possible changes to Royal Mail retention periods,compensation and delivery protocols

custardy

only a request to the regulator at this stage

Postcomm announced today that it is launching a six week consultation on two applications that it has received from Royal Mail to change the company’s terms and conditions and working practices. Royal Mail states that it is requesting the changes to bring its business more in line with other packet and parcel delivery companies and to reflect change within the postal market.

We are issuing two consultation documents today which deal with each of the requests from Royal Mail:

(1) Postcomm consultation on Royal Mail applications to amend and align its terms and conditions (pdf) http://www.psc.gov.uk/documents/2000.pdf

Royal Mail’s application proposes to change the terms and conditions of its regulated services in order to amend the compensation arrangements for lost and damaged items and align the retention periods for undeliverable items that are held at Royal Mail delivery offices.

(2) Postcomm consultation on Royal Mail’s application to run a delivery to neighbour trial (pdf) http://www.psc.gov.uk/documents/1995.pdf

Royal Mail wishes to trial the delivery of postal items to a neighbour where they cannot be delivered to the absent addressee because a signature is required or the item is too big to put through the letterbox.


The purpose of these consultation documents is to seek views, in particular from Royal Mail’s customers, on the two separate applications that Royal Mail has made to Postcomm in relation to the provision of its regulated services. The Regulated Services are defined in its Licence to include price controlled services, free services , Miscellaneous Services and Business Collections. Royal Mail explains in each of its applications which particular services would be affected.

We do not at this stage express a view on the merits or otherwise of Royal Mail’s proposals and consider it more appropriate to consult and invite views from interested parties, including in relation to the appropriateness of issuing a direction for Royal Mail to trial the service. However, we attempt to draw out issues which we believe interested parties ought to bear in mind when considering these proposals and ask specific questions on which we would welcome responses to enable us to reach a view consistent with our statutory duties.

Postcomm invites comments on all aspects of Royal Mail’s applications. Responses should be submitted by Friday 9 September 2011 and a decision will be made on each application prior to the transfer of regulatory responsibility from Postcomm to Ofcom [1].

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14346271

Royal Mail wants permission for its postmen and women to be able to leave some post with a neighbour if the addressee is not at home.

It wishes to trial the idea for mail that is too large to post through a letter-box, and for some post that requires a signature.

Special delivery mail will not be included in the planned pilot scheme.

The Royal Mail also wishes to reduce the time in which consumers and firms can make a compensation claim.

Watchdog Consumer Focus said that while some consumers would welcome the idea of being able to have mail left with a neighbour, "worryingly there is no opt-out option".

"For many people having their mail left with a neighbour they do not know, or might not trust, could open the door to problems," said its director of post, Robert Hammond.
'Popular location'

At present, postmen and women have to take items of mail back to their delivery office if the named recipient is not at home and the items cannot fit it through the letter box, or require a signature.

Royal Mail said the planned pilot scheme was in response to consumer demand.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

Worryingly there is no opt-out option and for many people having their mail left with a neighbour they do not know, or might not trust, could open the door to problems”
Robert Hammond
Consumer Focus

"In a recent survey, leaving an item of mail with a neighbour was the most popular location for delivery when no-one was at home to receive the mail," it said.

Any decision to allow the pilot scheme will be made by postal service regular Postcomm, which has now launched a public consultation.

It is seeking responses by 9 September.
Better investigate

The Royal Mail wants to reduce the time in which both household and business customers can claim compensation for lost or damaged items from up to 12 months after an item is posted, to 90 days for a six-month period.

It then wants to cut this further to 60 days next year.

Royal Mail said: "This will enable Royal Mail to better investigate the loss of an item and improve our ability to find it and return it to the sender."

It added that "approximately 70% of consumers" already claim compensation within two months of posting. But watchdog Consumer Focus pointed out this meant almost a third did not.

Royal Mail also wishes to introduce a standard holding period of 18 days for items that could not be delivered to an address, down from the current 21 days for most methods of delivery.

Further, it wants business contract customers to no longer be able to seek compensation for the loss or damage of postal items sent using untracked services such as Mailsort and Packetpost.

Postcomm will again have to rule on all these issues, and is again seeking public responses by 9 September.

Consumer Focus called on Postcomm to look "long and hard at whether these moves are in customers' interests and whether they are warranted".

