王室の Mail 延期するs are costing my 商売／仕事 sales - I might have to の近くに

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With Christmas around the corner, small 商売／仕事s are getting ready for what is one of the busiest times of the year.

It will be another 堅い festive season for a number of 会社／堅いs as 消費者s continue to 削減（する） 支援する on spending and costs continue to rise.?

So when it comes to festive season, the last thing owners need are 延期するs and 問題／発行するs with 地位，任命する.

This is Money has 明らかにする／漏らすd in 最近の months that 世帯s across the country are 直面するing 抱擁する 延期するs to their letters, often arriving in bundles weeks after they were sent.

王室の Mail 延期するs are putting small 商売／仕事s under 圧力 in the run-up to Christmas?

But the 延期するs are also putting small 商売／仕事s under かなりの 圧力 as they 緊急発進する to 地位，任命する 製品s ahead of Christmas.?

One 商売／仕事 owner told This is Money that any その上の 問題／発行するs with undelivered 一括s and ますます unhappy 顧客s means this could be his last year 貿易（する）ing.

'If 延期するs continue I will have to の近くに'

Paul* has been selling dreamcatchers from his home in Essex since 2015.

What started as his own website quickly snowballed into him selling through other 壇・綱領・公約s like eBay and アマゾン. He usually makes around £80,000 a year.

Paul's 製品s are made of plastic and feathers so he chooses to send them with 王室の Mail rather than a 特使 company, because the cost would outweigh the price of the 製品.

However, incremental price 引き上げ（る）s have started to 手足を不自由にする／（物事を）損なう him.

'支援する in 2016 we were 支払う／賃金ing 63p for a second class large letter under 100 grams. Today we are 支払う／賃金ing £1.32 for the same 製品 which began the year at £1.17 and has 増加するd three times so far this year.'

A 最近の 報告（する）／憶測 by 監視者 Ofcom 設立する that the area of lowest satisfaction with 王室の Mail is the price of postage.

Just 51 per cent of the SMEs that use the service 報告（する）／憶測 they are 満足させるd, 負かす／撃墜する from 54 per cent the previous year. Just over a ４半期/4分の1 報告（する）／憶測 不満.

In comparison, 74 per cent of SMEs 報告（する）／憶測 they are 満足させるd with the price of postage from other 配達／演説／出産 companies.

Paul stomached the price 増加するs but when the strikes 攻撃する，衝突する last year, he （人命などを）奪う，主張するs his 商売／仕事 was thrown into 混乱 and has been unable to 回復する.

'We can dilute the price 引き上げ（る）s into the item. The 問題／発行する we're having is that 王室の Mail isn't reliable.

'The 配達／演説／出産 times since the strikes, when it's not 頂点（に達する） season like we're approaching now have been 罰金. But I don't see posties on the 一連の会議、交渉／完成する anymore.

'Our 顧客s are not getting their 製品s on time, 原因（となる）ing them to complain and request refunds or 交替／補充s.'

An Ofcom 調査する 設立する that SMEs are unhappy with 王室の Mail's price of postage?

When he sells through eBay and アマゾン, Paul sends everything 跡をつけるd but if they arrive after the 推定する／予想するd date, he has to refund the price of the item.

He （人命などを）奪う，主張するs the 延期するs have cost him thousands in loss of sales in the last 12 months, because of a combination of strikes, lost items and the cost of living 危機.?

Paul （人命などを）奪う，主張するs that sales through eBay have never 回復するd from the strikes because 顧客s are turning their 支援する on retailers using 王室の Mail.?

He says his アマゾン 商売／仕事 is now stronger, selling around 30-40 items a day, because they 配達する their own 一括s.

'My 商売／仕事 hasn't 回復するd from the strikes because the 顧客s have lost 約束 in anything that's got 王室の Mail 大（公）使館員d to it.

'I'm struggling this year because of it. We wait for Christmas every year, it's our にわか景気.?

'Two thirds of our turnover is done between October and January.?

'When you 追加する 延期するs in that period to a 商売／仕事 like 地雷 it's 鎮圧するing… I'm doing 配達／演説／出産s for Deliveroo and Uber because of the 状況／情勢.'

Fed up with the higher costs and lower sales, Paul looked into using other 特使s but 設立する they were too expensive.

