Citizens Advice responds to Royal Mail's quarterly quality of service report

“Today’s results show delays and poor service are business as usual for Royal Mail. Letter delays have real life consequences, and we see first-hand the result of people missing important post like medical appointment letters, legal documents and benefit decisions. 

“This is the sixth consecutive quarter Royal Mail has failed to meet its targets in any postcode. Despite this, its prices are going up. When consumers are getting less despite paying more, enough is enough. 

“With the current review of Royal Mail’s requirements under the Universal Service Obligation (USO), Ofcom has a real opportunity to hold the company to account. It’s vital any changes prioritise consumer’s needs, not Royal Mail’s bottom line.”

Additional information: 

• The price of a 1st class stamp has increased by 32% since 2022 (ie. the last 6 quarters), it now costs £1.25 now vs. 95p in 2022, and 87% in the last 5 years (67p in 2018/19).

Notes to editors

1. Citizens Advice is made up of the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities across England and Wales; the Citizens Advice consumer service; and the Witness Service.
2. Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
3. Citizens Advice helped 2.55 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2021-22. And we had 40.6 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
4. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 18,500 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 service outlets across England and Wales.
5. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.