When we first arrived to these shores in mid-sixties, our appreciation was concentrated on two wonderful services we received daily on our door-steps. One was delivery of fresh milk early in the morning, come hell or high water, along with associated products and settle bills at week-end.
The second dependable service was provided by lustre Royal Mail, (RM) letters delivered to us every day except Sundays, unlike in Dar where we had to go to local post office where one could hire a postal box.
While shopping revolution has put paid to milk home delivery, postal service still operates in similar manner with one sole exception. Lacklustre RM is no longer even half as reliable as it used to be. While we had never lost a single letter for some fifty years, recently we lost two recorded deliveries within a month, to our utter surprise, dismay and disbelief.
My MP kindly took it up and as usual we received sugar quoted words like we aim to provide best service possible but our letters were never found. Now our friend, an elderly lady, posted urgent letter by “Special Next Day Delivery” She paid £6:45, King’s ransom for someone living on state pension. It has not reached its destination, under five miles radius after four weeks!
As lackadaisical, materialistic RM has attracted so much bad publicity recently, I hope RM will take our concerns seriously and give us back wonderful, dependable service we once enjoyed. It is high time for RM to be expedient, pay reasonable compensation for lost items rather than giving stamp booklets. I sincerely hope that next Labour government under JC will renationalize RM which has failed us and state ownership is the norm in most EU countries.
Kumudini Valambia
By email
