# What's Going On with An Post?



## delgirl (18 Oct 2005)

Does anyone have any inside information as to what the situation is with An Post and letter/parcel deliveries?

I saw the end of a snippet on the 6 O'Clock news one day last week mentioning a possible strike before Christmas and a backlog of mail.

Has anyone experienced mail being delivered late?

I've just started up a nice little business on ebay, am doing quite well and would like to maintain the momentum, but am worried I might get negative feedback if the items take a long time to reach their destinations, or worse still don't arrive at all!


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## jhegarty (18 Oct 2005)

delgirl said:
			
		

> Does anyone have any inside information as to what the situation is with An Post and letter/parcel deliveries?
> 
> I saw the end of a snippet on the 6 O'Clock news one day last week mentioning a possible strike before Christmas and a backlog of mail.
> 
> ...



i am still waiting for a letter posted on the 7th...


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## RainyDay (18 Oct 2005)

One of the morning radio news shows mentioned that 100+ (approx 9%) of their Dublin postmen were off sick yesterday.


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## CCOVICH (18 Oct 2005)

Apparently it takes 3 weeks to get an A4 envelope delivered (according to a guest on _The Last Word_ last week)


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## Janet (18 Oct 2005)

This is what we were told in work more or less, small white envelopes and A5 (C5) envelopes, will take 2 or 3 working days to be delivered within the Dublin area and to the rest of Ireland.  A4 (C4) envelopes and larger packages sent within the Dublin area and to the rest of Ireland will take 5 or 6 days to be delivered.  

There's always talk of strikes around Christmas but I think there's a ballot in the next week or two just can't remember where I heard that.


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## Havana (18 Oct 2005)

I'm still waiting on a letter posted 8 days ago!! And it not arriving has cost me money.


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## Leo (18 Oct 2005)

I've been waiting for two parcels from the UK for stuff bought on EBay. One of them was posted more than two weeks ago, the other morea than three!! Just got refunds from both as they were able to claim from Royal Mail as the parcels hadn't arrived within 15 days. Anyone else having these problems? These make it five parcels that have gone missing in the post to me this year!
Leo


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## Cahir (18 Oct 2005)

I was waiting on two packages from England.  One took 3 weeks and the other took 6 weeks from the dispatch confirmation emails!!  On the other hand, I ordered something from America on a Wednesday and had it the following Monday.


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## larry1 (18 Oct 2005)

From a good pal who works in the GPO... Results from the ballot to strike are due this Friday and he informs me that from speaking to colleagues in An Post, that the strike is 99% certain to go ahead!


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## fobs (18 Oct 2005)

I too ordered some stuff from ebay and received 2 packages on the same day one with a postmark of the 26th sept and the other the 8th of Oct .Both arrived the 14th of October. I had almost given up on the first arriving at all. This is a marked change since last year when I was receiving parcel post from the UK which arrived within the week


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## tomthumb (18 Oct 2005)

My postie told me that the problem is simply not enough people to deliver the post so it piles up in the sorting offices.  Our local one is one of the worst affected - took 6 days for package posted in GPO to arrive here in south dublin.   People who retired, left, sick etc were never replaced due to cutbacks so those who come into work can only do so much, hence the bags left unopened. No recruitement cos they say they cant afford to pay new staff.  Overtime is severely cut back and as my postie said, he would be only able to deliver so much extra post to another area after doing his own even if they paid him huge overtime to do it.  Posties are still owed money going back several years from some pay agreement yet management have been able to pay themselves nice wage increases since.   Maybe time to sort it out once and for all?


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## getoffthepot (18 Oct 2005)

I got a letter from Scotland today 18/10 which was postmarked 29/9.

I had given up on it coming. Half A4 size (whatever that is) posted air mail £1.47stg.


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## podgerodge (18 Oct 2005)

tomthumb said:
			
		

> My postie told me that the problem is simply not enough people to deliver the post so it piles up in the sorting offices.  People who retired, left, sick etc were never replaced due to cutbacks so those who come into work can only do so much, hence the bags left unopened. No recruitement cos they say they cant afford to pay new staff.  Overtime is severely cut back and as my postie said, he would be only able to deliver so much extra post to another area after doing his own even if they paid him huge overtime to do it.  Posties are still owed money going back several years from some pay agreement yet management have been able to pay themselves nice wage increases since.   Maybe time to sort it out once and for all?



Exactly what I heard from a neighbour up the road who works in An Post - as he put it, they go to a retirement party and say to each other "well, one less to do the post"


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## Guest127 (18 Oct 2005)

More insider ( dad was a postie, though not in Dublin) the staff are due arrears of SP from November 2003. An Post told them they were broke because the 'last' management company had invested badly ie new sorting machines, SDS depot on the Naas Road, and a company in Spain and UK who sold mobile credit by computer. In comes new board and together with a new Chairperson who was a political appointee. She states that 25,000 per annum isn't enough for her and hey presto - her €25,000 is doubled to €50,000 after a week in the job. Is it any wonder the posties are pissed off. and those 'bad' investments by the previous board - the company spain and uk cost €15m and was sold off this year for €85m - a profit of €70m in two years. Wish I had made a few bad investments like that one! and as for the Naas Road site, how much is it worth now compared to when an post bought it in the 1980's or early 1990's? Think the current cx and top brass not popular with staff. They are all ex esb apparantly but that asks the question why aren't they still with Esb a company who can get almost anything they want off this government.  with an election in the next year or so Labour should be able to make hay out of it anyway.


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## Havana (19 Oct 2005)

Go a pile of about 25 letters yesterday! Felt so popular!!! Never usually get more than 3 letters if any. But some were almost 2 weeks old!!


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## rgfuller (19 Oct 2005)

fobs said:
			
		

> I too ordered some stuff from ebay and received 2 packages on the same day one with a postmark of the 26th sept and the other the 8th of Oct .Both arrived the 14th of October. I had almost given up on the first arriving at all. This is a marked change since last year when I was receiving parcel post from the UK which arrived within the week


 
I had the same issue. 2 parcels from amazon in the UK.
1 dispatched on the 27th sept and 1 on 8 oct - both arrived on the 14th as well!

Maybe Royal mail are holding off on deliveries to the republic knowing the difficulty an post are in, or maybe it's like others have said they just waited in the sorting depot until someone got around to them.


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## tomthumb (19 Oct 2005)

Might I suggest we all really do something to change things and complain to An Post?   I believe they have a customer service department and if every late delivery, etc. was logged, surely they would have to take on more people especially with the heavy post of Christmas coming up very soon?
Letter Post Section, GPO, Dublin 1
letterpost@anpost.ie


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## ClubMan (19 Oct 2005)

Putting complaints in written (not email) form to businesses/organisations is usually more official and more likely to get a response in my experience. Have you voiced your complaints to them already _tomthumb_? If you don't get a satisfactory response from _An Post _then take it up with [broken link removed].


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## brodiebabe (19 Oct 2005)

It quite amazing my post alwys seem to take ages to arrive except for my TV licence renewal notice which took 1 day to arrive!!!!


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## tomthumb (19 Oct 2005)

I know the sender of the package we received 5 days late had sent a written complaint regarding it.   He received a fairly standard letter apologising etc. but nothing to actually explain exactly why it took so long and if the stack of letters was big enough complaining something could happen to change it!!  He has sworn to register these packets in future!


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## bond-007 (20 Oct 2005)

I think that Charlie Bird needs to get on the case! Anyone know his email address?


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## fcl1 (21 Oct 2005)

speaking from personal experience, the post started going really really bad in Blackrock two weeks ago - I am currently waiting for three letters I know about out - it is not unusual for Dublin items to be taking at least a week .....


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## Omega (21 Oct 2005)

Someone told me yesterday that they rang An Post asking about posting an urgent A4 envelope. Reply? better to send it by courier!


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## CCOVICH (21 Oct 2005)

I posted 2 A4 envelopes on Tuesday.  One arrived at it's destination the next day (I don't know the status of the other).  I don't know if it's relevant, but it was posted from one Dublin 1 address to another


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## tomthumb (21 Oct 2005)

Workers in An Post voted for strike action with two weeks notice.   Think some areas of Dublin are more affected than others by staff shortages, etc.    Happy Christmas - no cards to post eh?  Always a bright side!


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## soc (21 Oct 2005)

I think it's ridiculous that they ALWAYS plan their strikes around Christmas time...  It's expected!  I've never heard such carry-on in other countries!  Talk about hitting below the belt.

