Isle of Man Post Office Investment - will it improve deliveries?

[alpha-acid]

44 minutes ago, AOR said:

The MV Arrow is in Douglas Bay again. I would like to assume that whatever cargo it has on board has been safely dispatched, and for operational reasons, the boat is to sit perhaps 3 or 4 days idle.

A couple of months ago I was waiting for an already late parcel when Arrow pitched up in the bay. It languished there for some days and eventually rambled into Douglas Harbour. Perhaps coincidence, but about 8 hours later my parcel was delivered. It had a big yellow post office 'Urgent Delivery' sticker attached. It was a week-2 weeks late anyway.

So if anyone out there is waiting for a parcel delivery, might I suggest that it is safe and sound in the hull of MV Arrow and you should receive your parcel sometime whenever after it docks.

I am perfectly happy to have any of my assumption here shot out of the water. As I can't really believe that the Arrow would lie around for a few days before discharging her cargo.

 

Its delivering cargo surely because of the MDP and steam packet boats can't take the freight

[AOR]

15 hours ago, alpha-acid said:

Its delivering cargo surely because of the MDP and steam packet boats can't take the freight

Yep, happy that the Arrow is delivering gargo.

Just not happy that it appears to me that my parcel was sat in Douglas Bay for a few days. It makes it more frustrating when I see the Arrow (the front room overlooks Douglas Bay) eventually meandering its way into Douglas Harbour and 'lo and behold my parcel is delivered that very day.

[Chris Thomas]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:16 PM, AOR said:

Isle of Man Post Office has a near monopoly, (OK there is Hermes/Evri, but perlease, let's not go there) I don't think it is serving the Isle of Man as well as it could.

IOM Post Office does not have a monopoly at all for parcels. I am told its ability to compete off Island has also been hindered in the past by political decision not to allow it to operate in certain ways off-Island.

John Wright is right. The issue is scale. Social obligations are also very important and are often focus rather than logistics matters. 

[Chris Thomas]

On 8/22/2022 at 7:24 PM, Non-Believer said:

Cuts in pay and terms to experienced and long-serving staff

Replacement of those staff with part-time and ZHC workers who are proving difficult to recruit and retain (including a required standard)

Cuts in service to the customer and

Significant rises in charges to the customer

Increases in management numbers with attendant salaries

Considerable expenditure

All of which has yet to show any result in respect of improvement to service for the end user i.e. the bod who buys the stamps. Will the postal service end up in the same state as the buses? Time will tell.

Letter stamps are a small proportion of the IOM Post Office business - use has declined hugely.

Management has reduced rather than increased.

The new arrangements for pay and operations, alongside strategy and investment, seem to be turning operations around for Island postal services and IOM Post Office. In town co-delivery of letters and parcels, and the new automated parcels machine, are surely the major changes at post office this year? 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Chris Thomas

[Chris Thomas]

On 8/22/2022 at 12:55 PM, AOR said:

My business (my livelihood) depends on sending parcels to and from UK.

My UK customers are overwhelmed - no exaggeration, that is the only word for it - at the speed they receive my goods. Order before 4:30pm and they receive it next day, sometimes the following morning. When they find out we are on the Isle of Man they are further astounded. 

It's a good feeling and my business benefits.

However, when ordering goods from UK it is quite a different story, I allow 1-2 weeks. 

I don't expect a reciprocal service, because guess what, we live on an island but . . . 

Here's tracking details from a parcel received today. It looks like it has been languishing in the Douglas Post Office since last Wednesday. I am located in Douglas town. easy access, someone in the office all day.

This is typical.

It's poor*, it really is.

 

 

* ie 'shit'

 

Which tracking is that? Perhaps your item(s) were not on the Island, just 'tracked' as on the Island. Please check with the Post Office. Apologies for the inconvenience of the delay, whatever its cause.

[AOR]

31 minutes ago, Chris Thomas said:

Which tracking is that? Perhaps your item(s) were not on the Island, just 'tracked' as on the Island. Please check with the Post Office. Apologies for the inconvenience of the delay, whatever its cause.

