David Fiske A subtle blend of affiliate marketing and web development

Twaddle's a great word and isn't used enough!

I've just been to the Post Office trying to post my 4 page complaint to BT and now I've ended up with a complaint to Royal Mail!

Here's the offending letter:



Apparently this letter would bring the entire postal system in the UK to a halt. Why?
 
Because it's got a tiny flap on it which means it would be classed as a large letter instead of a letter. Net result is an extra 20p or so. Not that big a deal when you look at it as 1 person but just imagine how many people they have conned into paying more postage. Cards with badges are more expensive to post so if you're getting a card from me, don't expect a badge!

According to Royal Mail, 21 billion items a year. Even if only 1% are overcharged by 20p, that's (21 billion x 1% x £0.20) is £42 million.

Pricing in proportion is a giant ripoff from Royal Mail who were targeting eBay sellers for extra revenue.

The fact that you need a ruler and scales for every letter you post is just plain daft!

Anyhow, here's the letter before:



And here's how I have stopped Royal Mail from collapsing:



The fact that post offices are rare around here, it was a car journey to a post office who wanted to overcharge me. I've come back home, taped it up and it's ready to go as normal mail on Monday.

There is a deeper point here that is we as consumers need more choice. BT and Royal Mail are monopolies in their own industries and that's bad for us. Unless your a lucky so-and-so who lives in a cable enabled area, you're more-or-less tied to BT and unless you want to pay between £5 and £10 for every letter via courier, your stuck with Royal Mail.

The sooner we have an alternative telecoms provider and a new mail company for consumers, the world will be a better place!

(Incidently, I have no complaints with Royal Mail - I can't deliver a letter 200 miles away for under £2.00 - but all I want is a nice clear pricing system that doesn't involve me working out whether a tiny flap takes my letter over 5mm thick.)