You
can only use your franking machine once you have obtained a Royal Mail franking
licence, which gives you the right under the Postal Services Act 2000 to frank your
own post at substantially discounted postage rates. Under the Act, the Royal
Mail operates very strict controls of manufacturing, supplying and maintaining
franking machines to ensure that this system is not abused in any way; the
franking licence is a crucial part of Royal Mail's enforcement procedures of
this Act.
The licence includes your name and address as the user, the address at which
the machine will be used, the Royal Mail Franking Administration Centre where
your records will be kept and the model name and number, together with the
serial number of the machine and any meter it may have. It will also show the
die, device or machine identifier. You must inform Royal Mail within 14 days if
any of this information changes, and Royal Mail has the right to pass these
details on to the authorised manufacturer and authorised maintainer of your
franking machine to ensure that all information about the machine is always
up-to-date.
In addition, by obtaining a Royal Mail franking licence you are agreeing that
you will not tamper with the machine; you are also agreeing to an annual
inspection, accepting that your franks will be legible on all of the post you
send out and that you will only be sending business post. The complete terms
and conditions of the franking licence are detailed in the Royal Mail Scheme
for Franking Letters and
Parcels 2008; this is a legally binding agreement between you and Royal
Mail that allows you to use your machine, but if you do not adhere to the
conditions of the agreement permission may well be withdrawn.
You apply for your licence from an authorised Royal Mail supplier when you buy
or rent your franking machine. To buy, rent or lease a machine, new or second
hand, and use it without a licence is illegal. If the machine is second hand
check that it comes with a service contract that includes a license. Don't just
assume that your machine has a licence because you could be breaking the law by
using the machine to frank your post, be it one letter a week or a hundred per
minute. In a nutshell, anyone who uses a franking machine must have a licence.
As you may have already discovered, buying or renting a franking machine can be
a daunting task, especially with such strict licencing controls to add to your
check list. This is where a price comparison service comes into its own. The
price of your Royal Mail franking licence is included in the purchase, rental
or inspection costs, not paid directly to Royal Mail. Price comparison services
will only direct you to Royal Mail authorised franking suppliers to help you
get the right machine for your business at the right price, while also making
sure you comply with crucial legislation.