Mail and stamps Mail and stamps Royal Mail is now destroying undelivered business mail that does not have a return address. On the other hand, finance businesses have been warned that they should not include a return address on letters for fear they will be intercepted by fraudsters.
Royal Mail has suggested a half way house whereby businesses remove their name from envelopes but leave the address. In any case says Royal Mail the business address does not have to be used as the return address for undelivered mail. Businesses can use ‘any address or set up a numbered PO Box for £50 a year’.
The new rules affect millions of letters sent out by businesses every year. An estimated 12 million do not reach their destination and Royal Mail has spent around £10 million putting them back on track. In the past undelivered letters were forwarded to a special sorting office where they were opened and attempts made by staff to ascertain the identity of the sender.
In April the cost of a first class stamp will rise from 28p to 30p. However business customers who use franking machines or pre-paid envelopes will get a 1p discount so they will pay 29p.
The discount reflects the fact that it is cheaper for Royal Mail to collect and sort franked and pre-paid mail. The introduction of the 1p discount coincides with a series of price changes.
For further information see www.royalmail.com