-soc


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## daltonr (21 Oct 2005)

> Putting complaints in written (not email) form to businesses/organisations is usually more official and more likely to get a response in my experience. Have you voiced your complaints to them already _tomthumb_? If you don't get a satisfactory response from _An Post _then take it up with [broken link removed].



Brilliant,  write a letter complaining about Letter's not getting delivered!!!!!
An Post would be delighted they'd get paid for every complaint in writing that's sent (regardless of whether they receive it).   If we all start buying stamps to complain every time a letter is late they'll make a fortune.

I've been the victim of a few missing packages that show up eventually.   It's a real pain because if you've sent money for something, how long do you leave it before wondering if it was ever sent.    Is it fair to blame the sender when you know that in all probability it's An Post.    If I were selling on Ebay I'd have concerns about mailing items to Ireland.

I'm currently waiting for a DVD from the UK.   Another mailed on the same day from the same place arrived safe and sound.   The seller's are very helpful and I don't blame them at all,  they've always been excellent.

Can't say the strike threat surprises me.  Sounds about right.   Funny listening to the Last Word This evening to have the head of the union claim that they'd have public support.    I don't think he's got is finger on the pulse of the nation.

-Rd


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## Capaill (21 Oct 2005)

daltonr said:
			
		

> Funny listening to the Last Word This evening to have the head of the union claim that they'd have public support.    I don't think he's got is finger on the pulse of the nation.
> 
> -Rd


Nver mind having the finger on the pulse of the nation, if they got the finger out and done their job things wouldn't be in the mess it is in.

Caveat : before anyone lambasts me with messages looking for backup to the above statement.  It is my opinion based on what I have read in the papers and heard on the news.  You are entitled to your own opinion.


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## delgirl (22 Oct 2005)

Sent a small packet to Sweden on Wednesday, 19th October and it arrived today - Saturday, 22nd October!!!  That's really fast.  

I've been putting red 'Urgent' stickers on all the packets - maybe that's helping?  I don't know, but I hope the strike doesn't go ahead!


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## bond-007 (22 Oct 2005)

If you put urgent on it some bad imclined postie will delay it.
Fragile and they throw it around and stamp on it. Best not to draw attention.


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## tomthumb (22 Oct 2005)

If An Post paid the workers the money owed to them going back several years, the workers wouldn't be striking.  If someone owed us money we have a solicitor after them by now.  Yet management expect these workers to increase their workload, no extra money and not get the payments due years ago?   Who would call that fair I wonder?


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## daltonr (22 Oct 2005)

> If An Post paid the workers the money owed to them going back several years, the workers wouldn't be striking. If someone owed us money we have a solicitor after them by now. Yet management expect these workers to increase their workload, no extra money and not get the payments due years ago? Who would call that fair I wonder?



I don't for a second think management are blameless in all of this,  but it's not as clear cut as you're making out either.

The unions were the ones who wanted to go to the labour court, because they were sure it would award them their money.   The company must have thought so too because it refused to be bound by the findings.

When the Labour Court sided with the company suddenly it was the unions who didn't want to be bound by it's findings.   And then they have the gaul to complain that the management refused to be bound by it.

This situation is a Mess.  I don't think we're hearing the truth from either side.   It looks to me like a combination of hard nosed management with little time for the unions,  and hard nosed unions who won't accept that their company is no longer the state run charity shop that it used to be,  and it'll go broke when faced with competition from real companies.

In the short term consumers will lose out.   In the medium term the workers will lose,  and in the long term the Management will all move on to other lucrative jobs in other Semi-States or Government task forces.

By 2009 it'll all be resolved and we can get our post delayed or mislaid by any one of a number of companies.

-Rd


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## tomthumb (23 Oct 2005)

Nothing is every clear cut but 3 things I learned might be of interest (Cuchulainn's dad could correct me if incorrect but here goes.... 1) the issue originally was cost of living increase, not productivity but these got fudged together to suit management 2) Posties max is 440 per week coming up to retirement (we had new addition to our workforce last week start on 470 per week - junior position! and 3) why refuse an independent audit inspection when the management pleaded inability to pay worker but pay themselves increases if nothing to hide?


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## markowitzman (23 Oct 2005)

I think An Post workers need to be very careful. I think the management and the Government are setting them up for a fall. The union needs to be very careful with the form of action that they will take. Get the public onside. If management stone wall over the next few weeks I would worry for the union. Tomthumb the public need to hear these issues.


