Tag: UK

Changes in the way mail is priced could cause confusion at the post office, a watchdog has warned.

From Monday, postage will be based on the size and thickness of the item, as well as the weight.

Postwatch Midlands, the watchdog for postal services, accepts the new system is fair – but fears customers are not fully prepared.

Regional manager Shirley Goodchild said: “We understand and accept why this is being implemented. It makes sense for prices to represent the actual costs.

“Our concern is ensuring that customers understand what is happening, especially those who are vulnerable. Otherwise, it could lead to confusion and long queues at post offices.”

Online shopping has led to an increase in the number of packages sent through the post. Royal Mail says the size of the post affects the cost of processing and delivery as much as the weight.

Mail will be split into three sections: letter – such as postcards; greetings cards, and bills; large letters – including magazines; and packets – such as video cassettes, posters or large documents.

A one-month amnesty will be in place for customers who do not use the correct value of stamps. After that, mail could be returned to the sender or the recipient could be charged.

Royal Mail is spending GBP 10m on a publicity campaign, but Postwatch has questioned whether individual post offices are fully geared up.

Royal Mail announces today that it has now delivered over a trillion letters across the UK since records began in 1839.

The trillionth letter marks another milestone in the company’s history – further evidence of how Royal Mail has developed over the course of its 370-year history in response to customers’ needs.

The delivery of over a trillion letters comes as Royal Mail faces another change – to the way post will be priced with the introduction of Pricing in Proportion on 21 August, meaning that post will now be priced according to size and shape as well as weight.

Delivering a trillion letters in just 160 years is a feat in itself and Royal Mail anticipates that the need for mail will only continue to rise. Even in an age of alternative channels of communication, such as e-mail and texting, Royal Mail handles 84 million items a day – with no sign of this dropping. With the huge increase in internet shopping in recent years, and the UK’s continued reliance on the postal service, Royal Mail expects it should pass the second trillion milestone within the next 30 years.
A Royal Mail spokesperson commented: “Royal Mail has continually evolved over the last 370 years to ensure mail stays relevant to everyday life. Delivering a trillion letters is a remarkable achievement, and we are determined to continue delivering a consistently high quality service to our customers in the future.”’