Royal Mail....oh dear

[Bletchleyite]

Is it no longer the case that competing letter delivery companies are not only permitted in the UK but the Royal Mail is required to carry their letters for the "last mile"?

I'm sure it used to be. Though now I think of it, I'm not sure when the last time was that I saw such a letter.

Pretty sure it's only large volume letters.

 

[Cdd89]

You'd have to remove the letters monopoly to allow competition though. At present they're more like a privatised water firm.

Even as a monopoly, they're still providing a non-essential service except in niche cases, which is a key difference between them and (e.g.) privatised water. That limits what they can charge for postage. Furthermore, if RM were allowed to charge £10 for a 2nd class stamp, the country would sort itself out. Not that I'm suggesting complete deregulation, nor would RM do this as it would be a stupid business decision that loses them money; but it's an example of a non-problem in my opinion.

 

[lookapigeon]

I don't understand how Royal Mail can 'lose' letters to the volume and frequency that they do. Do they pretty much hire anyone off the street with a pulse these days and chuck them on the job?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Is it no longer the case that competing letter delivery companies are not only permitted in the UK but the Royal Mail is required to carry their letters for the "last mile"?

I'm sure it used to be. Though now I think of it, I'm not sure when the last time was that I saw such a letter.

And, I wonder, is it the last mile that is the problem with the Royal Mail delivery service.
As in the door-to-door part of the process rather than emptying post boxes, taking the contents to a sorting centre, sorting them and passing them to the sorting centre nearest to the delivery address for one more (automated) sort.

If it is the last mile or so that is the problem then no competing letter delivery company is going to rely on the last mile part of Royal Mail !.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 21:46 ==

I don't understand how Royal Mail can 'lose' letters to the volume and frequency that they do. Do they pretty much hire anyone off the street with a pulse these days and chuck them on the job?

Well apparently it is less experienced staff that mess deliveries in my road. I do not see the postman often enough but apparently the regular we had has left the job. We apparently get a variety of people now and they are easily able to overlook my neighbours and my own front doors. This is because our two front doors are on the side of our houses house (which are an end of terrace) whereas the rest all have front doors facing the road.

 

[brad465]

And, I wonder, is it the last mile that is the problem with the Royal Mail delivery service.
As in the door-to-door part of the process rather than emptying post boxes, taking the contents to a sorting centre, sorting them and passing them to the sorting centre nearest to the delivery address for one more (automated) sort.

If it is the last mile or so that is the problem then no competing letter delivery company is going to rely on the last mile part of Royal Mail !.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 21:46 ==


Well apparently it is less experienced staff that mess deliveries in my road. I do not see the postman often enough but apparently the regular we had has left the job. We apparently get a variety of people now and they are easily able to overlook my neighbours and my own front doors. This is because our two front doors are on the side of our houses house (which are an end of terrace) whereas the rest all have front doors facing the road.

One thing that can help rival companies with parcels is having collection lockers/locations to deliver to. These are more efficient for the last mile and thus often cost less in postage, plus they have the added benefit that recipients don't have to worry about being at home when the delivery is due. This of course is harder to do with letters given the scales involved.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One thing that can help rival companies with parcels is having collection lockers/locations to deliver to. These are more efficient for the last mile and thus often cost less in postage, plus they have the added benefit that recipients don't have to worry about being at home when the delivery is due. This of course is harder to do with letters given the scales involved.

Royal Mail does too, and you can divert to the post office too.

 

[Gonzoiku]

I once placed a postcard at Preston station into a letterbox on the side of the Whitehaven-Huddersfield TPO departing at 23:15. It was delivered in Cleckheaton at 07:35. The stamp cost 4.5p. That was 1974: an altogether different world. My friend still has the card!

4.5p!! That must have been at least 1p surcharge for the TPO. Used it myself more than once at Kings Cross for letters to Edinburgh

GZ