Frequent Questions

  • About Postcomm

About Postcomm

What is Postcomm?

Postcomm – the Postal Services Commission – is the independent regulator for the postal market. We were set up by the Postal Services Act 2000 and are classified as a non-ministerial government department. More information about us is at the About Postcomm section of our website.

What does Postcomm do?

It is our job to ensure the provision of a universal postal service and to make sure licensed postal operators – including Royal Mail – meet the needs of their customers throughout the UK.

We do this by:

More information about us is at the About Postcomm section of our website.

Who pays for Postcomm?
Postcomm’s annual budget of around £10 million is funded by licensed mail operators, who pay fees sized according to the volume of mail they handle. Royal Mail is obviously our biggest contributor.

More information about our finances is in our latest set of annual resource accounts.

Where can I find more information about Postcomm? The About Postcomm section of our website has more information about us, including details of our organisational structure, information about our commissioners and directors, listings of all our annual reports and plans, details of current vacancies and our full contact details.

Where can I find information about Postcomm’s policy-making and consultation processes? Information on Postcomm’s policy-making activities is in the Policy and consultations area of the website. This includes a full A-Z index of consultations by subject , and listings of all our documents, sorted by date.

There is a lot of jargon in post. What does it all mean? Like every other sector, the postal services industry sometimes makes use of jargon. On this website, we have tried to use plain English wherever possible and to explain technical language clearly. But if you come across unfamiliar words and expressions, you can make use of our glossary. Please let us know if there is any wording on our site that is not clear and not already listed in the glossary.

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About mail services

How does Postcomm regulate standards in the mail sector? Our primary duty as postal services regulator is to ensure the provision of a universal service, including the “one price goes anywhere” stamp, and deliveries and collections for every UK address, each working day.

We must also further customer interests, where appropriate by promoting effective competition. And we must pay particular attention to the needs of “vulnerable groups” of customers, including the elderly, those who are disabled or chronically sick, and people on low incomes or living in rural areas.

Royal Mail is the universal service provider and the UK’s dominant mail operator. As a result, we must pay particular attention to how we regulate the company, in order to make sure it continues to meet the needs of its customers.

We do this by:

  • ensuring that Royal Mail meets it quality of service standards;
  • setting a framework for the company’s prices – the price control – to ensure a fair deal for customers.
  • ensuring that Royal Mail offers access  to its delivery network on a fair and reasonable basis; and
  • reviewing various aspects of the postal system, such as Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File.

More information about our role as regulator of Royal Mail is at the Royal Mail standards and prices part of the website.

Where can I find information about Royal Mail's service standards? An important part of Postcomm's work is in regulating some of the activities of Royal Mail, which is still the largest UK postal operator by far. More information about this work is at the Royal Mail standards and prices part of our website, which includes a page on quality of service and a table setting out the standards Royal Mail is required to meet.

Why do stamp prices keep going up? UK stamp prices are among the lowest in Europe. The most recent price increase, in April 2008, brought the price of a first class stamp up to 35p and a second class stamp to 25p. Postcomm does not set precise stamp prices, but we do set a wider “price control” framework for Royal Mail to use in deciding its prices for a wide range of products. Among other things, the price control sets maximum limits for the prices of first and second class stamps. The current framework - which runs until 2010 – stipulates that first class stamps must cost 37p or less, and second class stamps must become no more expensive than 26p, by March 2010.

More information about individual product prices is available on Royal Mail’s website .

Why is the price of stamps sometimes different according to where you buy them? The price that a retailer can charge for stamps depends on the commercial agreement it has made with Royal Mail and is not something that Postcomm would get involved with. Some retailers may decide to sell stamps as a ‘loss leader’ at particular times of year, in order to attract more customers to buy their other products.

If you have more questions on this issue, please contact Royal Mail customer services on 08457 740740.

What can I do if I receive poor service? Complain to the licensed postal operator. If you have a complaint about Royal Mail, please contact the company direct:

  • by post: Royal Mail Customer Service Centre, FREEPOST, 20 Turner Road, St Rollox Retail and Business Park, Glasgow, G21 1AA.
  • by telephone: 08457 740740 (textphone 0846000606)
  • by email: contactus@royalmail.com 

If your complaint is about a postal operator other than Royal Mail, please contact that operator direct. Contact details for all licensed postal operators are listed at Licensed postal operators.

