Another increase in postage costs?

Primrose

Time for heavy users to start stocking up again?

The Royal Mail are planning another large hike in postage costs in April 2010. I've just read that they've applied for a 3p rise in First Class postage,(from 39p to 42p) and for a 2p increase in Second Class, (from 30p to 32p.)

Apart from anything else, this will just about kill the Christmas card tradition. Already the postage costs more than the cards.

custardy

nah,people will just under pay on the cards then we will have a load of newspaper storys on the evil RM expecting poor old(insert pensioner/student/child etc) to pay postage

helyg

Wonder if they'll use the extra revenue to actually deliver post on time...

mazza111

define what's on time...

helyg

I think they say "next working day" for first class, which doesn't seem to happen at the moment!

anguk

I think for the normal average user a 3p price increase is okay. I can put a letter or card in the post in Durham and it'll land on my son's doorstep in London within a day or two for the princely sum of 42p, I think that's pretty good value?

However if you're a business or heavy user then it'll add a few extra pounds on the postage bill.

My post always arrives by lunch-time, normally it's about 10am but my regular postie is off so it's been arriving about 11.30am, I've got no complaints.

custardy

helyg wrote: »

I think they say "next working day" for first class, which doesn't seem to happen at the moment!

the term is aims for

One of the most popular postal services, First Class mail aims to deliver your letter or packet the next working day, including Saturday.

if you want guaranteed next day then pay for a service that offers it

helyg

custardy wrote: »

if you want guaranteed next day then pay for a service that offers it

I would if I were posting them, but its things which are posted to me but are held up which are most annoying!

custardy

helyg wrote: »

I would if I were posting them, but its things which are posted to me but are held up which are most annoying!

dont forget the multitude of downstream access mail if its a big company

foxgloves

I don't feel too cross about this. I really like writing letters & stay in touch with a lot of people that way. Having a chat on the phone is fine, so is an email or a text message but for me, it's just not the same as getting in from work, having a look what the postman's brought and finding a real letter from someone you care about telling you all their news, that can feel priceless to me after a bad day at work.

mazza111

If it's things posted to you, then you are relying on people posting things when they say they will. Do you think when they say, yes I popped it in the post today, they meant it has already left their office or is sitting in an out tray somewhere? It does happen regularly. But of course that will be Royal Mail's fault for not picking up mail from these companies 10 times a day =]