How long does first class mail take these days?

Vodka_DrinkaVodka_Drinka Posts: 28,740
Forum Member
✭✭✭
I'm waiting urgently on a repeat prescription from my doctors. I posted it with an SAE enclosed on Monday morning assuming it would be at the surgery on Tuesday morning and then I'd get my prescription either Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

Today it didn't come and I'm starting to panic because I only have one days medication left, so I rang the surgery and they assured me that they had received it and sent it back to me on Wednesday. So obviously it should have arrived yesterday?:confused: That's unless the surgery posted it after the 5pm collection, which meant it was collected yesterday and I'd have received it today. But I'm still waiting:rolleyes:

Why the hell is it taking so long? Is there some kind of problem with the Royal Mail?
«1

Comments

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 818
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    That's weird... it's usually next day here. Maybe there was a particularly high volume of mail or something, though, so with any luck it'll arrive tomorrow!
  • urbanhermiturbanhermit Posts: 103
    Forum Member
    I have posted letters on a Wednesday and they haven't arrived till Saturday, so hopefully you will be ok.
  • LyricalisLyricalis Posts: 57,958
    Forum Member
    Aren't these things done electronically now? If not they bloody well should be.
  • Vodka_DrinkaVodka_Drinka Posts: 28,740
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    That's weird... it's usually next day here. Maybe there was a particularly high volume of mail or something, though, so with any luck it'll arrive tomorrow!

    I really hope so. To be fair the Royal Mail have never lost anything of mine before, but the dimwits they employ as relief staff do have a habit of posting our mail through our neighbours doors. Our neighbours would have posted it through our letter box if they'd had it though.
  • jrajra Posts: 48,325
    Forum Member
    Lyricalis wrote: »
    Aren't these things done electronically now? If not they bloody well should be.

    Most mail is sorted electronically. Some has to be sorted by hand for various reasons. Much that people like to slag off the RM, they are still one of the most efficient and quick postal services in the world.
    I'm waiting urgently on a repeat prescription from my doctors. I posted it with an SAE enclosed on Monday morning assuming it would be at the surgery on Tuesday morning and then I'd get my prescription either Wednesday or Thursday at the latest.

    Today it didn't come and I'm starting to panic because I only have one days medication left, so I rang the surgery and they assured me that they had received it and sent it back to me on Wednesday. So obviously it should have arrived yesterday?:confused: That's unless the surgery posted it after the 5pm collection, which meant it was collected yesterday and I'd have received it today. But I'm still waiting:rolleyes:

    Why the hell is it taking so long? Is there some kind of problem with the Royal Mail?

    First class mail may take two days for delivery, but rarely more except at busy times e.g. Christmas.
  • LyricalisLyricalis Posts: 57,958
    Forum Member
    jra wrote: »
    Most mail is sorted electronically. Some has to be sorted by hand for various reasons. Much that people like to slag off the RM, they are still one of the most efficient and quick postal services in the world.

    No, I meant like this:

    http://www.boots.com/en/Pharmacy-Health/Prescription-Services/Repeat-prescriptions-online/

    My mum uses a service like this.
  • jrajra Posts: 48,325
    Forum Member
    Lyricalis wrote: »

    Ah sorry. No worries.
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
    Forum Member
    I've had a letter that took from February 18th to sometime in May to get here. I had already cancelled it and got another one in that time.
  • albertdalbertd Posts: 14,341
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I posted a package to an address in the depths of the Breton countryside on Tuesday this week and it arrived on Thursday!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,734
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    With Royal Fail, I usually expect it to take 3 days. 2nd class is about 8 days now. Don't even get me started on 'standard parcels' - I think they bring out the horse and cart for those...

    In my recent experiences anyway.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,852
    Forum Member
    If on a weekday, a couple of days if a weekend then maybe three days at the most.
  • Speccy128kSpeccy128k Posts: 409
    Forum Member
    I actually can't remember the last time I posted a letter. All my paperwork I tend to do via e-mail. But as some posters have said, it should take about 24 hours.

