Stamp prices rise (again)! October 2nd.

I sent some keys to a friend on a Thursday in a padded small envelope using 2 first class stamps. It was not heavy. It was one small key and a plastic keyring. After a week it hadn't arrived. On the Monday they got a card from the PO telling them it was waiting for collection and had a 50p charge plus the standard handling charge of £1.80. I looked into DPS and other companies also checked Recorded Delivery prices. All would have been cheaper and safer in the long term.

What do people use 1st class post for?
I know I only use it if I've forgotten to post a birthday or other greetings card in good time for 2nd class. And two 1st class stamps will take a letter to most of Europe.
Even legal stuff can be done by email nowadays.

Georgesgran

Just as well it’s against my religion to use first class!!

Are thee a Non Conformist like me lass? Chapel bred and Chapel led, don't squander thy hard-earned brass.

Germanshepherdsmum

I remember when it cost 3d to post a letter, there wee two deliveries a day Mon-Fri, one on Saturday and even one on Christmas Day.

In our county there was always big competition between the returning Uni students to do the extra Christmas deliveries especially the parcel post on Christmas day as they usually got a tip.
My gran used to send her sister who lived in the Midlands the weekend paper with all the BMD's I seem to remember she got special labels that went around the rolled up paper and it was really cheap.
Now we will be thinking twice about sending Christmas cards, I noticed we got a lot less last year and think I will be cutting the list this. I'm no Scrouge but the cost of the stamp makes me think twice or maybe I'm getting to be a Scrouge.

I suspect they are hoping to lower expectations (and service) by getting fewer people to pay for first class stamps.

The Post Office management have no idea how to run the company. Constantly raising prices will in the long run will lead to less income.

Apparently the price of second class stamps is remaining unchanged at 75p so Christmas cards are saved.

Ah well, NO Christmas cards then. This is ridiculous!

This is because they prefer to do parcel deliveries and are trying to compete with Evri. In march my birthday cards arrived seven days after my birthday. Apparently postmen were told to prioritise taking parcels out before letters

But think of all the posters on Fb, GN etc. who no longer send cards (saving paper) or write letters (email or WhatsApp). The PO has to make its money somehow, and charging more rather than improving the service seems to be the choice.

I remember the days when letter postage was 1d. One penny. If you posted a letter to a local address in the morning it would arrive in the afternoon.
I received a Christmas card in April posted in Barbados the previous November.

Me too I paid signed for for an important letter and it took 8 days!! I was/ am appalled !

I suppose this means that I will receive even more e-cards from now on. Can’t stand the things.

I was chatting about this to a friend just a while ago . I had many fewer C cards last year as there wasn’t any point in sending due to the strike. I got some at the end of January and some never arrived . C cards are dead I think now with the price rise too . I will send a few to my very elderly friends and relatives but the rest will get an emailed card this year .

My MiL always insisted on birthday cards being sent 1st class and we have continued the tradition - might be time to start a tradition of our own!
Post here is pretty goo don the whole and we are grateful for it.

Yes quite right GSM it was indeed Vince Cable.

Talking of stamps ...

Dame Shirley Bassey, 86, becomes the first female performer to get her own set of stamps with Royal Mail issuing a commemorative set celebrating the Welsh singer famous for her James Bond theme songs.

Stella14

This is due to Cameron’s Tory Government privatising Royal Mail. They actually sold it off for millions of pounds less than it was worth despite it being public money. I wonder why. Another ‘nice little deal’ for their mates? Anyway, we’ve had a poorer service (e.g. dramatically reduces collections and deliveries) and huge price rises ever since 😡

It was the coalition government and Vince Cable dealt with it. It was floated on the stock market so no ‘mates’ involved.

The fewer items get posted the fewer deliveries there will be. It won't be worth paying a postman to walk the route with just a few letters in his bag.

We are currently getting no more than two deliveries a week.
Often one, our local Facebook page has complaints all the time.
Apparently our regular lady postie is off ill and doesn’t seem to have been replaced on a daily basis.
Lots of complaints but still nothing is happening.
The parcel post, delivered by van seems to be ok.
Not conducive to accepting price rises.

Its not as if the service is good! I had a small package delivered today (Thursday) , that according to the tracking should have been delivered last Saturday. I'm sure the post man only calls here once a week now, as we always receive a big pile of mail in one go. And we live in town, not out in the sticks

It was a wonderful service at one time. I recall posting a friend's card for her birthday the following day; we had arranged to meet for lunch and I arrived at her house to see the card propped on the sideboard - it had taken less time to arrive than I had on the bus. I can recall two deliveries a day, and such reliability. Now, I much prefer email.

This is due to Cameron’s Tory Government privatising Royal Mail. They actually sold it off for millions of pounds less than it was worth despite it being public money. I wonder why. Another ‘nice little deal’ for their mates? Anyway, we’ve had a poorer service (e.g. dramatically reduces collections and deliveries) and huge price rises ever since 😡

I needed 1st class stamps a few weeks ago, so decided to look on Ebay. I found books of 8 stamps for £5 each. They are genuine usable ones, not like some which stated they were for stamp collectors only. Glad I stocked up.

I remember when it cost 3d to post a letter, there wee two deliveries a day Mon-Fri, one on Saturday and even one on Christmas Day.