Postwatch recognises the need for Royal Mail to restructure its delivery service in order to return to being a successful, profitable, company. Postwatch strongly supports the one delivery a day concept.
Postwatch also recognises that separating those customers who need their mail early (by 9.00am) From those who do not is a sensible approach to providing a cost efficient service. A small charge would help focus customers’ minds on whether they do really need (rather than just prefer) their mail before 9.00am. However, £750 per year is an unacceptably high price and certainly outside the category of “small charge”. Postwatch is concerned that small businesses and those working from home, who need early deliveries will not be prepared to pay £750 a year for the service.
This is one aspect that Postwatch will be monitoring closely throughout the trials. Peter Carr, Chairman of Postwatch, commenting on the proposed charges said, “Whilst we support the trials, we believe £750 to be far too high a charge.
Royal Mail have lost sight of the fact that the Tailored Delivery Project is about providing services tailored to meet customers’ needs. Charging a prohibitively high amount to small businesses who need early deliveries is not meeting their needs”
“It would have been sensible for Royal Mail to trial a range of pricing levels during the pilots to ascertain customer reaction and demand.”
