Post in Post Office Closures - who is to blame?

Oct 02 13:29 UTC

Factors such as internet competition exist equally elsewhere  - if they have
reduced Royal Mail's business why is the German Mail service so profitable?
Because in Germany and other major European countries, the market in delivery
was not opened up to competition as it was here in Great Britain. The EU
legislation was responsible for introducing competition in some countries,
while leaving monopolies elsewhere! That is completely unfair. Where is the
British company that is delivering German mail? It is also a complete waste of
fuel and working-hours to run four or five rival delivery services to every
house and street in the country.
If I post a letter in Paris or Rome addressed to Corsica or Sardinia, it costs
me no more than to send it elsewhere in Paris. So the single tariff works well.
   The main income of the local post offices  - which are long separated firm
the Royal Mail - comes from handling other services, not from selling stamps.
They used to be financed by profits from Royal Mail but that was abolished long
ago. Many other countries never had such a convenient network of small local
post offices, but in France where they had quite a lot, the EU budget-capping
is having exactly the same result - local post offices in villags where they
are much appreciated are being closed down.
The fact is that the EU has dictated a reduction in the financing of our local
post offices, this is proved by existing documents tha the public can and shuld
read for themsleves, and even if the Royal Mail were making a vast profit, that
would not save them.
   Somebody recently sent me an item supposedly by the APC "overnight courier".
The overnight courier arrived at 4 pm when I was out. It was a Friday and they
do not work at weekends. So I had to wait until the following Monday to request
re-delivery. They require a day's notice. So they didn't re-deliver until the
Tuesday when they arrived at three in the afternoon. So their overnight service
actually took five days. They had nothing but excuses to offer, and said "Well,
that's the service,". No apology. I don't call that a welcome alternative to
the Royal Mail and a good reason for local post offices to be closed down.