Canada Post's phasing out of home mail delivery

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

As bad as the pickup points are for private couriers in general, the pickup points for most of them in Ottawa are singularly terrible. And the customer service is disgraceful.

I have had to turn down transactions in which someone insisted the only way the could get something to me was by FedEx or UPS, and have shocked other companies by insisting on just mailing me the thing instead of private-couriering it.

I nagged Canada Post for years to send my packages to the closest postal outlet (300m from where I lived) instead of the 8th closest postal outlet (1.5km from where I lived).

[McC]

did they change it eventually? I used to be in a similar situation and decided it would probably be easier to buy, renovate and relocate to a house that was closer to the outlet

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by acottawa

I nagged Canada Post for years to send my packages to the closest postal outlet (300m from where I lived) instead of the 8th closest postal outlet (1.5km from where I lived).

Had a similar problem when I lived in the north part of the Glebe, but got packages at a convenience store in Old Ottawa South.

And 1.5km away? Pffft. Try picking up a private courier package out by the airport, or in the southeastern industrial area, an hour-long bus trip to the closest stop (which is also a mile from the pickup place.)

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Had a similar problem when I lived in the north part of the Glebe, but got packages at a convenience store in Old Ottawa South.

And 1.5km away? Pffft. Try picking up a private courier package out by the airport, or in the southeastern industrial area, an hour-long bus trip to the closest stop (which is also a mile from the pickup place.)

UPS sent packages to my local drum store, for some reason.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by McC

did they change it eventually? I used to be in a similar situation and decided it would probably be easier to buy, renovate and relocate to a house that was closer to the outlet

They did change it eventually, not sure if my nagging had anything to do with it.

[1overcosc]

UPS isn't that bad for pickup points.. however, FedEx sucks and Purolator is the absolute worst. Before I buy anything online I always check with the shipper what they use for shipping, and if they say Purolator I ask them to use someone else, and if they won't do that, I won't buy.

Aside from having the most inconvenient pickup point ever (very edge of the city, barely accessible by transit, not open evenings or weekends) their service is just plain horrible. I have video-camera proof of one who didn't even attempt a delivery.. rather, he tiptoed up to my door as quietly as possible, stuck the notice on the door and then ran away. And when I called the supervisor, confronted them with my video evidence, and asked for a redelivery, the supervisor screamed at me and said she would throw my package in the garbage if I didn't immediately delete my video. I had to threaten to sue before they agreed to redeliver.

(As to why I had the video in the first place, at the time I was dealing with an ex-partner stalking me so I put it up on my front step as a precaution).

[rocketphish]

Canada Post to end community mailbox conversions as part of Liberal reforms
Advisory panel will seek options for people with accessibility issues who have already been converted

By Kathleen Harris, CBC News
Posted: Jan 24, 2018 7:26 AM ET Last Updated: Jan 24, 2018 12:34 PM ET

The Liberal government is scrapping a program to replace door-to-door mail delivery with community mailboxes as part of a broader plan to renew Canada Post.

Public Services Minister Carla Qualtrough announced the changes at a Canada Post plant in Mississauga, Ont., this morning, calling the corporation an "iconic Canadian institution."

Since 2014, about 840,000 households their door-to-door delivery halted, and were instead required to walk down the street to a community box. The plan, brought in as a cost-saving measure under the previous Conservative government, was to convert some five million addresses. It caused a massive public backlash, with seniors and Canadians with disabilities angry about the changes.

As part of the current revisions, a national advisory panel will be struck to seek options for serving people with accessibility issues who have already been converted to community mailboxes, as they will not be reversed.

"We decided to adopt a forward-looking vision for Canada Post," she said. "We're not going to put the toothpaste back in the tube. We're not going to reverse these decisions that were made by the former government."

Converting the remaining 4.2 million households was expected to save about $350 million.

The Liberals promised during the 2015 election campaign to "save home mail delivery."

"By ending door-to-door mail delivery, Stephen Harper is asking Canadians to pay more for less service. That is unacceptable," the platform read. "We will stop Stephen Harper's plan to end door-to-door mail delivery in Canada and undertake a new review of Canada Post to make sure that it provides high-quality service at a reasonable price to Canadians, no matter where they live."

