Forum Topic

Changes to postal charges

Have seen the adverts about the fact that as from August postal charges will take into account the weight and shape of post. Should we be surprised that something else is going to make life yet more complicated? Well, given the head of the Post Office is one Adam Crozier late of the F.A. and the person responsible for hiring Sven perhaps we ought to be grateful it isn't even worse. Who knows what Sven would do with our mail?

Vanessa Smith ● 6899d15 Comments

Looks like it's going to be a complete pain in the ar*e.  Queues in the post offices are going to be huge!  I feel particularly sorry for the elderly & those who no longer have a local post office.I think Royal Mail (are they Royal Mail again now?) should be concentrating on improving their slipping standards before screwing more money out of people.

Lynn Clark ● 6885d

Sarah Felstead ● 6885d

Have you seen the adverts for this new charging regime? Some clown has made the startling observation that to save money you will be able to fold A4 sheets of paper and put them into a smaller envelope. Well - you'd never have thought of that all by yourself would you? Where do they find them?

Vanessa Smith ● 6885d

Quite agree with you Vanessa - I winced when reading your description! …you missed off - avoiding the snap shut ones designed to cut of a digit or two as you retract you hand.Brings to mind the EEC directive on apples which lost us a lot of old English types because the new standard sizes meant they were too small or something like that.  Standard sizes would be far better applied to letter boxes.:-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6893d

It begs the question why their union hasn't made more of a fuss - anyone who has had the dubious pleasure of stuffing leaflets through doors knows the agony of a) locating said letterbox b) bending/stretching to reach it c) mangling leaflet trying to get it through and d) escaping from the various wildlife lurking on the other side ready to pounce on fresh fingertips.

Vanessa Smith ● 6893d

Wonder how the security of the postal system is going these days?  Just walked through North Brentford and as a young postie went past me on his bike an elastic-band-bundle of mail fell off.  I stooped to pick it up and when I stood back up he had gone on!  Shouting after him didn't get anywhere so as there were 2 posties on the other side of the road I called them, and they yelled loud enough to get him to stop.  He thanked me and then placed them loose on top of his bags at the back of his bike - from where they had probably fallen the first time!  :-(

Sarah Felstead ● 6893d

As a rule of thumb (or no thumb, if your reflexes aren't good enough) people who have letterboxes with windblockers which trap your fingers tend to own rottweilers, whereas people who have letterboxes six inches from the ground tend to own chihuahuas.Those with notices on their closed front doors warning you to "beware of the dog" leave their back doors and gates open in all weathers, and those who don't own dogs at all have neighbours who do and very low garden fences.Postmen who have done a stint on Brentford's Clayponds estate are instantly recognisable by the bits they are missing.

Phil Andrews ● 6893d

Agree entirely with you there - it's high time that some regulation was brought into this - for size and position of the letterbox. I really do feeel so sorry for the postmen/women having to cope with some of these.

Vanessa Smith ● 6893d

'oversized envelopes which cannot be delivered'Colin - I take it you mean the size of the letterboxes?  Unless you have had to deliver newsletters or the suchlike, you really don't understand the difficulty with letterbox sizes!  The 1920's - 30's ones are titchy - it is amazing that our postie (may-he-have-his-weight-in-gold) does the job so well.  They also tend to be good finger snappers and many could be placed in a museum of torture!  ;-(

Sarah Felstead ● 6897d

Because oversized envelopes which cannot be posted have to be returned to the office and collected i.e. an increase in chargeable labour. Also, they're pre-empting the model that the private sector will introduce once they get their hands on the "last mile" delivery service.

The Pseudometer ● 6897d

Why is it fair to charge more for an A4 letter/document posted in an A4-size envelope (perhaps to avoid bending it)that if you fold it and post it in a smaller envelope of the same overall weight?

Malcolm Peltu ● 6897d

Yes - and then no doubt he'd have the gall to ask for compensation!

Vanessa Smith ● 6899d

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/content2?catId=28900662&mediaId=29100663

Jim Lawes ● 6899d

I think that the changes to postage rates is very fair and reasonable..and it is a subject about which I am very familiar.No longer will lightweight bulky jiffy bag type packages...be mailed to the North of Scotland..for say 60p...whilst C4 magazine envelopes...taking a tenth of the space..could be charged more.So the present system of postage being based on weight only will cease. In future it will be based on weight and size.The changes will test the brainpower of local residents..but those who coped with the change from £sd to decimal currency..should have no problems.Mail will be sorted into 3 sizes ..1) below C5  up to 100gr2) above C5 size (eg C4 size). 3) PackagesThen there will be a weight scale for each of the three types. Some postal prices will be higher..but many will be lower.It's a sensible thing to do..so that the Royal Mail charges for their extra costs of larger items..which they don't..properly at present.

Jim Lawes ● 6899d

Take it to Germany for four weeks and leave it in his suitcase, if Theo Walcott is anything to go by.

Phil Andrews ● 6899d