Category - Blog

After the investigations reagarding the RSGB Outgoing Bureau Don Field has sent me the following Report. This really is great news that we all welcome. Thank you Don. Let’s hope that we now have this matter resolved.

RSGB QSL Bureau Status Report

Over the past couple of months the Society has received correspondence and questions from a number of amateurs whose outgoing bureau cards do not appear to have reached the overseas bureaux for which they were intended. Checks with some of the key overseas bureaux suggested that it had been many months since they had received cards from the RSGB.

Alerted to this situation, the General Manager and members of the Board undertook their own investigations, including a personal visit by the General Manager to the RSGB QSL Bureau, currently managed under contract by Richard Constantine G3UGF.

It is apparent that Richard has been on a steep learning curve since taking on the bureau and his early focus was on fixing some longstanding issues with the sub-manager network, and the distribution of incoming cards.

With regard to outgoing cards, shipping costs, at the start of the year had already begun to rise sharply. Costs outside the EU began to rise more than could have been reasonably predicted, due to the worsening economic situation. This could not have occurred at a more inopportune time, when the bureau was turning its attention to building up the overseas distribution. By the first quarter costs had risen 25%, with no sign of slowing, and the Board was made aware of concerns. The bureau’s main provider pulled out of several destinations, including America, Russia and other ex-Soviet destinations, also increasing costs to Europe and the Pacific Rim. In the second and third quarters the bureau had to use several different companies and routes, including costly personal air mail, shopping around for each dispatch, in order to maintain service , whilst trying to find another long-term partner, prepared to offer trade distribution rates.

This proved to be an extremely frustrating period as all carriers appeared reluctant to take on new business and prices changed per shipment, against the value of the pound. Increasing the average weight to popular destinations, from 10kg to 25 kg, brought some short term cost savings, but did not resolve the issue.

However, even with additional sorters it became apparent that whilst the bureau’s remit is not to be the quickest way to send a QSL card, only the most cost effective, that increasing the package size to gain a cost saving would not ultimately meet some user expectations and that delays would continue.

It also brought the bureau into conflict with Customs in certain countries as they refused to accept large shipments as non-commercial, printed paper, imposing customs charges. Fortunately, by the last quarter, it was possible to find another provider, capable of distributing to all IARU destinations. Costs were significantly reduced and volumes began to increase in the final quarter and have continued into the New Year. The bureau is now more positive that it can continue to stay within its budget, having shipped approximately 400,000 cards by weight, over the last year. This being 25% down on its own internal projection. The position has been recovered and provided that there are no more shocks to come in the wider economy, there is now a stable platform on which to build in 2010.

More importantly for RSGB QSL Bureau users, Richard has agreed to produce a monthly report for RadCom, starting in the April edition, covering RSGB QSL Bureau and listing recent shipments.

The Society regrets any problems with the bureau, whether real or perceived. While the RSGB QSL Bureau is no substitute for direct mail, it is a valuable membership benefit to many. It should be emphasised, incidentally, that intra-UK cards have been flowing freely throughout. It is unfortunate that there continue to be some abuses of the Bureau, for example by members sending cards on behalf of overseas friends who are not members. Indiscriminate QSLing by some contest groups and special event stations have also served to slow down the overall flow of cards.

Any questions relating to the RSGB QSL Bureau should be emailed to Richard at QSL@rsgb.org.uk but it is hoped that the regular bulletins in RadCom will help to reduce his correspondence and give him and his team more time for getting those cards through.

250 Items have been prepared for posting which include direct QSL cards and 3,500 Bureau QSL cards to World Bureaus.
This mailing will be sent out on 20/02/2010.

Please remember if you need a Bureau card. Request it! dont send it! Use my OQRS. Thank you!

Phew a busy day today here at the office!
Log received from XU7XRO. 2985 Qs now uploaded to LoTW and Online log search. QSL Requests now being processed.

A RSGB Bureau parcel arrived today. 2,300 QSL cards Via M0URX. Sorted into call sign order and now processed, waiting to be dispatched.

G4Dxx Call Series 1,400 QSL cards arrived. Sorted and dispatched 11/02/2010 1100z.
G4Rxx Call Series    600 QSL Cards arrived Sorted and dispatched 13/02/2010 0600z

Thank you to G1VDP Chris for your help this evvening.

Remember for DX’peditions IOTA or Holiday stations your QSL may not be required!!! 
You could save time and money by requesting your QSL by EMAIL or OQRS. Please use these facilities and help me save on Bureau costs both here and at all World Bureaux. Thank you!

It is with great relief that today i received an email from Jenci HA5FA of the Hungarian QSL Bureau.

Dear Tim, Today we receive a 10kg parcel from the RSGB.
Thae parcel contains 0,49 kilograms  of your QSLs:
CY2ZT/2,OY4TN,9M6DXX/P,7P8OK,MW9W,M0URX,XU7XRO,C91XO,3DA0OK,
A25OOK,M3SDE V8FRO and 9M8Z. Thanks a lot, vy 73 de Jenci, HA5FA.

