RIP The Royal Mail

[DTCwordfan]

Well it looks like the final nail going in the coffin of the Royal Snail as we know it. Sorry postdog.

The Telegraph reports the possibility of 2nd class mail rising to 55p a stamp in April and then in line with inflation for the next seven years, some "relief" to be given at Xmas time by pegging prices for a limited period at 2011 levels but just for "vulnerable" families (benefits and pension credits)

First class to be unregulated - so what does that mean, a rise to 70p?

So reactions and is this the end of the RM?

What about now introducing competition or seeing it come in by the back door (i.e. UPS/Fedex whoever introducing a mail service as an extension to their packet/parcel delivery) as the RM seems hell bent on pricing itself out of competition?

[poortony]

I just wish they would deliver my mail in the morning rather 15.45 in the
afternoon and without all the ads.
I buy my 1st annd 2nd class stamps in sheets of 100, others like Euro
stamps have to be bought separate and with the price on them.

[EDDIE51]

Recorded delivery is a waste of time. I know for a fact having been told by several posties and the counter clerk at the post office. The post men/women do not have to pick up recorded delivery items. Many refuse to touch them as it slows them down, they have to knock on the door and wait for answer then get a signature or write out a non delivery card to put through the door. They are on 'Job and Finish' meaning that as soon as they have finished the round they can clock off and get the full pay for the shift. Why should they pick up a load of recorded stuff and have to work longer for no extra ? that is the arguement they use.
Special delivery on the other hand has 'priority treatment' the rules say they MUST pick up and sign for every Special delivery item before they can start the normal round. This is why special delivery costs £5 extra for a letter where recorded delivery is only 75p extra.

[spudqueen]

em10 - you need to understand that recorded delivery is NOT tracked. It goes in the ordinary post, not by any special method. The only difference for your extra 77p is that the item is signed for at the other end, and you can check either on line or by ringing up that it has been received. If you need something to get there urgently, or the item you are sending is worth more than £46 then you need special delivery.

And I love some of these comments - posties are lazy etc. I'm sure that posties are a cross section of people and whilst I'm sure some of them are lazy, I'm pretty sure it's not a requirement of the job!

[sidburygate]

Surely someone can come up with a better/cheaper/more efficient service?

[tearinghair]

I posted a small packet by 'Recorded/signed for' on 29th, and it still hasn't arrived (at a company in the London area). Didn't want to pay the extra for Special Delivery but I really wish I had now. Apparently you can't claim compensation for 28 days as they say 'it may still arrive'. And I wonder whether I'll get anything anyway, as it's worth just over £50.

[JonnyBoy12]

Is there nothing we can do about the price rises then? Can we not sign a petition and then make a demonstration against the proposed increases?

[whitehill]

I love getting mail of any sort, but I feel a bit of a fraud because, altho' I post off a couple of competitions a week, I enter others by email and correspond with friends by email, so I am not doing a lot to support Royal Mail. But as regards to lazy postmen, ours is lovely. Instead of just shoving post through our outside (glass) porch door, leaving it in full view of any passer-by, especially if we were away for a while, he started coming inside and tucking the mail round the corner in our inside porch, out of sight of any casual callers. He did this unasked and when we thanked him for this one day, my husband said jokingly that he was opening up an inside letter box so that they could be put straight into our hallway to save us having to open the door to pick up our post. No problem, the postie said seriously and now he does just that. He's been on our walk some time, thankfully Royal Mail seems to have given up its policy of continually changing postmen's routes. But like others on this thread, I do miss the post being there first thing in the morning as it used to be.

[berniecuddles]

>>re em10 I have long thought Royal Mail a waste of time. I posted a recorded letter 1st class, took 4 days to get to it destination, letters get to us willy nilly, and at no time do i trust their services<<<

why use them then??

use another company who will charge you 3 times more then royal mail does and then they pass it on to royal mail to deliver it!! ( i worked for royal mail for 25 yrs) it happens all the time delivering other companies mail.