Royal Mail fails to meet spring delivery targets

[funkflex55]

Charlotte Edwards
BBC Business Reporter
Published

1 hour ago

Royal Mail delivered less than 80% of first class post on time between April and the end of June, missing key targets set by the communications watchdog.

In an update, external, it said 79.1% of first class mail arrived within one working day in the three months to 30 June.

The regulator Ofcom says that 93% of first class mail must be delivered within this timeframe, excluding the busy Christmas period, and the Royal Mail performance "hasn't been good enough."

It has been "pressing the company" on what it is doing to improve its performance, an Ofcom spokesperson added.

Ofcom has been investigating Royal Mail for missing its delivery time targets for the year to March 2024.

Royal Mail's chief operating officer, Alistair Cochrane, said delivering a high quality of service "continues to be our top priority and I am pleased this ongoing focus has ensured improvements across the quarter".

"We know there is more to do and will continue on this path," he added, saying the company would enact "steady changes" to its operations.

Ofcom acknowledged that the Royal Mail has updated its improvement plans.

"It's made some progress recently, but there's still more to do. We'll continue to hold Royal Mail to account, and take action on behalf of its customers," an Ofcom spokesperson added.

Royal Mail said 93.5% of first class letters arrived within two days, which is an improvement on the same period last year.

But it also said that it had missed its 98.5% target of second class post being delivered in three working days.

It managed to deliver 94.1% of second class post in this timeframe.

Ofcom fined the Royal Mail £5.6m for failing to meet its first and second class delivery targets in the last financial year.

Czech billionaire and entrepreneur Daniel Kretinsky is currently in the process of buying the postal service for £3.57bn, although this deal is not yet complete due to the Cabinet Office launching a review into the bid.

Royal Mail is said to be adapting to declining volumes of letters and a bigger demand for large parcels and next day deliveries.

In recent years, the volume of letters being posted has plummeted, with half the number being sent compared to 2011 levels, while parcel deliveries have become more popular - and more profitable.

The company, which was split from the Post Office and privatised a decade ago, is legally obliged to deliver a one-price-goes-anywhere universal service, which means it has to deliver letters six days per week, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday.

Royal Mail previously said its current delivery network was "not sustainable" and that reform was "urgently needed".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k4n255nv3o

[scotchy1962]

If everything i see everyday and everything i read on here is true then RM are still massaging the figures that ofcom receive, and not a word about a hefty fine to sharpen their focus.

[Jb1969]

If everything i see everyday and everything i read on here is true then RM are still massaging the figures that ofcom receive, and not a word about a hefty fine to sharpen their focus.

Ofcom are spineless, not fit for ANY purpose & only serve there masters.
Let’s shove another 10% on power, just before winter, that will make sure our pensioners freeze!
But certainly agree, no way is 80% of 1st class getting delivered next day.

[qwerty2]

If everything i see everyday and everything i read on here is true then RM are still massaging the figures that ofcom receive, and not a word about a hefty fine to sharpen their focus.

Ofcom are spineless, not fit for ANY purpose & only serve there masters.
Let’s shove another 10% on power, just before winter, that will make sure our pensioners freeze!
But certainly agree, no way is 80% of 1st class getting delivered next day.

Ofcom nothing to do with energy prices that’s Ofgem
Ofcom ofgem ofstead they’re all bent

[Gary55]

If they done an unannounced tour of our office half the walks are left most days. Don't believe we're the only office. Ofcom must know this

[Mr Rush]

In recent years, the volume of letters being posted has plummeted, with half the number being sent compared to 2011 levels, while parcel deliveries have become more popular - and more profitable.

Letter volume in 2010 (nearest year) was ~16.5bn and the reported volume for 2022 was 7.3bn, so this tracks. It would be far more honest if they stated absolute numbers rather than relatives since the reticence to actually admit that letters are still n > 0 seems to be bordering on a corporate secret ('we're a parcel company!').

However, I know I saw a company statement reposted on here saying that parcel profitability was actually less than letters. I have tried searching for it but the relevant keywords have been used in thousands of posts over the years.

[worktotime]

gods knows what it would be if everything was declared , i wonder what the new buyer is thinking of the way the top knobs are running the company with there piss poor ideas and destroying the service , because if it was me i would take my money and run to the hills

[postslippete]

If they done an unannounced tour of our office half the walks are left most days. Don't believe we're the only office. Ofcom must know this

OfCom is headquartered in London but has offices in Warrington, Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. There's nothing stopping them from making a visit to any Royal Mail delivery office and see-ing for themselves first hand what Royal Mail are doing. I've written to OfCom asking them to visit our office in the past, but they won't, and have advised me to write to Royal Mail directly instead! OfCom are really not fit for purpose.

[norris9]

People must be thinking....

HOW CAN LETTER VOLUMES BE DROPPING WHEN YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO EVEN DELIVER THE SERVICE, IF LETTER VOLUMES ARE DROPPING MASSIVELY THEN YOU SHOULD BE HITTING 100% DELIVERY!

[Mr Rush]

People must be thinking....

HOW CAN LETTER VOLUMES BE DROPPING WHEN YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO EVEN DELIVER THE SERVICE, IF LETTER VOLUMES ARE DROPPING MASSIVELY THEN YOU SHOULD BE HITTING 100% DELIVERY!

Don't they know we're a parcel company now?

The public are woefully ignorant about the operation. They (and plenty of new starts) seem to think we go out with one bag, and with letters well under the 1980-2005 boom we probably could... if it weren't for the goddamn packets. Even though I could tie up the frame and carry it in a single bag within the weight limits and be let loose for three hours, with the packets in tow my first bag only lasts 20 minutes before I have to refill from the van. I'm bitter enough about the loss of autonomy in the job to declare the public has wrought this abysmal service upon themselves.

A thought: what if the parcel boom follows the 25 year ramp up in letters? 2010-2035? It has to level off at some point, maybe even decline with a financial crisis. A parcel company is more shackled to the ups and downs of the economy than one that trades in delivering letters.

[Hyrrokkin]

If they done an unannounced tour of our office half the walks are left most days. Don't believe we're the only office. Ofcom must know this

OfCom is headquartered in London but has offices in Warrington, Birmingham, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. There's nothing stopping them from making a visit to any Royal Mail delivery office and see-ing for themselves first hand what Royal Mail are doing. I've written to OfCom asking them to visit our office in the past, but they won't, and have advised me to write to Royal Mail directly instead! OfCom are really not fit for purpose.

Ofcom know full well what is going on - they are a joke and as corrupt as RM

[kazardaimenu]

Surprise surprise surprise. No adaptation to the increase in parcel volumes to be seen at our place.

[malnuman]

The company, which was split from the Post Office and privatised a decade ago, is legally obliged to deliver a one-price-goes-anywhere universal service, which means it has to deliver letters six days per week, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday.
[/quote]

Parcels Mon to Fri?... on Saturdays I've been on walks where we leave both walks and just go out doing the tracked parcels, there's that many.. Every day mail gets left in favour of the parcels

[SpacePhoenix]

A good few parcels that go through the system as parcels are technically large letters