Royal Mail Warns: Three-day Priority Post Could Cost Even More

Priority mail might now take more than three days to deliver unless the pricing for customers goes up. Royal Mail warned yesterday.

The group also asserted that even with the dilution of delivery goals, substantial expenses would remain inevitable.

Legal obligations compel Royal Mail to provide postal delivery services across all UK addresses six days each week at a uniform rate, irrespective of location, as part of their universal service obligation (USO).

Mail watchdogs suggested reducing the aim for first-class postage to reach recipients the following business day from 93% to 90%. For second-class mail, which should normally get delivered within three days, the objective would drop from 98.5% to 95%.

Ofcom Additionally suggested were 'tail of mail' objectives mandating that 99.5 percent of first-class mail should be delivered within three days and second-class mail within five days. However, Royal Mail stated that implementing these goals might endanger the advantages of universal service obligation reforms and potentially result in significantly increased costs for customers.

The recent increase in the cost of a first-class stamp to £1.70 on Monday is likely to cause additional frustration following the sixth price hike within just three years. According to Amanda Fergusson from the Greeting Cards Association, consumers anticipate getting better value for their money rather than experiencing reduced quality for such significant increases in charges.

The Royal Mail is requesting Ofcom to eliminate what they consider as 'superfluous regulations,' arguing that these restrictions stop them from providing parcel tracking services. Martin Seidenberg, who leads the parent firm IDS, stated that 'the modifications we aim for are crucial steps to guarantee our ability to uphold the universal service with a single price applicable anywhere well into the future.'

Consultations on Ofcom’s suggestions conclude today, with an announcement expected this summer. The proposals encompass reducing secondary mail services to two or three days per week and discontinuing them entirely on Saturdays.

As Royal Mail prepares to undergo foreign ownership for the first time due to an upcoming acquisition by Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky expected to finalize this month, the company asserts that these modifications are necessary to cut costs because of decreasing mail volume.

Yesterday evening, The Telegraph disclosed that the NHS will receive its dedicated postal category to prevent delayed mail from causing skipped appointments, using barcodes for automatic identification and sorting of these letters.