For independent advice or guidance contact Consumer Direct.  Consumer Direct is a government service for clear, practical and impartial consumer advice.  Consumer Direct can let customers know how to progress a complaint if you are dissatisfied with the company’s response.  You can contact Consumer Direct:

Full details of how to make a complaint - including contact details for all licensed postal operators - are on the How to complain page of our site.

Postcomm's series of downloadable factsheets on key issues in the mail market includes a brief guide to making a complaint about your postal services provider.

What if I’m dissatisfied with the licensed postal operator's response to my complaint?
If, after taking your complaint to the licensed postal operator, you are still not satisfied, you should ask to escalate your complaint to a manager responsible for complaints.  If your complaint relates to a product or service provided by Royal Mail, you should be referred to Royal Mail’s Postal Review Panel.  This acts as the final stage in Royal Mail’s complaint handling process.   

If your complaint cannot be resolved to your satisfaction, the licensed postal operator can issue a ‘deadlock’ notice that will allow you to ask the independent postal redress scheme to investigate your case.  The independent postal redress scheme will only investigate complaints about products and services provided by postal providers under their operating licensed.  Although this scheme is not operational until 1 October 2008, it will be able to accept cases that have reached deadlock before this date. 

If your complaint is about a non licensed product and you remain dissatisfied with the licensed postal operators response to your complaint you should seek independent legal advice. The government funded Consumer Direct  can provide further guidance.

Postcomm's series of downloadable factsheets on key issues in the mail market includes a brief guide to making a complaint about your postal services provider.

How will I be able to make a complaint now Postwatch is closed? The first stage is the same as it is now – you’ll need to make your complaint direct to the relevant licensed postal operator. Full contact details are on the How to complain page of our website.

For independent advice or guidance contact Consumer Direct.  Consumer Direct is a government service for clear, practical and impartial consumer advice.  Consumer Direct can let customers know how to progress a complaint if you are dissatisfied with the company’s response. 

You can contact Consumer Direct:

What compensation is available for poor service from Royal Mail? Postcomm is currently working on proposals to make Royal Mail's compensation schemes simpler and easier to use. Full details of this ongoing consultation are on the Royal Mail's compensation schemes for delay and loss and damage consultation page.

Under the current system, there are different compensation schemes for senders of domestic and business mail. Compensation is not available for the recipients of delayed mail.

Domestic mail - mail that carries a stamp, Post Office Counters sticker, or has been through a franking machine. This also includes Special Delivery and parcels. Royal Mail is obliged to deliver 94 per cent of First Class mail and Special Delivery items one working day after posting. Second Class post should be delivered within three working days. Compensation is available for delays of more than four days:

  • if First Class mail arrives more than four working days after posting, or Second Class mail arrives more than six working days after posting, compensation is either 12 first class stamps (for valid telephone claims without written evidence of posting) or £5 (for valid claims with a written declaration and other evidence of posting and delivery).
  • if mail is more than ten working days late, compensation is £10 for valid claims with evidence of posting and delivery.
  • for Special Delivery items, minimum compensation is £5 and a refund of postage if an item is not delivered within 24 hours of the guaranteed delivery time, or £10 plus a refund of postage if delivery is late by eight working days or more. At its discretion, Royal Mail may award higher compensation - of up to 100 times the value of a First Class stamp.
  • for the Special Delivery by 9am service, minimum compensation is 12 first class stamps or £5, if items are more than ten working days late, or £10, if delivery is more than 12 working days late. At its discretion, Royal Mail may award higher compensation - of up to 100 times the value of a First Class stamp.
  • for standard parcels, compensation rates are as per First Class mail.

Further details of how to make compensation claim are available on Royal Mail's website, or by phoning Royal Mail customer services on 08457 740740. If you are unhappy with the outcome of your claim, you can appeal, first to Royal Mail itself and then, if you are still not satisfied, the licensed postal operator can issue a ‘deadlock’ notice that will allow you to ask the independent postal redress scheme to investigate your case.  The independent postal redress scheme will only investigate complaints about products and services provided by postal providers under their operating licence. 

Business mail - mail that is delivered using Royal Mail's bulk mail services.

