Important Royal Mail Updates
There are currently significant Royal Mail delays affecting some regions of the UK. Below, you’ll find information on the steps we’re taking to minimise the impact on our customers, along with an explanation of the current delays and what they may mean for your order.
1
Changes to postage charges
Due to the ongoing delays within the Royal Mail network, we are making changes to the way our collection kits are sent.
All UK collection kits will now be sent using Royal Mail Tracked 48, rather than standard Second Class post. Royal Mail is currently advising customers to use tracked services where possible, as these services are being prioritised within their network during the current disruption.
Unfortunately, this does mean that our postage charges will increase slightly. Our postage fee covers both the delivery of your collection kit and the return of your completed keepsake, so we have kept the increase as small as possible while giving your kit the best chance of reaching you promptly and with full tracking.
This change also means you’ll be able to track your collection kit from dispatch, giving you greater visibility while these delays continue.
2
Why there are delays
Royal Mail is currently experiencing significant service disruption in a number of areas across the UK. This is not affecting every region equally, which is why some parcels are arriving within their usual timeframe while others are experiencing considerably longer delays.
The disruption is being caused by a combination of local staffing pressures, increased mail volumes and backlogs within parts of the Royal Mail network. Royal Mail is also currently rolling out a new internal system across its network, and some hubs and delivery offices are experiencing difficulties adapting to these changes. This can create localised backlogs, which is why one parcel may arrive perfectly on time while another travelling through a different part of the network can experience a significant delay.
We have personally seen Tracked 48 parcels take up to three weeks to arrive, while some Special Delivery items have taken several days. In some cases, tracking has not updated at all until the parcel reaches the recipient's local delivery office.
Unfortunately, once a parcel has entered Royal Mail's network, we have no additional access to its location beyond the same tracking information available to our customers. A lack of tracking updates does not necessarily mean that a parcel is lost.
We understand how worrying delays can be when parcels contain sentimental and irreplaceable items, which is why we're making changes to our postage services while the disruption continues.
3
Going Forward
We will be reviewing these changes after Christmas once we have had time to assess how the new system is working in practice.
We may choose to return to Second Class untracked postage in the future if Royal Mail's service stabilises, allowing us to reduce postage costs again. However, we may also find that the additional tracking and visibility provided by Tracked 48 offers a better service for both us and our customers long term.
At present, we believe Tracked 48 is the best option for navigating the current disruption. We have considered alternative couriers, but due to previous reliability issues and the sensitive, often irreplaceable nature of the items entrusted to us, we do not currently feel that moving away from Royal Mail would provide a better solution.
For now, all collection kits will remain Tracked 48, and we'll review the service, reliability and cost again after the Christmas period.
