A confusing countdown to Christmas
THE attitude in Londonderry to yesterday’s newly-introduced mail pricing system was a mixture of confusion and frustrating countdown.
While some customers outside the main Post Office in Custom House Street and the Carlisle Road Post Office predicted confusion, others said it would take a few months ” possibly during the run-up to Christmas ” to feel the full impact of the biggest shake-up the postal system has seen in 165 years.
Outside Carlisle Road Post Office Margaret Morrison, from the Culmore Road area, said: “I find it all rather confusing but I suppose we will all get used to it in time. I send mainly normal-sized letters so it won’t really make much difference to me for now, but I expect to feel the pinch when it comes to sending parcels at Christmas time. Then the changes could really hit us.’
Others said they weren’t even aware of the details.
People involved in the Londonderry business scene were particularly unsettled by yesterday’s changes.
Stephen Kelly, of the City Centre Initiative, said: “I detect a large degree of confusion about these new changes. Whilst people are aware of the changes coming into effect there is no real clarity on what the pricing structure is, despite much publicity by Royal Mail. We certainly believe it will take some time for business, particularly small independent businesses with limited resources, to fully understand the new system and we would appeal to Royal Mail not to penalise these people.’
But Janice Tracey, CEO of Londonderry Chamber of Commerce, claimed yesterday it is possible to minimise the impact of the new postage pricing system for all business and residential post.
“From now, businesses will have to pay more attention to the size and shape of post than to the weight in order to avoid being penalised by the changes,’ she said.