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## daltonr (24 Oct 2005)

tombthumb,

I only know what I've heard on the radio, and you're right the Cost of Living increase seemed to be one of if not THE big concern for the Union spokesman I heard.

Personally I'm against cost of living increases.   Paying people more increases the cost of living, which in turn creates demands for more cost of living increases.   But that aside, I can see why a Union would use inflation as a bargaining point.

The issue here is no longer about right and wrong, it's about winning and losing.   If the Unions go on strike in the run up to Christmas THEY WILL LOSE PUBLIC SUPPORT (What little is left of it).

The management and the minister will sit at home at Christmas with Grins so big the Blackrock clinic won't be able to remove them.

The governments are setting themselves up to be as much the victim as the general public.   If the Union thinks the public will turn on the management or the government they are wrong.

The general perception among the general public about Unions particularly in Public Sector or Semi-State companies is that they don't give a damn about the consumer, and they'll use any excuse to screw more money out of the company.

They see benchmarking as a government buying the support of a certain section of workers, to preserve Public Partnership, and keep Bertie in the Taoiseach's chair.

They don't see the differentials WITHIN public sector and semi state companies.   They don't realise that Gardai have gotten huge pay increases while Teachers and Nurses have gotten relatively little.   They don't know how much Postmen get paid.

The Union would be better served educating the public rather than pissing them off.   There's a reason why your Union spokesman is a Union Spokesman and not a highly paid Advertising executive.   He doesn't understand the public.

-Rd


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## battyee (24 Oct 2005)

Live in Dublin !8 . Deliveries are no longer daily & a cheque for over 100K posted in Dublin 2 took almost 2 weeks to get here. No comeback on lost interest.


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## Guest127 (24 Oct 2005)

Dad is on a pension of around €230 a week. he is not entitled to the state old age pension. in the days when he got married my mum had to leave work as women were not allowed to remain on at work. She did however return to part time work in the 70's and as a result has her own old age pension. Just as well as neither are in the full health (but they are ok.). I dont get too involved with him on this subject as it only annoys him to see the postmen a) not getting paid what he thinks they are due b) not doing their work they way he did and c) he got a little booklet a few weeks ago in the post and the post office pension scheme has 1.7billion euro in it. Read that again 1.7 billion euro and they are pleading inability to pay the pensioners. Something wrong somewhere. the last management in an post have apparantly taken out civil actions against the current management as they (new) management said the last crowd left an post with a hidden loss of €40 or something like that but the last management are disputing that. probably be settled out of court anyway and at the current workers expense no doubt. I have no doubt that when the dust settles the 'new' management team will go off to more highly paid positions, no doubt with the governments blessing and the workers will be the real losers. we all have emails now and most people dont need an post for the bills etc. again except for the poorer amoung us who rely on the post office for their pension, social welare and to pay their bills and who dont have computers . always the people at the bottom who suffer. somethings never change.


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## RainyDay (25 Oct 2005)

cuchulainn said:
			
		

> Dad is on a pension of around €230 a week. he is not entitled to the state old age pension.


I presume that his non-eligibility for the state OAP is due to the fact that he paid the old public servant reduced PRSI rate for his working career - right?


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## Guest127 (28 Oct 2005)

He was classed as a civil servant until 1984 and therefore didnt pay full prsi ( or stamp a full card as he calls it) more or less proves his point that he is owed his pension arrears. can you imagine the outcry there would be if civil servants didnt get their cost of living pension increases automatically. he didnt stamp a card as he was a civil servant until 1984, and therefore he and his colleagues appear to have been mislead by the 1984 act which apparantly stated that he would be no worse off by being a public servant from being a civil servant. From where I stand it would appear you cannot trust any government to keep its word. My dad got up most days at around 5am and went out in all weather and it was his understanding that when he retired that he and his colleagues would be looked after. and this was long before the celtic tiger. and what happens. He and his mates are left without their pension increases when theres a fund (of 1.68billion or so) well capable of funding the small increses they are due. the government would never ever dream of not increasing old age pensons ( or child benefit or single parent allowance or disability allowance or unemployment benefits etc) in the budget because of the outcry it would provoke yet they are quite content to sit by and watch people who worked from they were 14 to 65 in the post office do without their just entitlements. Shameful.


