Despite the proximity, Northern Ireland postal consumers face an average delivery time of between two and three working days when posting or receiving mail from the Republic of Ireland a major new Consumer Focus Post study reveals today. Consumer Focus Post is calling on the main postal service providers, Royal Mail and An Post, and their respective Regulators, Postcomm and ComReg, to work together to provide a faster more consumer-driven service which reflects the demands of today’s postal consumer and the importance of a more effective postal service in developing the Northern Ireland economy through cross-border trade.
The study also revealed that while four out of five consumers and two in three businesses expressed general satisfaction with the cross-border mail service, many felt the service should be significantly improved.
Mail expert Chris Thirkettle, Principal Policy Advocate of Consumer Focus Post said,
“What is clear from our study is that cross-border mail plays an important role in the social and economic life of many Northern Ireland consumers and businesses. Along with telecommunications and transport, mail is an integral part of the essential communication infrastructure which supports the growing economic and social interaction between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The performance of the existing mail service, while satisfying European interstate targets, is unambitious and does not meet the reasonable expectations of many consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland, or match adequately our local circumstances”.
There is considerable confusion among Northern Ireland’s postal consumers about the service. Over a quarter are unaware of when they can expect a cross-border letter to arrive and seven in 10 consumers surveyed were unaware of the correct postage which applies when sending mail to the Republic of Ireland. When made aware of the correct postage, four in ten consumers considered it did not represent value for money.
InterTradeIreland Chief Executive, Liam Nellis, welcomed the reports findings and recommendations, saying:
“The postal service is a basic infrastructure underpinning trade and commerce. Any steps, however marginal, that can be taken to improve the speed, reliability and cost effectiveness of the cross-border postal service could make a significant contribution to the ease at which business is carried out across the island”.
Wilfred Mitchell, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Policy Chair, welcomed the report’s findings and said:
“The postal system is a vital tool not only to cross-border trade but to the economy as a whole. Research carried out by the FSB recently showed that around one third of small businesses regularly use the postal service to receive necessary supplies for the businesses while almost half (46 per cent) use it to send goods and items to their customers.
The micro and small business community rely on the postal service to deliver supplies, invoice customers and receive payment and the FSB welcomes this report and urges the adoption and implementation of the recommendations contained within it. The many services offered by the postal system are essential for keeping the high street alive, especially in the current economic climate.”
Notes to Editors
1. Consumer Focus Post is a statutory organisation that champions the interests of postal consumers across Northern Ireland. Consumer Focus Post started operating on 1st October 2008.
2. For further details on the Consumer Focus Post report ‘Cross-border post’ please go to our website (http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/northern-ireland/publications )
3. Consumer Focus Post and its predecessor body Postwatch (Northern Ireland) commissioned Ipsos Mori Ireland to undertake mail surveys measuring the delivery performance of mail in both directions between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; as well as consumer and business telephone surveys depth interviews with high volume mailers across Northern Ireland. The research was carried between July and September 2009, with the exception of the mail survey from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, which was carried out in May and June 2008.
4. The main recommendations of the report include:
• Closer working between Royal Mail and An Post to reduce end-to-end delivery times for standard mail to within two working days
• An affordable cross-border next day guaranteed delivery product, similar to Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Next Day service within the UK
• A Joint Working Group comprising the Regulators, Postcomm and Comreg, to establish and monitor improved ‘end-to-end’ performance standards for the standard cross-border mail service, and to carry out a review of the current pricing structure of the service between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.
5. Quotes attributed to Northern Ireland business consumers interviewed:
• Male, Newry, (SME 5 – 9 employees) “It’s [the cross-border mail service] just consistent, that’s all. There’s nothing outstanding about it”
• Female, Newtownabbey, (SME 10-34 employees) “You don’t really know how soon it is going to get there. There is no set standard like first or second class”
• Male, Enniskillen (SME 5-9 employees) “The cost shouldn’t be as wide as it is for the service you are getting….there is at least a 35% higher charge so you wouldn’t expect second class delivery which is probably currently what they are achieving.”
