Post boxes
There are a number of alternatives to Royal Mail, but most of them are more expensive
As the main postal union announces that its workers have voted in favour of a nationwide strike at Royal Mail, many individuals will already be
concerned about an important letter not being delivered.
Although the union says it wants to avoid strike action, if one ultimately does go ahead, what alternatives are there to the Royal Mail for getting a
letter or parcel delivered, both for members of the public and businesses?
FOR INDIVIDUALS
Before an individual starts hunting for an alternative mail delivery service, consumer rights group Consumer Focus says they should consider sending
their letter or parcel by Royal Mail Special Delivery, which guarantees next day arrival, and gives the sender a receipt.
While this is more expensive than sending mail by standard post, Consumer Focus says Special Delivery "normally operates" during a strike,
as it is given special focus by Royal Mail managers and those members of staff who do still turn up for work.
However, if an individual does want to try a different company to deliver an important item there are a range of alternatives. But they will almost
certainly be more expensive than Royal Mail.
One is the Service Point scheme, which operates from 391 WH Smith stores across the UK, plus outlets of Staples, Ryman and Cartridge World. It is
operated by DHL who will deliver to anywhere in the UK, including outer-lying islands, and also to anywhere overseas.
It's not cheap though, with prices starting at £5.95 for an envelope.
Weight difference
City Link van
City Link is one of the delivery firms that competes with the Royal Mail
When it comes to getting a letter or parcel collected from your own home, it depends upon its size and weight.
If it is a letter or parcel weighing above 350 grams, and costs more than £1 to post, you can simply use any delivery or courier firm that accepts the
business.
However, this again is likely be more expensive than the Royal Mail, especially for people who do not live on mainland UK.
The Royal Mail's own specialist parcel delivery service - Parcelforce - is also a possible alternative, as this is not affected by the threat of
strike action, which is instead limited to the Royal Mail's standard letters and parcels division.
If you wish to get a letter collected that weighs 350 grams or less, the choice is reduced, as only 30 companies, including the Royal Mail, are
licensed by regulator Postcomm to send it.
The 30 range from the big - such as TNT and Fedex - to the not-so-big - such as Isle of Wight-based Wightpost and Birmingham-based Cycle 4 U.
And of those 30, only the Royal Mail is obliged to offer a universal service across all parts of the UK.
So for example, while the Royal Mail will deliver a letter you have posted in the Isles of Scilly or Outer Hebrides at no extra cost, rival firms can
choose to turn down your business or may charge hefty fees.
Bulk mail
The other problem in hunting for rival mail providers is that many of the Royal Mail's 29 rivals will only pick up bulk mail or only deal with
businesses.
So unless you have hundreds of Christmas cards to deliver early, many will decline your trade.
However, some of the newer delivery companies will come to your door to pick up a single letter - at a premium.
One such firm, Citipost, said it would charge £2.50 to collect and deliver a standard letter, as opposed to 39p for a first class stamp with the Royal
Mail, and it would only offer this to and from addresses in mainland UK.
Not all of its competitors are much more expensive, however. City Cycle Couriers, the first cycle courier to get a licence from Postcomm, will collect
small letters and deliver them the next day for as little as 32p per item. But it is limited to just three postcodes in Plymouth.
FOR COMPANIES
Many large businesses such as banks and utility companies already employ one of Royal Mail's rivals to collect their bulk mail.
However, any postal strike would halt these deliveries too, as these delivery firms still rely upon the Royal Mail to actually deliver this bulk mail
to people's letterboxes - the so-called "final mile".
The Royal Mail handles the final delivery of 99% of all letters under 350 grams.
However, for letters or parcels above 350 grams firms can switch to any other delivery firm or courier, or use the Royal Mail's own specialist
Parcelforce service.
If they are sending out letters at or below 350 grams, they could also consider upgrading to the Royal Mail's Special Delivery Service.
Business organisations recommend by-passing the postal system completely for some things. Don't send cheques, they say, use electronic payment
methods instead.
I suppose this is what happens when the goverment partially privatises a service but does in such a half cock way it's not a true open market
economy.
e.g. why do the alternatives have to use "collection points". Do you think they'd get permission to put up boxes at every street corner
for collecting their mail? RM have a massive built-in advantage and their staff use it as leverage.
If GB wanted to make himself popular he'd sort out the postal strike situation pronto. Wouldn't be that difficult! Just open the RM job spec
up to full tender!!! In come DHL etc. Instant better service....
Sorry if I offend any union members out there but I am not a fan of industrial action to say the least and just think that it demonstrates everything
that is wrong with British work ethics! It encourages a mob culture and in the end just pisses everyone off!
I would rather go out of business than yield to any form of blackmail (sorry no pun intended) and industrial action is blackmail pure and simple.
I'd start a clock running and pull a name of a striking member out of a hat every minute and then sack that member. I'm sure this will
violate their rights in some european court but it would be interesting to see how many names got pulled out of the hat before they all came back to
work!
Sorry but strike action just gets my goat!
I agree...sometimes its the only way of getting attention though...
according to topgear that hideous 4 door porsche is an alternative...
I'm with Craig - it amuses me immensely just how much power the unions seem to have.
One of my uncles worked for a bread making firm up in Liverpool area for donkeys years and the unions pulled them out on strike.
No effin' around by the management though, they closed the site and sacked everyone including my uncle (out of work ever since), and that
happened in the late 70's!.
OT, Craig, how's the car going?
ATB
Simon
quote:
Originally posted by Simon
OT, Craig, how's the car going?
Simon
we use dx for sending to other companies / organisations that use it, its great, they dont use royal mail for final mile and they never seem to loose anything.
The point is, there are 2.5m people unemployed in the UK. How many of those would love to be paid for doing the 'modernised' postal
worker's job?
I played rugby with three posties. Trust me, apart from needing to be reasonably fit, their job is a doddle - by their own admission.
Royal Mail Workers = Royally Stupid; Royally F~#&$%!
[Edited on 9/10/09 by TimC]
Any PO managers out there in the South West (preferably North Cornwall), please note that I am currently redundant, able and willing to assume any
position at your Post/Sorting Office immediately, please U2U me.
I currently have no pension, past or present, I'll quite happily accept terms and conditions similar to that which I've been on in private
industry - before it all went to the wall here.
quote:
Originally posted by craig1410
Sorry if I offend any union members out there but I am not a fan of industrial action to say the least and just think that it demonstrates everything that is wrong with British work ethics! It encourages a mob culture and in the end just pisses everyone off!