This is great news. Any more World Bureaus report receiving QSL’s from teh RSGB Bureau please keep us informed? Thank you.

As previously stated for my clients I will continue to send QSL cards direct to the World Bureaus at my expense to ensure a good service for the people around the World that want the Bureau QSL.

If you have been reading my Blog in recent months, you will have read that I have been investigating reports that many QSL cards outgoing from the RSGB Bureau have not been sent. When I say outgoing I mean leaving Great Britain to World Bureaus. So where are we with my investigations? 

It was in June 2009 that I started receiving complaints about non delivery of my outgoing Bureau QSL cards for stations that I manage, these QSL cards are dating back to late March 2008 from when they left here. 

It was established in November 2009 from Richard Constantine of the RSGB Bureau that prices increased in carriage to the World Bureaus significantly and about a year before in 2008 Richard had “called a halt to some outgoing countries” It was at this point that I alerted Richard to the contract that I have been using since 1993 from Royal Mail called “Destination Sort” that would enable the RSGB Bureau to send 5kg+ parcels to World Bureaus at as little as £1.79 per kilo to Hungary if sending 5kg+ and the most expensive is £3.18 per kilo at 5kg+ to New Zealand. Of course there are some Bureaus that will attract far fewer QSL cards and those packages can be sent at still very reasonable cost through either Destination or Format Sort products. So I thought that this matter would be quickly resolved as I had given the RSGB Bureau the perfect product to send regular parcels to the World Bureaus. 

However in December 2009 and through to January 2010 it became apparent that still World Bureaus were reporting to me that they still had not received any QSL cards from the RSGB Bureau since 2008 and that complaints to me about non delivery of Bureau QSL cards back to March 2008 were growing daily and now over 250 emails have been received here regarding this matter.

The Canadian Bureau started sending me QSL cards direct, asking me to do the same by-passing the RSGB Bureau, as Canada also reported that the RSGB Outgoing stopped in 2008.

Many ARRL Bureaus also have reported directly to us here that they also have not received any QSL cards from the RSGB Bureau since 2008, while other ARRL Bureaus reported that they do not keep records but staff could not remember the last time they received packages from the RSGB.

Ukraine where many of the complaints started coming in from reported the same lack of packages. Although one parcel to Ukraine was sent, it has had to be returned back to the RSGB Bureau because of no customs declaration documentation.

Other countries where I have had major issues with outgoing QSL cards are Russia, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Estonia, Belgium, Netherlands to name just a few.

As well as communications with Richard Constantine at Norcomm, I also made members of the RSGB Board aware of my concerns on numerous occasions in frequent emails. On 16th January there was a RSGB Board meeting where the lack of outgoing Bureau QSL cards was on the Agenda. Don Field G3XTT writes “There was an RSGB Board meeting today and I discussed the situation at some length with Peter Kirby. I believe Peter now properly understands the concerns and will take up the matter with Richard as a matter of some urgency.” 

When the RSGB Bureau tendered the job out to Norcomm a Service Level Agreement was drawn up, I know because I also tendered this job. The SLA states that “The successful bidder will be expected to provide like or improved service. The delivery of this service and the method of operation can be changed to suit the requirements of the service provider. However all changes must be agreed with the RSGB before implementation. The relationship with the RSGB will be through a nominated member of staff overseen by the General Manager and answerable to the Board”

The service has not improved and neither has the service level been maintained. In an email to Peter Kirby General Manager and Don G3XTT “Portfolio Bureau” I suggested that “There is NO monitoring by the RSGB.  There is NO Service Level Agreement that should have been put in place when the tender was signed.”

In reply Peter Kirby states “Firstly, the bureau is monitored by the RSGB and we have close contact with Richard Constantine at Norcomm.  Under the terms of the contract Richard has to produce a three monthly report which is seen by the Board.” 

Knowing that the Bureau is monitored and that Richard compiles a three monthly report I find it very hard to understand why the RSGB were not aware that a serious problem was developing on the Outgoing Bureau and that many Bureaus had not had a dispatch since March 2008. In Richards defence he has quoted that 170 kg in weight of QSL cards are leaving the outgoing Bureau every month. Chris G1VDP has asked to see the weigh bills as some sort of proof that there are QSL cards outgoing. However his requests have not been met on the grounds that they “don’t feel it is appropriate to answer queries from individual members like yourself with shipping details of specific parcels – if that happened nothing would ever actually get done.” Fair comment, but we need some sort of Audit Trail. As fully subscribed members of the RSGB we feel that we are entitled to view documentation that relates to this matter to ensure that the future of the RSGB QSL Bureau is secure. I have also offered my help to package up and send the outgoing parcels but my offer of help has not been accepted.

So this is now where we are with the Bureau situation.
As previously stated for my clients I will continue to send QSL cards direct to the World Bureaus at my expense to ensure a good service for the people around the World that want the Bureau QSL.

05/02/2010 – It has been reported that the DARC German Bureau has received two boxes in the last two months while the W9 Bureau received about 600 cards this week from the RSGB.
However the detailed report that we expected from the RSGB Board has not yet arrived, despite being told that we would be kept informed of the progress after the Board Meeting.