  • Businesses using Royal Mail's bulk mail services will automatically be compensated at a rate of one per cent of their annual bills for each percentage point by which Royal Mail fails to meet its national delivery targets. This is subject to Royal Mail missing a target by one per cent or more, and is limited to a maximum compensation rate of five per cent. All compensation claims from businesses must be supported by the appropriate paperwork.

What compensation is available for poor service from other operators? We don’t hold details of other operators’ compensations schemes, but, in general, each case would be decided on its merits. Further details of other licensed operators’ complaints and compensation systems are available on their websites. 

Why do I now receive only one daily delivery from Royal Mail? In 2004, Royal Mail decided to reduce the number of daily deliveries to all homes and businesses in the UK from two to one. The reasons the company gave were that this would enable it to reduce costs and improve efficiency. A delivery each working day is part of the universal postal service that is enshrined in the Postal Services Act 2000, which it is Postcomm's responsibility to implement. Under current legislation, Royal Mail is unable to make any further reduction in the number of daily deliveries - or in its obligation to make a delivery to every UK home and business address each working day.

Why does my mail arrive later than it used to? In 2004, Royal Mail decided to reduce the number of daily deliveries to all homes and businesses in the UK from two to one, in order to cut costs and improve efficiency. Mail in urban areas should now be delivered by 2pm, and in rural areas by 3pm. Precise times depend on how the postman’s delivery round is set out, which is an operational issue for Royal Mail. 

Why have postal prices changed to reflect size as well as weight? Historically, Royal Mail has based its prices on the weight of letters and packages. But the company has shown its costs are also linked with the size of items. Weight is still relevant, but not the only factor Royal Mail needs to take into account when setting postage prices. Therefore - after extensive consultation with all stakeholders, including customer groups, Postcomm accepted Royal Mail's proposal to change the way it sets its prices. The new scheme - Pricing in Proportion (PiP) - was introduced on 21 August 2006.

More details are on the Pricing in Proportion page of our website, and on Royal Mail's website.

Where can I find more information about Royal Mail products and services? More information about Royal Mail's products, services and prices is available on the company's website. Alternatively, any post office should have a range of leaflets giving full details of what Royal Mail can offer.

What is 'Recorded Delivery'?
Recorded delivery is called 'Recorded Signed For' by Royal Mail. It provides next day delivery for most First Class items, as well as proof of posting, and it requires the recipient to provide a signature on delivery.

More information on Recorded Signed For is available on Royal Mail's website which provides a full A-Z listing of all the company's products.

I sent something by Recorded Delivery. Why can't I see it on Royal Mail's online track and trace database? After a Recorded Delivery (or 'Recorded Signed For', as it is called by Royal Mail) has been delivered by Royal Mail, there is often a delay while the signature and barcodes are transferred to Royal Mail's database.

More information on Recorded Signed For is available on Royal Mail's website, which provides a full A-Z listing of all the company's products.
 
What is 'Special Delivery'? Royal Mail has three Special Delivery products:
• Special Delivery 9:00am , which guarantees delivery of urgent or valuable items by 9am the next working day.
• Special Delivery Next Day, which guarantees delivery of urgent or valuable items before 1pm the next working day.
• Special Delivery with Response, which guarantees return delivery by 1pm the next working day. This service allows businesses, for example, to offer their customers a free returns service.

Full details of all three Special Delivery products are available on Royal Mail's website, by clicking the relevant link/s above. The Royal Mail site also provides a full A-Z listing of all the company's products.

How can I redirect my mail? Royal Mail's website includes full details of how to set up a redirection. You can apply online, by phone, by post, or at your local post office. You can also telephone the company's customer services department with your questions - 08457 740 740.

My redirection service isn’t working. What should I do? You should contact Royal Mail customer services on 08457 740 740. If the company needs updated details, it will provide advice on how you should submit them. Royal Mail's redirections department needs five working days to process an application and we recommend telephoning customer services to make sure everything is in place before you move addresses.

I want to change my postcode. What should I do?
Royal Mail's licence requires it to have a code of practice setting out the process that postal users must go through in order to modify a postal address. The code also sets out the process the company must follow when it lets customers know about postal address changes. Postcomm does not intervene to resolve disputes over individual postcodes. If you believe your postcode is incorrect, you should contact Royal Mail .

