Royal Mail is starting trials today in the SA postcode area of South West Wales (Monday 28 November) to leave post with a neighbour if people aren’t home and the package is too big for their letterbox.
The trial covers more than 80,000 addresses and runs until 25 February 2012.
The postman or woman will choose a neighbour and ask if they will look after the package. The postman will then deliver a notification card (which has the address where the package has been left) to the intended recipient so the parcel can be collected. Royal Mail hopes consumers will find this more convenient than current arrangements.
The trial includes Royal Mail’s recorded delivery but excludes special delivery mail or international post that needs a signature.
Rhys Evans, Deputy Senior Director at Consumer Focus Wales, said: ‘Customers in these areas have been notified that the trial is taking place and have been offered the chance to opt out. Consumer Focus Wales welcomes the trial and especially the flexibility for consumers on whether to take part.’
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Notes to editors:
- Ammanford, Gorseinon, Pontardawe, Llandeilo and Neath delivery offices to trial new initiative to make it easier for people who are not at home to receive deliveries
- 169 delivery rounds and 83,518 addresses are covered by the trial
- The trial is also being covered in other areas of UK. People sending packages from outside Bolton, Edinburgh, Hull, North Gatwick, and Norwich post code areas to people in these areas may wish to check with the person they’re posting to that they are happy with the arrangements.
List of postcode areas can be found at http://www.royalmail.com/delivery-to-neighbour
- Currently, undelivered post is taken back to the delivery office and a P739 card is put through the recipient’s door, detailing their three options: redelivery on another day; collection from the Delivery Office; collection from a Post Office (for a £1.50 fee). If the item is not collected/redelivered after a certain number of days the item is returned to the sender as undelivered.
Royal Mail proposals, affecting 1,406 delivery rounds, are:
- The postman will attempt to deliver ‘undeliverable’ items as normal
- If the addressee is not at home, the postman will go to the property of a neighbour, defined as someone who ‘lives within close proximity’. The postman chooses the neighbour
- For non-signature items, if the neighbour is at home and accepts the item the postman will deliver a notification card to the addressee. This will detail the address of the neighbour
- For items requiring a signature, the signature of the neighbour will be taken.
- If the neighbour is not at home or does not accept the item, the postman will return the item to the Delivery Office as usual
Consumer Focus Wales has called on Royal Mail to consider a range of other options to offer greater choice and security than the delivery to neighbour proposal. These could include:
- Expansion of Safeplace to non-business customers. Currently, this allows businesses to offer customers the option to designate an alternative delivery location including a near neighbour
- Roll-out of the successfully trialled paid-for evening delivery service
- The possibility of making deliveries to ByBox lockerbanks at mainline railway stations or other convenient locations
- Increased use of post offices as alternative delivery points so that the post office network becomes an optional delivery point rather than a costly redelivery option
