Royal Mail customers are up in arms after uncovering a baffling price inconsistency, with charges fluctuating based on the dispatch point of their parcels and packages. The postal service has been called out by disgruntled customers who have noticed they're being charged differently.

Customers are seething over the revelation that sending a parcel through the Post Office could cost more than expected. When using Royal Mail's Click And Drop online service to purchase tracked postage and choosing to leave the parcel at the Post Office, the full price is demanded.

However, if you arrange for the parcel to be picked up from your residence, or if you drop it into a Post Box or at a Royal Mail Delivery Office, you'll enjoy a 20p discount, reports Birmingham Live.

One perplexed customer took to Twitter to vent: "Why is it you will send a van to my house to collect a parcel for free, but charge me 20p to drop it off at a Post Office? This makes no sense."

Another chimed in: "Are your prices set up correctly online? It charges me an extra 20p for myself to drop a parcel off at the post office? But free if I post in a post box or free if you collect it? It seems a bit backwards to me?"

A third expressed their irritation, saying: "Granted, I know it's only 20p extra and I can't even buy a toe on a Freddo for that these days, but still!

"Paying for postage online at £4.19 and then taking the parcel to the post office yourself shouldn't then incur a further fee for making the trip there yourself... "

In response, Royal Mail has stated: "We offer customers a wide range of services for dropping off parcels."

A spokesman for the Post Office stated: "This includes our own channels like Parcel Collect, Parcel Postboxes and Customer Service Points which are free services, and third-party channels. The 20p covers the cost for a third party handling the item."

Additionally, the spokesman noted: "When a customer drops off the parcel at the Post Office they are greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable Postmaster who will keep their package secure until it is collected [in this instance by Royal Mail] for onward delivery."

In further support of Postmasters, the representative stated: "Postmasters are pillars of their community as I'm sure you would agree they should and must be remunerated for handling packages. Furthermore, a Postmaster running their branch means that a person can drop off their parcel or parcels for collection at their convenience and get on with the rest of their day, rather than waiting for Royal Mail to come and collect it (and may be running late, and therefore a person has to stay at home longer in order to wait for their parcel to be collected)."

Finally, the spokesman emphasised: "And lastly, Postmasters are experts when it comes to the packaging and sending of parcels. So they can provide free advice face to face to a customer asking if they have considered using one of our other delivery partners in future DPD or Evri which may end up being cheaper or better suited than Royal Mail."

"And so the individual receives expert advice about different delivery services that are available to them which will help them make savings when it comes to sending parcels. All of this can be done at your local Post Office."