More information on the management of the postcode and other information that Royal Mail holds for all UK addresses is available on the Postcode Address File page of Postcomm's website.

Why do I have to pay a £1 surcharge to receive underpaid post? Royal Mail has tried various methods to collect the right amount of postage on letters that were understamped - for example, delivering the letter with a franked reminder of the correct postage, and sending a card for the mailer to return with extra stamps making up the price difference. But neither of these solutions worked well in practice, so, in 2003, Royal Mail introduced its £1 surcharge. Where an address is visible on an item of mail bearing insufficient postage, Royal Mail's policy is to inform the recipient that an item of mail is available for collection, therefore giving people the choice of whether to collect their mail, or to refuse collection and allow the item to be returned to sender.

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact Royal Mail's customer services, at telephone: 08457 740 740.

I have received a card through my door asking me to ring a premium rate phone line to arrange collection of a package. What should I do?
If the package is being delivered by Royal Mail, your postman would have put a card through your letterbox to let you know how to collect it or arrange for redelivery. The card would not have a stamp, and would not require you to ring any number beginning with the digits 090.

If you receive any card claiming to be from a company holding a package for you that you are not expecting, and if the card asks you to call an 090 number for further details, you should contact PhonepayPlus, the watchdog for premium rate phone lines on 0800 500212, to find out whether the company you are being asked to contact is genuine. Further information can be found on the Consumer Direct website.

I keep receiving mail that’s not for me. What can I do?
Contact Royal Mail's customer services on 08457 740 740, explain the problem, and ask them to contact your local delivery office. If the problem continues, you should keep a diary to record and track mis-deliveries over a short time (usually a week). You can then contact Royal Mail again and ask to escalate your complaint.  Full details of how to make a complaint are on the How to complain page of our site.

How can I stop receiving unaddressed direct mail - 'junk mail'?
Contact the Mailing Preference Service run by the Direct Marketing Association to remove your address from mailing lists:
• Address: Mailing Preference Service, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SS.
• Telephone: 020 7291 3310
• Email: mps@dma.org.uk
It can take up to four months for your address to be removed from some mailing lists.

How can I stop receiving mail addressed to 'the occupier'?
Contact Royal Mail's customer services  on 08457 740 740, or write to Royal Mail Door-to-Door Optouts, Room 130, Wheatstone House, Faraday Road, Dorcan, Swindon, SN3 5JW, giving your address and postcode and asking to opt out of all deliveries of this type of mail. The Door-to-Door Optout department will send a form for you to complete and return. Remember that opting out of this type of delivery will also stop delivery of government public information notices.

I'm having problems with Parcelforce. How can I complain?
Items sent via Parcelforce are generally classed as 'courier' deliveries, and fall outside the scope of the 'regulated area' (which covers items costing less than £1 to post and weighing less than 350 grams).

Parcelforce and other courier firms will each have their own complaints mechanisms, and we recommend checking the company's website for contact details and more information.

For independent advice or guidance contact Consumer Direct.  Consumer Direct is a government service for clear, practical and impartial consumer advice. 

You can contact Consumer Direct:

I'm having problems with a courier firm. How can I complain?
Items sent via courier fall outside the scope of the 'regulated area' (which covers items costing less than £1 to post and weighing less than 350 grams). Each courier firm has its own complaints mechanism, and we recommend checking the relevant company's website for contact details and more information.

For independent advice or guidance contact Consumer Direct.  Consumer Direct is a government service for clear, practical and impartial consumer advice. 

You can contact Consumer Direct:

What should I do if I see mail being dumped or suspect it’s being stolen?
If you see mail being dumped, report it to the police and to the company you think the mail is being handled by (a full list of licensed postal operators is at the Licensed postal operators page our website).

If you suspect that mail is being stolen before it’s delivered to you, or is you see a postal worker acting suspiciously, you should report your concerns to Royal Mail ,  telephone 08457 740740. (Although the postal market has now opened to full competition, most mail is still delivered by Royal Mail.) 

