Mail charges 'confusing'

Confused customers say changes to the cost of sending letters and parcels will cause long delays in post offices.

Royal Mail has changed the first and second class system and replaced it with 29 pricing categories.

Under the changes, introduced yesterday, it will cost no more to send most letters.

However, it will be more expensive to send some larger items, regardless of how heavy they are.

Customers said the system was too complicated, while experts said not enough warning had been given to allow people to prepare for the price rises.

Small businesses leaders have warned firms could resort to passing the extra mailing costs on to consumers.

Royal Mail said the overhaul was necessary because it was more expensive to sort and deliver bulkier items and a multi-million pound advertising campaign had made the system easy to understand.

A spokeswoman from the post office in High Street, Great Easton, Harborough, said: “The rate bands have increased – so, if you send a first class item, you can make it up to 100g when it used to be 60g.

“We had a man with a letter who sent it for 90p when it would have cost GBP 1.90 before.

“Most of our regular users will save money.”

However, many customers at Leicester’s main post office, in Bishop Street, said the system was confusing and would cause longer delays.

Brian Whittaker, 48, of Wigston, said: “There are some people who don’t really understand the changes.

“Inside the post office some of the staff don’t seem to understand the new sizes.

“If the staff don’t understand what’s going on, you don’t have a chance.”

Warren Moore, 39, makes regular deliveries as part of his job with Leicester City Council.

He said: “The big worry is that it will make the queues longer.”

Users group PostWatch said that within two weeks of the system being introduced, a third of all post offices had failed to display information about the changes.

Karl Craig-West, chairman of the Leicester city branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “The biggest concern is going to be the extra hassle of working out what things cost.

“It could drastically increase many businesses’ costs.”

Jaffer Kapasi, director of Leicestershire Asian Business Association, said many firms had not been informed of the changes. He said: “Small and medium-sized businesses use a lot of mail. It will drive costs up in some sectors and some will have to pass this to customers.”

Royal Mail director of pricing Lorna Clarkson said: “We want to make it as simple as possible for customers to understand.”