Royal Mail Vans - Why So Abused?
Discussion
buzzer said:
We had three vans at a rural outstation where the drivers REALY looked after the vans, even polishing them. They were immaculate. So I used to give them a new van each every year, and put their old one into the reserve pool. Union intervened and said it was favouritism.. I was forced to stop it.
The rest doesn't surprise me at all, but the quoted comment is just bonkers!
wildcat45 said:
What amazes me is hw many people buy them second hand. Faded paint but shiny where the logos used to be.
And why did RM buy crappy LDV vans for so long? Were they ver cheap.
Allso most of the Vauxhall RM vans I see here in Newcastle are Westcountry registered.
The smaller LDV vans (the pilot / 200) are quite good for parcel delivery, they are narrow so good for urban driving and they can have a sliding driver's door which saves a lot of time over the course of a day.And why did RM buy crappy LDV vans for so long? Were they ver cheap.
Allso most of the Vauxhall RM vans I see here in Newcastle are Westcountry registered.
To drive they were pretty poo but for the job not so bad.
Ben
Last year, a RM van decided to turn round in my drive, drive into the wall, and then leave the scene trailing my drain pipe. Luckily, the neighbour saw this and chased him, getting his details.
RM didn't bother to tell me or report the accident. When I complained, the local manager told me the driver didn't realise he hit the wall as his music was on too loud. He was then extremely rude, refused to apologise, and was clearly completely ignorant of his staff's responsibility to report an accident. He refused to send the driver round to apologise in case I assaulted him - direct quote.
It took RM two months to get the damage fixed, and every single person I spoke to, until I got to CEO level, was rude, defensive, and disinterested.
So in summary, given the s
t attitudes of their staff, I'm not surprised their vans are in st order.
RM didn't bother to tell me or report the accident. When I complained, the local manager told me the driver didn't realise he hit the wall as his music was on too loud. He was then extremely rude, refused to apologise, and was clearly completely ignorant of his staff's responsibility to report an accident. He refused to send the driver round to apologise in case I assaulted him - direct quote.
It took RM two months to get the damage fixed, and every single person I spoke to, until I got to CEO level, was rude, defensive, and disinterested.
So in summary, given the s
t attitudes of their staff, I'm not surprised their vans are in st order.wildcat45 said:
What amazes me is hw many people buy them second hand. Faded paint but shiny where the logos used to be.
I just saw a faded red van which judging by the pattern of fading used to belong to Hovis. With Parcel Force stickers stuck over the top. Surprised they are buying second hand vans now?!?!Magog said:
They'd all go on strike?
That was my thought - if the drivers were held accountable for damage then everybody would be out 
My parents live in a rural area and I can also confirm that the vans used in the sticks are thrashed to within an inch of their life. Only the milk tanker drivers are more insane.
Is it not as simple as "most minor accidents happen during parking or tight manoeuvring, which Royal Mail vans do more of than most"? An AA van that cruises up and down the motorway all day is going to have a much easier life than a van that has to fight it's way to a multitude of different pickups and drop offs, day in day out for hours at a time.
I remember chatting to our postie about the state of their vans - we always know when he's coming down the lane because you can hear the squeal of the driver's door's dropped hinges from a quarter mile away - let's the dog know he's coming!
He was saying that they used to have more local mechanics etc. but now everything's centralised and servicing schedules are longer. Things only get fixed if they really have to as another poster said. He's a bit of a petrolhead (has an MX5 as a fun car that he's fixed up and resprayed) and drives the van with mechanical sympathy - but the others don't.
When he turned up the other day the van had an added reflective stripe around the front wheel arches - well, the front part was still there but the rear half was already missing. The explanation? "They told one of the lads to stick the reflectives on, but no-one told him to wash the vans first, so he stuck it over all the mud & crap. Back half started fluttering before I'd gone a mile and tore off some time later"
He was saying that they used to have more local mechanics etc. but now everything's centralised and servicing schedules are longer. Things only get fixed if they really have to as another poster said. He's a bit of a petrolhead (has an MX5 as a fun car that he's fixed up and resprayed) and drives the van with mechanical sympathy - but the others don't.
When he turned up the other day the van had an added reflective stripe around the front wheel arches - well, the front part was still there but the rear half was already missing. The explanation? "They told one of the lads to stick the reflectives on, but no-one told him to wash the vans first, so he stuck it over all the mud & crap. Back half started fluttering before I'd gone a mile and tore off some time later"
buzzer said:
We had three vans at a rural outstation where the drivers REALY looked after the vans, even polishing them. They were immaculate. So I used to give them a new van each every year, and put their old one into the reserve pool. Union intervened and said it was favouritism.. I was forced to stop it.
Treated those who looked after the company property well were rewarded but those who abused them weren't? And the unions thought this was unfair because?!!!What I've taken from this thread is that the drivers don't give a toss, and are protected from giving a toss, so it's just self perpetuating. Those who look after things are outcasts.
It's like being in 1970 not 2014!
The beginning of this summer our Postie had a new Fiat to replace the knackered Combo he usually drove. He was really proud when he turned up in it one morning , however next day he was in a plain hire van so I asked him where the new one was. Turns out five minutes after we saw him he was going down the lane by the agricultural college and a young student came racing round a corner and smacked into him.
211lover said:
sideways man said:
Went to north wales,on holiday. After a bit of sightseeing,i started to 'enjoy' the roads and made some progress....
RM astra van caught right up with me, and on the next straight he made the overtake. Went past me at the speed of sound. Obviously, he knew the roads well. Lesson learnt, don't get in the way of a van driven by a determined local.
Really? What were you driving?RM astra van caught right up with me, and on the next straight he made the overtake. Went past me at the speed of sound. Obviously, he knew the roads well. Lesson learnt, don't get in the way of a van driven by a determined local.
Speed of sound
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