"Royal Mail has been criticised for offering an unacceptable performance over the crucial Christmas period after it failed to deliver letters and cards on time to about 16 million people, Citizens Advice found. The consumer watchdog, which carried out research into Christmas deliveries, said that figure was 50% higher than in 2024, and the highest level over the festive period in five years, excluding when Royal Mail was hit by strike action in the run-up to Christmas four years ago."
"The research, based on a survey of almost 2,100 adults conducted by Yonder, calculated that 5.7 million of the 16 million who experienced delivery delays missed out on receiving important information, such as health appointments, fines, benefit decisions and legal documents. The company's dreadful festive slump is about much more than late Christmas cards, said Pardoe. This is a worrying trend, and with cuts to delivery days looming, [postal regulator] Ofcom must start cracking down even harder on missed targets before things go from bad to worse."
About 16 million people experienced late letter and card deliveries over the Christmas period, a 50% increase from 2024 and the highest festive-level in five years excluding the strike-affected year. An estimated 5.7 million of those missed important communications such as health appointments, fines, benefit decisions and legal documents. Citizens Advice described the sheer volume of delays as unacceptable, warning that consumers without alternative postal providers face significant harm. The organisation urged Ofcom to enforce delivery targets more strictly amid proposed cuts to delivery days. Royal Mail said over 99% of items posted by recommended dates arrived and praised staff during doubled volumes. The Christmas period followed the takeover of International Distribution Services by Daniel Kretinsky.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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