UK Royal Mail charges bilingual companies twice for redirecting mail

The postal services’ consumer watchdog has condemned the Royal Mail for penalising companies with bilingual names which use its redirection service.

Royal Mail’s present policy means companies with a bilingual name have to pay pounds 126 a year to redirect letters, when companies with one name only pay pounds 63.

Eifion Pritchard, chairman of Postwatch Wales, said, “This situation is totally unacceptable. The Royal Mail is forcing companies with a bilingual name to pay twice for redirecting their post.

“It’s hard to believe, in a country where Welsh and English are the official languages, that companies are being punished in this way.

“Royal Mail needs to review their policy without delay.”

The Welsh Consumer Council or Cyngor Defnyddwyr Cymru was charged twice when it moved.

Office manager Mary Sullivan said, “We have a bilingual address so we had to pay twice.

“It is a scandal that in a bilingual country that we have to pay twice to have our mail redirected.”

Rhys Dafis confirmed that the Welsh Language Board had also expressed dissatisfaction last year. He said, “This is not two separate bodies, but one body with a bilingual name. Obviously common sense, without mentioning inequality, tells you there should not be a double charge. Royal Mail should rethink their policy.”

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said, “We charge separately for each individual business name and for each different surname involved in the redirection because they involve extra work in segregating and redirecting the mail.

“We recognise our specific obligations under the Welsh Language Act – namely to give equality to the English and Welsh languages in the conduct of public business – but we also have a duty to treat all customers fairly.

“We cannot charge a single fee for businesses in Wales with two names, while continuing to charge more than one fee to companies elsewhere in the UK which trade under several titles.”