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Royal Mail Accused of Mystery Shopping Cheat
In the UK, managers at Royal Mail have been accused of manipulating a mystery shopping programme being undertaken by Research International, to artificially boost the organisation's performance and generate big bonuses for themselves.
According to The Daily Mail, the study was commissioned to find out whether mail is delivered promptly and arrives at the correct address.
However, some of the mystery shoppers were identified by Royal Mail staff, and employees in relevant sorting offices were briefed to look out for mail adressed to these panellists. Post boxes used by the shoppers were then targeted for prompt service, and any undelivered mail addressed to them at the end of the day, was delivered to them immediately.
Royal Mail has issued a response stating that it is investigating allegations concerning its mail operations in the Glasgow area. 'The allegations, received via Postcomm, relate to the possiblity of interference in the measurement of Royal Mail's quality of service performance in this area,' the organisation said in a statement.
Industry regulator Postcomm is conducting a preliminary investigation into the scam, which resulted in taxpayer-funded bonuses totalling many thousands of pounds being paid to Royal Mail managers.
Research International was apparently unaware of the scam, which was uncovered after a whistleblower sounded the alarm.
Web sites: www.research-int.com and www.royalmail.com .
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