Residents in Perth claim they are being left without post for days – some since before Christmas – as the Royal Mail deals with staff absences caused by Covid-19.
Dozens of locals claim they have faced long waits for parcels and letters to arrive.
The issues have been reported in several areas including Tulloch and the north of the city.
Gordon Kennedy, who lives in the city centre, told The Courier that residents in his block have gone without mail for a fortnight.
‘Worrying time’ for residents
He said:Â “It’s an absolute joke. Frankly it’s ridiculous and I am fed up of it.
“I know I am not the only one feeling like this.
“It’s a worrying time, especially when people are waiting for important documents.
“There have been issues for the last few weeks and it’s getting very frustrating to deal with.
“I am very angry about the situation and it’s causing me to become stressed.”
He says there has been a lack of information from Royal Mail about when the issues will be addressed.
Others have come forward to report similar experiences to The Courier.
Sheila Lindsey, who lives in the north of Perth, said:Â “My experience with Royal Mail has been atrocious since the beginning of December, waiting 12/14 days sometimes for something to arrive.
“They use Covid as an excuse, then since Christmas they say it’s been because of the holidays.”
Laura Walter says a parcel due to be delivered to her home by Royal Mail went missing before Christmas, despite attempts to retrieve it from the sorting office.
She added: “It eventually appeared a few days later on a day we were at work again.
“We’ve had no regular post for weeks and received Christmas cards which were sent from down south, in the first week of December, the other day.”
Catriona Connor told The Courier she has not had mail since December 21.
I understand there is a delay and people are off ill, but I’m waiting for numerous deliveries
She said:Â “I understand there is a delay and people are off ill, but I’m waiting for numerous deliveries. I’m unsure whether to put in a lost claim.”
Tulloch resident Elaine Paterson has also had problems.
“I had a package that was posted 24-hour tracked and took over four weeks to arrive,” she said.
“I’ve not had any mail since Christmas either.”
Royal Mail sorry for delays
A Royal Mail spokesperson says the “vast majority” of mail is delivered “safely and on time”.
The spokesperson continued: “We aim to deliver to all addresses we have mail for, six days a week. In the local area, we are experiencing some delays to service due to high levels of sickness absence and Covid-related self-isolation.
“We apologise to any customers who may have experienced delays to their mail.
“We have been working hard to get our levels of service back to normal as soon as possible and the situation is improving.
“Anyone who has concerns over the delivery of their mail should contact the Royal Mail customer service team on 03457 740 740 or via the Royal Mail website.”
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