Royal Mail quality tests face rigging accusation

Postcomm received an insider tip-off last year that the names and addresses of people involved in test deliveries were circulated among staff including senior managers “for a number of years”.

This meant that workers could make sure those items, which were supposed to be subject to independent testing, were delivered on time.

Staff also learned to recognise test mail, meaning it could be prioritised.

In a preliminary report from February 17, that has reached a newspaper, Postcomm said it was “minded to” find that Royal Mail had breached licence conditions relating to quality of service.

Its preliminary findings were that Royal Mail had failed since July 2006 to meet the conditions.

The company was obliged to use market research firm Research International to monitor the standard of its service.

Part of this clause also meant Royal Mail should make sure that the panellists used to send test mail remained anonymous.

Postcomm said that during a 10-month probe it found that Royal Mail’s own systems to ensure the independent testing was working had failed.

However, the rigging did not make a “material difference” to the firm’s published quality of service figures, the watchdog said.

The allegations were made by a Royal Mail employee in February last year about workers in Scotland and Belfast circulating the names and addresses of test panellists.

Postcomm is expected to make a final decision on whether to take action against Royal Mail in May.