A “Deaf old Buffer” writes:
Dear Owl,
My hearing aids stopped working four weeks ago, just before the Spring Bank Holiday. Chime at RD&E audiology repaired them that week and returned them by post on 30 May.
In Budleigh Salterton our household received no post, other than tracked post from the Bank Holiday until a huge bundle was delivered on 20 June, three weeks later. (Social media reported delivery desserts in Sidmouth over the same period).
Unfortunately, this did not include the hearing aids but, excitingly, did contain a letter from RD&E informing my wife of her RD&E appointment for the Monday June 3 – eighteen days previously.
Yesterday afternoon, the hearing aids suddenly turned up but after a lunch time delivery.
I have suffered over three weeks of unnecessary silence and am left utterly speechless at this failure of an essential service on which so many of us depend, especially as we get older.
Deaf Old Buffer
PS. What impact could this have on the postal vote?
[Owl adds that since 2011, Royal Mail’s universal service obligations have included offering to deliver letters Monday-Saturday and parcels Monday-Friday as well as offering two delivery speeds for its main universal service products: First Class (next day) and Second Class (within three days).]
East Devon Watch 
The delivery of mail where I live in Exeter cannot be relied on either. My wife and I have our prescriptions delivered through an online pharmacy. Our letterbox is of the large variety and due to the vagaries of the pharmacy is not always big enough. Besides which Royal Mail most often want to hand it over in person. (And why won’t they ring the doorbell and tap lightly instead).
We usually get a notification that the package has been dispatched and will be delivered on Friday or Saturday. This can be checked in the Royal Mail app where you are assured that, if you aren’t at home, the package will automatically be re-delivered the next working day. The promise of excellent service is reassuring. So, based on the fact that delivery will be on Friday or Saturday, you decide to do your shopping on Thursday. And what happens? The excellent service is “over delivered” (look aren’t we good) and the package turns up on Thursday while you are out. This shouldn’t matter as it will be re-delivered on Friday when it should have been delivered anyway. But if it doesn’t arrive Friday it won’t come on Saturday but the next “working day” which is Monday! Maybe we should go back to collecting from an actual pharmacy.
LikeLike