for a few days, yes there will be a back log, but most most other businesses and customers will be in the same boat. Any good business person will be able to explain, in clear and simple terms, what it means to their customers and how it will effect them in the short term. What level of service have you been getting from the Royal Mail in the past?

You seriously have no idea of this situation at all. I'm a small fish in a big pond. I'm trying to offer something that my larger competition can't do. My service is a lot more personalised. I can't compete with the big boys on price (much) but I certainly can on service.

I've only recently started out. As I recently said I'm looking at staying small for the next 12 months at least if my business plan goes the way I want it to. Suffice to say the next few months will be crucial and any obstacles could seriously derail me and the only obstacle I can forsee is something going wrong with deliveries and postage. In my line of business potential customers will choose the path of least resistance. It takes a lot to persuade them to use a service like mine rather than what they're used to. So if something gets in the way I'm unlikely to get a second chance from them.

So I guess that just means I'm not a good business person eh? Still, fortunately ad hominem arguments are thankfully alive and well.

---------- Post added at 17:13 ---------- Previous post was at 17:10 ----------

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

You stated earlier that you'd be happy to give your custom to someone other than RM but now you appear to be suggesting that you're not prepared to suffer some short term financial pain in order to secure the long term sustainability of your business.

I'll give my custom to someone who can offer me the same or better than what the RM is supposed to offer. Right now there isn't anyone, which is why they're willing to strike and hold us to ransom.

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Similarly the decision to strike was a decision arrived at by RM union members who are prepared to suffer financially in the short term to secure their long term prospects. Consequently their customers and business, much the same as yours, will suffer.

It's an economy of scales.

I'm sure it is. It's still the RM I'm blaming and they won't ever get my support.

[Flyboy]

Originally Posted by Russ B

You seriously have no idea of this situation at all. I'm a small fish in a big pond. I'm trying to offer something that my larger competition can't do. My service is a lot more personalised. I can't compete with the big boys on price (much) but I certainly can on service.

I've only recently started out. As I recently said I'm looking at staying small for the next 12 months at least if my business plan goes the way I want it to. Suffice to say the next few months will be crucial and any obstacles could seriously derail me and the only obstacle I can forsee is something going wrong with deliveries and postage. In my line of business potential customers will choose the path of least resistance. It takes a lot to persuade them to use a service like mine rather than what they're used to. So if something gets in the way I'm unlikely to get a second chance from them.

So, what will you competitors do during the strike?

So I guess that just means I'm not a good business person eh? Still, fortunately ad hominem arguments are thankfully alive and well.

Yeah......OK.

Ad Hominem.

[Flyboy]

Still Yaeh......OK.

It would have been better if the term had been used in the correct context, don't you think?

Here is something the mrs just saw on Facebook...

Pay the RM Workers by cheque and post it to them... Strike action solved.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Tuftus

Here is something the mrs just saw on Facebook...

Pay the RM Workers by cheque and post it to them... Strike action solved.

Gets my vote

i had a chance of having a nice lie in yesterday for the first time in 3wks and guess what ,2 yes 2 postmen knocked on my door at the same time to deliver a new power cord for my sons laptop ,we don't normally see a postman before 11 oclock in my area but yesterday 8.15am ,says it all really
by the way it was ordered on tuesday to be delivered 1st class recorded

[v0id]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=catEhS8k_BU Blanche tells it how it is

[Osem]

Originally Posted by martyh

i had a chance of having a nice lie in yesterday for the first time in 3wks and guess what ,2 yes 2 postmen knocked on my door at the same time to deliver a new power cord for my sons laptop ,we don't normally see a postman before 11 oclock in my area but yesterday 8.15am ,says it all really
by the way it was ordered on tuesday to be delivered 1st class recorded

That's odd, our mail doesn't usually arrive until between mid day and 4pm but yesterday it came at 9.30 - just like old times it was ...

Originally Posted by Osem

That's odd, our mail doesn't usually arrive until between mid day and 4pm but yesterday it came at 9.30 - just like old times it was ...

i just ordered my own laptop charger 1 hour ago to be delivered by 1st class recorded .This could be a small experiment ,identical order from the same company both 1st class recorded 1 week apart any guesses when it will arrive
i reckon friday morning

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Tuftus

Here is something the mrs just saw on Facebook...

Pay the RM Workers by cheque and post it to them... Strike action solved.

Great idea.

[ZrByte]

Originally Posted by Ken W

Great idea.

Aside from the fatal flaw that we don't get paid when we strike anyway!!
Back to the drawing board eh?

---------- Post added at 00:03 ---------- Previous post was at 00:01 ----------

Originally Posted by martyh

i had a chance of having a nice lie in yesterday for the first time in 3wks and guess what ,2 yes 2 postmen knocked on my door at the same time to deliver a new power cord for my sons laptop ,we don't normally see a postman before 11 oclock in my area but yesterday 8.15am ,says it all really
by the way it was ordered on tuesday to be delivered 1st class recorded

Damned if we do, damned if we don't says it all really. BTW unless it was actually posted on the Tuesday then Saturday is just within the reasonable window for 1st class mail sent on a Wednesday.