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[raywilb]

i am sure i am right in saying a letter bearing a first class stamp posted in the uk sent to a local address always arrived the next day, i posted one on Thursday lunch time expecting the recipient to receive it by saturday but its not delivered as yet. i have a brother in law that works in a sorting office & he said mail should be arriving as normal even with the precautions in place

[Doctor Gollum]

 

You’ll be lucky to receive it on Wednesday.

Batflu or not, it IS a bank holiday weekend 

[Mister Rog]

Posting a letter used to be quite a simple matter. 1st or 2nd, usually arrived one or two days, very reliable. Bigger items got weighed etc.

Now, real nitpicking on sizes and weights, fewer post offices, and various other things. Even in a Post Office one is confronted with a bewildering barrage of options.

Not sure that things are moving in the right direction.

[LC0112G]

When the Royal mail first started, first class could mean same day delivery in the local area.

The law now states that for legal document service, first class delivery is presumed to have been effected two working days after posting, unless specific doubt can be cast. Saturdays, Sundays and Bank holidays are not counted as working days. So a letter posted on the Thursday before a bank holiday Monday is not deemed to have been served until close of play on Tuesday.

[Lizzie Zoom]

When the Royal mail first started, first class could mean same day delivery in the local area.

The law now states that for legal document service, first class delivery is presumed to have been effected two working days after posting, unless specific doubt can be cast. Saturdays, Sundays and Bank holidays are not counted as working days. So a letter posted on the Thursday before a bank holiday Monday is not deemed to have been served until close of play on Tuesday.

That was because in 1516 it was the King and his court (I am sure know one wanted to lose their head over a delayed letter!! ) who was sending letters, but even in 1635 when the Royal Mail could be used by the public, it could take up to two months for a letter to arrive!

If you want to know more, read this interesting piece on the Royal Mail's history:

https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/royal-mail-history/

Note tin particular entry about the postal system of the late eighteenth century:
"By latter half of the eighteenth century, the post system had grown and the cost of a letter had gone up, but little else had changed. Letters still moved very slowly. Post boys were an endless source of trouble. They carried letters on horseback and, being so poorly paid, they sometimes robbed the post bags they carried. The roads that they travelled on were in exceedingly poor repair with deep ruts and so dark at night that the road was almost impossible to distinguish from the surrounding countryside, slowing their journey even more. Post boys were often attacked by highwaymen who made off with the post bags, sometimes wounding or even killing the unlucky post boy in the process. In order to speed the delivery of their letters, some would package them in a parcel so they could be delivered by one of the coaches that ran from one town to another, rather than trusting them to the postal service" .

 

[deviator]

I seem to remember there being wiggle room, something like '95% of all first class letters will be within 2 days'. The only way to guarantee next day, is special delivery.

[TheBoy]

Currently, stuff I'm sending 1st class signed for is taking anyway from next day to 7 working days .  Although I have doubts that a nearby village postoffice I've used might be causing some delay, as ones posted at Brackley's postoffice seem to be 1-2 days.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

A rare occurence for me. I bought a small (under £2) item from ebay recently which was due to be delivered by 21st August.
It still hasnt turned up. Seller sent me Royal Snail tracking number. Putting it into their site provides this useful info.
"We will only update with further information once we have attempted delivery of your item."
Its past its usefullness. Shut it down.

[TheBoy]

A rare occurence for me. I bought a small (under £2) item from ebay recently which was due to be delivered by 21st August.
It still hasnt turned up. Seller sent me Royal Snail tracking number. Putting it into their site provides this useful info.
"We will only update with further information once we have attempted delivery of your item."
Its past its usefullness. Shut it down.

That means the seller just used Ebay's postage printing system, and they were too tight to pay for tracking.

It is no guarantee that the seller actually posted it. Ask them for the Proof of Postage, and see if thats forthcoming

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Will do. .............then a refund as a matter of principle, as they seem to be making a meal out of the whole thing for the sake of a couple of quid. Their vague messages have got right on my nerves.