    I guess it depends on when the collection is made from the postbox.
  • SherbetLemonSherbetLemon Posts: 4,073
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    AJXX wrote: »
    With Royal Fail, I usually expect it to take 3 days. 2nd class is about 8 days now.
    How low your expectations are! ;) I've twice received second class post in 3 days recently. First class is almost always the next day, but by 2 days tops.
  • jrajra Posts: 48,325
    Forum Member
    I've had a letter that took from February 18th to sometime in May to get here. I had already cancelled it and got another one in that time.

    Unfortunately with the best intentions some mail does get severely delayed or even lost, not to mention undeliverable mail, i.e. has insufficient information to deliver. Also, unfortunately, a few posties have been caught intercepting mail, e.g. credit cards.

    By and large however, IMO, they do a very good job.
    AJXX wrote: »
    With Royal Fail, I usually expect it to take 3 days. 2nd class is about 8 days now. Don't even get me started on 'standard parcels' - I think they bring out the horse and cart for those...

    In my recent experiences anyway.

    If you think that is bad, I've had surface mail take 4 weeks to be delivered from the states.
  • SeasideLadySeasideLady Posts: 20,766
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I always allow 2 days for a birthday card to arrive. I wouldn't expect a card posted from up here to get down to the South coast the next day, even if I put it in the postbox before 10.00am.
  • TiggergirlTiggergirl Posts: 2,084
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I sent stuff first class recently took just over a week to get there its a total joke these days.
  • Stefano92Stefano92 Posts: 66,368
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Well I was in Majorca and sent my parents a postcard and sent it off with a first class stamp on the 11th July, it bloody arrived yesterday and I have been back in the country for almost 2 weeks!! Stupid mail.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 9,560
    Forum Member
    My Aunt and Uncle both posted their birthday cards to me at the extact same time, using 1st class....
    My Uncle's card got here on Friday, my Aunt's card got here on Monday!
  • RadiomaniacRadiomaniac Posts: 43,510
    Forum Member
    Some birthday cards arrived for my nephew late on Saturday afternoon, that were posted 5 days before and all with first class stamps on.

    Someone who knows these things, said that Royal Mail don't treat (obvious) birthday cards as urgent - I suggested next time putting them in business type envelopes.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 605
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Some birthday cards arrived for my nephew late on Saturday afternoon, that were posted 5 days before and all with first class stamps on.

    Someone who knows these things, said that Royal Mail don't treat (obvious) birthday cards as urgent - I suggested next time putting them in business type envelopes.

    Yes, they employ people to sort through all the mail and purposely delay anything that looks like a birthday card. More likely it doesn't have a postcode or a handwritten one that cannot be machine read and has to be sorted by hand.
  • RadiomaniacRadiomaniac Posts: 43,510
    Forum Member
    The Moth wrote: »
    Yes, they employ people to sort through all the mail and purposely delay anything that looks like a birthday card. More likely it doesn't have a postcode or a handwritten one that cannot be machine read and has to be sorted by hand.
    I wasn't suggesting that Royal Mail employ people to manually sort out birthday cards, maybe they have some device that sorts them via size or weight.

    All the cards I mentioned were correctly and clearly addressed, post-coded and with first class stamps, some posted as near as from the next county - they still took five days to arrive.
  • valkayvalkay Posts: 15,726
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I have twice this year posted mail by recorded delivery which has never arrived, after complaints to the Post Office, they sent me a book of stamps as compensation.:mad:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 605
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I wasn't suggesting that Royal Mail employ people to manually sort out birthday cards, maybe they have some device that sorts them via size or weight.

    All the cards I mentioned were correctly and clearly addressed, post-coded and with first class stamps, some posted as near as from the next county - they still took five days to arrive.

    Yes I realise I was being slightly facetious. It's quite possible that the handwritten postcode was not "machine readable" and had to be hand sorted. Still no excuse for them taking 5 days to be delivered.
  • diablodiablo Posts: 8,300
    Forum Member
    I nearly always get things the following day. It probably depends on the quality of staff available in each area.
  • MTUK1MTUK1 Posts: 20,077
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
Sign In or Register to comment.