Delivery decision stamped without any consultation
Taynuilt’s postal workers will continue to start their working days in Oban, despite complaints the village is getting a second-class delivery service.
More than 350 people signed a petition wanting its two postmen to be returned to sorting duties from Taynuilt’s own post office, but last week Royal Mail said that will not be happening.
When the sorting process was moved to Oban last year, villagers were told it was only for a trial period as part of an efficiency drive.
Taynuilt Community Council chairman David Sloss said: ‘Royal Mail says there’s a commitment to community engagement yet there has been no communication or consultation from it despite a lot of dissatisfaction and the petition. Now it says the matter is closed.’
In May, after a catalogue of complaints by villagers fed-up that deliveries had become ‘haphazard’ and ‘unreliable’, Royal Mail said the situation was still under review and promised it would consider customers’ concerns.
In support of the recent petition, Taynuilt Community Council made an official complaint to Royal Mail but got a response saying there was now no plan to return mail sorting to Taynuilt post office.
Royal Mail wanted to see if the postmen starting their days in Oban would be more efficient and help the main delivery office meet daily targets.
Problems experienced in Taynuilt and nearby communities, including Kilchrenan and Dalavich, have included post getting mixed up, being delivered to wrong addresses, hospital appointments being missed and no mail being delivered to Taynuilt.
Community councillors in Taynuilt are urging people to lobby Royal Mail if problems continue. Complaints can be sent to Royal Mail online via personal. help. royal mail. com or in writing to Royal Mail, Customer Services (Complaints), Freepost.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: ‘Royal Mail has completed its review and for service and efficiency reasons both postmen serving Taynuilt will continue to start their roles from Oban delivery office as they have done for the past year. There is no change to the delivery service we provide to customers and, in fact, our people are now out on the street delivering earlier than before. Customers can still pick up undelivered items of mail from Taynuilt post office.’