Royal Mail & Other Services
Royal Mail
The following services are available with the Royal Mail:
Recorded Delivery
For items that require a signature for proof of delivery, but do not have a commercial value. (This service does not guarantee next day delivery).
Special Delivery
This service has now been modified to replace Registered and Registered Plus delivery. It is used for items that require next day delivery by 12 noon. There are three compensation bands for consequential loss or damge; £250, £1000 or £2500. This is the ideal way of sending valuable material by Royal Mail.
Swift Air
Whilst this service is generally faster than normal air mail, there is no guaranteed delivery date. There are two special services within this service; Swift Air Recorded and Swift Air Registered.
Mailshot
The Post Room is currently in discussion with Royal Mail over a mail-shot contract. This will be extreamly beneficial to departments processing large mailings, such as mail-shots, whilst allowing the University to acheive substantial discounts which will be handed on to the department.
Barcoded Freepost
Departments can order Freepost envelopes from the Post Room which are then printed so that the address includes a barcode. This reduces the cost of the service by a half pence per item returned. This is an ideal option if you need to send out questionnaires, as you only pay for the items returned. Records are kept in the Post Room, and the departments are billed monthly.
PPI
This service is ideal for sending out large quantities of packets (over 60grams) of similar or different weights, with considerable savings over normal first or second class rates. Envelopes are ordered from the Post Room and are printed with the service required, as well as a licence number.
Parcel Couriers
The University has rationalised its services to three main companies. Due to the volume of parcels despatched by the University with these companies, substantial discounts have been acheived. Every parcel sent can be tracked and traced from the University Post Room.
City Link
City Link only offer an overnight delivery service, but has three weight bands:
- Link letter up to 1kg
- City Pack up to and including 5kg
- Parcel Service up to 10kg with a charge per kilo thereafter
There are also timed deliveries: before 7.30am, 9am, 10.30am, 12am and before 10am on Saturday. These special services carry an extra charge on top of normal overnight delivery costs. This courier is proving to have a worthwhile service, meeting our last collection time of 4.30pm every working day.
NB: If a contact telephone number is supplied the courier will contact the addressee in the event of a failed delivery (ie. no one at home).
There are also specialist services to handle large and heavy consignments. Details are available on request.
DHL
This company offers the fastest, most reliable and cost effective, way of sending urgent documents and parcels overseas. There is a daily collection from the Post Room at 12 noon. There is a reliable track and trace facility, which also included proof of delivery by fax at no extra cost. Using this courier there is a cheaper rate for documents (printed matter), however you must ensure that it is strictly printed matter and that it does not contain even a floppy disc. Although it sounds silly, it has happened in the past and will delay delivery of your package.
Insurance: up to £75 per consignment is free of charge, £75 to £750 = £7.50, £750 to £15000 = 1% of the value
NB: The courier requires a list of contents, value and either a contact telephone or fax number.