Warning! Postage increases for small packets with Royal Snail

[Kev]

A fair warning for mail price rises as of today 2nd April.

[url="http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/RoyalMail_OurPrices_April2013.pdf"]http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/RoyalMail_OurPrices_April2013.pdf[/url]

They now have size catgories:
[size=4]Small parcels can measure up to: [/size]
Length: 45cm Width: 35cm Depth: 8cm Weight limit: 2kg

Medium parcels can measure up to:
Length: 61cm Width: 46cm Depth: 46cm Weight limit: 20kg

Large parcels can measure up to:
1.5m length and 3m length and girth combined Weight
limit: 30kg Only available on Parcelforce Worldwide services

[size=4]I found out today that a small 10cm depth box would now costs £6.30 to post by royal mail second class signed for, a [/size][b]1[/b][b]00%[/b][size=4] increase on 2012 costs.[/size]

[size=4]Watch out when packing up pedals! [/size]Unbelievable[size=4] really.[/size]

[Kev]

Indeed, if you have a medium box that weighs less than 500g, it would only cost an extra 20p to upgrade from first class signed for to special delivery. Mental.

[3below]

An excellent move by Royal Mail to support the economy. Well done in encouraging the return to the high street. These 'small and wholly neccesary' increase in charges will help stop that Internet and mail order selling fad. More likely competition will step up to the plate.

[BetaFunk]

You should see the airmail price hike!

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1364924960' post='2032785']
An excellent move by Royal Mail to support the economy. Well done in encouraging the return to the high street. These 'small and wholly neccesary' increase in charges will help stop that Internet and mail order selling fad. More likely competition will step up to the plate.
[/quote]

Don't hold your breath. I reckon people are still more willing to pay for convenience than save a few bob and go and pick it up themselves. And i think any business doing regular trade with RM will still get a good enough discount to continue with internet trading.

It might drive a few more people back to high street shopping, but i wouldn't hold my breath, is all.

[Lozz196]

I think all this is to make it seem more efficient for the sell-off.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1364937843' post='2033131']
I think all this is to make it seem more efficient for the sell-off.
[/quote]

Oh FFS, are they trying to get rid of RM now too?

[3below]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1364937091' post='2033103']
Don't hold your breath. I reckon people are still more willing to pay for convenience than save a few bob and go and pick it up themselves. And i think any business doing regular trade with RM will still get a good enough discount to continue with internet trading.

It might drive a few more people back to high street shopping, but i wouldn't hold my breath, is all.
[/quote]

Am holding my breath, my other half's business is rather dependent on RM, there is discount with franking machine but the cost of RM is becoming significant. Following on from OP, If you are a small business that makes products h > 8cm what chance do you stand, even if product is 8 cm x 8 cm. Still, I am told the economy is good and we have avoided triple dip recession Pity no-one told our customers that.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1364938641' post='2033157']
Am holding my breath, my other half's business is rather dependent on RM, there is discount with franking machine but the cost of RM is becoming significant. Following on from OP, If you are a small business that makes products h > 8cm what chance do you stand, even if product is 8 cm x 8 cm. Still, I am told the economy is good and we have avoided triple dip recession Pity no-one told our customers that.
[/quote]

You missed my point.

I was saying people will still be willing to pay for the convenience of getting something delivered rather going out and buying it themselves.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1364938103' post='2033142']
Oh FFS, are they trying to get rid of RM now too?
[/quote]

This was all proposed a few years back - whilst Labour were in power. Then when the coalition came in, it was all carried on - maybe a few changes. Last year Royal Mail Group split from Post Office Ltd (The Post Office ). Post Office Ltd remains owned wholly by the government, and it`s employees are now Post Office Ltd employees, rather than that of Royal Mail Group. Should someone come in with the right bid for Royal Mail, well it will go. But they`ll have to be willing to take on the union, and introduce different working practices to get a return for their cash.

But the main thing here is, this has been brewing for a lot longer than the coalition, and can`t remember exactly when, but it was either under Blair or Brown this all started.

Edited April 2, 2013 by Lozz196

[Tee]

I experienced this the other day. What previously would have cost me more like £2.30, was now £5.20.

[KiOgon]

I've been truly ripped off already! Tuesday morning I had to go into local 'village' so I visited the PO that I don't normally use.

