HUNDREDS of Brits were left furious after Royal Mail’s tracking service went down yesterday.
According to DownDetector, over 81 percent of users had reported a tech outage with the part of the site that lets customers track their expected deliveries.
The Royal Mail page stated: “We’re sorry our service is temporarily unavailable. We are working on fixing the problem.”
Reports on Downdetector dropped last night to under 70, with some customers sharing that they can now track their parcels.
One furious user wrote: “The Royal Mail are jokers, put up a statement and tell your customers how poor you are and how you are hiding a bigger problem, there are people waiting on important things, paid RM a decent amount of money to send, and you are not delivering and tracking still down, I for one now will use different courier services now for all my items I send, you have no respect for your loyal customers.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson told The Sun: “We are sorry our online service is temporarily unavailable. Our technical teams are aware of the issue, resolutions are in place, and we are working to return to our usual service as soon as possible. Please be reassured that this is a technical issue and will not affect an item’s delivery. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
Read our live blog below for the latest news and updates…
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Royal Mail’s tracking site now back
Royal Mail’s tracking is now back for customers.
According to DownDetector, there are no longer any issues with Royal Mail.
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When could your parcels arrive?
The Royal Mail delivers Monday to Saturday every week.
However, weekend delivery depends on where you live and what kind of mail you are expecting.
Details on Saturday service locations can be found on the Royal Mail website.
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How much does the Royal Mail make?
In March 2022, Royal Mail posted a financial year-end profit of £758million.
This was an 8% rise from March 2021.
The company’s results for 2023 will be released early next year.
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Who owns Royal Mail?
Royal Mail is owned by private shareholders.
The selling process began in 2013, and finished in 2015.
The biggest share is owned by Daniel Křetínský, a Czech billionaire whose Vesa investment group controls 25% of the company.
Royal Mail started operating in 1516, and remained publicly owned until 2011, when the coalition government at the time passed the Postal Services Act, which allowed 90% of the service to be privatised.
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How are postage prices decided?
The Royal Mail typically increases the price of stamps annually and last year the price rose in April.
Normally, it gives customers advance warning of around a month before pushing up prices.
This year the hike was announced in March.
But the price of first class stamps also rose by 15p to £1.25 on October 2.
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Does Royal Mail deliver everyday?
The Royal Mail delivers Monday to Saturday every week.
However, weekend delivery depends on where you live and what kind of mail you are expecting.
Details on Saturday service locations can be found on the Royal Mail website.
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Customers left furious by outage
Taking to social media, one person wrote: “Hello, I am trying to track a package but the website isn’t working.
“What are my options? Thank you.”
And someone else added: “What’s up with your tracking page? Website not working.”
One furious user wrote: “The Royal Mail are jokers, put up a statement and tell your customers how poor you are and how you are hiding a bigger problem, there are people waiting on important things, paid RM a decent amount of money to send, and you are not delivering and tracking still down, I for one now will use different courier services now for all my items I send, you have no respect for your loyal customers.”
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Am I entitled to compensation from Royal Mail?
While you may not be able to claim compensation for the tracking system being down, you might be able to get money back if your parcel is delayed or lost.
If the item was sent somewhere within the UK, the normal compensation is a book of six first class stamps, according to Citizen’s Advice.
If it was sent by special delivery then you’ll get a full refund of the cost.
You can claim compensation online via the Royal Mail website or by picking up a paper claim form from your nearest Post Office.
You’ll need to provide information including proof of postage.
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How can I contact Royal Mail?
There are several ways to get in touch with Royal Mail.
If you have social media then you can Tweet the @RoyalMailHelp Twitter page.
Bear in mind that this is separate to the general Royal Mail Twitter account.
You can also speak to the company by phoning 0345 774 0740 or by filling in a complaint form on its website.
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What issues are customers facing?
Royal Mail customers have faced issues with the tracking service on the website.
Over 80 percent of the issues are in relation to tracking.
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Reports drop below 100
Issue reports are continuing to drop on Downdetector.
