Possible changes to Royal Mail postage

RFW

soolin wrote: »

No one will know until RM announce what is being done- please note at the moment this is a 'consultation', so any advice given my random people on an internet forum may well not be correct once RM makes changes

That should be on every web page!

Adding my knowledge, I had heard/read that one plan was to have a third company. Royal Mail would handle existing letters and large letters up to 250g, Parcelforce their existing business and the third company to handle all post above 250g and below 2kg.

If I remember correctly Parcelforce was originally set up as part of the plan to privatise. It never materialised when they realised the prices would have to go up dramatically to make it a profitable business.

macfly

I emailed the ever eager Martin Lewis after his advice to buy as many stamps as you could afford pre the increase.
A new company would only honour the stamps for a very limited period.
The last year, and the current consultation, show a strong will to finally sell off Royal Mail.

custardy

macfly wrote: »

I emailed the ever eager Martin Lewis after his advice to buy as many stamps as you could afford pre the increase.
A new company would only honour the stamps for a very limited period.
The last year, and the current consultation, show a strong will to finally sell off Royal Mail.

I'm not so sure
I would expect a fairly lengthy carry over period (though I did warn about this scenario on the last pre price rise feeding frenzy)
same for the staff. pay and conditions carried over for X years,then decimation

RFW

macfly wrote: »

I emailed the ever eager Martin Lewis after his advice to buy as many stamps as you could afford pre the increase.
A new company would only honour the stamps for a very limited period.
The last year, and the current consultation, show a strong will to finally sell off Royal Mail.

It's one of the many things about privatisation that looks to be unworkable. I'd guess there were millions of pounds worth of unused stamps around, whether marked first or second or priced. Any new company would have to cover them or change stamps completely and refuse to accept any old ones at all.

porto_bello

RFW wrote: »

It's one of the many things about privatisation that looks to be unworkable. I'd guess there were millions of pounds worth of unused stamps around, whether marked first or second or priced. Any new company would have to cover them or change stamps completely and refuse to accept any old ones at all.

The current design of 'Queen's Head' stamps have been in circulation since 1967. The only change decimalisation brought was the value 'p' in place of 'd'. Even after that change, the old stamps were still valid years after.

Almost half a century later, it seems Royal Mail is as wedded as ever to the most boring stamps in the world, so other than price increases, I doubt they'll be any change.

[At the current rate of usage, I've still got about a year's worth of 2nd class stamps, all bought just before the price increase from 36p to 50p].

custardy

porto_bello wrote: »

The current design of 'Queen's Head' stamps have been in circulation since 1967. The only change decimalisation brought was the value 'p' in place of 'd'. Even after that change, the old stamps were still valid years after.

Almost half a century later, it seems Royal Mail is as wedded as ever to the most boring stamps in the world, so other than price increases, I doubt they'll be any change.

[At the current rate of usage, I've still got about a year's worth of 2nd class stamps, all bought just before the price increase from 36p to 50p].

The elephant in the room being you using Royal Mails past actions as evidence
Nobody knows what form the privitisation will take
If you simply change the owners from UK Gov to A N Other.
whats the benefit to the UK and to the new owners?

porto_bello

custardy wrote: »

The elephant in the room being you using Royal Mails past actions as evidence

You are of course absolutely correct.

However, any Royal Mail privatisation is going to be unpopular. The volume would be greatly amplified if the day after privatisation, there was an announcement that with immediate effect, all current stamps are obsolete and valueless.

It would only fuel the fire - maybe not a concern of 'privatised RM', but it would be for any Govt. who implemented the privatisation, are trailing umpteen points in the polls and are facing an election.

custardy

porto_bello wrote: »

You are of course absolutely correct.

However, any Royal Mail privatisation is going to be unpopular. The volume would be greatly amplified if the day after privatisation, there was an announcement that with immediate effect, all current stamps are obsolete and valueless.

It would only fuel the fire - maybe not a concern of 'privatised RM', but it would be for any Govt. who implemented the privatisation, are trailing umpteen points in the polls and are facing an election.

As I said before,I expect there to be a drawn out process on many fronts

RFW

custardy wrote: »

As I said before,I expect there to be a drawn out process on many fronts

30 years and counting.

RFW

porto_bello wrote: »

Almost half a century later, it seems Royal Mail is as wedded as ever to the most boring stamps in the world, so other than price increases, I doubt they'll be any change.

There are some Dr. Who ones coming out later this year, he may be able to drag RM into the 21st century;)