Is Your Post Late? Royal Mail Faces Fines as Delivery Standards Slip

Royal Mail is under scrutiny as it failed to meet its delivery targets, potentially facing fines from regulators. Following an investigation by Ofcom, it was revealed that nearly 25% of first-class mail was delivered late over the past year. The company’s targets for second-class mail were also not met, prompting concerns over its service quality. Despite a previous £16 million fine for similar compliance issues, Royal Mail insists it is modernising and starting to see improvements, though it acknowledges that there is still substantial work ahead.

Under Ofcom regulations, 93% of first-class items should be delivered within one working day (excluding Christmas); however, only 76.3% met this standard last year, compared to 74.5% the previous year. For second-class mail, only 92.2% was delivered within the required three days, significantly below the target of 98.5%. Alistair Cochrane, Royal Mail’s chief operating officer, admitted that the service is not yet meeting customer expectations and called for reform of the universal service obligation (USO), which mandates the company to deliver letters six days a week.

Citizens Advice strongly criticized Royal Mail for increasing stamp prices while failing to deliver timely service, urging Ofcom to enforce better compliance. They argue that the company’s quality of service goals should protect consumers, warning that reliability must improve, especially as Ofcom considers relaxing existing service targets. The situation is compounded by the recent sale of Royal Mail’s parent company to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, following shareholder approval for a £3.6 billion deal.

The pressure builds as Ofcom prepares to possibly impose further financial penalties, emphasizing that Royal Mail has yet to adequately fulfill its responsibilities to customers.