'It's absolutely ridiculous': Royal Mail customers increasingly unhappy as festive season looms

By ITV News Consumer Affairs Producer Siham Ali

No mail for days or even weeks is not unusual in Dorking, Surrey, according to some customers who spoke to ITV News.

It is just one of many towns in England where people are complaining they are not receiving letters through the post on time. 

This morning, outside a Royal Mail delivery office in Dorking, a queue of people stood outside waiting to collect very late mail. They say it happens a lot.

One resident we spoke to in the queue was expecting to pick up train tickets to travel for Christmas but left empty handed. 

"I have to come back next week to just check again, who knows what's going on in there," she told us. 

Another resident said: "This has been going on for months and it's absolutely ridiculous." 

For 77-year-old Janice Turner it's all happening at an emotional time as she grieves her late husband. 

She received no mail for 10 days when suddenly 27 turned up at once - more than half concerning her husband's estate.

Struggling to hold back the tears, she said: "It gets in the way of the grieving, when you have constantly to be dealing with the consequences of the mail not being delivered properly.

"It got in the way and made my weekend even sadder than it normally would be," she added. 

Royal Mail told us: "Our teams are working extremely hard to ensure a consistent and reliable service to households in Dorking this Christmas.

"We can confirm mail is being delivered to homes daily with the vast majority arriving on time.

"If a delay occurs, such as when a route is not completed, we will prioritise that area the following day to ensure any delays are kept to a minimum."

It also said to meet demand they're recruiting more staff, increasing vehicle numbers, and providing extra parcel sorting sites.

This comes as Ofcom published a new survey on Thursday. 

Overall, satisfaction with Royal Mail remains high at 80%, but a declining percentage (now only 40%) are satisfied with the cost of postage. 

More than half of customers (51%) reported experiencing a problem sending or receiving letters via Royal Mail. 

We spoke to a postal worker who is a member of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and has a long track record of criticising Royal Mail management. 

He has asked to stay anonymous. 

"I speak to posties up and down the country and I know three depots that have two weeks-worth shoved in a tray," he told us.

Many up and down the country will be fearful about their mail this Christmas, but Royal Mail say they're trying their best to minimise delays. 

But some now fear what things will be like as this service reaches its busiest period. 

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