Policy & Research

Royal Mail delivers more than 99 per cent of our post, so it is essential that its customers receive a reliable postal service. Royal Mail has a set of targets (PDF 172KB) set out in its licence that cover a range of services including First and Second Class mail.

The Quality of Service percentages displayed below indicate the probability that a piece of mail will arrive by its due date at the correct address. So, if the Quality of Service Performance Target is 93 per cent  for First Class, when you send a letter First Class before the final collection time Royal Mail should aim to get that letter to its destination on the next working day 93 per cent  of the time.

The Quality of Service figures are produced by a research company appointed by Royal Mail. A representative sample of panellists record when sample letters are posted and received.

In general, as the graphs below demonstrate, the Quality of Service targets set by the postal regulator have been increased since 2001/02, reflecting in part the improved overall performance of Royal Mail.

Royal Mail’s performance peaked in 2006/07 when Royal Mail met 11 of its 12 licence targets, with the exception of the Postcode Area target. However, due principally to extensive industrial action in the summer of 2007, Royal Mail’s performance dipped drastically, meeting only three out of their 12 licence targets for 2007/08, although its quality of service performance improved during 2008/09. The Quality of Service results for 2009/10 fell once again, with Royal Mail missing its targets for most measures.

When Royal Mail misses its targets the regulator, Postcomm, can impose financial penalties. Royal Mail submitted a request for dispensation from these penalties for quarters 2 and 3 of 2009/10 on the grounds that the poor results for these quarters were due to industrial action linked to its modernisation plan. It has also submitted a ‘force majeure’ application for quarter 4 based on the prolonged period of poor weather. On the basis of the evidence provided in these applications Postcomm decided that Royal Mail was exempt from all financial penalties.

The latest figures for 2010/11 show that Royal Mail missed three of its benchmark targets: those for First and Second Class and Special Delivery. It claims that these results are due to the volcanic ash in April 2010 and the poor weather during winter 2010/11. It intends to submit another force majeure application to Postcomm to avoid the financial penalties associated with these missed targets; we will closely scrutinise the evidence presented in any application.

Consumer Focus will continue to monitor Royal Mail’s Quality of Service to ensure that its performance continues to improve in line with customers’ expectations.

First Class mail: percentage delivered the next working day

Figures quoted are cumulative April to March.

Second Class mail: percentage delivered by the third working day

Figures quoted are cumulative April to March.

Parcels: percentage delivered by the fifth working day

Figures quoted are cumulative April to March.

Special Delivery: percentage delivered by next working day

Figures quoted are cumulative April to March.