Are there any alternatives to Royal Mail after the price changes from 30 April 2012?

dragonfruit

RFW wrote: »

Opening the market wasn't the only factor though. There has been a massive drop in mail, opening the markets coincided with the rise of the internet. Think of all the bills you pay online, statements you check, etc and that's just on the business side. If (and I'm making this up) your average house received 40 letters a month they now receive 5.

The up side has been the parcels which are obviously more expensive to handle.

Still it should have been obvious for the decision makers that opening the market would not help neither for the RM situation nor for the customers.

macfly

The alternative is move to the USA or China. Bit drastic though.

dragonfruit

macfly wrote: »

The alternative is move to the USA or China. Bit drastic though.

So it's not an alternative really.

RFW

macfly wrote: »

The alternative is move to the USA or China. Bit drastic though.

There is no alternative:p:p:D

custardy

dragonfruit wrote: »

Still it should have been obvious for the decision makers that opening the market would not help neither for the RM situation nor for the customers.

but you are harping on about something in the past.
its done,gone.
I have warned for years these rises were coming,and more
too little too late is about as good as you are managing.
privitisation is coming

dragonfruit

custardy wrote: »

but you are harping on about something in the past.

I already explained why it is important.

StaffsSW

dragonfruit wrote: »

Besides, we should know who is responsible, so that we don't vote on them anymore.

Well that person has gone from signing cheques the nation couldn't cash, to sitting on the back benches with face more miserable than it has ever been. He has gone very quiet, but I guess it is hard to explain yourself in parliament with a mouthful of humble pie...

I've been reading up on the RM financial history, and it seems the "letter distribution"/universal service side does make huge losses (£41m in 2011, £55m in 2010), but the retail and GLS parcel side of the business is where the money and overall operating profits come in. This is why privatisation scares the industry, as the the profitable parts could well be cherry picked.

The pension deficit is frightening though - currently £10bn... Where is that money going to be coming from when it is needed as people retire? Well since the government has now taken on that liability, it looks like the tax-payers will continue to be paying one way or another.

As before though, take some time and effort to research the economics and politics behind the situation before tying yourself in knots by para-phrasing the same vague question many times over.

custardy

stevew8975 wrote: »

Well that person has gone from signing cheques the nation couldn't cash, to sitting on the back benches with face more miserable than it has ever been. He has gone very quiet, but I guess it is hard to explain yourself in parliament with a mouthful of humble pie...

I've been reading up on the RM financial history, and it seems the "letter distribution"/universal service side does make huge losses (£41m in 2011, £55m in 2010), but the retail and GLS parcel side of the business is where the money and overall operating profits come in. This is why privatisation scares the industry, as the the profitable parts could well be cherry picked.

The pension deficit is frightening though - currently £10bn... Where is that money going to be coming from when it is needed as people retire? Well since the government has now taken on that liability, it looks like the tax-payers will continue to be paying one way or another.

As before though, take some time and effort to research the economics and politics behind the situation before tying yourself in knots by para-phrasing the same vague question many times over.

The present government won't worry about that.
The billions they have taken from the pensaion fund now will tide them over nicely though.
no doubt at a later time it will be used as a reason for not providing/charging for X,Y and Z

RFW

custardy wrote: »

The present government won't worry about that.
The billions they have taken from the pensaion fund now will tide them over nicely though.
no doubt at a later time it will be used as a reason for not providing/charging for X,Y and Z

Amazing that successive governments have done this, at least Robert Maxwell had plans to pay it back.

I'm sure some pensioners would be happy to distribute letters for a couple of streets each, for another fiver a week. I should add some kind of smiley at this point in case anyone thinks that's a good idea:(

Regarding the letters/small parcels markets, I can see a time in the future when just letters only get delivered 2 or 3 times a week unless you pay for a premium service.

dragonfruit

RFW wrote: »

Regarding the letters/small parcels markets, I can see a time in the future when just letters only get delivered 2 or 3 times a week unless you pay for a premium service.

I wouldn't mind slower but cheaper delivery as an option (3rd class stamps?)