Delivery to Neighbour trial makes it easier for people who are not at home during the day to receive deliveries. Almost 750,000 homes in Edinburgh, Gatwick, Hull, Norwich, Swansea, Wigan and Bolton took part in the trial, which started last November.
After Royal Mail conducted the trial, 92% of people whose items were delivered to a neighbouring address because they were not at home during the day were satisfied with the experience.
And 90% who received items on behalf of a neighbour who was not at home were satisfied with the experience.
‘The results of the trial have been very encouraging. We are now seeking regulatory changes to allow us to extend Delivery to Neighbour across theUK for the benefit of customers,’ said Mike Newnham, Royal Mail chief customer officer.
Royal Mail said it was now seeking regulatory changes to allow it to extend the service across theUK.
Commenting on the subject, Robert Hammond, of Consumer Focus, said: “Leaving post with a neighbour is a good way of tackling this issue [undeliverable mail]. It may not be a universal solution as some people will not want to leave mail with people living nearby, but as long as consumers are fully aware they can opt out, then we feel the scheme could be extended further, if Royal Mail wished to do so.”
Royal Mail is the only major delivery company currently not allowed to deliver to a neighbour. Items too big to go through a post box or requiring a signature are currently taken back to local sorting offices.
