First Class Stamp To Increase To £1.65......

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvge8yn77rzo

I can remember when they were a tanner! Good job I rarely use snail mail these days!

 

[Tilly2]

That's you off my Christmas card list,TTT.😀

[ToraToraTora]

Never knew I was on it tills!

[Old_Geezer]

This is what happens when one allows private firms to be formed and cherry pick the parcel delivery trade, but forcing the original public company to be obliged to keep up the rest. Then they get hit with e-mail popularity too. The service is continually being  reduced and one wonders what the future for it is.

[newmodarmy]

The Royal Mail charge for parcels was too high and uncompetitive though. Are you saying they should have  amonopoly on parcel deliveries and should overcharge on that to subsidise letter deliveries?

The number of letter deliveries is only going to go one way, due to pricing but also the availability of other comms methods and the fact that paper statements, bills, orders etc are not needed by most people who do it all online.

 

[rockyracoon]

Thank God for email.

[Old_Geezer]

Pretty much, yes. As I understand it that was how it was done, and trying to get a decent and affordable letter service, it likely needed to be. (Unless one is content with large public subsidies.) Now we have no Sunday service, threats of no 2nd class Saturday service, and rising prices.

 

And why do they hold up second class mail for a day when the system can clearly deliver quicker first class ? Should be a first class service for all.

[William51]

The price is horrendous. I too remember when you could buy stamps for a few pence. I wonder where the price rising will end, my Sunday paper this morning was £2.60.

[gingejbee]

Yes, we all know to stock up now to save a considerable fortune...but beware fakes.

[nicebloke1]

The simple answer is that millions of people no longer use the post to engage with others for all the obvious reasons. Xmas cards maybe, thats it. The first time in a very very long time I bought a stamp 2 weeks ago to post back my new photo shot to renew my driving licence. Why would i need to use a first class stamp? I didnt, it still got there, and my new licence came back. If the post office have lost millions of customers to email, and they have, then they have little choice but to increase their charges, or drop that side of the business altogether. No one will run a business at a loss large or small. Even in the past I've never found any good reason to post first class, anyhow how would you know it got there any quicker?

[newmodarmy]

No often I say this nicebloke1, but I absolutely agree with you.

[nicebloke1]

Jesus!!!

[THECORBYLOON]

I used Royal Mail's guaranteed next-day delivery by 1pm for a couple of large letters a few month ago.

First time it went to the wrong sorting office and was delivered a day late. 

I claimed compensation for the delay and by chance I had to send another large letter to the same address and that arrived at 13:15 the next day but it was late.

I tried to claim compensation on the same day but  had to wait twenty-hour even though the time of delivery was already known and on their system.

I got two cheques from the Royal Mail a few days later refunding the postage on both items.

[ladybirder]

I still have 4 each of both 1st and 2nd class stamps left from last year.  Can I still use them as I have 3 birthdays coming up and then Christmas?

[Canary42]

The problem with e-mail is that lots of Companies never check their in boxes (and they unashamedly proclaim the fact) so snail mail recorded is the only redress the benighted Customer has to ensure they have evidence of receipt.  

We are now ruled by the Corporates.  The Government won't do anything about it because in the case of the Tories they are their cronies, and if Labour try the Bankers/City pull the plug on the economy.

[William51]

 I remember when in 1968 the two tier postal service was brought in. The service was okay before the change, and perhaps to save money they could go back to the one delivery service.

[Cloverjo]

Ladybirder, you can't use stamps that don't have the new barcodes on them, unless they are special Christmas ones. You can change them for new ones by sending them to Royal Mail

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/barcoded-stamps

[smurfchops]

Second class stamps form Christmas then.  And the list gets shorter every year ....

[ladybirder]

Thank you Cloverjo.  Of course, I remember now.

Mine do have the new Bar Code.

[Henry1865]

When I was a lad (born in London, 1934), on the corner of my road there was a postbox with a stamp machine attached, which for one penny, issued a bright red stamp bearing the image of King George VI. Letters sent to local addresses often had the word Local written on the envelope and a letter posted in the morning could arrive that afternoon.