Representatives of the Royal Mail stated that they do not have precise information about the proportion of envelopes that do not have enough stamps affixed, but if the fine is paid for at least every thousandth of the two billion Christmas cards and parcels, it would bring the department an additional two million pounds (more than $4 million).
A significant portion of such misunderstandings arise from the introduction of a new classification system for envelopes and parcels, so senders often do not know what denomination of stamps to affix to non-standard shaped and sized cards. In this regard, postal service representatives are already in talks with publishers, and soon every card will have a special symbol explaining the price category for shipping such a greeting.
The Royal Mail's website provides standards for the size and weight of mail items. According to the classification introduced in August 2006, sending mail is divided into letters, large letters, and parcels. However, in December 2006, The Daily Mail reported that many UK residents were dissatisfied with the new system, and postal clerks themselves were often confused about the classification and payment methods for mail items. This did not prevent the Chief Executive of the Royal Mail, Adam Crozier, who implemented the new system, from receiving a bonus of 469,000 pounds ($969,000) as a supplement to a salary of 633,000 pounds per year for 2006.
As Lenta.ru reports, representatives of the independent organization Postwatch, which monitors the work of postal services in the UK, urge the Royal Mail to be understanding with its customers during the Christmas and New Year holidays. In our country, mail items that do not meet tariff standards are simply not accepted for delivery and are returned to the sender.