The conversions were suspended shortly after the Liberals took office.

The new plan includes changes to the financial rules so Canada Post can reinvest its profits in service and innovation so the corporation can remain financially self-sustaining, efficient and responsive to customers.

The minister said she expects Canada Post to examine trends, innovations and best practices that have been adopted in other countries. Scaling back the frequency of mail delivery and establishing lock boxes for weekend parcel delivery are some options for consideration, she said.

The "service-first" approach comes at a time of major transformation, where traditional letter mail has decreased dramatically in the digital age, while parcel delivery has spiked due to e-commerce.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has railed against community mailbox program, calling it "disastrous." The union will react to today's announcement at a news conference at 2 p.m. ET.

CARP, an advocacy group for seniors, welcomed an end to the community mailboxes, saying it proved to be a "barrier" to accessing important communications in a safe and timely manner.

"We are pleased that as well as stopping future conversions, the government has committed to providing door-to-door delivery for those who currently have a community mailbox but, through age or disability, cannot safely access it," said advocacy vice-president Wanda Morris. "We will work to ensure the government follows through on that commitment."

Senior leadership at the post office, which is in the midst of a large-scale turnover that includes a search for a new CEO, will also be mandated to establish more cordial labour relations.

As well, officials say the government will push Canada Post to promote its remittance services, encouraging more customers in Canada to use the postal service to send money to friends and family abroad.

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has called instead for a reintroduction of banking services at postal outlets as a way to make money, an idea that has been rejected by the agency.

While mail deliveries by postal workers have been declining drastically in recent years, Canada Post has seen parcel delivery volumes soar, up by almost 39 per cent in the third quarter of 2017 alone.

With files from The Canadian Press

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberals-end-community-mailbox-conversions-1.4501291

[HighwayStar]

Dumbest... decision... ever.

As someone whose significant other is very high up in Canada Post... I've watched this nonsense first-hand for the past 5 years. Mail volumes are declining and Deepak has done everything possible to keep CP in a positive cash-flow situation.

My $0.02:
- I love my newly installed CMB... allows me to get parcels without a trip then next day to my local Postal outlet.
- Parcels are the future. Amazon was their biggest customer. When CP went on strike just before Christmas in 2016, Amazon said, "do something"... or we're starting our own delivery service. Now how many of your Amazon parcels come from Canada Post? Shooting yourself in the foot 101...
- Getting into banking??? looks like they started their legalized pot a little early
- The biggest question.... how much will taxpayers be on the hook to clean up the mess?

Word is Deepak simply had enough with Intransigent Unions and Government (political) interference.

Now with the government dictating policy outright, and the unions on the Board of Directors, there is no possible way this next phase can end well.

[roger1818]

The way I see it is home delivery is basically a fixed cost regardless of the amount of mail delivered and it only benifits the recipient (not the sender who is paying the postage). As a reslt, why not have "communities" (the size of the community TBD) decide, in a reforendum, if they want home delivery and if the vote is yes, the additional cost gets paid as a surcharge on their property tax bill.

[lrt's friend]

My community mail box is out of sight and therefore out of mind, so I rarely pick up my mail. So, for me it is a great deterioration in service. The effectiveness of flyers sent to my mail box is next to useless, mostly out of date by the time I see them. Instant trash.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

Dumbest... decision... ever.

As someone whose significant other is very high up in Canada Post... I've watched this nonsense first-hand for the past 5 years. Mail volumes are declining and Deepak has done everything possible to keep CP in a positive cash-flow situation.

My $0.02:
- I love my newly installed CMB... allows me to get parcels without a trip then next day to my local Postal outlet.
- Parcels are the future. Amazon was their biggest customer. When CP went on strike just before Christmas in 2016, Amazon said, "do something"... or we're starting our own delivery service. Now how many of your Amazon parcels come from Canada Post? Shooting yourself in the foot 101...
- Getting into banking??? looks like they started their legalized pot a little early
- The biggest question.... how much will taxpayers be on the hook to clean up the mess?

Word is Deepak simply had enough with Intransigent Unions and Government (political) interference.

Now with the government dictating policy outright, and the unions on the Board of Directors, there is no possible way this next phase can end well.

