Have been putting CRC to the test recently with some random orders at obscure times and yet in every case I’ve received a despatch notice before 8am the next day and sure enough, the items have been delivered by Royal Mail within 24 hours

They have even beaten UPS/DPL/TNT which I think is pretty good.

Curiously Royal Mail have even delivered items from CRC before they’ve delivered stuff from other suppliers who are also pretty quick to despatch eg Superstar.

Do you think CRC have a deal with Royal Mail that ensures their stuff has priority?

I’d be suprised if they didn’t TBH – they must rate as a very big customer.

CRC are Royal Mails biggest customer in Northern Ireland. I think they have their own RM/Parcel Force depot.

Have been putting CRC to the test recently with some random orders at obscure times and yet in every case I’ve received a despatch notice before 8am the next day and sure enough, the items have been delivered by Royal Mail within 24 hours

Just had the same with a BB i order, came within 24H

I imagine that RM (all the way through the process) will also be aware when they see a CRC box, that the users have proactively ordered items, so will be less inclined to steal/hold back in hope nobody notices then steal.

bit of an aspersion being cast there andy. How else do parcels arrive in the post at my door other than by my “proactively ordering” them? The parcel fairy?

I genuinely lol’d at that

will also be aware when they see a CRC box, that the users have proactively ordered items

Whereas all RM workers think that Wiggle and Evans send stuff out unsolicited and thus nick all the boxes with their logos on?

I imagine that RM (all the way through the process) will also be aware when they see a CRC box, that the users have proactively ordered items, so will be less inclined to steal/hold back in hope nobody notices then steal.

Presumably that’ll make no real difference, since if any of royal mail’s staff are on the steal, it’ll only be the tiniest minority. I must have had thousands of parcels through RM over the years and not a single one has ever gone missing.

I would imagine as one of RM’s biggest customers there is a highly level of systems integration between CRC and RM. Therefore they deliver pretty swiftly on most occasions

Not to here they don’t. My last 2 orders were 15 days. Pretty much anything else leaving UK to be shipped to Germany will be handed over at the UK airport in the evening, fly overnight, be couriered 2 hours down the autobahn to another depot,and be on the delivery van by 7am. So someone, somewhere, is looking after my CRC orders for about 13 days.

I’m only going from personal experience here – we get tens of product sample packages delivered each week to our offices, with a good 10% going astray each week. This suggests very strongly that our address is “known” to the local sorting office round the corner, and anecdotal evidence from multiple suppliers tells us this is not unique to us.

Only things that seem to be consistently non-affected are CRC boxes to me and a few other here.

So maybe a bit of an aspersion, but one seemingly with pretty good indicators of something about it…..

At my delivery office we treat CRC items no differently to anything else.

I work for a company that owns over 8000 buses and I know we get special deals from our suppliers.
I think it’s quite likely that Northern Ireland’s biggest postal customer has got some sort of “Give us a better service at a lower price or we’ll go elsewhere” deal with the Post Office.

“Give us a better service at a lower price or we’ll go elsewhere”

I would guess they just get a very competitive rate on the cost per parcel.

I think the mail is sorted at CRC for the various mail hubs around the country so it cuts out a stage in the normal RM process.

But i bet that when the RM account manager goes to visit CRC he says yes alot!

Is the PO allowed to bulk discount individually under its licence?

Royal mail are not allowed by the government regulator to offer discount deals. The only way to get a cheaper price is to go to a lower class service. If the customer wants a first class service they have to pay first class prices.

The only way to get a cheaper price is to go to a lower class service. If the customer wants a first class service they have to pay first class prices.

And that is what is totally wrong.

In a free market there should be room to negotiate on price without compromising on service.

And interestingly, I am now recommending my team use this online courier broker rather than RM: http://tinyurl.com/c9yj2x2

Prices more or less identical when it comes to sending parcels, faster service, proper tracking and more reliable too.

About time Royal Mail came into the modern era, both in terms of product offering and staff attitude.

Royal mail are not allowed by the government regulator to offer discount deals. The only way to get a cheaper price is to go to a lower class service. If the customer wants a first class service they have to pay first class prices.

Yes, but if they’ve already done the first bit of the sorting for RM then surely that’s got to help. Sticking the west midlands orders straight on an overnight lorry to Birmingham and then paying 2nd class from there has got to get you quicker service than putting it in the post box 2nd class after the posties been in a remote corner of northern ireland?

CRC will have a contact with RM but will make no differance once it leaves Northern Ireland.CRC stuff will be treated just like any other items.There is alot more companies that pump out way way more than CRC believe me.If our office only delivered CRC stuff there would be nothing to do for 300 odd workers.