I put my parcel on the scales, (113g), asked for "1st class signed for" & put what [b][i]was[/i][/b] the correct money [b]£3.65[/b] in the tray.
The old fool at the counter looked at the coins & said "you'll need more than that"
Why? I said & at the same time noticed a new 'Small Parcel' guage on the counter, which my parcel passed through easily, only 23 x 12 x 5 cm, the allowance is up to 45 x 35 x 8 cm < 2 kg
£6.75 he said, it's all gone up over the weekend.
I said "it was April 1st yesterday, you're joking aren't you?"
No he said, that's what it costs now, I've been having this with customers all morning, mostly gone up by 100%.
I said you must be joking 'cos the PO won't be here next week if they've done that!
Not joking - do you want to send it or not? - He was getting cross with me!
I'll have to, I've promised it'll be sent today, said I & found the [b]extra £3.10.[/b]

The receipt shows the time 11:25, weight 0.113 kg[b], Signed for 1st parcel £6.75.[/b]
I was absolutely gobsmacked at this, right annoyed & aggravated - livid - feckin angry even!

Got home & checked online to find I had been charged for a Medium Parcel! The Small Parcell cost should have been £4.10, even that is a 12.5% increase but I can live with that I suppose, not that it's justifiable.

I returned to the PO & waited to see the same idiot that had robbed me!
Long story short - I argued my point for 1/2 an hour, he was quite rude & angry, turned red & shouting while refusing to do anything about it, it was too late to prove it the collection had gone at 12:00, it was now 13:00. I stayed calm & made my points well I think although I was boiling inside & felt like giving him some serious verbal - I didn't - not a bad word.

He threatened to call the police - I said yes please do, you're the thief here, I'm the victim. Then I realised there was only one side they were going to come down on, I was obviously going to get nowhere, so I wrote down his name - above the counter on a big sign, he is the postmaster! I have made an official complaint to the 'Post Office Counters' complaints dept. & am waiting their response.

From now on I will only use my regular Post Office, 1/2 mile in the other direction from my house but with the nicest friendly polite counter staff you could hope for. The old fool in the Sidley PO needs putting out to grass, or sh---ing!

Cheerz, John

[MiltyG565]

I've just thought... it doesn't even matter what they put their prices up to, because who else will carry a letter from my local village to some other local village in souther england? I've had letters sent from Dundonald hospital (which is on the far side of Belfast) to my house, which never actually appeared at my house. This happened more than once, and made me miss a couple of very important appointments. These were NOT being handled by Royal Mail, they were being handled by a private company. What happened to them? f*** knows. Maybe somebody in the sorting office needed a CT scan? Either way, there was nothing we could do about it, because the complaint has to be lodged from the sender, not the recipient. The problem with that is, 9 times out of 10, the hospitals are sending me appointments and letters which i don't know are coming, so how do i know they have sent them and that the company has lost it?

[AngelLaHash]

sadly sending things via DHL maybe cheaper, ... (think they can be sent from WHSmiths in my town (Newark))
So what other companies are there to use, that can drop off to or will collect (ie a companie that dosnt need you to be a business)

[Left Foot]

DAYUM, well I'm going to try rinse works franking machine then. I don't get cross, but this really is ridiculous. Its an outrage!!!

[Delberthot]

I can send something using My Hermes by taking it into my local Spar/Shell Petrol Station

[Lozz196]

Well I tried to post an effects pedal via Royal Mail to Finland today. Because of the new size guides, it was too big, so I would have had to use Parcelforce, at £38 for their standard delivery.

So I used Parcelmonkey, and chose Parcelforce at £25.

Still more than I would have liked, but it was the cheapest I could find, but Royal Mail are doing themselves no favours here. Talk about give money to the competition.

[Mr. Foxen]

Some guy took ages to pay for something on ebay, shipping price went up by £3 in meantime. Ballache. Gonna be sending much less packages with RM now as my courier contract is cheaper.

[1976fenderhead]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1365071748' post='2034781']
I've been truly ripped off already! Tuesday morning I had to go into local 'village' so I visited the PO that I don't normally use.