They currently stand at around 65.
One customer recently commented: “Ive just got it all back in sheffield for the moment.”
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Tracking now works for some users
Some customers have shared that Royal Mail tracking is now working for them.
One wrote on Downdetector: “Tracking now finally up, for how long i dont know.”
Another added: “Finally the tracking is working on the app(Kinda) as it’s missing 4 days worth of tracking information that was showing up until yesterday.
“It didn’t recognise my tracking number though when entering it to pay a customs charge, so had to pay it using just my address and date on card.”
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‘Not very happy’
Upset customers continue to vent about the issues with Royal Mail.
One commented on the DownDetector page: “I waited in all day for my parcel to arrive but had no reply.
“Not very happy with royal mail.”
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Reports slowly lower
Reports now sit at around 120 on DownDetector.
Issues arose early this morning, and reports reached around 650.
Most of the issues reported with Royal Mail involve tracking.
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Most reported locations
According to Downdetector, the most reported locations experiencing issues include:
- London
- Bristol
- Liverpool
- Manchester
- Nottingham
- Leeds
- Birmingham
- Glasgow
- Edinburgh
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Customers are frustrated
Royal Mail customers have taken to Downdetector to vent about the issues.
“Collections aren’t working. Again,” one customer wrote.
“Tracking isn’t working. Again. Every couple of weeks, regular as clockwork this happens. What on earth is going on?”
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Does Royal Mail deliver everyday?
The Royal Mail delivers Monday to Saturday every week.
However, weekend delivery depends on where you live and what kind of mail you are expecting.
Details on Saturday service locations can be found on the Royal Mail website.
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Complaints on the rise again as outage continues
After a period of decline, user reports of an outage at Royal Mail are on the rise once again.
Users have been unable to access Royal Mail’s tracking service.
A Royal Mail spokesperson told The Sun: “We are sorry our online service is temporarily unavailable.
“Our technical teams are aware of the issue, resolutions are in place, and we are working to return to our usual service as soon as possible. Please be reassured that this is a technical issue and will not affect an item’s delivery. We apologise for any inconvenience.
“Please be reassured that this is a technical issue and will not affect an item’s delivery. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
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How much does the Royal Mail make?
In March 2022, Royal Mail posted a financial year-end profit of £758million.
This was an 8% rise from March 2021.
The company’s results for 2023 will be released early next year.
-
Who owns Royal Mail?
Royal Mail is owned by private shareholders.
The selling process began in 2013, and finished in 2015.
The biggest share is owned by Daniel Křetínský, a Czech billionaire whose Vesa investment group controls 25% of the company.
Royal Mail started operating in 1516, and remained publicly owned until 2011, when the coalition government at the time passed the Postal Services Act, which allowed 90% of the service to be privatised.
-
How are postage prices decided?
The Royal Mail typically increases the price of stamps annually and last year the price rose in April.
Normally, it gives customers advance warning of around a month before pushing up prices.
This year the hike was announced in March.
But the price of first class stamps also rose by 15p to £1.25 on October 2.
-
How can I contact Royal Mail?
There are several ways to get in touch with Royal Mail.
If you have social media then you can Tweet the @RoyalMailHelp Twitter page.
Bear in mind that this is separate to the general Royal Mail Twitter account.
You can also speak to the company by phoning 0345 774 0740 or by filling in a complaint form on its website.
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Customers fume as outage continues
Royal Mail customers have taken to social media to vent their frustration this afternoon.
One said: “How is it possible that your tracking service is down for the last hour @RoyalMail ? RoyalMail have just one job and this is how they do it….”
A second commented: “Tracking down AGAIN. Boring hell.”
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‘Unable to track items’
Royal Mail has confirmed via a post on X that online tracking information is still unavailable.
The post said: “We’re currently unable to track items for you either online or on the phone due to a system issue.
“Deliveries are taking place as normal. We’re looking into this and will get it fixed as soon as possible. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.”
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Service update
Royal Mail’s tracker is still not working for customers.
The site has been down since around 7am this morning.