"While changes to keeping undelivered mail are sensible, the proposals on compensation and leaving mail with a neighbour would cut consumers' rights, leaving many losing out," said Robert Hammond.

Postcomm's regulatory responsibility for the postal service is due to be transferred to Ofcom in the autumn.

cit_k

As long as its 'opt-in' and you can specify which neighbours, great.

If not, then !!!!!! what planet are they on,

custardy

cit_k wrote: »

As long as its 'opt-in' and you can specify which neighbours, great.

If not, then !!!!!! what planet are they on,

Start Quote

Worryingly there is no opt-out option and for many people having their mail left with a neighbour they do not know, or might not trust, could open the door to problems”
Robert Hammond
Consumer Focus

I did warn folks that they wouldnt like whats coming
packet traffic is up year on year but RM are cutting staff year on year
they want those packets out the door and gone


I draw your attention to this

Postcomm invites comments on all aspects of Royal Mail’s applications. Responses should be submitted by Friday 9 September 2011 and a decision will be made on each application prior to the transfer of regulatory responsibility from Postcomm to Ofcom [1].

personally I agree
it should be stated on the package if its authorised to be left with a neighbour and which one at that.
otherwise card as usual

Oliver14

custardy wrote: »

personally I agree
it should be stated on the package if its authorised to be left with a neighbour and which one at that.
otherwise card as usual

Some Muppet from the RM said the other day that the reason they want to do this is that its what all couriers do. Actually most couriers give this as an option when the service is booked not as a thing they do all of the time so you can opt out which the RM proposal doesnt give. First of all I dont want my neighbours having my post. As I am in most days its not much of a problem for me but personally I am not willing to be the delivery point for all my neighbours mail just because I happen to work from home.

I'm not convinced it will get past the regulator but will be writing putting my views as a cuatomer forward. I encourage others to as well.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

I've had issues with deliveries to their 'multi-drop' addresses before, an address such as an old house converted into flats, postman shoves post through the main door and any person who happens to walk past (other residents, people visiting, gas meter reader...) can help themselves to the mail. I trust my neighbours, but I certainly don't trust my customer's neighbours.

This will be great fun with people living in tower blocks, if half the building are out, does the other half get their parcels or does the guy at number 1 get every parcel?

Further, it wants business contract customers to no longer be able to seek compensation for the loss or damage of postal items sent using untracked services such as Mailsort and Packetpost.

I doubt Recorded will class as tracked, are Royal Mail mail trying to push their tracked service on businesses as it's obvious they won't all pay for SD?

Hammyman

More reasons to use a courier as if 50% cheaper than Royal Mail wasn't enough.

Hammyman

Oliver14 wrote: »

Some Muppet from the RM said the other day that the reason they want to do this is that its what all couriers do. Actually most couriers give this as an option when the service is booked not as a thing they do all of the time so you can opt out which the RM proposal doesnt give.

I was going to go !!!!!!??? I have never had any courier I've used leave stuff with neighbours. However wife is a catalogue agent and the company they use do leave stuff with our neighbour but I'm not sure how much of that is down to the fact its been the same driver for years and he knows we get on.

hermum

Hammyman wrote: »

I was going to go !!!!!!??? I have never had any courier I've used leave stuff with neighbours. However wife is a catalogue agent and the company they use do leave stuff with our neighbour but I'm not sure how much of that is down to the fact its been the same driver for years and he knows we get on.

I've had stuff left with me for neighbours, by couriers & RM, never anything that needs a signature from RM though.

RFW

As ever it seems they look at a problem and address it with an answer that raises as many problems as it solves.
I know all areas are different but as far as mine is concerned if they actually delivered parcels when there was more chance of people being in then there wouldn't be a problem. Royal Mail tend to deliver parcels to the wholly residential area I live in at between 2 and 3pm. Conversely where my business premises are which is largely 9 to 9.30am opening industrial area they often attempt deliveries before 9.

As a sensible question Custardy, do they actually study any facts and figures regarding who gets deliveries when or do they just do it randomly?

Strapped

I live in a rural village, and undeliverable items go to the PO rather than all the way back to the depot, which seems to work well. As someone above said - I trust my neighbours, but I don't necessarily trust my customers' neighbours!

yeslek

aside from the inability to opt out of neighbour deliveries, I dont see any harm in the rest (for me personally)

though I wonder how many complaints and claims they'd get for leaving post with the wrong neighbour?