Where can I find more information about Postcomm’s role as regulator of Royal Mail?
Full details of Postcomm’s role as regulator of Royal Mail are in the Royal Mail standards and prices section of our site, which includes information on:
1 Royal Mail’s quality of service obligations
2 the price control framework set by Postcomm to make sure that customers get a fair deal.
3 how Royal Mail must proceed if it wants to make changes to any of its regulated products
4 Pricing in Proportion, the new pricing system from Royal Mail that takes into account the size as well as the weight of items to be posted
5 the access agreements Royal Mail makes with large mailers and rival operators, allowing them to collect and sort mail before passing it to Royal Mail for delivery
6 Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File, an almost complete listing of all UK addresses and postcodes
7 zonal pricing - Royal Mail’s application to introduce zonal prices for some of its bulk mail products

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About the universal service

What is the universal service?
The universal service is the means by which anyone in the UK can post letters and parcels to any other part of the country at the same affordable rates. It guarantees one delivery of mail for every UK household and business each working day, and one collection of mail, six days a week.

Royal Mail is required by its licence to provide a universal postal service, and it is Postcomm's primary duty to protect the universal service. The license specifies the range of Royal Mail’s products and services which are covered by the universal service.

The Universal service section of our site explains what the universal service is, outlines the costs and benefits for Royal Mail of providing the service and describes the very rare circumstances under which exceptions are made to Royal Mail’s obligation to deliver mail to every UK address each working day. In these cases, Royal Mail must give Postcomm a very good reason why it should not deliver to a particular address. The UK has approximately 27.5 million addresses and, of these, 2,812 are excepted - 0.01%.

How does Postcomm protect it?
Under the Postal Services Act 2000, Postcomm has a statutory duty to ensure a universal postal service, which includes the ‘one-price-goes-anywhere’ stamp and collections and deliveries each working day for every UK address.

We are committed to safeguarding the universal service in a changing mail market, and want to promote a wider debate about how its scope and specification should reflect and adapt to changing social, economic and technological conditions. The growth of digital communications has changed the way in which mail is used, and we want to make sure that the universal service continues to reflect the needs of mail users.

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About competition in the mail market

When was competition introduced to the mail market?
All statutory restrictions or entering the UK mail market were removed on 1 January 2006. Limited competition was first permitted from January 2003, when the bulk mail market (for postings of 4,000 items or more) was opened up to competition. In practice, competition in the bulk mail sector has mainly been through access agreements. These allow competitors to Royal Mail - and some large mailers themselves - to collect and sort mail before handing it to Royal Mail for final delivery.

More information on competition in the mail market, including a market opening timetable.

Why have you allowed competition in postal services? To give mail users choice and better service. Until 2003, when the market was partly opened - to competition in bulk mail services - there was no option but to use the products and services offered by Royal Mail. Since the introduction of competition, Royal Mail has generally improved its service standards, as well as its range of products and services. In addition, mail users (mainly business mailers) now have a choice of mail services provider and can shop around for the best deal.

Royal Mail remains by far the largest postal operator in the market and, for this reason, as well as the company's role as universal service provider, an important part of Postcomm's work remains the regulation of Royal Mail.

How has competition affected prices? Competition has been a driver for reduced prices for larger mailers using bulk mail products offered by Royal Mail and other operators. Competition has also benefited large mailers through better and more innovative services and other users through significant improvements in Royal Mail’s quality of service.

How can Postcomm make sure competition works well in practice? Every company in the letters market – including Royal Mail – must be licensed by Postcomm.

In addition, Postcomm has wide-ranging powers to gather information and investigate complaints about anti-competitive behaviour in the mail market. In practice, since Royal Mail is the dominant licensed operator in the postal sector - with a market share of more than 96% - it is most likely to be the focus of any investigation into anti-competitive behaviour.

Anti-competitive behaviour may involve the supply of services at prices or on terms that are unduly preferential, unduly discriminatory or unduly restrictive, or which are predatory or excessive. It may also involve obtaining an unfair commercial advantage over competitors, or refusing to supply access to postal facilities. Postcomm can investigate Royal Mail for anti-competitive behaviour.

Postcomm also sets the 'access' margin. A key feature of our initiatives for opening the UK postal market to competition has been enabling other mail operators 'access' to Royal Mail's nationwide delivery network. Typically, through these commercially negotiated 'access' agreements, new entrants collect and sort mail from their customers and then give it to Royal Mail for delivery over the 'final mile'. Royal Mail receives from the 'access' operator around 13p, compared with the typical retail price that Royal Mail charges for an 'end to end' bulk mail letter which is around 18p.

