Royal Mail to be saved by stamp price increase

I still use the Royal Mail quite a lot, even for local letters which I could deliver myself. There are so many things that I send or receive for which there is no convenient and economical alternative. The plethora of card shops in my nearest town and the fact that my local post box is frequently full to overflowing suggests that it is not private residential mail that is drying up but the business volume as companies now use alternative channels for correspondence and deliveries. I prefer to write a letter to sending an e-mail message as I feel it carries more weight and it may be easier for the recipient to deal with. I don’t want to become dependent on the internet, and indeed, there could in the foreseeable future come a time when I shall not be able to, or want to, use the internet. Furthermore, I doubt whether I shall continue to be able to afford to use a computer [taking account of ISP charges, virus protection, paper, ink, electricity and repair costs]; the cost of postage is trivial alongside all these expenses. If the universal postal service ceases then many people in the country areas will suffer a major deprivation. Although I have signed up to receive telephone and utility bills on line it is primarily for financial reasons and not for convenience – I pay less attention to the bills if they are sitting in my in-box than if I have to physically take them out of an envelope. I have resisted pleadings from banks to get statements on line but it is only a matter of time before they start charging for posted statements – during the run-up to abolishing cheques [yet another dire threat to our civilised way of life] the banks will probably stop mailing out cheque books and send us an e-mail requiring us to collect them from a nominated branch. Nobody suggests that the miles of unused rural roads should be abandoned – their ongoing maintenance is a cost to society that just has to be borne and the same should be true of the Royal Mail. I feel that the permitted rise in postal charges is a small price to pay for the immense benefit of having a universal daily postal service. And some questions to Patrick . . . do you like receiving e-cards? do they look good on your window-cill? do you look at them again and again? would you send them to your grand-parents? – stop being a meanie, buy a stamp!!

I use a PO Box for my business. I am a one man band with a modest profit margin (about £40k per annum). Last year the annual fee for my box was £95. This year (2010 – 2011) it is £170. I was staggered when I received this year’s invoice. I phoned customer inquiries and asked whether there had been some sort of mistake and on being told there had not asked them to justify their 80% fee increase. I was told they were “not allowed” to charge much cheaper prices than their competitors due to “regulations”. What guff ! I note with interest the Royal Mail’s website is still quoting its old prices. I read the thread above with interest. Whilst I am happy in principle to support the Royal Mail and recognise its value, both in terms of Britain’s cultural landscape, and the services it provides to less “profitable” areas of the country, the above rise is ridiculous. What is more Royal Mail did not even think to include a brief letter with the invoice explaining its fee increase. At least this may have sweetened the pill. If they wish to compete with other providers they will need to provide similar levels of customer service as well.