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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Polly Toynbee

Royal Mail has been heading for collapse for years. Now it can’t even deliver my Christmas present

A Royal Mail post box which plays carols when a letter is posted. Oxford Street, London, 4 December 2023.
A Royal Mail post box that plays carols when a letter is posted. Oxford Street, London, 4 December 2023. Photograph: Guy Bell/Shutterstock

It was nice of Royal Mail to send me a message. “Delivered”, it said. To prove it, there was a photo of my parcel on the doorstep. Except it wasn’t my front door, or anything like it, but some kind of white marble flooring inside a block of flats. And there was no parcel on my doorstep.

Trying to find a Royal Mail number to call is difficult, as with most companies. Try calling and after interminable options, it says go back online or the wait will be 20 minutes. The website carries a series of frequently asked questions – none of which matched mine.

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