Royal Mail makes major change to deliveries – and shoppers will be delighted
ROYAL Mail has made a major change to deliveries and shoppers will be delighted.
The postal giant has introduced a "safe place" option for all deliveries, following in the footsteps of other big firms.
Customers will now be able to set up a safe place delivery preference in the Royal Mail app for all future parcel deliveries.
It means that their postie will leave their package in the spot specified if the customer isn't home.
Before, postmen would have to take the parcel with them in that case and the recipient would need to arrange a re-delivery or pick it up from a hub.
The safe space will need to be somewhere that's weatherproof, easy to access, and out of sight.
READ MORE IN MONEY
If your parcel requires a signature it can't be left in the safe place and will need to be re-delivered.
Customers can choose their designated space on the "my account" section of the Royal Mail app.
There's already give default options to choose from including garage, shed, greenhouse, porch and outbuilding.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “Because they deliver to every house in the UK so frequently, no-one knows better where their customers like parcels to be left if they are not in than a postie.
Most read in Money
"Now we’re making that delivery service even better by giving everyone the ability to record their favourite safe place on the Royal Mail app. We’ll use that preference for every subsequent delivery to give you even more control. It won’t stop there though.
"We are working on additional options to make deliveries even more convenient, such as a preferred neighbouring address and additional options for customers with accessibility needs.”
Several other delivery and courier firms already offer the option for recipients to register a "safe place".
Evri also also customers to select a special location where the driver can drop off their parcel if they're not in.
This can be chosen by diverting a parcel which is already out for delivery, or saving the place in the "my places" area of the app.
DPD's service works in a similar way which means you can either change the safe locations every delivery or you can fill out a form on the website to save the space as an option for all future parcels too.
Yodel also requires customers to pick a spot prior to delivery of the parcel, unless it requires a signature, in which case you or a neighbour need to sign for it.
Both DHL and Amazon offer the same safe place option which you'll need to ask for online, you can find details on how to do this on the website.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Meanwhile, here's everything you need to know about Royal Mail deliveries this bank holiday.
In other news, Amazon is making a major change to deliveries leaving Prime members furious.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
You can also join our new Sun Money to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.