This new simplified underpayment collection process means that you will be paying much less for any underpayment charges when compared to any other Royal Mail customers. You will no longer need to frank an underpayment total onto a reply card and send it to the Royal Mail – saving you time and effort.

Is this process secure?

Safeguarding your mail and money is really important to the Royal Mail. That’s why they work very close with all franking machine manufacturers to ensure all transactions are secure and clearly visible on your invoice. The information captured is transferred to the franking machine manufacturer using a secure link and only contains meter die and error data. Your franking machine manufacturer has no visibility of the actual error; this information is available to Royal Mail only.

How will I know if I have been charged for underpaid franked mail?

Your franking machine manufacturer will make an adjustment to your franking machine account on behalf of the Royal Mail. These changes will be sent to you as part of your invoice. Royal Mail will no longer be sending you letters about the collection of these underpayments.

How often will I be contacted about underpayments?

Weekly or monthly depending on your agreements and arrangements with your franking machine manufacturer and franking machine type.

What happens if you see a large quantity of my mail is being underpaid?

Mistakes can occur at any given time and on some very rare occasions customers can make errors that affect more than one item. When the Royal Mail see this, they will contact you directly as soon as possible so you are made aware of the issue and to help with future postings. Early intervention of this will limit the impact and help avoid this mistake in the future. The underpayment will be collected by your franking machine manufacturer and will appear on your invoice.

I think you have charged me in error – what should I do?

If you think a mistake has been made, please call the Royal Mail on 03456 113 111. They can quickly refund any overpayments, if in the very rare event an error has been made. This overpayment will be made by your franking machine manufacturer and will appear on your next manufacturer’s invoice.

What can I do to avoid surcharges?

Prior to franking your mail, you should separate your mail by size and destination. Display a size guide by your franking machine so staff get to know the different sizes for letters and large letters. Mailcoms can provide you with our very own size guide, call us on 01543 572 776 to find out how you can get one. Remember to train holiday cover and all new members of staff on how to use the franking machine, the different mail sizes and what UK and International appropriate products are available through your franking machine.

I have been charged for underpaid international mail, but I don’t send mail to international destinations?

The most common international mistake we see is mail going to the Republic of Ireland franked using a domestic only product or service. Remember the Republic of Ireland is an international destination.

Categories: NewsRoyal Mail Franking & Postal Updates

Royal Mail Surcharge Update – Postage Underpayments

Q: What is this simplified surcharge & underpayment collection process?

This process is applicable for Mailmark franking machine users and occurs when the Royal Mail identify that you have underpaid for some mail items, these details will be captured and then your mail will be sent and delivered by Royal Mail. Every week a summary file of any underpaid mail items will be supplied to your franking machine manufacturer and they will show you these details on your manufacturers invoice.

During the recent UK pandemic, the Royal Mail has not been pursuing all postage underpayment surcharges. However as they have seen an increase in customers submitting mail pieces with ‘Zero’ postage and insufficient postage they will now be enforcing these surcharges.

Normally the ‘Surcharge’ for submitting ‘Zero’ postage is £1.00 per mail piece plus the missing postage for the service being used. However, it has been agreed they will ‘Surcharge’ 10p per mail piece, plus the missing postage in line with the standard ‘Underpayment’ requirements.

Here are some examples of common reasons for postage underpayments:

Customers are not familiar with their franking machine and how it operates, if you require any clarification or would like us to add our complimentary size guide to your next order, please email us on info@mailcoms.co.uk and we can record your request.
A ‘Standard Letter’ postage has been paid and the item(s) weigh over 100g or is over 5mm in thickness and therefore should have been franked as a ‘Large Letter’ with the appropriate weight-based postage.
A C4 envelope has been franked as a ‘Standard Letter’ instead of ‘Large Letter’ with the appropriate weight-based postage.
• A ‘Standard Letter’ postage has been paid for items being sent to Ireland (excluding Northern Ireland). Southern Ireland requires the European International tariff to be used.
Zero Postage. It appears some customers print a ‘Zero Postage’ impression to test their franking machine and then fail to switch to a valid postal class.
Customers may have also disconnected their scale which is a mandatory requirement for use of a Mailmark machine.

If you have a query in regards to a surcharge payment, we highly suggest that you contact the Royal Mail directly on 03456 113 111 so they can help you sort the surcharge payment as, in most cases, the Royal Mail have a scanned electronic image(s) of the offending mail pieces.

Further Information about the Royal Mail's Simplified Surcharge & Underpayment Collection Process for Franking Machines

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May 24, 2021 9:17 am

Royal Mail Surcharge Update – Postage Underpayments

Further Information about the Royal Mail's Simplified Surcharge & Underpayment Collection Process for Franking Machines

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