Free manual forwarding of post by Royal Mail

NFH

For 30 years, I have been using manual forwarding of mail by Royal Mail, whereby someone at the original address crosses out the original address and writes the new address. This has never cost anything. Recently Royal Mail has started to randomly deliver to me a card indicating that the sender didn't pay the postage when someone at my old address forwards something manually.

Royal Mail Group Ltd Inland Letter Post (Amendment No 25) Scheme 2008 Part 1 Sections 6.1 & 6.2 (dated 24 July 2008) states that manual forwarding of post is free of charge. However, in later versions at http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/ILPScheme.pdf and http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/ILPScheme_9%20January%202012%20vik.pdf Part 1 Section 6 has been deleted.

The same paragraphs were previously published in a one-page PDF at http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/Forwarding%20December%2010.pdf but this has recently been removed, although it is still visible at www.archive.org.

Does this mean that it is no longer possible to manually forward post free of charge by crossing out the previous address and writing the recipient's new address?

Money_maker

30 years! You've got to be kidding.

NFH

Money_maker wrote: »

30 years! You've got to be kidding.

Is it not unusual to change address now and again over a 30-year period?

Paully232000

Money_maker wrote: »

30 years! You've got to be kidding.

not 30 years at the same address I assumed.

vitamin_joe

I think Money Maker believes that you've been forwarding mail from the same address for 30 years (edit- as Paully232000 has just pointed out)

Anyway, I'll be following this with interest. It's a rum do if Royal Mail start charging for this.

LilElvis

Why would anyone expect Royal Mail to collect, sort and deliver an item of post twice for one fee? It's a business.

NFH

LilElvis wrote: »

Why would anyone expect Royal Mail to collect, sort and deliver an item of post twice for one fee? It's a business.

Free manual forwarding operated for decades while it was not a business but a public service. Perhaps its privatisation is what has led to this free service being apparently withdrawn.

martinsurrey

LilElvis wrote: »

Why would anyone expect Royal Mail to collect, sort and deliver an item of post twice for one fee? It's a business.

its a slippy slope

if you start like that we'll end up with

"Why would anyone expect Royal Mail to deliver to the highlands of Scotland from London for the same price as London to London? its a business"

tomtontom

martinsurrey wrote: »

its a slippy slope

if you start like that we'll end up with

"Why would anyone expect Royal Mail to deliver to the highlands of Scotland from London for the same price as London to London? its a business"

You pay for a service from a to b, not from a to b to c. Your analogy is irrelevant as it still falls into the former category.