Postcomm consults on Royal Mail's collection and delivery times
9 October 2006
Postcomm has today launched a consultation on Royal Mail’s collection and delivery times to establish whether customers’ needs remain sufficiently protected at a time when Royal Mail’s practices are changing.
Most post is collected and delivered by Royal Mail, whose Universal Service Obligation means it must make at least one collection from every post box and at least one delivery to every home or business premises every working day. However, Royal Mail is not obliged to specify the times by which these collections and deliveries should be made.
Postcomm is reacting to concerns over Royal Mail bringing forward final collection times from some post boxes, particularly in rural areas. In some cases, final collections in rural areas are now made as early as 9am. Also, following Royal Mail’s decision to implement a single daily delivery, most mail is being delivered later in the day. This has led to some instances where the daily delivery is now being made after the final mail collection.
Postcomm wants to establish whether these changes have caused problems, and, if so, whether customers would be willing to pay more for better collection and/or delivery times. The responses to this consultation will be combined with a wide-reaching market research exercise that is being carried out on behalf of Postcomm, Postwatch and Royal Mail, plus costing information from Royal Mail.
All this information will help Postcomm decide whether a more formal approach to collection and delivery times is necessary.
Nigel Stapleton, chairman of Postcomm, said:
“It’s very important that customers use this opportunity to tell us how recent changes to their collection and delivery times are affecting them. By making earlier collections and delivering mail later in the day, for instance, Royal Mail may be giving itself more time to deliver first class mail the next day. Whilst this helps the company meet its quality of service targets, if it is not meeting the reasonable needs of customers Postcomm must consider what action to take.
“Postcomm has a duty to protect the needs and interests of all mail users, especially people in rural areas and those who are blind or partially sighted, elderly, chronically sick or disabled. Early collections could have adverse effects on these mail users’ ability to communicate by post and on the future health of the mail market. We are pleased that Postwatch and Royal Mail will be working closely with Postcomm on this project.”
Notes to editors
Printed versions of the document “A Review of Royal Mail’s Collection and Delivery Times - The needs of users in relation to collection and delivery times” (pdf, 291KB), will be available shortly from Postcomm’s office at 6 Hercules Road, London, SE1 7DB. Responses are requested by 8 January 2007.
The consultation seeks views from as many customers as possible and asks a number of more general questions about collections and deliveries, including:
- What are the most important elements of the delivery postal service for you and/or your business?
- How important is it for you to be able to respond to mail on the same day that you receive it?
- Have you noticed any change in your collection times over the last two years? Has this had any effect on you or your business?
- Have you noticed delivery times changing since the implementation of Single Daily Delivery? Has this had any effect on your business (if it has please explain how)?
- What is more important to you/your business: the time of collection and delivery, or the consistency of the time?
- If you are a small business customer, would you be prepared to pay more for a guaranteed delivery time of no later than 9.00am? What would you consider to be an acceptable increase in the price of a 1st Class stamp for this delivery time?
- If you are a domestic customer, would you be prepared to pay more for a guaranteed delivery time of no later than 11.00am? What would you consider to be an acceptable increase in the price of a 1st Class stamp for this delivery time?
- Would you expect to pay less for later delivery times, for example, 2.00pm deliveries? What would you consider to be a reasonable decrease in the price of a 1st Class stamp if deliveries are made at this time?
