I’VE an apology to make this week. Verbally over the years and more recently in print I’ve given the Royal Mail a hard time.

Fewer postal collections and deliveries, disappearing post offices and regular industrial relations problems have provoked the sort of irritable rants that minor celebs turn on when they become paid moaners in TV’s Grumpy Old Men.

I’ve even been heard to say that private companies should be allowed to take over our historic postal system and called it a lumbering bureaucracy.

I take it all back. The reason?

An experience of the competition which reminded me of travelling in Eastern Europe before the fall of communism when the customer was not only not King (or Queen) but barely acknowledged at all.

It was simple enough. An internet purchase came with a promise that the customer would be contacted about convenient delivery.

The ‘contact’ was the usual ‘we called but you were out’ card which gave a phone number but no office hours.

Friday evening and Saturday morning phone calls just rang out. There was no helpful recorded message.

On the Saturday morning, some internet investigation led to another phone number, a remote call centre and finally news that the nearest depot would be open until noon.

But after driving there and seeking staff (the buzzer and intercom on the front door went unanswered) I was told my parcel couldn’t be picked up because it had been sent to the firm’s regional depot many miles away, and the place was locked up for the weekend.

“We would have kept it here for you if you’d phoned us.” “But I did phone you when I got home from work and found your card – but there was no answer, presumably because you’d all gone home!”

I was then told they’d be bringing it back at lunchtime on Monday to try to deliver it again. But I wouldn’t be there because of work.

“Well you’ll have to collect it before we close in the evening.” “But I’m at work just like you are during the day.”

Deadlock ….until eventually another employee appeared and came up with the sensible suggestion that because my workplace is central they would take it there if I wrote down the details.

But the overall experience left me with the clear feeling that this organisation considered members of the public to be not customers but merely a hindrance to their operation.

It was a real contrast to the postman who says a cheery hello whenever he sees you.

OK it may be cheaper not to use the Royal Mail but price isn’t everything.

Just ask Education Mminister Ed Balls who had to explain why the company given the SATS test marking contract failed to deliver, and last week, clearly embarrassed, was trying to tell us why yet another private firm was way behind, this time in getting vital grant cheques to students.

Whatever happened to pride in the job and old-fashioned customer service – or am I sounding like another Grumpy Old Man!