This means that new entrants work within a ‘headroom’ of around 5p out of which they must cover their costs and offer a sufficient discount to encourage customers to switch from Royal Mail. Postcomm’s price control on Royal Mail regulates the minimum headroom between the 'access' price and Royal Mail’s retail price for the equivalent product.

One imbalance in the mail market is VAT. Royal Mail is exempt from value-added tax, but other operators must pay the full 17.5% rate. Postcomm believes there should be one, uniform rate applied to all postal operators, but we are not able to alter the VAT regime, as this is under the control of HM Treasury. More information on VAT in the mail market is available in one of our series of downloadable factsheets.

Which companies are competing with Royal Mail? Full details of competing licensed postal operators are available on the licensed postal operators page of our website. Postcomm's annual review of the market, the Competitive Market Review also has listings of licensed postal operators, including some information on the products and services they offer.

Several consultants now offer advice and information on the services available in the mail market. Our website includes details of some of these organisations, but does not provide an exhaustive list. More information on consultants is on the suppliers to the mail industry page of our site.

How much business has Royal Mail lost since the introduction of competition? Royal Mail remains the largest operator by far in the UK mail market, and delivered 99% of letters (mail weighing less than 350 grams and costing less than £1 to post) in 2007-08 (source: Royal Mail).

Competition has come mainly in the form of access, which means that large mailers and other licensed operators competing with Royal Mail can make agreements with the company to collect and sort letters before feeding them into Royal Mail's systems for delivery.
• In 2007-08, Royal Mail made 4 billion access deliveries, compared to 2.4 billion the year before.
• In 2006-07, access mail was 12% of Royal Mail's total operational volume, with customer direct access making up just under half of this amount (source: Postcomm, with data from Royal Mail).
• In the nine months April - December 2007, access accounted for 20% of Royal Mail's volumes (this is now measured from revenue-derived volumes).

How can I change my postal operator? Our website includes information on reviewing your mail services provider, which sets out some of the questions you should consider when looking at the mail services you use. Our series of downloadable factsheets also includes more information on reviewing your mail services provider.

Does competition mean my mail could now be delivered by a company other than Royal Mail? It's very unlikely. Royal Mail still delivers 99% of all letters in the UK, and competition has come mainly in the form of access agreements, which allow large mailers (banks, insurers and charities, for example), as well as competing licensed postal operators, to collect and sort mail before feeding it into Royal Mail's systems for final delivery. Other postal operators could, in theory, set up rival delivery networks, but Royal Mail has had more than 350 years to develop its systems and can deliver to almost every UK home and business. A network like this would be very hard to replicate.  

Where can I find more information about competition in the mail market? Information about competition in the mail market is at the Competition section of our site, which includes:
1 information on reviewing your mail services provider;
2 a full market opening timetable ;
3 details of the Competitive Market Review and Business Customer Survey;
4 full details of our work on investigating complaints of anti-competitive behaviour in the mail market.

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About access

What is access? Access means allowing mail users (usually big business users such as banks, insurers and charities) and licensed postal operators to make commercial agreements with Royal Mail, allowing them to use the company's facilities to carry post for part of its journey. Generally, mail users and postal operators collect and pre-sort mail before feeding it into Royal Mail's systems at the company's local sorting centres. The mail is then delivered by Royal Mail staff.

More information on access is available on the Access agreements page of our website, and our series of downloadable factsheets includes one on access.

Royal Mail is required to negotiate access agreements with any large mailer or rival licensed postal operator. These are commercial agreements, negotiated independently of Postcomm. If organisations are unable to agree with Royal Mail a fair price for access, we can intervene to ensure that it is made available on appropriate terms.

How can I make an access agreement with Royal Mail? First, you’ll need to contact Royal Mail wholesale (external website) and fill out the form provided, setting out key information about your access request.

Once you complete and return the form, there’s a three month deadline for Royal Mail to respond to you with some indicative terms. During those three months, the company may request meetings with you to discuss your requirements further.

After that, it’s up to you to accept the terms or negotiate them with Royal Mail. If you – or Royal Mail - are unwilling to negotiate, you can apply to Postcomm for an ‘access determination’, that is, for a ruling on what terms and conditions would be fair for your access agreement.

Where can I find more information about access? Information about access is included in the Royal Mail standards and prices section of our site.

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About licensing

Who is licensed and how can I find their contact details? 
More than 20 postal operators - including Royal Mail - are licensed by Postcomm. Full details of Postcomm's licensing regime are available at the Postal licences and operators part of our website, which includes a section giving contact and other information for each licensed operator.

How can I become a licensed postal operator?
Information on the licensing process is available at the Licensing application procedure part of our site. We also have a factsheet giving more information.

Where can I find more information about Postcomm’s licensing regime?
Information on Postcomm’s licensing framework is in the Postal licences and operators section of our site.

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About Post Offices

Do Postcomm’s regulatory powers cover Post Offices?
No. Postcomm has a limited role in relation to the Post Office network. We monitor developments in the network and provide advice to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the form of an annual report. We are not involved in making decisions on the future of either the network or any individual post office.

The Post Offices section of our site includes full details of Postcomm’s work in relation to post offices, and full listings of our Post Office research, and annual reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on developments in the Post Office network. The Post Office's own website - is also a good source of information.

What can I do about a proposed Post Office closure?
You can find contact details for your regional post office contact at the network change section of the Post Office’s website , and register your comments with them.

Where can I find more information about Post Offices?
The Post Offices section of our site includes full details of Postcomm’s work in relation to post offices. It includes full listings of our Post Office research, and our annual reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on developments in the Post Office network. The Post Office's own website (external website) - is also a good source of information.

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About mail industry suppliers

How can I find out more about mail industry suppliers?
Postcomm's website includes listings of contact details for mail industry suppliers. This is not an exhaustive list, but provides details for various types of suppliers in the sector:
• equipment and consumables suppliers
• mail, print and fulfilment organisations
• software and technology providers
• consultants providing advice, information and support services.

I am a mail industry supplier. How can I add my details to the listings on Postcomm’s website?
If you would like to include details for your organisation on the mail industry suppliers pages of Postcomm's website, please contact Ruth Heller with your company name, your website address and a brief (no more than 50 words) description of what you do. Please also let us know which category your organisation should be listed under:
• equipment and consumables suppliers
• mail, print and fulfilment organisations
• software and technology providers
• consultants providing advice, information and support services.

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About this website

How can I find the information I’m looking for?
Use the menu at the top left of every page to navigate your way around the site. If you can't see what you're looking for there, use the Sitemap instead. Alternatively, use the search box, which appears at the top of each page, or contact us so that we can point you in the right direction.

Where can I find information about Postcomm?
The About Postcomm section of our website has more information about us, including details of our organisational structure, information about our commissioners and directors, listings of all our annual reports and business plans, details of current vacancies, and our full contact details.

Where can I find news releases?
The News releases section of the site includes all the news releases issued by Postcomm since we were set up in 2000. Releases are listed in chronological order. Link to latest news.

Where can I find information about speeches and other postal events?
Full listings of the postal events we've been involved with and the speeches we've given - as well as details of forthcoming events - are at the Postal events and speeches section of the site.

Where can I find information about the mail market?
The About the mail market section of the site includes key facts about the mail sector, as well as:
1 a list of UK market reviews, which includes overviews of mail developments in the UK. These are sourced mainly from Postcomm, and include our series of factsheets covering key issues affecting postal services.
2 a list of International market reviews, which brings together a range of information held by Postcomm on overseas markets.
3 listings of contact details for mail industry suppliers, including:
• equipment and consumables suppliers
• mail, print and fulfilment organisations
• software and technology providers
• consultants providing advice, information and support services.
4 links to other useful websites.

Where can I find out more about the legal framework for postal regulation?
The Legal framework section of the site includes:
1 background on the postal legislation that frames our work;
2 the codes and policies that we follow in our work;
3 details of Postcomm’s statutory authority to bring prosecutions for certain mail-related offences;
4 background on the information legislation – the Data Protection Act and the Freedom of Information Act – that relates to our work;
5 Postcomm’s Public Register, which sets out all the documents we have produced.

