Uk Residents - Wave Goodbye To Royal Mail

[VCDHunter]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4274335.stm

Royal Mail loses postal monopoly

The Royal Mail's 350-year monopoly is to end at the start of 2006, 15 months earlier than previously planned.
The UK's postal service market will be fully liberalised from 1 January 2006, regulator Postcomm announced, following three months of consultation.

From that date, any licensed operator will be able to deliver mail to business and residential customers.

Royal Mail, which controls 99% of the market, welcomed the news but the main postal union said it was "ill-advised".

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) warned the decision will place "the country's cherished universal service in jeopardy".

The CWU also criticised what it said was a "competition at all costs" ethos which it says will put the Post Office at a serious competitive disadvantage to its European rivals.

Ready for competition?

However, the Royal Mail and consumer watchdog Postwatch have welcomed the decision.

"We're ready," said Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier.

"We recognise that the regulator is getting on with his job, and welcome faster competition as long as it comes without unfair restrictions on Royal Mail."

"Royal Mail must have the freedom and flexibility to set the right prices, based on real costs," Mr Crozier added.

"If that happens, I think the new competitive environment will succeed. Competitors are already targeting profitable business mail. We need to compete with them on price as well as service if we are to keep the universal service in business."

In the new market, Royal Mail will still be required to provide a universal postal service for first and second class mail of one delivery and one collection each working day at a uniform price throughout the UK.

'More choice'

Consumer body Postwatch chairman Peter Carr welcomed the announcement.

He said: "Ultimately this will lead to more choice, and hopefully a better service."

However, he said there were still issues to be addressed, such as cost of access to the Royal Mail "pipeline" for letters.


The Royal Mail will still be obliged to provide a uniform UK service

Until now, competition in the £4.5bn market has been restricted to 30% of the value of the letters market and to companies handling bulk mail in batches of 4000 letters or more.

Full market opening means that licensed operators can collect and deliver any mail, from single letters to bulk mailings.

They can set up collection boxes, provide collections and deliveries between businesses, offer tracked mail services or mail deliveries at a guaranteed time.

Operator codes

Postcomm will shortly publish arrangements for the new multi-operator market.

These will include a code of practice to ensure mail companies co-operate on issues such as the forwarding of mail and handling mail that is returned to sender and a separate code to safeguard the integrity of the mail.

At present, Royal Mail alone is exempt from VAT, which means it has a significant price advantage over rival firms, and Postcomm said "competition issues" would be addressed.

But the CWU union fears the change is too much too soon.

It says the regulator has moved in a way that is "completely out of step with the carefully managed approach" set out in European legislation.

"In so doing, Postcomm has placed significant extra pressures on the Royal Mail Group at a time when it is undergoing far-reaching internal and external changes," said CWU deputy general secretary Dave Ward.

"The upshot will be to place very real pressures on Royal Mail's ability to meet its universal service obligations."

2nd Delivery already gone, delivery times moved from early morning to noon, sub Post Offices being closed weekly - where will it end ? My guess is next day delivery for residential addresses will be phased out. It'll end up like the ******* Railways.

[Cobra]

FINALLY!

I don't like the Royal Mail. They keep on losing my letters and parcels.

I hope you are wrong about it turning out like the railways, though.

[VCDHunter]

FINALLY!

I don't like the Royal Mail. They keep on losing my letters and parcels.

I hope you are wrong about it turning out like the railways, though.

I doubt if they keep losing your letters and parcels, especially as Royal Mail don't deliver parcels. The quality of service has been steadily going downhill for years, though my only gripe is that by turning up at 11:00 am to deliver a recorded item there is never likely to be anyone in. The only item I can ever remember going missing is my series 5 simpsons box set that I had delivered from Denmark so that could have gone missing anywhere.

Turn out like the railways ? you bet. Utter chaos will ensue soon. At the moment it costs 28p to deliver a letter from anywhere to anywhere in the UK, do you think that will still be done ? Remember that the Royal Mail is no longer in the business of delivering mail, its in the business of making money now.

[Cobra]

I take my parcels down the Post Office, so I thought it would be the Royal Mail who delivered it.

Trust me, the Bath branch have lost just under half of all the letters I have sent. I have probably been incredibly unfortunate. I have complained, but got nowhere.

If a private company started who could offer cheap delivery, I'd ditch the RM in a heartbeat.

[mcbit]

Do you think it will be as big a **** up as changing the name to Consignia (and back again)?

[VCDHunter]

I take my parcels down the Post Office, so I thought it would be the Royal Mail who delivered it.

I've always been baffled by this one. You take your parcel to Post Office Counters Ltd, who hand it over to Parcelforce who try to deliver it. If they don't, they pass it to Royal Mail Letters who hold it for you to pickup. It's madness. At no point can you go back to PO Counters to get your item back !

Trust me, the Bath branch have lost just under half of all the letters I have sent. I have probably been incredibly unfortunate. I have complained, but got nowhere.

That sounds terrible mate. Keep a track of what goes missing - dates, times, items etc. and take it up with a customer care advisor. For anyone to lose half of what they should get smacks of an organised crime element here - not the mafia - but certainly you wouldnt lose that much mail normally anywhere. Do you still get all your junk mail etc ? But all the good stuff goes missing ?

If a private company started who could offer cheap delivery, I'd ditch the RM in a heartbeat.

Well who wouldn't ? If a competitor arrived offering a similar service for less I'd imagine every sane peron would ditch RM. The trouble is there's no money to be made from domestic mail - 28p to send a letter, whereas it costs around £2.20 to achieve that delivery. The reason you get next day delivery for 28p is because its subsidised by business mail. Ponder this; at an estimated £2 loss on average per domestic stamped mail item, how would you make the business more profitable ?

[Cobra]

My packages are sent with Parcel Farce? That explains it...

I'm not too concerned any more. I've moved and my new local Post Office is yet to lose something. I've sent four letters and one parcel so far. It's not all bad.

Anyway, I'll drop out now and let other users get a word in edgeways!

[VCDHunter]

My packages are sent with Parcel Farce? That explains it...

If they are over a certain size - small packet like stuff will go RM. Infact try and figure out whats the best way to send an item, its soo bloody confusing.

[mcbit]

Royal Mail Group PLC is the parent company for

The Post Office
Royal Mail
Parcelforce

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/aboutus/aboutus8.asp

[zzyzzx]

I had no idea that the mail over there was that bad. In the US the post office actually does a pretty good job.

[VCDHunter]

I had no idea that the mail over there was that bad. In the US the post office actually does a pretty good job.

Ironically they're not, 2nd best in the world behind the US and they piss all over anything europe has to offer. It's mainly due to some frankly horrendous PR and "documentaries" that peoples perception of them is so bad.

[yoda313]

Hello,

will be fully liberalised

Is that the same as "privatized"??????

Kevin

[ChrisX]

UK Residents - Wave Goodbye to Royal Mail.

This was gone years ago here in Australia and Sydney still got 'Royal Easter Show'.

I can remember seeing that on Government letters and the Post Office saying ‘On Her Majesties Service’ as OHMS.

ChrisX

[jackal70058]

I had no idea that the mail over there was that bad. In the US the post office actually does a pretty good job.

Except in Northeast Louisiana.

And theyre slow as molasses.

I used the Royal Mail all of the time when I was in the UK a year ago. I didn't have a negatives experience, but I only used it for a few months. They sent things back home for me so I wouldnt have to cram all in suitcase.

[flaninacupboard]

It's going to confuse pensioners. there'll be a red post box, a black one, a blue one. and then when they get their post, it won't be a man from royal mail!!! they'd better have plenty of identity cards with big print.