mrm.com:Annual stamp price rises

[POSTMAN]

https://www.myroyalmail.com/mrm/appnews ... aspx?i=693" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We are today announcing our stamp prices for 2012. The new prices will come into effect from 30 April.

We know how hard it is for households and businesses when our economy is as tough as it is now.

We have thought very carefully about the impact on our customers and on our own business, before deciding to raise our prices.

What are the increases?

The price for a First Class stamp for a standard letter will rise from 46p to 60p
The price for a Second Class stamp for a standard letter will increase from 36p to 50p. The cost of a Large Letter stamp up to 100 grams will rise from 75p to 90p for First Class and from 58p to 69p for Second Class
The price for First Class packets weighing up to 750g will be £2.70. For Second Class packets the price will be £2.20. There will be two weight steps up to 1kg instead of five. The changes better reflect the cost of handling packets which often cannot be delivered through the letterbox.

Protecting the Universal Service
Ofcom has said that our financial position puts the viability of the Universal Service at severe risk.

We have made a loss on our core mails, including packets, activities of almost £1 billion over the last four financial years published.

Price increases are therefore needed to put the Universal Service on a sound, sustainable and secure basis.

Postal service standards in the UK are high and increases are needed to pay for them.

Our next day target of 93% is the highest for any major EU country.

We also deliver six days a week while many EU countries only provide a five day delivery service.

A high quality service
Service standards in the UK are appreciably higher than in many other EU countries.

Royal Mail is required to deliver six days a week; the EU minimum obligation is five days.

Royal Mail’s 93% next day delivery target is also the highest for any major European country, e.g. France’s minimum standard is 84%.

A high, fixed cost network is required to maintain this high quality service, especially given the legal requirement to deliver to 29 million addresses six days a week.

Price increases are needed to sustain this high quality service.

[POSTMAN]

Moya Greene

https://www.myroyalmail.com/mrm/appnews ... aspx?i=696" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have now announced our new prices for First and Second Class stamps.

We may all be asked by our customers about the increases, so I thought it would be helpful if I explained why we are doing this.

Our new regulator is also adopting a major new approach to regulation which we will brief you about in the coming days, once we have carefully reviewed all the detail.

No one likes to increase their prices when the economy is as tough as it is right now. We carefully reviewed the impact of the rises on our customers and our own business before we decided to proceed.

We have suffered from a punitive regulatory regime in the past and lost £1 billion in our core mails business over the last four years.

You know we are also delivering less mail to more addresses creating additional costs for our business.

Our volumes have fallen by 25% in recent years while the number of addresses we deliver to has increased from 27 to 29 million.

This cannot go on. As Ofcom, our new regulator, has already pointed out, the viability of the Universal Service is at risk so, unfortunately, we have no option but to increase our prices.

Courier Special
When you read the Special Courier, please bear in mind two really important points.

Firstly, our stamps are good value compared to most other EU postal operators.

In the 51 to 100g weight band, our new 50p Second Class stamp is the lowest in the EU and many other European countries do not even offer Second Class.

It also costs more to make a phone call from a BT phone box than to send a Second Class letter from London to Scotland.

Secondly, we provide one of the most high quality postal services in the world. Like anything else, it needs to be paid for. We are just looking to put Royal Mail back on its feet and earn a decent rate of return.

Customers
I said earlier that we had thought carefully about the impact of the increases on our customers.

While postal affordability is genuinely not an issue, we also know that any price rise is too much for some households.

That is why up to five million customers from low income households will be able to buy up to 36 First and Second Class stamps, at 2011 prices, in one purchase this Christmas.

We are proud to connect customers, companies and communities six days a week and make commerce happen in this country.

We are held in very high esteem because of the great work you do. I know you will get questions from your customers, friends and neighbours. Please share our story with them.

[POSTMAN]

Good value

https://www.myroyalmail.com/mrm/appnews ... aspx?i=694" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For consumers, UK stamp prices are amongst the best value in the EU. They will remain so:

We charge the same price per letter up to 100 grams. Other EU operators often charge three different prices up to this weight step.
In the 51g to 100g weight band, the UK’s new 50p Second Class stamp is the lowest in Europe. For items between 21g and 50g, our 50p price is the second lowest. Less than half of EU countries actually offer Second Class.
In the 51g to 100g bracket, the new 60p price for a First Class stamp will be the fifth lowest in Europe.

Helping Businesses
We will continue to offer significant discounts and we have improved the products available.

Businesses that use meters can benefit from discounts of up to 38% on stamp prices.

After these increases, Meter First Class letter prices will be around 4% lower in real terms than the early 1980s.

Meter Second Class prices will be around 13% lower in real terms.

Helping low income households
While postage accounts for a very modest proportion of household expenditure, we know that any price rise is too much for some households.

So, we will have a scheme this Christmas enabling people on low incomes to buy up to a total of 36 First or Second Class stamps in one purchase at 2011 prices.

The scheme will launch on 6 November and will be in place until the last posting date before Christmas for First Class stamps.

People on pension credit and employment and support allowances (or incapacity benefit) are eligible for participation in the Christmas scheme. Around five million people are eligible under these criteria.

We will be writing to every household in the UK later in the year to explain the scheme and how it works.

Helping Charities
We are introducing a new payment option to help customers – many of whom are charities - who cannot reclaim VAT.

[POSTMAN]

Royal Mail Announces Annual Stamp Price Rises For April 2012

http://www.royalmailgroup.com/news/2012 ... april-2012" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[demon]

still to cheap

[Straight4ward]

Stand by for apoplectic editorials in The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail, tomorrow.

We’d probably attract less flak if we stood naked on the steps of Buckingham Palace and cut the heads off six week old puppies while singing IRA songs.

Angry of Tunbridge Wells is going to face a hell of a dilemma in future. Every times he wants to fire off a missive to The Times about how appalling our service has become, he’s going to have to consider whether he wants to line our pockets by a further 60p.

[DGP1]

Stand by for apoplectic editorials in The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail, tomorrow.

We’d probably attract less flak if we stood naked on the steps of Buckingham Palace and cut the heads off six week old puppies while singing IRA songs.

Angry of Tunbridge Wells is going to face a hell of a dilemma in future. Every times he wants to fire off a missive to The Times about how appalling our service has become, he’s going to have to consider whether he wants to line our pockets by a further 60p.

And what a night that was too..............signed The Bulligdon Club

[PhilthyPhil]

What about DSA prices

[clashcityrocker]

Angry of Tunbridge Wells is going to face a hell of a dilemma ....

I'm sure he has learned to tweet.

[fishtank]

What about DSA prices

Between 6% and 8% rise but we don't want to piss them off too much in case they start delivering themselves....allegedly.

[shipmaster122]

What about DSA prices

Between 6% and 8% rise but we don't want to piss them off too much in case they start delivering themselves....allegedly.

TNT Post are looking to trial their own deliveries in West London (Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/ ... 3520120322" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).
DSA is RM's arch enemy

Anyway, we've got until 30th April to buy as many stamps to last us a lifetime!