RE: EU snail mail: We write with reference to the above item on the front page of Friday's Mercury and wonder what your readers think of this

RE: EU snail mail: We write with reference to the above item on the front page of Friday's Mercury and wonder what your readers think of this one. We had to re-arrange our mortgage agreement and to be effective and without going into arrears, we had to return the necessary forms within 10 days of the due payment date April 22. We therefore, thought it would be beneficial to return the forms by Recorded Delivery under first class post. We paid the necessary fee at the Worle Post Office and received our confirmation slip which could be tracked on the internet if necessary. On April 24 I checked my bank account to see no payment had gone through at all. Quickly onto the mortgage department it transpired no forms had been received by them. We therefore decided to follow the instructions on the confirmation slip and track the item. It was a pre-recorded messaging service requesting the relevant number of the recorded item. We repeated the number because they could not identify it. We thought our phone was playing up and used another one in the house only to get the same message. We tried another number which was also automated and whilst one of us was on the telephone, the other opened the computer and internet. It was tracked on the internet having been recorded on April 4 and it was delivered at 8am April 24 - 20 days to be delivered. When we eventually got through to someone on the telephone they confirmed this information was correct and that if we were not happy with the service we could file a complaint and they would send out the necessary forms. They took another three days to arrive, and we have been told the investigation could take up to 30 days to finalise after receipt of this acknowledgement.Snail pace is what is to come - but what have we got now? Our mail used to be delivered between 8 and 9am now we are lucky to see it by 10.30-11.30am. It has also come to light that at the beginning of April, cheques sent in the postal system have gone astray and companies sending out standard statement of accounts have only just been received by their account holders - nearly 20 days after their despatch date. Coincidentally, the postal charges went up on April 2 and it would appear bags of mail went into a black hole! Explanations and apologies would be good for starters. What other surprises are around the corner? Increased costs, late deliveries, non deliveries and customer service non existent.NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED