Now the postman may have to ring twice

Postmen will soon collect parcels as well as deliver them in what Royal Mail has called one of the biggest changes to the daily service since the invention of the post box in 1852. With Parcel Collect, customers pay a collection fee and postage in advance online and then hand parcels over from their homes. The service will cost 72p per item plus postage, bringing for many an end to trudging to the local Post Office. In the first five months of the year parcel deliveries increased by 34 per cent.

FOR generations, posties have trundled round neighbourhoods across the nation to deliver letters and parcels.

But now, in what Royal Mail has described as one of the biggest changes to daily delivery since the invention of the post box in 1852, they will collect the mail too.

With Parcel Collect, which launches nationwide this week following a small pilot scheme in the West Country, customers can pay a collection fee and postage in advance online for parcels and then either give them to the postman or leave them to be collected from an agreed safe place.

The service will cost 72p per item and must be booked in advance, but it could end the hassle of trudging to the local post office with a stack of packages. The service has been introduced during a surge in the number of parcels being sent during lockdown, as people turn to more online deliveries.

Royal Mail said the “growing appetite” for parcels accelerated during lockdown. In the first five months of the year there was a “substantial shift” from letters to parcels, with 177 million more of the latter being sent – an increase of 34 per cent.

Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said the Parcel Collect service was a “fantastic step forward” for customers.

“It makes it easier to use our services than ever before,” he said.

“Whether you’re up against time and working from home, making a return, selling online or sending a gift to make someone’s day, Royal Mail Parcel Collect is here to help.”

The launch was part of a commitment to make services better and more convenient, he said.

However, Martyn James, of the consumer complaints service Resolver, had some doubts.

“I do think this is a great idea. It’s great for consumers, great for people who are shielding in lockdown and is in many ways the future,” he said.

“But all I’ll say is I hope people across the country have their Christmas tips ready for the postman, because they are used to starting with a full cart and watching it get lighter, not the other way around.”

He added that he could also see situations in which people who used the service to return unwanted goods bought online could become embroiled in complaints if their items were damaged in transit.

“We need to make sure that people aren’t paying for items that were broken or damaged during the return,” he said.

Royal Mail said it aimed to ensure that all duties were fair and manageable and added that it had existing procedures in place to allow for staff to raise concerns about mail and parcel volumes with their line managers.

The experience regarding breakages would be the same for customers as dropping off a parcel through any other channel, it said. The service can be used for online shopping returns at a cost of 60p compared with the usual 72p.

Parcel Collect will be available every day except Sunday, and a maximum of five packages per address are allowed. The service can be booked up to five days in advance and until midnight the day before.

In addition to the fee, customers will need to pay postage costs before collection and they can do so online, before printing off a pre-paid label to put on the package.

Proof of postage will be sent via email. There are maximum size and weight limits.