Prospective clients often compare our services to the traditional Royal Mail P O Box service. We are very often asked what are the differences between a Royal Mail P O Box and an Accommodation Address and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each. By Accommodation Address, we mean our Street Address / Virtual Office address for business or private use.
A Royal Mail PO Box and an Accommodation Address are very different services and to enable prospective clients to have a clear understanding on how the services differ, we have compiled a summary of the differences in the key areas you should be looking at when considering taking out an Address service.
1. LOCATION
Royal Mail : A Royal Mail P O Box can only be rented in the same area where you live or work. For example, if you live or have your office in London NW1, then your Royal Mail P O Box would also have a London NW1 postcode. If you moved out of the area, then you would have to change your box number and postcode.
Accommodation Address: With both our Accommodation/Street Address and PO Box services, you can be located anywhere in the world and still use one of our addresses. For example, perhaps you have a business in Manchester , but you want a London address to target a different market. You may want to retain a UK address because you are emigrating. This is all possible with our Accommodation Address service.
2. CONFIDENTIALITY
Royal Mail: Going back to the days of the General Post Office (GPO), the ownership of a Royal Mail P O Box is still made available to the public. Anyone can make enquiries to ascertain who owns a Box Number and where their ‘real’ address is.
Accommodation Address: This is a totaly anonymous service. Whether you use our service for private or business, there is no public register of our client list. We are not obliged to release any ownership or contact information to any third party unless we are required to by law.
3. COURIER ITEMS
Royal Mail: Only items that are sent through the Royal Mail system will be accepted at your Royal Mail PO Box. They do not accept Courier items such as UPS, DHL or TNT. Couriers cannot find a PO Box as there is no ‘physical’ location.
Accommodation Address: Any letter, packet or parcel can be delivered to an Accommodation Address regardless wherter it is sent 1st class, Special Delivery, by Motorbike, DHL, TNT or in person.
4. SETUP
Royal Mail: Generally take around 10 working days to set-up, which is OK if you you are not in urgent need.
Accommodation Address: Usally set-up completed the same-day, and certainly within 24 hours.
5. SUMMARY AND COSTS
Royal Mail: A Royal Mail Box is ideal if you are looking at a very basic and low cost alternative to your home address. The extreme low cost reflect certain restrictions and limitations we mentioned above.
Accommodation Address: Although an Accomodation Address would cost you approximately 50% more over the course of a year in comparison to a Royal Mail PO Box but it does have greater flexibility and a far more genuine and superior appearnce to the address and comes with total confidentiality.
You can read more about our Accomodation Address service here
