I've had two no-shows on recorded delivery this year, and at least four recorded delivery packages that took ten days or more to arrive. The most recent one was my driving license being sent to a certain government establishment, that took three weeks to arrive. In the meantime I'd had to declare it as lost, apply and pay for a new one, and apply and pay for CIFAS protective registration.
Mind you, it could be worse - it could be SPS (I think since gone bust) who were the main delivery agents for the passport service and open university, who simply didn't bother delivering, but instead sent a letter saying they had your package, please come to the branch conveniently sited 10 miles away. On one occasion Business Post - who hadn't bothered trying to find my house for several days - finally said 'we're going to park at the end of the road, you come and find us in the next ten minutes'.
It makes me rather sad to see Royal Mail going this way, but if they're going to develop the sort of suicidal tendencies that would make BA staff envious, then so be it...