Postal strike??!?!

[Jay&Jo 4]

i've heard in the news apparently there's a postal strike going on/about to start... how do you think thats going to affect us waiting to get our P3 or other stuff through from the embassy??

*like we need even more delays!*

[Justine+David 218]

Well, you can get download all the papers for packet 3 on the embassy website (check out the between NOA2 and interview thread)...although the problem would be mailing them off...

Does the UK have private mail companies like the US does (Fedex, UPS, etc)?

[Jay&Jo 4]

ya i guess right now the frustration is waiting for london to send out the P3 notice.... thats where i think the hold-ups are. i've got all my papers filled out ready for the ok to go

i read today the royal mail has a backlog of 25 million items...!!!!! dont know how true that is though. haha.... hopefully its just a vicious lie to panic people like me

i dont really know anything about fedex or ups over here... we have parcelforce, but i think thats still part of the royal mail, so might be affected too

[n1dom 0]

The Royal Mail still apparently deliver items posted using Special Delivery during strikes, although I've not had first-hand experience of using SD during disruption. You can get FedEx and DHL to collect and deliver envelopes, but it does cost upwards of GBP30 to use their services!!!

[Jay&Jo 4]

The Royal Mail still apparently deliver items posted using Special Delivery during strikes, although I've not had first-hand experience of using SD during disruption. You can get FedEx and DHL to collect and deliver envelopes, but it does cost upwards of GBP30 to use their services!!!

when you received your packet 3, was it sent to you via special delivery, or just as regular mail??

[*julez* 124]

P3 is always regular post. When returning the completed P3 documents to the embassy, many VJers use Special Delivery.

[mightymints 0]

Actually, they still lose things that are sent special delivery. My immigration stuff recently was sent SD and got lost.

[Jay&Jo 4]

P3 is always regular post. When returning the completed P3 documents to the embassy, many VJers use Special Delivery.

so when should i start worrying that its lost in the postal strike??! and is there anything else i could try??!

[MARM 7]

Unfortunately, we have recently had a bad experience with Special Delivery. I don't beleive that the Royal Mail delivers SD on time when on strike. I think this it about the 5th or 6th time that a postal strike by Royal Mail is causing problems in the UK ever since I have been on VJ. I am so sorry for all of you waiting . For those of you that just sent documents on SD, give it a week or so before you send out a duplicate. We used SD for a recent request of a new form from the embassy and it took Royal Mail 4 extra days to actually deliver the form!

Edited October 14, 2009 by MARM

[DisneyLovers 18]

From the postal strike in 07, the post office "Lost" 3 of the 4 copies of Packet 3 that I had sent in, and two were via SD, the post office claimed the 2 SD items had been delivered and the Embassy claimed to never have received anything, until Paul contacted our congresswoman and she got the Embassy to get on looking for the missing packets. and they finally got the last packet I sent.

I highly recommend making several copies of your Packet 3 before sending it just in case with the postal strike going on.

[Justine+David 218]

It seems like they're always going on strike....are they really that badly treated or are they being greedy?

[Justine+David 218]

Hey, read online that the "earliest" it could start is Oct 22nd, so that's 8 more days for you! Hope it'll get through to you before then. And maybe there won't be one...

[Jay&Jo 4]

Hey, read online that the "earliest" it could start is Oct 22nd, so that's 8 more days for you! Hope it'll get through to you before then. And maybe there won't be one...

thanks!!! i hope so too

[MADforMEGHAN 0]

It seems like they're always going on strike....are they really that badly treated or are they being greedy?

No there not treated badly at all ive worked for Royal mail before and its easy going their just being greedy, if they kick up a fuss every now and then Royal mail gives out £1000 incentive bonuses to every member of staff if the overall figures improve and they’ve done this quite a few times now so the staff know if they want a bonus just go on strike or at least the unions do.

I wouldn’t worry to much about the backlog it wont take long to clear, again its all extra money for the staff in overtime + as far as im aware its not a general strike different sorting offices are taking turns so there is a good chance it wont affect anything. As far as getting stuff lost there being a strike wont make any difference it just happens from time to time, There are plenty of other options to use courier wise: TNT, UPS, Parcel force (Part of Royal mail but doesn’t go through the same depots), FedEx, etc.... just google it

[ohlpomr 0]

Oh man I'm furious!

I have an RFE which is due on 22 Oct. If I don't return it by then, my I-130 gets denied and I have to re-apply (PAY $$$).

I sent my docs back on 12 Oct (last monday). From my London address to the embassy's London address, and it is still showing up as "untraceable"

I'm going to resend the docs via special delivery right now and cross my fingers these mailmen will actually deliver it this time.

Why do they call their strike "industrial action?" Wouldn't it be INDUSTRIOUS to actually DELIVER the mail people are paying for!? Theres an idea...