Royal Mail.

The upgrade with the Royal Mail service is being trialled within the M25 starting next month. It appears to be packages and parcels only, to try and keep up with the likes of Amazon. There will no letters etc.

It beggars belief, doesn't it Tegan?

Stop whingeing, Royal Mail, and just get on with providing an efficient service!

The reasoning seemed to be that they could see their parcel service going down the drain in the face of competition and therefore would not be able to subsidise their deliveries in rural areas. It sounds more like a declaration of intent to me. Weren't they obliged to maintain deliveries to every household?

Think that would eat into their profits.........

I don't think it is about competition, I think it is about unfair competition. If other companies are allowed to deliver letters but choose to do it only in the big conurbations that leaves RM with all the difficult to get to places which are not profitable. I think they are asking for a 'level playing field'

Yes, because we would end up with a system where those in rural areas are spending a lot more to send post or higher postal charges if they wish to order things to be delivered.

I have just send three parcels by Royal Mail airmail; they were very light but I was shocked at the price. However, other firms would not have accepted them because they seem to have a minimum charge.

On top of it all I've just heard that our village Post Office is going to close next year .

We have recurrent trouble with couriers who deliver to the wrong place or (this week, twice ) just drop parcels over the gate without making any effort to come to the door (and there was someone in the house both times ). Also if we're away and a courier leaves a card, we are expected to go 20 or even 50 miles to pick up a parcel. If we get a Royal Mail delivery, they come to the door and leave it in a safe place if we're out. If it needs a signature, we have to go all of half a mile to collect it. Guess how worried we are about any threat to Royal Mail!

What a national disagrace this whole Royal Mail episode has been. Firstly the share price was massively undervalued and the "preferential investors" grabbed as many as they could and then promptly sold them off within a few weeks at a huge profit (meanwhile, the postal workers can't sell theirs for, I think, 2 years).

The shares have now dropped in value. The Royal Mail can't increase its profitability when other companies can pick and choose what services they offer, while it has an obligation to provide a service to all areas, however remote. Is it possible that this obligation will be gradually whittled away and/or prices will rise substantially to meet it? I seem to recall assurances being given that the "obligation" would remain, but then David Cameron did give an assurance that there would be no re-organisation of the NHS and look what happened there.

Just a point Eloethan the investors had to buy the shares but the workers were given them. I think that makes a difference. The shares went down on the announcement but that often happens, it is more realistic to wait a couple of months to see what happens. There will probably be another sell off in August after the dividends have been paid. Shares do this.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/22/royal-mail-universal-service-threat-rivals

Looks like Amazon is the main rival.
Boycott, anyone?

Each postal worker was given £2,200 worth of shares - hardly a fortune.

Even the Bow Group (a Conservative think tank) said that "even the staunchest supporters of the government's flotation say that the company has been significantly undervalued".

The seven banks who advised on the share price received £12.7m in fees for their services and are due another £4m. Additionally, the advisers were allocated millions of shares - that looks to me like a conflict of interest.

I'm still of the opinion that it was a stitch up.

Anyone else notice the shiny new(ish) RM vans driving around?
Probably bought at taxpayers expense before the sell-off! Grrrrr

Oldgreymare I haven't noticed this in my area but it reminds me that in our local council newsletter (why waste money on putting that through every door?) it was stated that they bought a new 4 x 4 vehicle because there was money left in the coffers. No mention of needing it.

I don't blame the government for the price of the sell off of Royal Mail, I blame their advisers who seem to win whatever happens. Just like the auditors of the big banks who didn't notice what was going on. MPs can't be experts in everything and do have to rely on the professionals who give them advice but perhaps there should be a clause in the contract to cover when that advice is proved to be rubbish!