Now officially "As seen on TV"

This morning, Dean Morris Cards was featured on BBC Breakfast as part of a segment on Royal Mail's latest stamp price increase (skip to 52mins 10seconds for the story, and 53mins 40seconds for us). This is the eighth rise in cost in just six years, taking a first-class stamp to £1.80. It's something we've been experiencing first-hand for a while now, so we were glad of the opportunity to speak up. We've been sending cards directly to customers since 1999, and the reliability of Royal Mail has always been central to how we operate. So when things start to slip, we feel it.

We've relied on Royal Mail since launching our direct-to-consumer card business back in 1999, and our operations remain deeply dependent on the postal service.

Over recent years, delivery times have become not just slower, but far less predictable. We've seen a growing number of customers getting in touch to chase orders, often six or seven days after we've dispatched them.

There was a time when things were straightforward: first class meant next-day delivery, second class the day after. That certainty has gone. We think there's a real communication gap here, as customers simply aren't being given realistic expectations. Parcels can arrive in two days, which is brilliant, but they can also take eight or nine, which we don't think is good enough.

It sometimes feels as though second-class mail is treated as less of a priority compared to parcels. Yet second class is the backbone of affordable postage for small businesses and individual customers alike, people who still want to send something meaningful through the post.

The impact on Dean Morris Cards has been more reputational than financial. People are still buying and sending cards, and we love that, but uncertainty around delivery can put people off. A customer might worry their birthday card won't arrive on time, decide not to bother, or look elsewhere. That's the bit that stings.

To get a clearer picture of what's actually happening, we've quietly started a postal delivery trial. Each order we send out at the moment includes a small tracking number that lets us log how long deliveries are taking. It doesn't link to any personal data at all, it's purely about delivery times. If you receive an order from us and spot it, you can find out more at postaltrial.co.uk. The more data we can gather, the better we'll understand what our customers are experiencing, and the better placed we'll be to do something about it.