Post Office Fees To Increase April 1st
The Bermuda Post Office has implemented postal fee increases which will be effective April 1, 2012.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Patrice Minors said the new fees have been implemented to offset the Post Office’s operating costs for its services. “The pro bono provision of postal services by BPO is no longer sustainable in the face of its spiralling annual deficit,” said Minister Minors.
“The levying of fees on postal services has precedence in the standard practices of other postal administrations within the Universal Postal Union (UPU) of which Bermuda is a member country through the UK. The US Postal Service (USPS) and the British Royal Mail are examples of UPU member countries that levy fees on postal services to cover their operating costs.”
The Post Office has increased fees on the following postal service/products:
- All Express Mail Service fees will be increased by 25% starting with the base charge increasing from of $25.00 to $31.25.
- Post box annual rental fee will increase from $65 to $85 for small boxes; $90 to $120 for medium boxes and large boxes from $260 to $300 annually.
- A $25 late fee will be applied on payment of all post box renewals that fall into arrears by 30 days or more.
- Customs clearance and processing will raise from $1 to $5 for all dutiable parcels received and processed through the Post Office.
The Post Office has implemented new fees on the following services:
- A new fee of $10 per week or any period thereof will be charged for holding of mail for persons travelling at any post office.
- Redirection of mail overseas due to change of address will incur a new fee of $25 for the three month redirection period in addition to the standard overseas postage costs.
Yes lets Charge more for postal when ppl cant even afford their rent or food. Raise everything in bermuda when ppl are stuggling.
That would be the correct day to do it. Wow – whopping increases. Government is clearly broke.
PLP – doing less with more.
Thats it! No more PO Box for me. Could never understand why it cost so much money to save the PO labour anyway. They can deliver to my house from now on. They can shove my PO box in a shady spot.
Way ta go small step but sends the message they lose so their price increase don’t make sence everyone should do this , the punitive labour party not for the people!
Charge for holding of mail when people travelling. Huh? Never heard of that service.
Guessing it is if your post office box is full or if you don’t want your mail sent to your house while away which is a big hint to thieves. I would have thought many people get neighbors to collect. Guess they figure here that if you can afford to go away you can afford to pay.
I wonder if they charge themselves when they are lavishly traveling all over the world with our money.
It’s not the Peoples Labor Party BUT it’s the Peoples LOSER Party
I don’t believe (but then again) that fees will increase for what I consider deplorable customer service!
I left Hamilton on my lunch hour to go into the Post Office because I found the “little green paper’ in my mailbox to collect something. After the tedious drive to St David’s I got to the front door of the Post Office at 11:45am only to find it locked and a sign stating that they are CLOSED FOR LUNCH!!
How in the hell can you tell me that this is service excellence when it is impossible for anyone to go to the Post Office on their lunch hour……but yet they are closed from 11:00am – 1:00pm!!!!….LUNCH HOURS!!!
Please can someone justify this for me!
Signed
Disgusted
I have always believed that customer oriented stores/businesses should take late or early lunches for this very reason.
In instances like this, I always call ahead to check hours – to avoid a long drive for nothing! But then you cannot always rely on that. I have called stores (did on Saturday) to check their hours – the voice message said open Saturday but got there and it said appointment only! Good thing we had other stuff to do in town!
TWO hours to eat lunch! Only in Bermuda. I sell used books through Amazon so I ship quite often and have been to many P.O.’s on the Island. The ladies in the St. G and Paget offices are very nice but are nasty as can be everywhere else. Not all offices have the two hour for lunch thing but the smaller ones do. I mean would it kill them to have a second person on shift? And can we reduce lunch time to 30-40 minutes? What are you eating that take 2 hours?
Lead by example downsize and cut back on staffing like the USA is doing. I forgot we live in a Union run country going broke and we should not do the what makes sense just what make votes for the PLP and then we all pay for there mistakes. Call the election so intelligent people can make decisions for all of us and not just PLP supporter’s and Unions
The PLP is sum kinda desperate for money. They have screwed us over bigtime & are grabbing money anyway they can.
Oh well, I guess we got what we voted for. Nobody to blame but the 53% of the voters who put the PLP in.
Lots folk leaving the island to redirect mail, why not tax them further so they don’t come back wow who thinks of this punitive stuff , they are basically shutting down all shipping methods I won’t pay those prices will you?