Thanks for the replies @Chris Thomas

The tracking was Royal Mail. The tracking details I have taken to show the parcel to have been on the Island due to be delivered n Wednesday. It was actually delivered the following Monday.

 https://www.manxforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68413-isle-of-man-post-office-investment-will-it-improve-deliveries/&do=findComment&comment=1634464

I understand scale ok, and fully appreciate the logistics involved with transporting parcels off the Island. Maybe I will have to accept that to send the equivalent of a large loaf of bread I will be charged a premium of £2.30 on top of the equivalent UK charge.

On a positive note, the fact that the parcel is sent by air, almost directly to the Post Office hub, means that my exports are received by my customers in UK usually the next day.

Edited August 28, 2022 by AOR

[AOR]

So my business has to allow for a 1-2week delivery time from UK to Douglas.

I mentioned above about a parcel seemingly languishing on MV Arrow.
After a few days basking in the sun of Douglas Bay I watched it dock. Within a few hours I coincidentally received my already late parcel.

This was the sticker that was on it:

Of course I appreciate any extra effort, but it is a strange label considering the parcel is already over a week late. And considering the label was undated, 'TODAY' is a bit meaningless. I can only assume that due to something or other my parcel was sitting in Douglas Bay along with other freight.

I only wish well for Isle of Man Post Office, but there are bottle necks and they need fixing. The Post Office is at the centre of the mighty machine that is the Isle of Man.

[hissingsid]

The Post Office missed the boat years ago when buying online was in its infancy they had the system, vans the whole  business set up and they let private companies overtake them in the race for business.

[finlo]

2 minutes ago, hissingsid said:

The Post Office missed the boat years ago when buying online was in its infancy they had the system, vans the whole  business set up and they let private companies overtake them in the race for business.

Typically iomgov watch the world wash over them!

[alpha-acid]

3 minutes ago, finlo said:

Typically iomgov watch the world wash over them!

They should not be competing with private business

[hissingsid]

The Post Office was delivering letters and parcels way back before these private businesses were.

 

[Chris Thomas]

On 8/28/2022 at 12:17 PM, AOR said:

Thanks for the replies @Chris Thomas

The tracking was Royal Mail. The tracking details I have taken to show the parcel to have been on the Island due to be delivered n Wednesday. It was actually delivered the following Monday.

 https://www.manxforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/68413-isle-of-man-post-office-investment-will-it-improve-deliveries/&do=findComment&comment=1634464

I understand scale ok, and fully appreciate the logistics involved with transporting parcels off the Island. Maybe I will have to accept that to send the equivalent of a large loaf of bread I will be charged a premium of £2.30 on top of the equivalent UK charge.

On a positive note, the fact that the parcel is sent by air, almost directly to the Post Office hub, means that my exports are received by my customers in UK usually the next day.

Thanks for feedback. Your basic point is excellent, if I understand it correctly. That is that our post office is about much more than the social obligations of village post offices. An efficient and reliable postal and logistics service for our Island is paramount, and providing this is by far the largest component of the post office.

[AOR]

Oh..a bit of spinning Chris, there, but yes I agree.
Much of what you call 'social obligations' has to go. The days of the Post Office handing cash to MiCarders etc has to stop. If they can go to a Post Office they can got to a cash machine, without holding up queues and using up Post Office staff time. It really is that simple.

But all that does not take away that parcel deliveries to the Isle of Man fall far short of reasonable expectations.

@Chris ThomasCan you provide an expected time which the Isle of Man Post Office consider a parcel will be delivered once it leaves UK shores to the Isle of Man. There must surely be a time scale and if there isn't then it really is a case of 'Traa Dy Looar' or 'It Is What It Is'.  Or in manx *drawly voice* "well ya see...it all depends...."

 

Edited August 29, 2022 by AOR

[forestboy]

54 minutes ago, Chris Thomas said:

Thanks for feedback. Your basic point is excellent, if I understand it correctly. That is that our post office is about much more than the social obligations of village post offices. An efficient and reliable postal and logistics service for our Island is paramount, and providing this is by far the largest component of the post office.

Any obligation for village post offices is gradually being whittled away.