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## extopia (28 Oct 2005)

> I think that Charlie Bird needs to get on the case! Anyone know his email address?



Bond, you are too subtle for these boards. Just read this thread today. Brilliant.


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## Bannockburn (14 Nov 2005)

It says it all about about the sorry state of the past and present An Post Management when they can pay posties €45k per year (up to €70k per year with overtime) in Dublin.

The management should be sacked for gross misconduct and the posties should get real. They're already overpaid for what is an unskilled job.

Perhaps what is needed is competition within all areas of the postal market so that the likes of DHL, TNT, etc could get a shot to see if they could provide a service better than the current 'banana republic' service we have. 

Maybe the posties wouldn't be so keen to go on strike then!


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## tomthumb (14 Nov 2005)

Don't forgot though that the overtime is caused by poor managment - ban on recruitment, machinery that didn't do the job so the management cause the overtime to get the post delivered.  Don't see how you can say 440 euro a week MAX basic pay is overpaid?  Very few posties actually earn big overtime though the media love to use that figure rather than the basic 440 one funnily.


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## Guest127 (14 Nov 2005)

I dont understand how someone on €440 per week can earn 70k if the working week as laid down under eu laws is observed. obviously not observed in this case anyway ( I suspect it is a case as against several cases) so who to blame?. the worker who worked day ( he/she had to to get those earnings) and night or the management that a) allowed it happen b) probably rostered it


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## Delboy (17 Nov 2005)

Over time is not down to bad management in An Post but to ancient work practices which the unions refuse to allow be overhauled....
i.e. Postman X does his round - it takes him 4 hours. He gets a full days pay for this (8 hours). He can now go home or have a 2nd job. But as there's always a lot of posties out sick he's asked to do another round for Postman Y. This takes him 3 hours to do. Does this get included in his regular day as he's still unver 8 hours for the day....does it hell!!!! He gets double time for those 3 hours as it's considered overtime.
That example explains how some postmen can double their basic in overtime without doing more than the basic 8 hours a day. And this goes on a lot...and yes a lot of post rounds in big cities/towns especially Dublin can only last 3 or  4 hours. There's 1 round in Dublin that lasts 2 hours and is the most coveted....

Granted, the mgmt are no great shakes in An Post but the govt seem to be siding with them so 1 must suspect that the way they're letting things deteriorate, suits the govt's plan......


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## Guest127 (19 Nov 2005)

you could be right del but I dont think it applies in the country for instance. Dad says that on his driving route he covered about 60 miles a day on average and taken with going up and down lanes and stopping at about 300/400 hundred houses a day I dont think it would be possible to do it in much less than a full day. He also said that if postmen drivers observed the law on putting on seat belts every time they got out to deliver a letter/package that they would be out till midnight so they didn't put them on in his day. dont know about now as that would mean penalty points. also said that a lot of packages/parcels have barcodes on them so that when you call to a house you have to ring to get someone to sign for the parcel. said this was very time consuming especially somethings called cattle tags which he said added hours to a  rural delivery . he also said that the overtime in his office was watched 'like a hawk' by the overseer and often he didnt get paid for extra hours. ie when the esb or phone bills came out as the overseer said this was 'part and parcel of his work' despite the fact that on tests you are only given credit for calling to a percentage of the houses daily. so maybe the problem is confined to dublin but why then don't management specify this or whould that exacerbate the problems?


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## Ceist Beag (21 Nov 2005)

>He also said that if postmen drivers observed the law on putting on seat belts every time they got out to deliver a letter/package that they would be out till midnight so they didn't put them on in his day. dont know about now as that would mean penalty points<

Jeez I've heard some flimsy excuses in my time and that's up there with the best of them! So lets see it takes oh about 2 seconds to put on a seat belt, so lets multiply that by 2 for putting on and taking off, and by the 300/400 houses he delivered to a day, that adds up to a grand total of less than 30 minutes in the day - hardly brings him up to midnight does it!!


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## RainyDay (21 Nov 2005)

I sent a registered letter last week. The online package tracking website tells me that went 'out for delivery' on Weds last. Has the guy not come home yet?


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## Guest127 (21 Nov 2005)

thats funny. maybe hes on overtime. cb: you should think of joining the olympic team .


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## Ceist Beag (22 Nov 2005)

What, [broken link removed] Olympic team? I think I'd be overqualified!!


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