How can I make a Freedom of Information request?
As a public authority, Postcomm must comply with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The Information legislation page at the Legal framework section of our site explains more about the Act and sets out how you can make a Freedom of Information request to Postcomm. We will reply to any Freedom of Information request within 20 days of receiving it, and our reply will either provide the information you have requested, or explain why it has not been provided, quoting an exemption under the Act.

Where can I find information about the universal service?
The Universal service section of our site explains what the universal service is, outlines the costs and benefits for Royal Mail of providing the service, and describes the circumstances under which exceptions  are made to Royal Mail’s obligation to deliver mail to every UK address each working day.

Where can I find information about Postcomm’s Strategy Review?
Full details of this consultation exercise, which has been looking at the long term future of regulation in the postal market, are at the Strategy Review section of our website. Our series of factsheets includes one setting out the progress so far of the Review.

Where can I find information about Postcomm consultations?
The Policy and consultations section of our site explains Postcomm's consultation process and includes a full A-Z listing of all Postcomm consultations, organised by subject.

Where can I find the latest Postcomm documents?
The Policy and consultations section of the site includes a chronological listing of all publicly-available Postcomm documents. You can also refer to our news pages for details of the latest policy developments and documents.

Where can I find information about competition in the mail market?
Information about competition in the mail market is at the Competition section of our site, which includes:
1 information on reviewing your mail services provider;
2 a full market opening timetable;
3 details of the Competitive Market Review and Business Customer Survey;
4 full details of our work on investigating complaints of anti-competitive behaviour in the mail market.

The site also gives background information about the mail market, and the Policy and consultations section has full listings of documents for the various consultation processes that led to full market opening on 1 January 2006.

Where can I find information about access?
Information about access is included in the Royal Mail standards and prices section of our site.

Where can I find information about Postcomm’s role as regulator of Royal Mail?
Full details of Postcomm’s role as regulator of Royal Mail are in the Royal Mail standards and prices section of our site, which includes information on:
1 Royal Mail’s quality of service obligations;
2 the price control framework set by Postcomm to make sure that customers, as well as Royal Mail management and staff, see the benefits of the company’s profitability;
3 how Royal Mail must proceed if it wants to make changes to any of its regulated products;
4 Pricing in Proportion, the new pricing system from Royal Mail that takes into account the size as well as the weight of items to be posted;
5 the access agreements Royal Mail makes with large mailers and rival operators, allowing them to collect and sort mail before passing it to Royal Mail for delivery;
6 Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File, an almost complete listing of all UK addresses and postcodes;
7 zonal pricing - Royal Mail’s application to introduce zonal prices for some of its bulk mail products.

Where can I find information about zonal pricing?
'Zonal pricing' takes into account the cost of delivering to different parts of the country. Royal Mail already applies zonal pricing to some of its access agreements, under which it delivers mail 'the final mile' for large customers and other postal operators. The company also offers discounts to its Presstream  customers, depending on the geographic mix of delivery addresses for each mailing.

Royal Mail's licence does not allow it to apply zonal pricing to any of its universal service products and services. However, in 2006, the company applied to Postcomm, proposing the introduction of zonal prices for certain non-universal service bulk retail mail products used by the largest mailers (banks, insurers and charities, for example). After a detailed consultation process, Postcomm published its final decision document, refusing this application, in February 2008.

• More information on zonal pricing, including links to our series of downloadable factsheets, which includes one on zonal pricing, and to a full list of documents relating to Royal Mail's zonal pricing application.  

Where can I find information about Postcomm’s licensing regime?
Information on Postcomm’s licensing framework is in the Postal licences and operators section of our site.

Where can I find information about licensed postal operators?
The Postal licences and operators section of our site includes information about Postcomm’s licensing regime, and lists full contact details for all licensed postal operators.

Where can I find information about Post Offices?
The Post Offices section of our site includes full details of Postcomm’s work in relation to Post Offices. It includes full listings of our Post Office research, and our annual reports to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on developments in the Post Office network.

Where can I find links to other post-related websites?
Our site includes a list of useful links. Please let us know  if there are websites you think we should add to our list.  

Where can I find a glossary of postal terms?
There is a link to the glossary from each page of Postcomm’s website. Please let us know if there is any wording on our site that is not clear and not already listed in the glossary.

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