Collections and Deliveries

We have been monitoring the issue of final collection times on a national basis since January 2005 and welcomed the opportunity to respond to Postcomm’s recent consultation on this issue.

Key issues raised within the response were:

• We believe that Postcomm should have sought comment on the Post Office Network with regards to this consultation, as it is affected by final collection times. Postwatch considers it inappropriate to review collection and delivery times without first making an assessment of how changes to the post office network could impact on the ability of customers to access the postal service (particularly in rural areas).
  
  
• While the standards of service (on the percentage of next day delivery by 1st Class) has improved significantly over the past few years, and is now at an all time high, Postcomm’s consultation document reveals that consumers are suffering from a lessening level of service by Royal Mail, but are paying the same and in some cases owing to PiP, higher prices for such service. This is unacceptable.
  
  
• We believe it is important for customers to have a choice to respond to correspondence in the same day. Therefore, it is essential that collection times are later than delivery times. Both need to be protected, either through guaranteed limits on collection or delivery times or through regulation, forcing Royal Mail to give a specific window of time for each location.
  

The full document is available on our website at www.postwatch.co.uk