Stopping unpaid mail

Unpaid mail is a significant problem for Royal Mail and parcel account fraud contributes significantly to the unpaid mail problem, costing us millions of pounds every year.

We want to ensure that every piece of mail sent through our network is paid for, and have devised a two-year strategy to barcode our parcel products, so that we can scan those items and bill on those scans.

In the short term, there are a number of ways to minimise revenue loss – simply by following our standard operating procedures. We’ll be looking at some of these over the coming weeks.

Refuse mail politely if there is no posting documentation with the mailing

Printed Postage Impression (PPI) mail is not pre-paid mail. Ensuring there is a sales order with the mailing and scanning the barcode on all sales orders is our most effective way of ensuring that mail has been paid for.

At Cardiff Mail Centre, collections driver Nick Lovell worked with management, Revenue Protection and customers to ensure paperwork was supplied with all mailings and that all sales orders were scanned.

‘I have a good rapport with my PPI customers,’ said Nick. ‘One company never supplied paperwork – because they themselves did not know what to do. So, I showed them how to raise a sales order. 

‘I explained to one customer: “I cannot take your mailing unless you print off the sales order,” and she spoke to her manager to say: “the collection driver cannot collect the mail without the correct paperwork.” I had to refuse the mail on several occasions, but now they always have the sales order ready.

‘I take P6587 cards out with me in my van or backpack. If there are any questions, the customer can call the number on the card about why their mail has been refused.’

It’s not wilful delay

The idea that not accepting mail is wilful delay is a common misunderstanding. A posting is not considered to be ‘mail’ until it has been accepted into our network, and only ‘paid for’ mail should be collected and processed for onward delivery.

‘At first you feel that it’s your fault that you can’t take the mail,’ said Nick. ‘Refusing mail can be difficult – but it’s the right thing to do and I explain it’s how I know the mail has been paid for.’

• All PPI mail that we accept into our network must be accompanied by a sales order and the barcode on all sales orders must be scanned
• PPI mail should only be accepted at official acceptance points: business collections, Post Office collections, mail centre collections, enquiry offices and customer service points.