Is postal department serious in rendering quality service to its valued customers?

The Department of Post (DoP) seems to have shifted its focus from rendering quality service to generating revenue sources, although both are of equal importance. Here is an ideal example where the Regional Transport Office (RTO) sent a vehicle RC book through Speed Post to deliver on a postal address in Chavani (Cantonment). The road distance between the sender and the receiver is hardly three km, but it took five days to reach the vehicle document in the vehicle owner's hands.

Besides, it was not delivered at home, but the receiver was compelled to go and collect it from Kranti Chowk sub-post office. This incident puts us to think whether the DoP is serious in rendering quality service to its valued customer or not?

The RTO office sent the RC book on January 15, 2021 (afternoon). It was supposed to deliver on the postal address: H.No - xxxx, Gavalipura, Near Ajantha, Bhavan (wrong mention of a comma after Ajantha), Near Ratan Doli Bajaj (it should be Baja) Chavan (although Chavani is mentioned on DoP portal), Aurangabad. Pin - 431005. The address also mentioned a mobile number of the receiver on the envelope. Accordingly, the envelope started its journey from sorting hub to Kranti Chowk sub-post office; then to Cantonment sub-post office. However, the official here neither took pain to check the postal address online (as raise doubt on postal address) or contacted on the given mobile number. The officials directed it to Ajanta sub-post office. It was re-directed to Kranti Chowk sub-post office claiming it as insufficient address. The customer then contacted the Kranti Chowk sub-post office and collected it by hand (not home delivery). He reached on time as it was about to be forwarded to Bamu sub-post office. When inquired why no postal employees contacted on the mobile number. He said," Why should we call?"

" One wrong mistake of RTO (for mentioning 431005) was repeated by all efficient postal personnel. None of them took pain to contact on the given mobile number with a quest to deliver the vehicle document. It also depicts the seriousness of DoP in handling the important vehicle document sent by the RTO," said the vehicle-owner. Adds an expert, " If this is a practice, then what is the use of mobile number along with the postal address. On the one hand the DoP claims of introducing customer-friendly services, but on the other hand, it is falling short in rendering satisfactory services."

As per the service standards for the delivery of Speed Post (from booking to delivery) in local is 1-2 days (average time duration), metro to metro is 1-3 days, state capital to state capital is 1-4 days, the same state is 1-4 days and rest of the country is 4-5 days.

The postal officials on the inquiry said the local Speed Post is delivered on the very next day. It could take a couple of days more days if the postal address is insufficient. In such a case, we contact on the mentioned cellphone number. If we found the cell number and address (both wrong), we sent it back to the sender. Five per cent of shortcoming in service is there due to the above two issues.

The senior superintendent of posts (SSP) G Siva Nagaraju, the competent authority of Aurangabad and Jalna districts, was not available to comment on the issue.