And if postal competition went through the destinator...

Editor's opinion

This article by Dominique and this other by Claude Jamet about the postal competition for the expedition/delivery of parcels made me consider an idea that may frighten public postal operators and guarantee the quietness of my mind.

It seems to me that, until now, when the highest authorities decide to open postal service competition, there are the senders that benefit the most of this larger choice of operators: lower costs, guaranteed time of delivery, economic rates for sending lots of mail at once, adaptable service, etc.

Unless that... most of the time, it is the final client that pays this value added by the postal transportation. Understand: me. Me who click on Amazon to receive DVDs sent in not-discreet parcels or Me who send mails to philatelic associations to order one of their rare books. Me finally who has to carry the incoming time, not only long, but hazardous (from one to three weeks between the United States and France). Me who pays with my time, my temper and, sometimes, with more money, the non-arrival of a parcel. With a reminder of how impolite and condescending the answers from the telephonic operators are, I don't want to know how a postal clerck will answer a demand to know where is a non-followed parcel.

Nowadays, different sending services are proposed by order compagnies to avoid this kind of problems: quicker expedition (with a go-through the borders regulation = VTA added = the postal service will deliver in your hands to catch the adding money) or express service (1 to 2 day guarantee and a rate...).

And if, in some types of commercial website, the client could choose the postal operator (postal operation allience) that will transport and deliver the parcel? On the 500 gram to 10 kilogram parcel market, why is it not the client who desires the content of the parcel that can choose?

I imagine (idealist that I am) that postal operators - public and private - will ensure the destinators' confidence by multiples guarantees, competitives prices and even subscriptions for a certain numbers of delivery per year.

Waiting this utopian postal world, it is true for the last steps of the parcel that: until the public operators don't want to understand that, on day-time, we are working in order to pay for the things we want them to deliver... until then... I will wait... (known melody)