What’s Gone Wrong? That is the question many of you are asking me!!! Since March 2008 I have sent over 6,000 QSL cards Via the RSGB Bureau. It was around that time last year that the RSGB QSL Bureau was tendered out to Norcomm, headed by Richard Constantine. I have been in touch with Richard and asked him the Question that you have been asking me for the last two months. Where are our QSL cards? Richard tells me that there was a delay of some months and now there is just a standard backlog of a couple of months cards at the RSGB QSL Bureau. Starting from this year I have sent several thousand cards to Bureaus Direct.
Every QSL request received here either from a QSL card or Via email has been answered swiftly.
It is now November 2009 and from what you are telling me, my QSL cards sent through the RSGB still have not even started filtering through the system. Yes I am upset! There is nothing I can do, I do not even know if my cards are in the system or not.
If you are concerned and need that QSL then all I can say is send to me DIRECT. For future Bureau requests all I can do is where finances allow I will send to Bureaus Direct to speed things up. But with so many asking “RSGB QSL Bureau – What’s Gone Wrong!” The answer is we do not know!
Have you received a QSL Via M3SDE / M0URX that was sent in 2008 Via RSGB Bureau? (NOT direct) If yes, then please email me using the “Contact M0URX” page. This will tell me if the cards are missing or in the system. Thanks.
Latest 27/11/09 – As far as i can tell it appears that there has been a delay of outgoing QSL cards to Russia and Ukraine this has been caused by significant inceases in carriage costs. An alternative carrier has now been sought and the cards dating back to this time last year will then be forwarded on. Thanks to all involved in helping to resolve this matter.
Latest 28/11/09 – A box of incoming QSL cards from RAC Canada also reports that no QSL cards have been received from the RSGB since April 2008.
More complaints roll in to my email address this time from Japan of undelivered Bureau cards. Believe me guys, I am doing my best behind the scenes.
Click the link header to read more on my investigation.
Here is the second email that i have just sent to Richard and CC to RSGB General Manager
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your email regarding missing Outgoing Bureau cards from me. I have thought hard about how to deal with this problem. Certainly during the move and until your PO Box was established we were advised to send to the Potters Bar PO Box which I did. What worries me greatly is I quote:
“Mail was being forwarded to us , whilst HQ was in Potters Bar but stopped following the move. My recollection is that deliveries passed on from the old P.O .Box finally re started around late August time and there had been a gap of maybe 2 and a half months.”
Judging by the significant amount of complaints that I am receiving I am concerned that these boxes may have been destroyed. Also some other outgoing cards before you took over and up until September 2008 have also never been delivered or appeared in the system elsewhere.
I cannot stress how big a serious situation this is. All the boxes had my return address on, had they been undeliverable at least one would have made it back to me. Following the death of M5AAV I took on this voluntary job which I thoroughly enjoy but I now feel that it was for nothing as I can’t get those cards delivered that were left after Graham’s death.
Because of the problem I face, I have been forced to add a Blog on my website explaining the situation to the people waiting for outgoing cards from me. It could just be that the delay in outgoing cards from Halifax was that great that they are still in the system, however in parcels and packages that I have sent out direct to individual Bureaus. The feedback I am getting is that those cards are delivered as quick in some cases as 3 weeks from my dispatch. A ham from Ukraine even went to the Ukranian QSL Bureau on my behalf to ask about boxes from RSGB, all is clear in Ukraine, and there were hundreds of cards to Ukraine dating back to March 2008 that have never arrived. Are those cards in Halifax in the Ukrainian out Box?
To reprint a large amount of cards is probably not an option due to costs involved so I have invited people to send to me Direct. However my confidence in the Outgoing Bureau System at the moment is shattered! When not one QSL card has got through since March 2008 that I am aware of.
I have CC this email to Peter Kirby to see if between us we can establish an investigation into where the Boxes have gone? Also what is the future for Outgoing Bureau cards at RSGB QSL Bureau.
I am so sorry to send this email Richard, you continue to get my full support, I understand what a hard job the Bureau work is. I just need to understand why there is such a delay when all the feedback I receive from RSGB is everything is “normal”
Thank you in advance.
Editor – Any emails received will be treated in the strictest of confidence if required.
