Costly birthday card

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/mailbag ... 5492845.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What is wrong with the Royal Mail?

I sent my granddaughter an 18th birthday card, and paid for a first class stamp, which she never received.
All she got was a note through the letterbox to tell her to pick it up at the main office at Gaol Lane, as I had not put the right price stamp on.

When she got to the main post office to collect it they asked for another £1.08. What's going on? There was no weight to it, it was just an ordinary card.

She had to pay bus fare into town and back to Mixenden.

It worked out a expensive birthday card, don't you think?

B Brennan

A Royal Mail spokesman said: Since August 2006, UK postage prices have been based on the size of an item as well as its weight. Mail is priced in three sizes: letter, large Letter and packet.

For the vast majority of cards the "letter" size applies. For larger cards with any dimension over 240mm long or 165mm wide or 5mm thick, or over 100g in weight, the "large letter" rate applies.

Any item more than 353mm long, more than 250mm wide, more than 25mm thick, or weighing more than 750g, is classed as a Packet. For more details, customers can visit http://www.royal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; mail.com/size, call 08457 740 740 or ask at any post office.

If a recipient wishes to receive an underpaid item of mail, they must pay the amount of underpaid postage plus a £1 handling fee. The fee goes towards our additional handling costs, including returning the item to the delivery office, storage, and administration.

[Pat Ostman]

silly mare

[Fred B]

Just another example of Royal Fail alienating the public.

[Stormproof]

Just another example of Royal Fail alienating the public.

but PIP has been around for a few years now so the sender should know what stamp to apply . A lot of card shops won't put the size stamp needed on card as they would sell less larger cards.

[Pat Ostman]

I had not put the right price stamp on

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Just another example of Royal Fail alienating the public.

but PIP has been around for a few years now so the sender should know what stamp to apply . A lot of card shops won't put the size stamp needed on card as they would sell less larger cards.

some manufacturers are printing the details on the reverse of the card like this one, I just think a lot of the public are missing it.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

----- and from the Greetings Card Association

http://www.greetingcardassociation.org. ... proportion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

On August 21 2006 Royal Mail introduced Pricing in Proportion (PiP), the system of calculating postage costs which is both size and weight based.

Since the introduction of this system, all post is divided into three categories Letter, Large Letter and Packet. Briefly, if an envelope is smaller than165mm x 240mm x 5mm and under 100g, it is categorised as a Letter. If it is larger than any of these measurements, or over 100g it is classified as a Large Letter.

Full details of the sizes and price bands can be found at http://www.royalmail.com/pricinginproportion" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.pricinginproportion.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The PiP logos are available for download in the GCA Members download resources area
GCA's Recommendations

In response to the change, the GCA came up with a logo for publishers to use, ideally at the bottom left side of page 4 of all stock, or on cello bags, one for Letter-size cards and the other for Large Letter-size cards. We believe that it is vitally important that customers can tell at a glance into which postal category a card falls.



n order to overcome any confusion with stock going overseas, the logo incorporates a UK mark.

Both the Envelope Manufacturers and Office Suppliers are using versions of the logos developed by the GCA (with kind thanks to Hallmark's marketing department) and approved by Royal Mail.

It is vitally important for our industry that the public understands the difference between Letter and Large Letter and buys the appropriate stamps.

So it does look like a case of customers not seeing what everyone is trying to tell them

[Stormproof]

Thanks for that info TBT, I don't buy cards because I'm a miserable so & so

[andy2007]

I do. And not all card companies include that information. But perhaps a campaign to show up those companies which can't be bothered to keep their customers informed, would make them make the effort. So we wouldn't have people getting caught out like that.

The one thing that does bother me about this case though, is that she used a 1st Class Stamp. Couldn't we have just treated it as 2nd Class, and not charged the money?
Although that wouldn't help people who're caught out, and using 2nd Class Stamps.

[ramsay ladders]

Couldn't the person not have affixed stamps to the card and posted it to the DO saving her "a bus fare into town"?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Ist class Normal stamp is 39p -

2nd class large letter is 47p -


hence the 8p on top of the £1 admin charge

[andy2007]

Oops, sorry.

[Fred B]

Just another example of Royal Fail alienating the public.

but PIP has been around for a few years now so the sender should know what stamp to apply . A lot of card shops won't put the size stamp needed on card as they would sell less larger cards.

People are just going to assume a first class stamp will do the job and not expect Royal Fail to charge them £1 to 'handle' a letter. Handling letters is what the public expect us to do. Perhaps we should surcharge all those millions of DSA letters Crozier has allowed us to handle for 3 or 4 pence less than it costs Royal Fail to process. That would bring in several millions every day, but TNT etc. are Crozier's friends. OAP's sending birthday cards aren't.

[Pat Ostman]

Just another example of Royal Fail alienating the public.

but PIP has been around for a few years now so the sender should know what stamp to apply . A lot of card shops won't put the size stamp needed on card as they would sell less larger cards.

People are just going to assume a first class stamp will do the job and not expect Royal Fail to charge them £1 to 'handle' a letter. Handling letters is what the public expect us to do. Perhaps we should surcharge all those millions of DSA letters Crozier has allowed us to handle for 3 or 4 pence less than it costs Royal Fail to process. That would bring in several millions every day, but TNT etc. are Crozier's friends. OAP's sending birthday cards aren't.

Seems fair to me

[twoloops]

Brilliant I love these stories 8 & half years to deliver a Birthday Card