Royal Mail are actively monitoring the rapidly evolving coronavirus situation and want to reassure you they seek to continue providing the best possible service for you that we can, whilst protecting the health of their people, and customers. A new change coming into effect from today is suspending Special Delivery guarantees. This comes on top of the suspension of collecting signatures
Signing for and receiving items
In order to protect both Royal Mail people and customers as much as possible, they are minimising contact during delivery. Royal Mail will not be handing over our hand-held devices to customers to capture signatures but instead log the name of the person accepting the item. Additionally, for all customers where we need to deliver any item that won’t fit through your letterbox, they will place your item at your door. Having knocked on your door, they will then step aside to a safe distance while you retrieve your item. This will ensure your item is delivered securely rather than being left outside.
Suspending Special Delivery guarantees
For items posted from today (Thursday 19 March 2020) onwards, Royal Mail will no longer guarantee deliveries by 1pm the next working day.
Royal Mail will still prioritise Special Delivery parcels and letters and will aim to deliver by 1pm or before the end of day. Resource implications of the latest coronavirus advice means they may not be able to meet the customer promise of guaranteed next day delivery in all locations at all times.
The Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 9am service remains unchanged and they will still guarantee to deliver by 9am.
International Mail and Parcels
Most border restrictions in place due to Coronavirus apply to the movement of people not goods. Royal Mail’s International services are operational and continue to accept traffic for destinations across the globe. However, delays are expected due to the authorities in those countries applying special orders e.g. quarantine; or special measures being implemented (e.g. diverting to mail boxes, replacement procedures for obtaining a signature) by the local postal/delivery service to minimise the spread of the virus.
3 Responses
If they can not delivery the next day by !pm service reliably then why are they saying on many press releases that the next day by 9am will still be honoured? It looks very much like profiteering as the next day by 9am service is upto 3 times more expensive and would be the hardest to achieve.
Niceeee. Profiteering by Royal Mail and no government intervention (well, those folks are busy giving away blank cheques).
100g Large letter with RM
Guaranteed by 1pm®: £6.60 (no vat to claim) – Up to £500 for loss or damage
Guaranteed by 9am®: £19.28 – Up to £50 for loss or damage
One just gotta love RM. 3x price increase and 10x lower cover for loss/damage.
20 quid for a letter it’s probably cheaper to get solid courier to deliver next day. Most our customers don’t mind if it’s 9am, 11am, 1pm or 4pm as long as it’s next day.
I’ve been waiting a week for a 1pm next day delivery parcel!