The Ofcom 報告（する）／憶測 設立する that almost half of small and medium-sized 商売／仕事s have moved from 王室の Mail to other companies in the last year, up from 39 per cent the previous yea r.

Of those that had done so, 58 per cent said it was because the new method is quicker, 50 per cent said the change 関係のある to cost 貯金. A 著名な 少数，小数派 (17 per cent) pointed to the strikes.

Paul says if there are 延期するs to his 一括s this Christmas he will have to の近くに 負かす／撃墜する the 商売／仕事.

One of Paul's biggest 支配するs with the 現在の service is the 極小の 開始 hours at his 地元の 倉庫・駅.?

He says it is open for just four hours a day, between 8-10am and 4-6pm. As with other retailers, Paul has a 削減（する）-off point for sending out 小包s each day to 確実にする they are 一括d and sent quickly.?

Paul's 削減（する）-off point is midday, which means that?he cannot 地位，任命する in the morning and when he tries before 6pm, the 小包s are left until the next morning, 原因（となる）ing その上の 延期するs.??

A 広報担当者 for 王室の Mail said: 'Over 99 per cent of 小包s are now 首尾よく 配達するd to 顧客s on the first or second 配達／演説／出産 試みる／企てる. This is 減ずるing the need for 顧客s to collect 小包s from CSPs.?

'If a 顧客 is unable to collect an item that we could not 配達する, we have a 範囲 of 解放する／自由な-of-告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 選択s for 顧客s who want to arrange for an item to be redelivered to their 演説（する）／住所 or a 地元の 地位，任命する Office.

'To keep pace with the changing behaviour of our 顧客s, and to 確実にする that 資源s are 配分するd to the most appropriate parts of our 操作／手術, we have 修正するd the 開始 hours of some CSPs.?

'だいたい half of CSP 開始 hours have remained at their 現在の times. Although some CSPs are only open 08:00 ? 10:00 on weekdays, all CSPs are open for four hours ? 08:00 - 12:00 ? every Saturday for those who are at work during the week.'?

Is 王室の Mail overlooking small 商売／仕事s?

I'm a postman - 意気込み／士気 is at an かつてない low: What posties REALLY think of 王室の Mail… and why you're waiting weeks for 地位，任命する?

Last winter, the 郵便の system ground to a 停止（させる） に引き続いて a bitter 論争 between 王室の Mail and the unions over 職業s, 支払う／賃金 and working 条件s.

Earlier this year, the Communication 労働者s Union (CWU) agreed to a three-year 支払う／賃金 取引，協定.

However, 郵便の 労働者s have told This is Money that 条件s have not 改善するd - and it is having a knock-on 影響 on 配達／演説／出産s.

Paul （人命などを）奪う，主張するs that he had spoken with a 地元の 王室の Mail 従業員 who empties postboxes to ask if there was an 問題／発行する at the 倉庫・駅.

He had been waiting three weeks for a folder with his accounts from his accountants.?

Paul was told there is a 大規模な backlog in Loughton which would take until the end of January to （疑いを）晴らす.

The 郵便の 労働者 said 王室の Mail is giving more attention to postboxes in 予期 of more people sending Christmas cards.

It comes just weeks after This Is Money's 報告（する）／憶測 into whether 郵便の 労働者s were 存在 told to prioritise 一括s over letters, に引き続いて 重要な 延期するs.

非常に／多数の posties, who say 意気込み／士気 is at an 'all time low', told This is Money that they are often told to leave piles of letters in the 倉庫・駅 ーするために make sure 一括s are 配達するd on time.

Paul said: 'He told me 商売／仕事s who 減少（する） off mail 解雇（する）s aren't 存在 過程d so there'll be a 大規模な 延期するs in our 製品s reaching the 顧客s.

'He said take my advice and don't 減少（する） off any 捕らえる、獲得するs to the 倉庫・駅s or 地位，任命する offices because they are 存在 的d as 非，不，無-優先.?

'He told me to 地位，任命する all my mail in the postboxes so it travels through the system faster. It is unbelievable.'

A 王室の Mail spokesperson said: 'There is no prioritisation of any items of mail over others, all items are 扱う／治療するd 平等に and 過程d accordingly.'?

Has your small 商売／仕事 been 攻撃する，衝突する by postage-linked problems? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk?