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Royal Mail now charging 16p with online Tracked 48 if taken to Post Office

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but I usually send Tracked 48 online, print the label myself and take it to the Post Office.  However today as usual it offered free collection but a charge of an extra 16p if I took it myself.  I don't remember seeing this before.
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Comments

  • tightauldgit
    tightauldgit Posts: 2,628 Forumite
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    I noticed this the past couple of days that it said charges may apply if dropped off at a branch. Mind you prior to this I'm pretty sure my local PO wouldn't take Tracked 48 and I had to drop them off at the Delivery Office which still appears to be free. 

    For the time being I'm using the free collection option for all my parcels. 
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,412 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I've just done a test parcel, and yes, the prices for collection or drop off at a mail centre have reduced by 16p, but the 16p is added back on if you drop at a PO.

    I was paying £3.45 for drop off but now it will only cost me £3.29. so I am quite pleased about that.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • tightauldgit
    tightauldgit Posts: 2,628 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    soolin said:
    I've just done a test parcel, and yes, the prices for collection or drop off at a mail centre have reduced by 16p, but the 16p is added back on if you drop at a PO.

    I was paying £3.45 for drop off but now it will only cost me £3.29. so I am quite pleased about that.
    Ah that makes utter sense now .. you're right the last couple of Tracked 48 I sent went through at 3.29 and I hadn't even picked up on it other than to think it's not really worth sending untracked 2nd class anymore. 
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,412 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    soolin said:
    I've just done a test parcel, and yes, the prices for collection or drop off at a mail centre have reduced by 16p, but the 16p is added back on if you drop at a PO.

    I was paying £3.45 for drop off but now it will only cost me £3.29. so I am quite pleased about that.
    Ah that makes utter sense now .. you're right the last couple of Tracked 48 I sent went through at 3.29 and I hadn't even picked up on it other than to think it's not really worth sending untracked 2nd class anymore. 
    I agree, for 30p it is well worth it for slightly more expensive items.

    My issue is that last week my mail centre drastically cut their opening hours, we are a main hub (apparently) and it used to be open most reasonable hours, and now most days it just 8-10am . I know they will pick up for free but our post is all over the place, it can arrive any time from 10am- 4.30 pm and I go out most days so that's out. Add to that the sometimes 40 minute queues at the main post office, and using RM is becoming a bit of an issue. When the mail centre was open during the day I could just bundle everything up and drop it off when I went out which was ideal, and the staff in there are lovely. 

    On slow days where I have just a few cheap items I have taken to just dropping them in the post box or parcel box and not worrying about POP, even though I know that means I can't claim for loss. 
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • KxMx
    KxMx Posts: 10,826 Forumite
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    I think most mail centers have just drastically cut their hours. 
    Mine survived the last round of reductions relatively unscathed, but have been cut quite savagely now.
    I suppose it's linked to their new policy of attempting parcel delivery twice before the customer can make arrangements of their choice. 
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 73,412 Ambassador
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    Just noticed that ebay haven't changed their prices. RM tracked 48 is £3.45 regardless of whether you use drop off or collection. However if you send via the RM online portal drop off at a mail centre is £3.29. So thank you @claire07 for starting this thread, I would have missed it otherwise. 
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • My local delivery office in a busy London area has also changed to 8am - 10am Monday to Friday. What I understand from the above posts is it is basically costing me the same to drop a Tracked 48 item off at a Post office as it would have cost me a few weeks ago to send the same item from a Sorting Office.

    I'm not pleased with what the Royal Mail is doing though. I have said many times that the Royal Mail competing with other couriers is a race to the bottom. I hope those of you in favour of privatisation enjoy the new opening hours.
  • tightauldgit
    tightauldgit Posts: 2,628 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    My local delivery office in a busy London area has also changed to 8am - 10am Monday to Friday. What I understand from the above posts is it is basically costing me the same to drop a Tracked 48 item off at a Post office as it would have cost me a few weeks ago to send the same item from a Sorting Office.

    I'm not pleased with what the Royal Mail is doing though. I have said many times that the Royal Mail competing with other couriers is a race to the bottom. I hope those of you in favour of privatisation enjoy the new opening hours.
    I presume the reasoning is that they want to drive more business through collections or direct to delivery office rather than through PO counters as they will have to pay PO counters for every parcel they collect on their behalf - the charge is probably 16p isn't it or 20p so RM make a little gain?

    I mean there is a logic in there but it's only a logic for the individual company not the bigger picture of having an efficient mail service for the UK. 

    Yeah, I did some work on the privatisation many moons ago and it just never made any sense to say that they would open up all the profitable stuff to competition but maintain RM's commitment to still do the loss-making stuff. Except of course as the general approach 'privatise the gains, nationalise the losses'
  • Buster_Danog
    Buster_Danog Posts: 716 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited 17 July 2023 pm31 8:06PM
    Does anyone know where the 16p is paid? I am currently buying a Tracked 48 with signature for £4.49 on the Royal Mail URL "https://business.parcel.royalmail.com" but I see no option to add the 16p charge to drop off at a post office.

    Below the different options there is a message "A supplementary charge will apply for Post Office drop off. More information on these charges can be found here."

    But that link doesn't seem to say much about Post Office drop off.


  • soolin said:
    I've just done a test parcel, and yes, the prices for collection or drop off at a mail centre have reduced by 16p, but the 16p is added back on if you drop at a PO.

    I was paying £3.45 for drop off but now it will only cost me £3.29. so I am quite pleased about that.

    How are they added back on? If I pay the reduced rate by Paypal do they just take the 16p extra from my Paypal account if I drop off at a Post Office?
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