[Gary]

Does anybody here believe that Royal Mail postal charges are increasing by around 9% on Monday 2nd April?

Well believe it because they are!

For those who depend on mail order this makes the hobby that little bit more expensive. Small traders will not be able to absorb such wapping great big increases at a time when government inflation targets are 2%!

If the Post Office (a government owned body) has messed up its pension scheme courtesy of Gordon Brown's pension grab a few years ago then why should the public pay?

This rise is just another stealth tax by this government.

On the other hand of course this rise will be to the advantage of those stockists who do not have a mail order department and it could be that railway modellers start to vote with their feet visiting their local stockist more frequently to avoid paying shipping costs rising at 450% above goverment inflation targets!

Happy modelling
Gary

PS I am not upset with postmen as they do a good job. Its their masters that get me going!

 

[Brian Considine]

It's this sort of increase that makes DHL (that we use) & the other carriers more competative (& they collect the goods from you, instead of having to go to our local sub-PO & deal with the old witch there, who seems to get a delight if there is anything wrong !)

What p

me off is that a packet from Germany to the UK that starts of with the Deutsche Post (German Post Office) & arrives here by DHL (owned by............. Deutsche Post !) costs about half & takes a day less then a packet from the UK to Germany ! Another example of the s

e service by Royal Mail. And to think someone here flamed me a few months back & told me how good they were.

Another example - postcards by airmail from Egypt to the UK - 15p !

No wonder they keep losing money & customers.

About all they are good for is delivering unwanted, unaddressed junk mail.

Saturaday rant over !

 

[pedromorgan]

QUOTE (Gary @ 31 Mar 2007, 12:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If the Post Office (a government owned body)

The post office is indeed government owned but it is not a government body. it is a PLC with the government as the only shareholder. As such it is answeres to postwatch and postcom.

Sorry i know this is off topic but you seem to be sugesting that the government is to blame for all post troubles and thats not the case. its just a badly run company.

"This rise is just another stealth tax by this government."
The government dosent get the profits. or any revenue from the government (quite the opposite infact)

The trouble is that the costs of postage didnt rise with inflation (precisly because at the time it WAS a government body). now we are paying catchup. given inflation since 1840 I believe a first class letter should now cost about 60p not the 32p we are currently paying.

Peter

 

[Rail-Rider]

QUOTE (Gary @ 31 Mar 2007, 12:19) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>This rise is just another stealth tax by this government.

No it isn't.
I don't like the increases either.
But it is not a tax, so please let us not introduce 'politics by stealth' either.