More jobs lost they need to close all the post offices except the hamilton one but they won’t they need those votes in the next election . Bermuda just needs one main post office and sorting centre in hamilton most towns of bigger sizes around the world manage with a lot less.
I agree in perhaps reduced hours for satellite post offices but I don’t want to see them close. It would be a real shame if they did. Our post office is in Southampton – I do not work in town and it would be difficult to go to town to do any mailing – pick up my mail etc. My mom takes care of my daughter and I would not want her to have to track to town either. This is the same for businesses outside of town, if we send an employee to do some mailing we don’t want them to be gone for over an hour which is what it would mean in many cases.
I realize some people have been forced to leave Bermuda with no notice or very little and in those cases I think it is different but if you know you are leaving the island and you don’t want to incur those fees, contact people and let them know your updated address. Of course you will miss some I guess.
“Customs clearance and processing will raise from $1 to $5 for all dutiable parcels received and processed through the Post Office.”
So much for that last bit of savings!!! I will never use the postal service for packages again!
I hope someone is keeping tabs on the percentages of all these increases………….I lost count
Increases!!??? Has a business man what else will this Government increase????
Dump fees going up, Insurance going up, fuel prices keep going up, etc,etc.
How can a business keep operating in these conditions?? Can’t increase the hourly rates, have to let go of staff
A couple months ago they sent out flyers island wide promoting the postal service over couriers to bring in packages. This new increase ought to help that strategy.
Perhaps the price control commission should have a look into this.
Very good point, speak your mind
Check the handling fees, fuel pricing and other admin fees courier company’s put on their services. The PO is running a deficit therefore the taxpayer is subsidizing you bring in your goods(presents from relatives etc), your PO Boxes etc.. They deliver to your physical address for freeeeee.
Maybe they should give everyone a free PO Box and cut all delivery saving those expense from the taxpayer. I can see the blogs regarding such a move.
Give me free buses, postal service, garbage collection and let me complain about a deficit. Should users of services pay for services? Rent a PO Box at a Privately owned store and let me know what the price is for that box?
PLP stands for Peoples LOSER Party, I wonder if this idea came from one of their CANADIAN consultants!! (Again)
I use the P.O. as little as possible as it takes 2 weeks to get mail from Hamilton to St George. I hand deliver now and never send cards by mail—-I send them all online
Xmas cards mailed in the U.K. in November are delivered here in February even with the correct postal code and it is not the fault of Britain. Recently received a card mailed in Ireland on March 8th and delivered here on 22nd March. It takes at least 2 weeks from the U.K. to get here. And they have the nerve to put up prices for service like this !!
Why must the public,pay more for an inefficient,overstaffed department in order to prevent layoffs and a reduction of hours?
We don’t have the luxury of guaranteed employment and hours as the postal staff do!
Oh, I almost forgot, the Government cannot upset the Unions, especially at this time.
The P.O. is digging its own grave.
I recently had to spend time and money on a new post box because my mail carrier apparently refuses to ride into my driveway a few yards. This, in spite of the fact didn’t even have to get off her bike!
Of course, this rule doesn’t apply to everyone, because I can site several cases where mail continues to be delivered to “non-conforming” mailboxes.
But it’s OK, because all of my bills are received and paid on line and I am guessing that before long, the job of mail carrier will be obsolete.
So go right ahead Mr. Postmaster and hasten the demise of your industry!
PS: do you know how many post offices have been closed in the U.S. over the past few years?
Yes they may need to have a look at the efficency of the Post Office but, A few others need to be studied like W&E all departments their construction department such as plumbers , masons etc and Parks really they can save millions through sick, overtime and downsizing
what’s going on Paula Cox? you folks are raising everything except peoples pay, some havent had a raise in years yet you keep raising prices, please tell us what’s really going on? So crazy……smh. This Island is gonna fall and fall hard. Thanks for nothing PLP
Thank you Ms. Minors, the $90 ($120) I will now be saving when I close my P.O. Box will go directly to my grandson’s piggy bank, definitely not yours to fund this Government’s inadequacies.
You have absolutely no idea how to run a bath never the less a country as big as a village.
SMH !!
When did the PO last changed there postage rates…OH yes 2000. If they raised it by a couple of cents a year since then, like every other post office in the world then you can complain every year instead of complaining once a decade.
LMAO
So tired of this evil, corrupt, thieving and divisive government. They continually try to squeeze more money out of us regular hardworking people, so they can wine and dine and live like kings! I hope those who voted for them wake up and see them for who they really are!