£1.80p for a First Class Stamp......

Nandalot

I don’t think we even get a daily delivery anymore in our village. Why is it days with no mail and then eight letters altogether as happened yesterday?
DH was waiting for a letter from the hospital, he eventually rang up and they said they had sent it the week before but they would send out a new one. That one arrived a week later together with the original.

Our postman told me that they were trying to compete in the parcel delivery sector, so would only be delivering letters four days a week, and parcels the other two. However, yesterday he told me that idea has been abandoned.

£3.75 to send a (simple) card to a "worldwide" destination..... I'm using Moonpig more - at least their cards usually arrive!

Collected from the postbox, taken to the sorting office, sorted, then taken possibly a couple of hundred miles to the destination sorting office, sorted again, given to a postman to put through a letterbox….

TBH compared with what so many people are prepared to pay for a takeaway coffee, I still don’t think it’s too bad.

I read this week that the cost of a stamp is going up again in April. They are pricing themselves out of business. I live in London and frequently receive post on a Sunday and like others, a bundle at a time arrives and zilch for many days.

privatisation hasn't served us well at all has it?

Boz

£1.80 is nothing these days.

I only use the post for sending birthday cards, but unless I send them a week in advance I'm wondering if they'll get there in time.
Used to send quite a few, but now it's getting to be a fiver just to send a card. Sorry, but that's not on

I feel rather sad about the increase because I'm a letter & postcard sender as my sproglings are in various corners of the UK. I suppose I'll have to resort to texting but its just not the same. Sometimes I feel like Miss Marple's long-lost sister!

That would not surprise me, Silvergirl.

I think the owners are purposely letting royal mail fail then they can say the public aren't using it. That gives them and the shareholders an excuse to close it down and start up a new model which is more lucrative for them. IMO.

I wonderful posties have both said they have been told to prioritise parcels and fit in the letter deliveries when they can. They are very upset about this and of course the powers upstairs don't have to face the wrath of the consumers waiting for vital letters. They have cut 20 jobs from our local office not replacing leavers. He said that quite a few of his coworkers who have been posties for years are looking for other jobs as life has been made so difficult for them.

We don't get any post for about a week and then receive a bundle all at once

I posted a birthday card to the next county to me and it took 10 days to get there!

What a surprise. Today, in Canada, I received a Chritmas card! Posted in the UK £3.75 stamp , correctly addressed and sent beginning of December.

I don't understand the reason for these fines.

Does the money go into Government coffers? Wouldn't it be better to ensure that amount of money was allocated to improving services?

Have they been fined recently for crap service?

Got to get that back somehow.

Just like the water companies.

Royal Mail is in private ownership and when that happens the priority is 'creating value' for shareholders (i.e making lots of profit to pay out in dividends), not providing a decent service to the public.

This is what the 'neoliberal' market based economy is all about. 😆

Silvergirl

I don’t know what the real agenda is here but the Royal Mail has gone down hill over the last year. 1 st class takes up to a week for delivery and it used to be one day maximum. I’m sure they must be driving it into the ground for some reason.

Who do you think is driving it into the ground?

I don't mind paying £1.80 if the post turns up in time. First class is supposed to be next day or day after, not the following week.

I’ve only bought one stamp in the last eight months.
I feel sorry for the card retailers as it must have a knock on affect.

I don’t know what the real agenda is here but the Royal Mail has gone down hill over the last year. 1 st class takes up to a week for delivery and it used to be one day maximum. I’m sure they must be driving it into the ground for some reason.

I do have some sympathy for Royal Mail.
The courier business has cornered the market in the lucrative parcel trade, leaving letters well alone.
Evri et al have no interest in delivering your card to your family member on the Isle of Mull- there's not enough profit in that.

Nandalot

I don’t think we even get a daily delivery anymore in our village. Why is it days with no mail and then eight letters altogether as happened yesterday?
DH was waiting for a letter from the hospital, he eventually rang up and they said they had sent it the week before but they would send out a new one. That one arrived a week later together with the original.

Came home at lunch-time and wondered if we'd received the post we are expecting.

No, but it will probably all arrive tomorrow - Saturday!

I don’t think we even get a daily delivery anymore in our village. Why is it days with no mail and then eight letters altogether as happened yesterday?
DH was waiting for a letter from the hospital, he eventually rang up and they said they had sent it the week before but they would send out a new one. That one arrived a week later together with the original.

Privatisation was such a good idea wasn't it!

Neither is your chance of getting reliable post, it would seem...

£1.80 is nothing these days.