"Christmas Chaos: Royal Mail's Late Deliveries Leave Millions Hanging on Thin Air"
A staggering 16 million people have been left without their Christmas letters and parcels, sparking widespread criticism of Royal Mail's subpar performance during the festive season. According to a recent study by Citizens Advice, this figure is a whopping 50% higher than in 2022, marking the worst performance since the last strike in 2019.
The research, which surveyed almost 2,100 adults, found that nearly 5.7 million people missed out on receiving crucial documents and information due to delayed deliveries. This includes vital health appointments, fines, benefit decisions, and legal documents – all essential items that are now at risk of being forgotten.
Royal Mail has attributed the delays to its busiest time of year, with volumes more than doubling. However, this excuse falls flat when considering the company's dismal track record over the past few years. In fact, it's been five years since Royal Mail last met its Ofcom-mandated delivery targets for first-class post, and since 2020, the service has failed to hit its target for second-class mail.
The £3.6 billion takeover of Royal Mail by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský in 2022 has seen the company scale back services, including the end of second-class post on Saturdays and reducing delivery days from Monday to Friday. This has resulted in a significant increase in stamp prices, with first-class stamps now costing £1.70 and second-class stamps at 87p.
The consequence is that over 36% of those surveyed have opted to send fewer Christmas cards this year due to the extortionate cost of stamps. Royal Mail's profit last year was its first annual profit in three years, but it comes with a warning: any future stamp price increases should be conditional on meeting delivery targets.
As Citizens Advice's head of policy Anne Pardoe put it, "We're afraid there's no light at the end of the tunnel for consumers struggling with Royal Mail's persistent delivery failures. This is a worrying trend, and with cuts to delivery days looming, Ofcom must start cracking down even harder on missed targets before things go from bad to worse."
A staggering 16 million people have been left without their Christmas letters and parcels, sparking widespread criticism of Royal Mail's subpar performance during the festive season. According to a recent study by Citizens Advice, this figure is a whopping 50% higher than in 2022, marking the worst performance since the last strike in 2019.
The research, which surveyed almost 2,100 adults, found that nearly 5.7 million people missed out on receiving crucial documents and information due to delayed deliveries. This includes vital health appointments, fines, benefit decisions, and legal documents – all essential items that are now at risk of being forgotten.
Royal Mail has attributed the delays to its busiest time of year, with volumes more than doubling. However, this excuse falls flat when considering the company's dismal track record over the past few years. In fact, it's been five years since Royal Mail last met its Ofcom-mandated delivery targets for first-class post, and since 2020, the service has failed to hit its target for second-class mail.
The £3.6 billion takeover of Royal Mail by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský in 2022 has seen the company scale back services, including the end of second-class post on Saturdays and reducing delivery days from Monday to Friday. This has resulted in a significant increase in stamp prices, with first-class stamps now costing £1.70 and second-class stamps at 87p.
The consequence is that over 36% of those surveyed have opted to send fewer Christmas cards this year due to the extortionate cost of stamps. Royal Mail's profit last year was its first annual profit in three years, but it comes with a warning: any future stamp price increases should be conditional on meeting delivery targets.
As Citizens Advice's head of policy Anne Pardoe put it, "We're afraid there's no light at the end of the tunnel for consumers struggling with Royal Mail's persistent delivery failures. This is a worrying trend, and with cuts to delivery days looming, Ofcom must start cracking down even harder on missed targets before things go from bad to worse."
omg u guys r going 2 b so mad wen christmas comes & ur letters n parcels dont arrive!! 
i mean i no royal mail's got a lot of pressure 2 deliver during xmas but cmon, 50% more people missin out compared 2 last yr is straight up unacceptable 
. they cant just blame it on bein busy & expect us 2 trust dat excuse. its like, i get it, stamp prices r high now but thats no reason 2 ruin christmas 4 ppl 
. i hope ofcom takes action b4 things get worse 2 see 
[A picture of a Christmas tree with a red X through it] 
36% of people have cancelled plans due to stamp prices, that's just crazy. And what really gets me is they're already saying next year might be worse if they don't hit their targets 
. Ofcom's gotta do something about this, they can't just let it slide.
. Royal Mail needs to get its act together and make sure people get their packages on time. Anything less is just unacceptable 
.
. We all know that's just a cop-out. Royal Mail knew it was gonna be busy and they still managed to mess up. And what's with the stamp price hike? £1.70 for first-class stamps?! That's just outrageous! 
.
. No more excuses, it's time for accountability! 
gotta keep those in charge accountable