Different postal rates at different post offices?

porto_bello

earthstorm wrote: »

This is not true

http://www.royalmail.com/personal/uk-delivery/online-postage

You can use RM online postage service and print your own postage labels. You can also print postage labels through Paypal

The gold coloured labels I've seen produced at the counter are created by bespoke printers on bespoke formatted gold self-adhesive labels featuring the Queen's head.

The PO labels are quite different, unless large commercial customers are now able to buy these labels and printers? (Presumably they would have to be somehow connected to the PO, to calculate the charges)

earthstorm

porto_bello wrote: »

The gold coloured labels I've seen produced at the counter are created by bespoke printers on bespoke formatted gold self-adhesive labels featuring the Queen's head.

The PO labels are quite different, unless large commercial customers are now able to buy these labels and printers? (Presumably they would have to be somehow connected to the PO, to calculate the charges)

well you did not say the gold stamp labels

Yes, since the printed label price can only have been produced by post office staff, the resulting mistake can only be attributed to them.

which as i stated is not true

RFW

earthstorm wrote: »

well you did not say the gold stamp labels



which as i stated is not true

We were talking about labels printed at a Post Office. There are (I think) a couple of types of labels that can be printed in a Post Office, on the gold labels and a black and white one. I'm assuming these get sorted differently to own printed, franked and stamped mail.

porto_bello

RFW wrote: »

We were talking about labels printed at a Post Office. There are (I think) a couple of types of labels that can be printed in a Post Office, on the gold labels and a black and white one. I'm assuming these get sorted differently to own printed, franked and stamped mail.

Yes, we are - or at least, I was.

earthstorm wrote: »

well you did not say the gold stamp labels



which as i stated is not true

Perhaps you can tell us where else you can obtain the gold labels, other than over a Post Office counter?

techspec

RFW is spot on - apparantely Royal Mail are not allowed to pull post with an official post office printed stamp on it. It would seem to be true - as ive had dozens go underpriced and none have ever been pulled.

Think about it - the Post Office would be to blame - and they would have to cough up. Both are owned by the same people - the taxpayer. This may change when Royal Mail is privatised.

Again, as stated above - of the post office just put stamps on - this would be pulled - as the Royal Mail would not know who stamped it.

If you print your own labels - they can pull it too.

I was also told by a CROWN post office the other day - that my cube could be pushed through the template (it certainly needed it). My local does this anyway - but apparantely many post offices had asked to be allowed to push them through - to avoid heated arguments with customers. Royal Mail said yes. My local independent Post Office, said they were told they could push them through from day one. Buy they are over-generous anyway.

RFW

techspec wrote: »

Think about it - the Post Office would be to blame - and they would have to cough up. Both are owned by the same people - the taxpayer. This may change when Royal Mail is privatised.

It does throw up the question that has not been asked (as far as I can see) about privatisation. The relationship between Royal Mail and The Post Office must surely be under some protection. A private company being so closely involved with a public one prone to strike action and differing standards will inevitably have problems.

Will we end up with Royal Mail opening their own version of post offices or partnering up with Tesco for sending parcels?

A fair bit off topic but I wanted to put it somewhere so I can quote it in a couple of years;)

campdave

RFW wrote: »

It does throw up the question that has not been asked (as far as I can see) about privatisation. The relationship between Royal Mail and The Post Office must surely be under some protection. A private company being so closely involved with a public one prone to strike action and differing standards will inevitably have problems.

I read somewhere (possibly the guardian website), that RM and the PO have some kind of agreement for the next 10 or so years. After that, assuming privitisation occurs (and much as I'm against it, it's going to occur and I doubt any form of strikes will make any difference), whatever happens to the relationship is anyone's guess. It would seem logical that some form of relationship would continue as there will still need to be somewhere to drop off and pay for mail.

Eliza_2

Thank you everyone for your responses, it sounds as though I don't need to worry as the label was printed and stuck on by the counter staff. The discrepancy is worrying though, that's a vast difference in price. If I'd had the cash on me I would have paid the £11 at the first PO I visited assuming it was the same everywhere.

Lots of other food for thought and debate here too, many thanks.

RFW

campdave wrote: »

I read somewhere (possibly the guardian website), that RM and the PO have some kind of agreement for the next 10 or so years. After that, assuming privitisation occurs (and much as I'm against it, it's going to occur and I doubt any form of strikes will make any difference), whatever happens to the relationship is anyone's guess. It would seem logical that some form of relationship would continue as there will still need to be somewhere to drop off and pay for mail.

Presumably a private company can break an agreement that is hampering their trading, so a ten year agreement could prove to be useless. If, as could prove inevitable, the Post Office is privatised too they could go their separate ways.
I'm not sure privatisation of Royal Mail will be a bad thing but it looks as though it will head that way, especially as it seems to be being rushed through to spike some figures before the next election.

It may well be that we'll soon be going into a Post Office not knowing how much we'll be charged for a parcel and which company will end up handling it. None of which can be a good thing.

campdave

I can't see the argument for privisation. The risk of the pensions is still carried by the state, and the profit making arm is flogged off so that after a short term boost in cash, the steady income is lost.

Added to the fact that it's probably any company large enough to hold a significant stake in the company are likely to arrange their tax affairs so any profit generated privately is off-shored, the state loses out again.

But we digress.