Gillette Minora Stainless

Rob998 said:
As a postie I can confirm that RM are absolutely snowed under. Have been since the pandemic hit. Before the Christmas pressure period started they were 30-40% up on packet and parcels volumes compared to the previous year and now they have all the usual seasonal increase in traffic to cope with. Also, they can't get the staff in to actually deliver the stuff, social distancing means vans can't be shared and some offices simply can't provide enough space indoors for staff to be far enough apart so some duties only go out every day. Aldd to that the amount of staff off because of isolation reasons and sickness, both COVID and the usual stuff. I think agency staff being brought in is just a sticking plaster tbh, I'm not sure they can actually utilise the amount of staff that they need to bring in.

Personally, I've been off since early November with COVID and its after effects, and unless I make a dramatic improvement over the next week or so I can't see me being fit enough to go in when my current doctors note runs out. Extended sickness absence isn't unusual with this thing.

I spoke to my postie yesterday and he told me that in our office, one that, until this fucking virus hit, used to regularly exceed delivery targets, has a massive backlog of everything apart from Special Delivery items. I'm sure this situation is being repeated all over the country.
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Thanks for the info and good luck with your recovery.
 
Rob998 said:
As a postie I can confirm that RM are absolutely snowed under. Have been since the pandemic hit. Before the Christmas pressure period started they were 30-40% up on packet and parcels volumes compared to the previous year and now they have all the usual seasonal increase in traffic to cope with. Also, they can't get the staff in to actually deliver the stuff, social distancing means vans can't be shared and some offices simply can't provide enough space indoors for staff to be far enough apart so some duties only go out every other day. Add to that the amount of staff off because of isolation reasons and sickness, both COVID and the usual stuff. I think agency staff being brought in is just a sticking plaster tbh, I'm not sure they can actually utilise the amount of staff that they need to bring in.

Personally, I've been off since early November with COVID and its after effects, and unless I make a dramatic improvement over the next week or so I can't see me being fit enough to go in when my current doctors note runs out. Extended sickness absence isn't unusual with this thing.

I spoke to my postie yesterday and he told me that in our office, one that, until this fucking virus hit, used to regularly exceed delivery targets, has a massive backlog of everything apart from Special Delivery items. I'm sure this situation is being repeated all over the country.
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Sorry to hear you've been unwell with it Rob and thank you for the insight. Hope you feel better soon.

It's no secret that I'm a big RM fan - I've always found its performance to be exceptional, even during lockdowns. I read about the number of letters reducing which has hit RM revenue. Notwithstanding the challenges of the current backlog, I'm hoping the rise in parcels and packets are a good thing for RM and that they'll survive as the entity they are as they're bloody good at what they do (I personally don't think any of the other UK couriers can touch them).
 
Boycie83 said:
Sorry to hear you've been unwell with it Rob and thank you for the insight. Hope you feel better soon.

It's no secret that I'm a big RM fan - I've always found its performance to be exceptional, even during lockdowns. I read about the number of letters reducing which has hit RM revenue. Notwithstanding the challenges of the current backlog, I'm hoping the rise in parcels and packets are a good thing for RM and that they'll survive as the entity they are as they're bloody good at what they do (I personally don't think any of the other UK couriers can touch them).
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I prefer using RM to any courier or delivery service, apart perhaps from DPD, and they have done a sterling job throughout, but as @Rob998 has explained, it was too much to think that they'd be immune to the effects of all this. I'm not sure why the number of letters has diminished, which does seem counter-intuitive under present conditions, but I hope that the RM home parcel collection service will compensate to a degree, when things settle back.

The RM website does give information on delays and bottlenecks, plus emailing details any that directly affect your location. This is a great help in normal times, but it's unreasonable to expect too much of it when everything changes daily all over the country.

Edit
Just had a large amount of mail drop through the letterbox. 80% of it is catalogues, and the rest charity letters, but not a sign of anything that I am waiting for. If the codes printed on them can be deciphered, it might be possible to find out when these things were posted out, and I'll amuse myself with that, today. It'll take my mind off the large sum of money I've just paid to HMRC, from the 2019-20 days when I actually had an income to pay tax on.
 
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Yesterday (Wednesday 2/12) I had an email from the seller to tell me that he's sending me another consignment of 50 by First Class. It's not entirely clear to me whether the first lot was sent and has gone missing, or there is some other cause for their absence or late/non-arrival. Anyway, I've told him that if both lots show up so that I receive 100 rather than the 50 I ordered, I'll Paypal him the difference of £5.50 (£12.99 for 100, £7.49 for 50). He's been communicative and obliging over this, and it seems only fair to do so. At this rate, I'm going to have to use a blade a day just to make room in the blade drawer.
 
Wintermute said:
My postie has gone by today with no post for me :(

I know there are lots of delays but it is odd that no one has received these yet.
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It does seem a bit odd, that several people have ordered them, but haven't received them. Has anyone? If so, it would be useful to know. For reasons which we know about and understand, RM are having a difficult time, but it's getting to the stage where I'm not about to buy anything from anywhere which involves RM (and Hermes), as I'm due stuff that was supposedly sent to me weeks ago.
 
To be fair to RM , everything I've ordered in the past two weeks has arrived with no problem - only these blades are the issue.

I wonder if the seller has wrapped them badly and maybe they've been destroyed as 'dangerous goods'?*

*I've made this up and I've no idea if this happens but it sounds like it could be logical.

Colin is coming down the road now. The moment of truth is near!
 
Mine turned up this morning, loose in a jiffybag, and with a packet of "Silver Star" blades as the extra gift. I'll try out a Minora tomorrow.

On 21st November, I ordered something from China, to be sent by Speedpak, and the same day something else from Wales via Royal Mail. The China thing arrived this morning, but the Welsh stuff is apparently sunk without trace. Interesting times, to say the least.
 
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