Royal Mail doing all they can to damage themselves?

pqrdef

tyllwyd wrote: »

To me, the price rises seemed to be a clear message that looking to the future the Royal Mail wants to change into a premium serivce, so that they carry fewer items of mail at a higher price.

But most of what they carry is junk mail, and the delivery service has been downgraded to the minimum requirements of the junk-mail industry.

We already have to pay a much higher price for a special delivery service if we want any of the elements of a premium service.

First class, at present, is neither one thing nor the other. Since it guarantees nothing, we can only use it for stuff that could go second class.

Logically second class will become the public junk-mail service, and first class will be merged into a reliable tracked next-day service at 2 or 3 times the price.

Pennywise

pqrdef wrote: »

But most of what they carry is junk mail, and the delivery service has been downgraded to the minimum requirements of the junk-mail industry.

We already have to pay a much higher price for a special delivery service if we want any of the elements of a premium service.

First class, at present, is neither one thing nor the other. Since it guarantees nothing, we can only use it for stuff that could go second class.

Logically second class will become the public junk-mail service, and first class will be merged into a reliable tracked next-day service at 2 or 3 times the price.

Nail on the head. There's simply too big a gap between first class and special delivery for a normal letter. 60p against about £6 nothing in between. There definitely needs to be a guaranteed/proof service for letters priced somewhere between and then first class would be redundant. If something is urgent enough that you send it for next day delivery, then it follows that you need next day guaranteed and need proof of delivery - if you don't then there's the risk it won't get there, so why pay more when you could have sent it second class?

tyllwyd

What about the recorded/signed for service? I've never used it - either I want the convenience of just sticking the letter into the postbox without bothering to go to the post office, or I've sent packages by Special Delivery. I don't want everything tracked and signed for - it can be a pain for the person you are sending to.

I agree that there isn't much difference between first & second class, and probably one could disappear without most people even noticing.

Pennywise

tyllwyd wrote: »

What about the recorded/signed for service?

It's pointless and meaningless.

Doesn't "guarantee" next day delivery - nor even that it's delivered at all.

Doesn't offer any form of tracking - system only updated once it's been delivered/signed for.

Possible to be delivered without being signed for or for the postie to sign for it himself when he pushes it through the letterbox.

"IF" it's delivered on time, and "IF" the recipient signs for it, then it's useful as proof of delivery, but otherwise it's of no use whatsoever.

In fact, it can be counter-productive. If it gets delivered but hasn't been properly signed for, then the recipient has got your letter/parcel but neither you nor RM have prove of delivery, so the recipient can merrily claim not to have received it. By using "signed for", they are an a better position to claim they havn't received it!

Signed for/recorded needs to be scrapped and replaced with a proper tracked service - apparently, as someone recently told me, there's a "tracked" service available to business/multiple users but not available to domestic customers, which seems a little odd, but they assured me it was right.

Arg

asturdy2 wrote: »

Still half the price of anywhere in eutope. for once not rip off btitain. nothing to see here move along.

Maybe their mail arrives instead of occasionally disappearing into the ether or down the back of a postmans sofa.

asturdy2

Some counriee dont get a 6 day a week 1price anywhere service.

gingeralan

Negative_Equity wrote: »

It wouldn't bother me. Some proper company would move in and take their business. As it is, we're paying the cost of the postmen layabouts' inflated pensions.

Twaddle. Look at UPS fed ex etc. or that yodel. I have received more damaged goods from these companies in the last 12 months than I ever had from parcel force or royal mail. if I am not in, the royal mail take my package somewhere local to me, whereas UPS etc take my package over 6 miles away!

If royal mail go, you could say good bye to daily door step deliveries, and prices would sky rocket! As the old song says you don't know what ya got yolk it's gone. I an sure you will wish for it back after we have been screwed by multi national foreign owned conglomerates again. Welcome to Britain.

grizzly1911

Negative_Equity wrote: »

It wouldn't bother me. Some proper company would move in and take their business. As it is, we're paying the cost of the postmen layabouts' inflated pensions.

Thought the pensions liability had been transferred to the Government (taxpayer) and that the HMRC/Exchequer were going to make use the £28bn reserve to prop up the countries balance sheet;)

We have excellent local posties and mail sent and received gets through quickly IME.

Prices of non standard items have rocketed anyway so I guess this is just catchup for the limited stuff that can go "normal" delivery.

25% increase is still ridiculous in the current economic climate and will surely lead to less and less real post volumes.

N1AK

pqrdef wrote: »

I hope they change the design or colour of the unpriced stamps, so everybody will know who's still posting letters at the old price in 2014, instead of paying their fair whack like everybody else.

Feel free. If the best thing someone can think of to hold against me is that I paid half as much to post something because they didn't think ahead then I need to try harder to irritate them :rotfl:

They are selling a service with no cut off date and increased the price by 40%. Only a complete fool wouldn't expect to see mass buying. If they'd staggered the price rises over 18 months I bet the total abuse would be far lower.

N1AK

gingeralan wrote: »

the royal mail take my package somewhere local to me, whereas UPS etc take my package over 6 miles away!

You can't compare the RM with any private entity. The RM can stick it in your local post office / depot because they have a monopoly to run letter delivery and thus support that infrastructure.

Personally I think RM collectively deserve all the problems they have. They haven't innovated and they've allowed !!!!!! work practices to be accepted for too long. I'm not a big fan of many of the private firms either so I can't say they are worse comparatively.