Although a registered item of mine was recorded by the Suvarnabhumi Mail Centre as having departed the Outward OE on 13 October, it has apparently still not been received at the Langley HWDC in the UK 16 days (and counting) on. Whereas the State Pension Life Certificate I sent to the IPC by registered mail this time last year was received at Langley 11 days after departing the Outward OE.

 

I am at a loss to understand why it is taking so much longer for my latest registered item to complete its journey from Thailand to the UK than was the case for my last Life Certificate – the more so since the impact of COVID-19 on postal services should, I would have thought, have more likely diminished rather than increased over the past 12 months. The only explanation for the delay which springs to mind is that more rigorous and time-consuming customs checks might have been put in place on outgoing and incoming mail at Suvarnabhumi and/or Heathrow in the meantime.

 

It might be relevant in this connection that I did have to complete a customs declaration form for my latest registered item, unlike in the case of last year’s Life Certificate.

 

However, what has others’ experiences been in sending trackable mail to the UK in recent times?

 

Slightly of topic. I had a envelope send next day delivery from Norwich to Newcastle.

on the 14th Oct arrived yesterday 28th. According to friends in the UK this seems to be the norm now.

Hope yours turns up.

22 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

Slightly of topic. I had a envelope send next day delivery from Norwich to Newcastle.

on the 14th Oct arrived yesterday 28th. According to friends in the UK this seems to be the norm now.

Hope yours turns up.

According to this unofficial website it would appear that there is "a bit of a backlog" across Royal Mail at the present time, presumably as a result of a combination of COVID-19 and the current UK lorry drivers' shortage:-

 

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/home.php

 

Although Heathrow has not been specifically mentioned on this website as far as I can tell, I imagine that any shortage of drivers would, in their case, be compounded by the need for drivers to have airside clearance in order to collect mail originating from abroad and drive it the short distance to Langley where it is first recorded on tracking systems as having been safely received in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, OJAS said:

According to this unofficial website it would appear that there is "a bit of a backlog" across Royal Mail at the present time, presumably as a result of a combination of COVID-19 and the current UK lorry drivers' shortage:-

 

https://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/home.php

 

Although Heathrow has not been specifically mentioned on this website as far as I can tell, I imagine that any shortage of drivers would, in their case, be compounded by the need for drivers to have airside clearance in order to collect mail originating from abroad and drive it the short distance to Langley where it is first recorded on tracking systems as having been safely received in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

My envelope had new credit cards, driving licence and the new European Health card. I was going to have them sent out here but I’ll wait in the hope that things improve.

2 letters sent by me to the UK both arrived safely in about 3 weeks, the longest leg of their journey being BKK to Langley. 

 

The most likely reason for the slow service is a lack of mail carrying flights and we all know why that could be.