The 広大な／多数の／重要な stamp 引き裂く-off: Saturday first-class 地位，任命する now goes the same as second... but 王室の Mail keeps it secret

By Tom Mcghie
Updated: 11:25 BST, 30 October 2011

The 王室の Mail has made millions of 続けざまに猛撃するs by 非難する for a firstclass 配達／演説／出産 service that it has 効果的に scrapped ? without telling 顧客s.

Confidential 文書s 漏れるd to The Mail on Sunday 明らかにする／漏らす that the 郵便の service has stopped giving 優先 to first-class letters and 一括s 地位，任命するd on Saturdays.

The move means that the company has already made an 概算の £4 million from 顧客s needlessly putting first-class stamps on 地位，任命する that has been 扱う／治療するd the same as second class.

Second-率: Letters 地位，任命するd first-class on a Saturday are 存在 扱うd in the same way as second-class mail, によれば 漏れるd 文書s

Since the changes were 内密に introduced in July, about 40 million 46p first-class stamps have been used when a 36p second-class stamp would have been just as 急速な／放蕩な.

On 最高の，を越す of this, thousands of 商売／仕事s have needlessly paid extra to 確実にする their mail is 配達するd as 敏速に as possible.

The changes were 詳細（に述べる）d in an eight-page 文書 循環させるd to manage rs in mail centres and 配達／演説／出産 offices, which said: 'Second-class traffic 地位，任命するd Friday and Saturday will be 過程d along with first-class 地位，任命するd Saturday, using Saturday first-class labels.'

Last night MPs and 商売／仕事 groups 非難するd the 開発.
労働's 影をつくる／尾行する 商売／仕事 長官 Chuka Umunna said: 'The 王室の Mail's first-class service has always been sold as 存在 quicker than sending mail by second class.

So if there is, in fact, no 利益 in sending mail first-class at a particular point in the week, then that will 必然的に 土台を崩す the 信用 which people have in the 王室の Mail, which is a very serious 事柄. The se are serious 主張s, not least because of the 可能性のある 合法的な ramifications.'

Lawyers said 王室の Mail could be laying itself open to 合法的な 活動／戦闘 over its change of 政策.

Serious 関心: 影をつくる／尾行する 商売／仕事 長官 Chuka Umunna

David Gordon, a 商業の lawyer with DG 法律 in London, said: 'This could 量 to misrepresentation by the 王室の Mail, and it might 誘発する （人命などを）奪う，主張するs for 補償（金） if people are 十分に disadvantaged by it.'

The new 政策 was 公表する／暴露するd in a 文書 する権利を与えるd Under The Roof Changes, which explains 対策 目的（とする）d at saving the lossmaking part of the 商売／仕事 millions of 続けざまに猛撃するs by 簡素化するing its 週末 配達／演説／出産s.

It 明言する／公表するs: 'We want to move to a standardised way of 派遣（する）ing our second-class Saturday-地位，任命するd traffic and to also 簡単にする and 減ずる cost in our 網状組織 by 除去するing under-utilised services.

'Moving the traffic 今後 to a Saturday 派遣（する） and 中止するing Monday's second-class 派遣（する） is the most viable and cost-効果的な 選択 that also 保護するs 質.'

The 王室の Mail said that while an 普通の／平均（する） of 62 million letters were 地位，任命するd every weekday, that number fell to about 30 million on a Saturday.

It 確認するd the 広大な 大多数 of 地位，任命する on Saturdays was 商売／仕事 本体，大部分／ばら積みの mail but it 辞退するd to 確認する how many stamped letters were 地位，任命するd.

But 産業 専門家s 概算の that about seven million letters with stamps were 地位，任命するd on Saturdays, of which up to three million were first class ? 生成するing the £4 million of unnecessary overpayment since July. Over a year, more than £10 million could be 'wasted' by 顧客s.

産業 insiders believe it is not just 私的な mail 使用者s who have been 影響する／感情d by the change.

大きくする ?

によれば the 会議 of 私的な 商売／仕事, thousands of small 会社／堅いs spend extra on first-class 地位，任命する to 確実にする their letters would be 配達するd first thing on Monday, unaware that second-class mail was arriving at the same time.

A 広報担当者 said: 'Whether by error or design, 王室の Mail 顧客s have been cheated. Many f irms are likely to have paid unnecessarily higher 郵便の prices.'

Larger companies that 交渉する a special 商売／仕事 率 with the 王室の Mail, and so do not use either the also 苦しむ a knock-on 影響 because their Saturday 地位，任命する could 結局最後にはーなる at the 支援する of a lengthening 列 of other mail. It is 概算の that because of the changes, more than one million extra letters will have to be 配達するd on a Monday.

The 連合 of Small 商売／仕事s said: 'This is of 関心. Weare worried these changes could lead to 延期するs in the 配達／演説／出産 of letters.'

Dave 区, 副 general 長官 of the Communication 労働者s Union, said: 'We're 関心d about what 影響 this could have on 職業s and services. This could be the tip of the iceberg for 消費者s.

位置／汚点／見つけ出す the difference: 消費者s have been needlessly buying first-class stamps when 地位，任命するing mail on Saturdays

Making no distinction between first and second-class mail at the 週末 gives the wrong impression.'

The 王室の Mail last night 認める that all first-class and second-class mail was now 扱うd together on Saturday, but 主張するd it had not altered its 政策s.

A source said there had been no public 告示 because the 王室の Mail 手配中の，お尋ね者 to 保持する the distinction between first and second class 地位，任命する, even though they were 扱う／治療するd the same at 週末s.

A 広報担当者 said: 'The UK is one of the few countries in Europe that 供給するs a six-day 郵便の service.

Secret service: The 王室の mail could now 直面する 補償（金） payouts for misrepresentation

That service is expensive to run and it has been losing 重要な 量s of money for some time.

'To help 減ずる the losses, 王室の Mail is no longer running a 献身的な 輸送（する） 網状組織 for the small 割合 of second-class mail 地位，任命するd on a Saturday.' He 論争d the £4 million losses 人物／姿／数字, but said he could not 供給する an 正確な 見積（る）.

The 王室の Mail has been able to 合併する its first and second-class 操作／手術 on Saturdays because of spare capacity created by 劇の 落ちるs in mail 容積／容量s.

In 2005, it 配達するd about 80 million letters a day, but this has now 低迷d to 62 million a day as people ますます communicate by email. 消費者 mail accounts for just 12 per cent of the company's 商売／仕事.

The group made a £39 million 利益（をあげる） last year, ignoring 'modernisation costs', but the 分割 取引，協定ing with letters, 小包s and international 商売／仕事 急落（する），激減（する）d into the red, losing £120 million compared with a £20 million 利益（をあげる） in 2009.

郵便の regulator Ofcom 辞退するd to comment on the changes, 説 it was 'an 操作の 事柄'.