And I don’t mean through post offices.
I’m just venting here because I’m annoyed. Maybe I woke up on the wrong-side-of-the-bed, I don’t know but what I do know is that Royal Mail’s idea of customer service has royally pissed me off. It really does not do justice to the wonderful people who deliver mail or those who work in post office branches up and down the country.
I’ve just spent over an hour of my time trying to track a parcel that was posted a few weeks ago but which was returned to a sorting office (or delivery center).
One hour!
A lesser man might have given up but I have an old fashioned stiff upper lip and a lot of resolve when I have a gripe to deal with:
- I tried Royal Mail’s automated telephone tracking service on 0845 27 2100
- I tried Royal Mail’s customer service number on 08457 74 0740, and
- I tried Royal Mail’s website (royalmail.com).
The automated tracking service couldn’t understand my very clear, very well spoken English accent.
I know my verbal language is good, clear and well enunciated because most non-native English speakers understand me incredibly well due to its clarity and when I worked in call centers many years ago I was constantly chatted up by single mothers and lonely housewives whom loved my voice.
RM’s automated customer service bot made my face redder and redder every time it told me about RM’s website with every press of my phone’s keypad. Maybe it liked the sound of my voice too.
After several attempts to speak with a human I discovered options 3, 3 and 2 which eventually took me through to a live person (I use the term “live” very loosely here).
My two calls to options 3, 3 and 2 were answered within 60 seconds of RM’s stock warning about high call volumes increasing call waiting times – twice! Ever get the feeling you’re not valued once your money has left your hands?
The first call handler killed the call after letting me listen to a few minutes of office chatter. The second handler put me back into the automated services loop after I expressed my complete dislike for it and its unsuitability for my particular needs. I used a lot of expletives after hanging up the phone.
And Royal Mail’s website!
It’s a template for pissing off customers. RM should patent it.
Locating a customer service email, contact form or proper customer service phone number is like trying to find light in a black hole. It rips you to shreds before you get to it.
Oh, a contact button is there alright but it leads – yes, you guessed it – back to RM’s automated phone service numbers.
I’m not the only person to suffer
Have a look at RM’s reply to a Freedom of Information Request sent by whatdotheyknow.com asking for RM’s customer contact email addresses. RM eventually replied to it but then changed their contact details!
Anyhow, I’ve found an online method of contacting Royal Mail mwhahahahaaa!!!!
Royal Mail’s website has an Accessibility Feedback form. The link is:
- royalmail.com/portal/rm/content1?catId=42800683&mediaId=42800685
They also have a form for arranging parcel and letter redelivery:
- royalmail.com/portal/rm/eredelivery?catId=37000673&gear=authentication
I’ve not made those links clickable because I want to give RM no inbound link juice from JournalXtra.
An email address is listed with its domain’s whois registration data. That email address is:
- domains [a.t] royalmail.com
A contact telephone number is also associated with that email address:
- 44.2074414799
Neither the email address nor phone number has been tested by me. I suspect they will lead to someone but whether (s)he will be able to assist you is another question altogether. Were I to send a message there I would threaten the recipient with an automated email spamming system that would send emails to every possible combination of letters, numbers and characters up to 8 characters long unless my message were forwarded to the correct department and a reply received from that department within 48 hours, lol.
Moral of the Story
The next time someone sends you a parcel or letter, get the sender to put a return address on the back.
Incidentally, I have heard a rumor that it’s possible to get mail delivered for free. Miss the recipient’s address off the front of the letter (or make it completely illegible) then put the recipient’s address on the back of the envelope as though it’s the sender’s return address. I’ve not tried it but I expect it will work.
I hope this information proves useful to someone because it’s just cost me another hour to write it!
I agree that Royal Mail makes it almost impossible to contact a real person – believe me I’ve tried and got precisely nowhere. Even if you do find a number there is nobody available to take your call and you are asked to leave a message. I left my phone number and you’ve guessed it, I never heard from them – this is Langley sorting office for international deliveries that I am referring to. I am feeling so frustrated that I could spit tacks. My packet arrived from India on 25th August and hasn’t arrived as at 18th September, hence my trying to contact them to find out where it is. I will keep trying but feel pessimistic about getting a result.
Absolutely agree. It is almost impossible to speak to the customer service. I have spend 30mins on the phone trying to get through for 6times in two month periods. Answer machine keeps the same sentence every 2mins listening the music: we are extremely busy at the moment Blar blar. So annoying!! Once got through, I haven’t /stated my problem, the phone has cut off!! ROYAL ROYAL what a laugh
Been trying to call all day today after having over a 30minute wait each time I have given up, problem i need an answer from a human so will have to try again tomorrow
I joined the Optout service offered by Royal Mail. It is supposed to stop all the leaflet junk they deliver with the post. In five years it has never worked. I’ve been through the following hoops over the five years;
Customer Services Plyouth, Escalation Team,Postal Review Team, Postal Redress Scheme, Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution London, Customer Services Glasgow.
I live in Durham!!!
I still get junk mail delivered by them.
I can’t understand why it is so difficult to speak to a human being. This should not happen, I have paid for a service and need some advice.
No wonder people are loosing faith in Royal mail, I will not be using again I will use another carrier.
There is a customer service number but you can’t speak to anyone, how is that customer service. I am at a loss.
They do not want to talk over the ‘phone just want consumers to waste hours looking at the Web site.
Bloody hopeless and I used to work for them. I think most businesses operate to the detriment of the customer. Bring back the switchboards.
Totally agree with the previous comments. It is very obvious Royal Mail do not want to speak or interact with customers in any way. Disgusting. Their website has clearly been designed to go round in circles. No matter what I try I can’t make headway.
I don’t think Royal Mail caress about customers. To speak to a human person you are charge 3 pounds per minute
I have been trying for 3 days to speak to someone about a parcel I was supposed to receive on the 15th January 2021. from overseas. I contacted the sender who gave me the tracking number, I checked the tracking number with Royal Mail, they say it was sent to me on the 15th January, which it wasn’t. Due to the pandemic we do not leave the house. I have a bell on the door with a notice to “RING THE BELL IT DOES WORK”. No card, no ring of the doorbell and still no parcel. Someone is having a laugh. (It certainly isn’t me.) Royal Mail is a total joke.
I agree with everything the above people have posted I want speak a human I have simple question which a human would be able awnser, but like others I can’t find a human !!! Total faith lost in Royal Mail.
ROyal Mail are no different to any other service industry, not one of them wants to speak to their customers.Over the last three days I have been trying to speak to a human being by at least twenty calls to different numbers, talk about spitting blood, the bxxxxy phone has nearly gone through the window !!!!!!!!.Royal Mail you are an utter bxxxxy disgrace to your customers.
Royal mail it need privatising