Tag: Royal Mail

GBP 1 Post Office® travel money card means no hidden cash fees

Posted by | Apr 20, 2007 | |

Holidaymakers can now avoid the hidden costs involved in withdrawing cash abroad by using the Post Office® Travel Money Card, which has been relaunched with a GBP 1 minimum spend.

In contrast to the exchange rate loading fees and percentage-based cash advance charges levied by credit card companies and banks, the Post Office® Travel Money Card represents the foolproof, affordable way to use ‘plastic’ when holidaying overseas, with a straightforward GBP 2 fee on cash withdrawals and no charge at all on shop or restaurant purchases.

Originally launched last summer with a minimum spend of GBP 250, the Post Office Travel Money Card now allows customers complete flexibility to choose how much money they put onto the card.

Holidaymakers can put between GBP 1 and GBP 5,000 onto the Travel Money Card instantly at 2,400 Post Office® branches. The card can then be used to pay for goods and services in locations where Visa Electron is accepted or to withdraw funds at any Visa ATM.

Trials undertaken in Post Office® branches since the introduction of the GBP 1 minimum spend on the Travel Money Card have already indicated a significant 40% increase in demand. Average spend has dropped from GBP 530, a high figure for foreign currency transactions, to GBP 342 since the more flexible investment policy was introduced.

Post Office® Head of Travel Kevin McAdam says that “the cost of convenience can be high when withdrawing cash abroad using your debit card. Too often holidaymakers return home to an unpleasant financial surprise when they discover that they have incurred unexpected costs for using a debit card.

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New blueprint for UK flagship Post Office branch network

Posted by | Apr 19, 2007 | |

Post Office Ltd set out a new blueprint for a sustainable network of flagship Post Office branches. The company will continue to run 373 Crown Post Offices in UK towns and cities alongside those branches run by private subpostmasters and mistresses and by retail franchise partners. As part of the plan, following a six site trial last year, a further 70 branches are expected to move to nearby WHSmith stores under a new partnership agreement.

The Crown Office network of 373 branches, together with the 76 branches operated by WHSmith, will give Post Office Ltd a high quality flagship network, offering expert knowledge and advice to consumers and small business customers alike. New ways of providing services are already being tested in a number of branches, and will form part of a major, customer driven, refurbishment programme over the next few years.

By the end of Summer 2008 it is expected that 76 Post Office branches will be sited within WHSmith stores. These will be main Post Offices, offering the full range of Post Office services and operated by specially trained professionals – who may include some current Post Office people. All branches will be fully accessible to all customers, with special arrangements in place to assist those customers with special access needs.

The partnership announced builds on the success of six trial locations where Post Office branches have already moved to nearby WHSmith stores. Customers in Ashton under Lyne, Altrincham, Swansea, Shrewsbury, Slough and Hammersmith have given a positive response to both the location and service levels of the new branches – citing shorter queues, speedier service and a more convenient location.

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Royal Mail workers say no to pay offer

Posted by | Apr 19, 2007 | |

The CWU (Communication Workers Union) has rejected Royal Mail’s offer on pay rises for this year.

Royal Mail have flatly refused any wage increase and instead have offered one-off cash sums between GBP 250 and GBP 550 – with conditions attached regarding efficiency savings.

The CWU say the offer is totally unacceptable as it amounts to pay cuts and major change. The Union says it is willing to continue negotiations but is moving to ballot members on industrial action.

Royal Mail have already started a process of changing working hours and converting expired full time posts to part time. Workers are said to be furious at the proposals put to the CWU and it seems likely that unless Royal Mail offer something more acceptable, widespread industrial action could follow.

A recent poll showed that postal workers were resolute in their determination to bring their pay up to the national average and improve working conditions.

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GLS opens logistics centre in Hungary

Posted by | Apr 18, 2007 | |

GLS, headquartered in Amsterdam, launched constructions last June and spent a total of EUR 6.2 million to finish the facility.

The new unit of GLS Hungary operates with a staff of 100 employees and can deliver 12 million packages a year, business daily Világgazdaság said.

The logistics centre will give home to the Central European headquarters of GLS, where they will co-ordinate Czech and Slovakian subsidiaries from.

GLS announced a month ago today that it entered into a network partnership with Bulgaria’s Interlogistica Ltd., which started realising nationwide distribution for all GLS companies in February 2007. The network of GLS, one of the three largest CEP (courier, express and parcel) service providers in Europe, now covers 35 states.

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Postcomm announces new safeguards for management of address information

Posted by | Apr 17, 2007 | |

Postcomm, the UK’s independent postal services regulator, has today announced new safeguards for the future management of the postcode and address data contained in Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF).

PAF lists details of every postal address and postcode in the United Kingdom. As such, it is a very valuable asset for Royal Mail, since many other organisations – including new postal operators, banks, insurance companies and firms offering home delivery – need to use the information it contains.

The four key issues covered in today’s document – “Royal Mail’s future management of PAF” – are:

* The definition of PAF – what information should Royal Mail be obliged to supply? Postcomm considers that ‘PAF data’ is not only made up of postcode details, but also includes other information needed to allow users to identify specific addresses.

* The creation of an advisory board. Royal Mail has agreed to set up an advisory board to represent the views of PAF users, and has already started the recruitment process for the board’s independent chairman.

* Ringfencing of PAF. As competition develops in the mail market – and also with other suppliers of similar address data – it is crucial that Royal Mail ringfences PAF from its other activities, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

* Profits. There is increasing demand for PAF data from a wide range of organisations, which rely very heavily on the information it provides. This puts Royal Mail in a very powerful position where setting prices is concerned. Although PAF does not fall within the ‘price control’ that Postcomm uses to set a pricing and service quality framework for Royal Mail, the company has agreed to aim for an operating profit margin in the range of 8-10%. If profits exceed this range, the excess would be either returned to customers or reinvested in PAF.

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