Time to deliver the goods, UK Royal Mail

Business leaders have thrown down a challenge to Royal Mail bosses to improve postal deliveries to small firms. They have been dissatisfied since January, when a new single delivery service replaced the old system of a first and second post.

Many shops and companies have seen their business post arriving at wildly differing times of day, often not until the early afternoon.

Business leaders have thrown down a challenge to Royal Mail bosses to improve postal deliveries to small firms. They have been dissatisfied since January, when a new single delivery service replaced the old system of a first and second post.

The Federation of Small Businesses met Royal Mail boss Adam Crozier on Friday to demand an improved service to small companies and post delivered at a reasonable and predictable time each day.

FSB spokesman Stephen Alambritis says: ‘We are encouraging members to go to their delivery managers to demand inclusion on their business round, or at the very least to get preferential treatment on the residential round.

‘Small firms should not accept excuses such as ”You are too small”, “You are not on a business estate” or “You do not have enough post”.’ Last week, Royal Mail unveiled profits of GBP220 million but admitted that it had failed to meet any of its targets for service quality. Most significantly for small businesses, only 90.1 per cent of firstclass mail was delivered the following day against a target of 92.5 per cent.

Postwatch, the postal watchdog, has offered to send its regional officers to accompany small-business owners on their visits to lobby Royal Mail delivery managers.

Malcolm Ingham, 53, runs a licensed conveyancing firm dealing in specialist property law in Rawdon, Leeds.

The four people in his business rely on the post to deliver vital legal documents, but since the start of this year he has logged delivery times ranging between 9.30am and 2.30pm.

Malcolm says: ‘Royal Mail guarantees business post by 10.30am, but when I complained, I was told to expect post to arrive between 9am and lunchtime.’

Now the post arrives so late that much of the working day is wasted.

Malcolm adds: ‘We’ve tried using email and faxes more, but letters form a major part of our business.

‘It’s not cost-effective for us to use commercial providers and we shouldn’t have to,’ he says.