I put my parcel on the scales, (113g), asked for "1st class signed for" & put what [b][i]was[/i][/b] the correct money [b]£3.65[/b] in the tray.
The old fool at the counter looked at the coins & said "you'll need more than that"
Why? I said & at the same time noticed a new 'Small Parcel' guage on the counter, which my parcel passed through easily, only 23 x 12 x 5 cm, the allowance is up to 45 x 35 x 8 cm < 2 kg
£6.75 he said, it's all gone up over the weekend.
I said "it was April 1st yesterday, you're joking aren't you?"
No he said, that's what it costs now, I've been having this with customers all morning, mostly gone up by 100%.
I said you must be joking 'cos the PO won't be here next week if they've done that!
Not joking - do you want to send it or not? - He was getting cross with me!
I'll have to, I've promised it'll be sent today, said I & found the [b]extra £3.10.[/b]

The receipt shows the time 11:25, weight 0.113 kg[b], Signed for 1st parcel £6.75.[/b]
I was absolutely gobsmacked at this, right annoyed & aggravated - livid - feckin angry even!

Got home & checked online to find I had been charged for a Medium Parcel! The Small Parcell cost should have been £4.10, even that is a 12.5% increase but I can live with that I suppose, not that it's justifiable.

I returned to the PO & waited to see the same idiot that had robbed me!
Long story short - I argued my point for 1/2 an hour, he was quite rude & angry, turned red & shouting while refusing to do anything about it, it was too late to prove it the collection had gone at 12:00, it was now 13:00. I stayed calm & made my points well I think although I was boiling inside & felt like giving him some serious verbal - I didn't - not a bad word.

He threatened to call the police - I said yes please do, you're the thief here, I'm the victim. Then I realised there was only one side they were going to come down on, I was obviously going to get nowhere, so I wrote down his name - above the counter on a big sign, he is the postmaster! I have made an official complaint to the 'Post Office Counters' complaints dept. & am waiting their response.

From now on I will only use my regular Post Office, 1/2 mile in the other direction from my house but with the nicest friendly polite counter staff you could hope for. The old fool in the Sidley PO needs putting out to grass, or sh---ing!

Cheerz, John
[/quote]

Good on you man... Most people don't bother to do sh*t, that's why they keep doing whatever they want. My beef is with them slipping a note to collect the parcel from the depot when I was home waiting for it and they never rang. Complained every single time to the manager, made a difference... Every now and then they go back to it, have to keep the pressure up!

[redstriper]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1365071748' post='2034781']
I've been truly ripped off already!
[/quote]

I recommend Hermes as someone else suggested.
Collection from your home or drop off at collection point, tracked and insured for much less than Royal Mail.

[Tee]

Interesting. I just tried an online quote from Hermes for the parcel i sent the other day, with RM (which cost £5.20). It would have been £3.00, if i dropped it off (150m down the road).

[KiOgon]

On Hermes website - small parcel up to 1kg, 2 day service, signed for, £25 cover = £4.02 drop off at local shop or £4.32 collected.[color=#ff0000]*[/color]
[b][color=#ff0000]*Edit: Collected = 3 day service![/color][/b]

Post Office Small Parcel up to 2kg, 1st class is Next Day (Aim), signed for, £50 cover = £4.10

Not a lot of difference really, swings & roundabouts

Edited April 5, 2013 by KiOgon

[Kev]

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1365175829' post='2036408']
On Hermes website - small parcel up to 1kg, 2 day service, signed for, £25 cover = £4.02 drop off at local shop or £4.32 collected.[color=#ff0000]*[/color]
[b][color=#ff0000]*Edit: Collected = 3 day service![/color][/b]

Post Office Small Parcel up to 2kg, 1st class is Next Day (Aim), signed for, £50 cover = £4.10

Not a lot of difference really, swings &amp; roundabouts
[/quote]

Try pricing a parcel with more than 8cm (medium parcel) depth with Royal Mail, ie the size majority of pedals will need to be sent, you may then understand what we are moaning about!

[Jack]

It just cost me £12.92 to send back some wellies. Wellies! I had to post them back that day, but as I told the girl in the post office, next time I'll use parcelmonkey.

[discreet]

Sorry for the thread revival, but I went to the PO to send someone a 1U rack compressor only to find that the bottom line 'Standard Parcels' service has now been abolished! The cheapest alternative is Parcelforce Express 48, which delivers within two business days. [size=4]It's a lot more expensive. The compressor I sent was worth thirty quid and the cheapest possible postage was £12.92.[/size]

I'm assuming all this is to big up the PO for impending privatisation. You don't want people getting value for money, do you? You have to keep your shareholders happy - which means bending the public over and shafting them left right and centre.

[size=4]What a great way to stimulate small businesses and the economy! Not. [/size]

Edited June 19, 2013 by discreet