I very much agree, I got the last batch of CMBs to be converted before the program was cancelled, and I think they're great. Canada Post surveyed the neighborhood, shared the result of the surveys, and installed the boxes in the locations where the surveys said to. It couldn't have been a better run process.

Before the box, my carrier was delivering mail from a van, as parcel volumes were so high.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

My community mail box is out of sight and therefore out of mind, so I rarely pick up my mail. So, for me it is a great deterioration in service. The effectiveness of flyers sent to my mail box is next to useless, mostly out of date by the time I see them. Instant trash.

I'm in a newer subdivision so have always had a mailbox, but the location is also bad in that they put all the mailboxes for 3 different crescents in one place, not centred but st the far end. As a result my mailbox is a good 5-10 minute walk away, so it's lucky if I pick up the mail once a week.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

Dumbest... decision... ever.

As someone whose significant other is very high up in Canada Post... I've watched this nonsense first-hand for the past 5 years. Mail volumes are declining and Deepak has done everything possible to keep CP in a positive cash-flow situation.

My $0.02:
- I love my newly installed CMB... allows me to get parcels without a trip then next day to my local Postal outlet.
- Parcels are the future. Amazon was their biggest customer. When CP went on strike just before Christmas in 2016, Amazon said, "do something"... or we're starting our own delivery service. Now how many of your Amazon parcels come from Canada Post? Shooting yourself in the foot 101...
- Getting into banking??? looks like they started their legalized pot a little early
- The biggest question.... how much will taxpayers be on the hook to clean up the mess?

Word is Deepak simply had enough with Intransigent Unions and Government (political) interference.

Now with the government dictating policy outright, and the unions on the Board of Directors, there is no possible way this next phase can end well.

All of mine still do.

I always try and get Canada Post delivery whenever I can and will generally refuse to buy from online sites that send through FedEx, UPS, Purolator, etc. If you aren't home to make deliveries (which for working people like me is basically every time) Canada Post sends it to a post office down the street that's open evenings and weekends. The other guys make you shlep halfway across the city to a depot that typically has shitty hours.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

All of mine still do.

I always try and get Canada Post delivery whenever I can and will generally refuse to buy from online sites that send through FedEx, UPS, Purolator, etc. If you aren't home to make deliveries (which for working people like me is basically every time) Canada Post sends it to a post office down the street that's open evenings and weekends. The other guys make you shlep halfway across the city to a depot that typically has shitty hours.

Thats not the case in Ottawa. 5 of my last 6 deliveries have been NON-Canada Post by Amazon. There is no way to select your carrier with Amazon.

Their delivery service consists of hiring anyone with a vehicle to drive around and leave it on one's porch. I had $200 worth of electronics sitting on my porch all day last month... while the CMB sat empty across the street.

I imagine the bigger the city, the less reliant they are on CP.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

The other guys make you shlep halfway across the city to a depot that typically has shitty hours.

In Kanata/Stittsville at least, the depot for both FedEx and Purolator is Jiffy Photo on Hazeldean Rd . They are centrally located and have great hours. Not quite as convenient as Canada Post, but still pretty good. I was talking to them last time I went to pick up a parcel and almost half of their revenue comes from parcel pickup and drop-off. Maybe there is an opportunity for small businesses in other parts of the city to make some extra money.

[HomeInMyShoes]

FedEx and Purolator here are bad, but no one is as bad as DHL. They are beyond the worst delivery company in Canada. They might be big and trusted in Europe, but they aren't even dog's breakfast material here.

[zzptichka]

CMB is the best thing to have happened to my Canada post service experience since online shipping (10+ years?)

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

- Getting into banking??? looks like they started their legalized pot a little early

Why is postal banking such a difficult thing for Canadians to accept?

It might look crazy from an urbanite's perspective, but this would make a huge difference in many remote and rural communities.

[HighwayStar]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

Why is postal banking such a difficult thing for Canadians to accept?

It might look crazy from an urbanite's perspective, but this would make a huge difference in many remote and rural communities.

So what would be the cost of setting up "banking" in remote communities vs return on that investment?

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

So what would be the cost of setting up "banking" in remote communities vs return on that investment?

That's something for Canada Post to consider and worry about if they decide to examine the concept further, not a reason to dismiss the idea out of hand.