Letter: Put Shropshire Star delivery girl in charge of economy
Friday 7th January 2011, 6:00AM GMT.
Letter: The bad weather has relented for the moment and the sales are in full swing which we all hope will help boost the economy. But before anyone starts to get too excited, perhaps we should look at the service businesses offer to the consumer.
Over the past few weeks we have suffered some extremely cold weather and some snow, but if you listen to the news you would believe that we are unable to travel at all, preventing us from reaching work when, with care, it just took a little longer.
The UK airports closed for days, yet when USA had more snow in less time, they were closed for 24 hours.
For 10 days the Royal Mail failed to deliver our post even though we live in Stafford Road, Wrockwardine Wood, (a main road). Eventually we had to collect it from the sorting office all of half a mile away.
Health and safety were the reasons given for the non-delivery, but we got no refund for the failure to deliver.
The council stopped gritting the roads despite assuring the public at the start of the winter they had enough to deal with any problems. No effort is ever made to make walking easier or safer by clearing pavements.
We never get offered a refund on our council tax for the service failures.
On December 18 the buses and taxis stopped running even though traffic was still moving .
Given this level of customer service, how are we ever going to maintain this country as a world leader?
Oh yes I forgot, let’s ask Alice, Shropshire Star delivery girl who, despite all the bad weather, being given no special equipment, paid about £2.50 a day and having to work Saturdays and bank holidays, never once missed a delivery.
Thank you Alice (sorry I don’t know your surname), maybe there is hope after all if industry starts to think like Alice.
Mike Carter
Wrockwardine Wood
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I fully agree with what you said when USA have snow they stop for 24 hour’s when UK Have snow we stop for days and delay everything being posted.
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When we had the snow before Xmas, I was out shovelling the snow off my driveway and also did the path outside of my house. I also popped round to an elderly neighbour and did the same for him. (from his front door to the road, and the path along the front of his house). It didn’t take me too long at all.
Another neighbour started chatting to me and asked why i was bothering to do the pathway, before starting to whinge about the postman not coming etc. I told him that if perhaps everyone did a little bit of clearing, then it would make it much easier for people and workers to get about and perhaps we wouldnt be in quite the same situation. He rubbished my suggestion and told me the council should sort it.
I cant help wondering that if we all took a little more personal responsibility and mucked in a bit, the country might (just might) run a bit more smoothly?
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My son delivered the dailies for two years and Sunday papers so it was 7 days a week. He was a friend too to those he delivered to.
I went with my sister and brother as students delivering the Xmas post in the late 1960s in deep snow and there were several deliveries a day.
I have received 15 cards after Xmas this year and one yesterday just in time to be taken down!
We wore grips on our boots and got on with it having a duty to deliver post that had been pre-paid for by the customer.
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Each year we seem to get more and more excuses of why we can’t do this and can’t do that. I strongly believe in health & safety, yet I think we are pushing things a bit too far.
What will be next years excuses? Gritters cant use roads because of snow? or will they take away the Ambulance & Fire coverage?
I spent Christmas in Switzerland, despite far more snow and colder temperatures Buses ran to the minute, roads were ploughed and gritted daily and kept not just open but clear too, and that was in the mountains not the main towns.
Maybe our officials need to look at Switzerland’s abilities and learn from them!
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