Christmas cards pile up at sorting offices

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http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/yorknew ... ffices.php

HUNDREDS of Christmas cards are sitting uncollected in sorting offices across North Yorkshire - because mail bosses are demanding extra postage costs.

Because Royal Mail now charges according to an item's size, rather than just its weight, many cards are deemed too big for standard stamps.

The changes came in 16 months ago, but Royal Mail took a lenient approach last Christmas the system was still new.
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This year, however, it is demanding extra postage for cards that in some cases are only a few millimetres larger than the threshold. Mail scrutiny body Postwatch has called on Royal Mail to show more goodwill to its customers.

A Postwatch spokesman said: "Although pricing in proportion was in place last December, because it was new the Royal Mail adopted a common-sense approach to surcharging for underpaid postage and largely waived it. This is the first Christmas when Royal Mail will be surcharging receiving customers for cards and packets failing the pricing in proportion test.

"Receiving customers might find themselves having to queue, at this busy time of year, at callers' offices to pay the underpaid postage, plus the £1 per item handling fee.

"Postwatch, the watchdog for postal services hopes, that the Royal Mail will apply the spirit of Christmas rather than the letter of their rules."

A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Royal Mail always takes a common-sense approach to the tiny fraction of mail with underpaid postage as surcharging doesn't cover our handling costs, loses us money and is the last thing we want to do.

"However, the onus is on the sender to pay the correct postage. When items are underpaid, they are pulled out of the system at the mail Centre and processed manually, which delays the mail by a day. The customer is charged the underpayment plus a handling fee of £1 if they wish to receive the item."

Make the most of your festive post
POSTWATCH, the watchdog for postal services, has issued the following advice to help people make the most of their Christmas post:

* Post early and address cards and parcels properly and clearly

* Add a return address

* Use the correct stamps - postage will depend on a card's size and thickness

* Check a postcode online by visiting www.royalmail.com