Royal Mail Recorded Delivery

bs7

I just wish my postman would simply put the recorded items through the letter box and sign them himself!


Recorded Delivery is just an great scam by Royal Mail: 68p extra for a Postman to ask for a signature and someone to scan the barcode (a week or two later)!! AND they don't even do that all the time!

If everyone complained about every item sent that didn't get signed for they'd lose an unbelievable amount of cash. It really is genius on their part - they charge you more for, in effect, a sticker on the front and no added service apart from that.

Special Delivery is well worth the money (although it's begining to get a little too expensive - but Royal Mail never really do justify their price increases) - it's sorted completely separately from the rest of the 'normal' mail.


I've also seen RM working first hand (it says "fragile" - "oh, whoops" as it gets "accidentally" dropped whilst sorting the parcel) and like funkyBase said - "if I had a choice I'd send them some other way."

Murtle

My postie signs for thing that fit through the letter box, and hides bigger things under the mat....sometimes very artfully so I don't realise......thank goodness for that....with the opening hours of the depot it's a nightmare to get their to pick the things up!!!

I like my postie!!!

Tom_Saunders

funkyBase wrote:

Hey,

I have a fantastic postie, and great relationships with most couriers as I get so much stuff from the internet. He always leaves a note for me to pick it up when it's RD.

One question you obviously have the tracking number on your parcel, go onto the royalmail website with the tacking number and see what it says. If it says delivered th postie faked a signature there which is wrong and report.

The posties dont have to leave calling cards if they tried to deliver (which drives me nuts as I always get customers asking where their items are as I have to say go to the depot and they wont believe me because the postie didn't leave the card but yes it's at the depot for them).

I had the joy of working for RM one summer and all I'll say is if I had a choice I'd send them some other way.

Base

Postman DO have to leave cards if they couldn't deliver them, whoever told you that i LYING. I should know I'm a postman and I spent 6 hours this morning (sunday) driving round bath delivering packets....mostly off EBAY.

Tom_Saunders

angelcake wrote:

My postie is frustrating! he leaves parcels he can't fit through my door in my neighbours alcove!! (what if we don't get on?!?!) when he does knock at the door he has a 'fag hanging out of his mouth!! (YUKKY!!) and if he has something recorded he puts a slip through the door! (which he already written out at home!) to say pick your parcel up - sorry you were out!! GRRR

Again this is total rubbish, NO postman can fill his slip in at home as they don't know what packets or recordeds they have until the arrive for work.

It is a sackable offence for a postman to
a) sign a record form for a customer without written permission
b) to leave a parcel on your doorstep or even with a neighbour without written permission.
c) to deviate from their route until they are finished delivery.

I am a postman out of choice, I had 50 staff working for the Government, I have letters after my name and loads of qualifications.

If your postman isn't doing his job report him, if not just stop moaning and start saving money.

natanddan1

On Friday, I had a parcel delivered by a temp, he was dressed as if he were going to the gym!!! the parcel was recorded delivery and was all ripped exposing the jacket i bought. He said dont bother to sign for it as it doesnt matter. I asked him about the damaged parcel and he said there was nothing he could do, it was probebly done at RM.

Sometimes RM can be real muppets.

The costs to post are spriraling out of control and i really think if it hadnt been for ebay the RM would no longer exist. Unfortunately as they now have loads more business from ebay users they see this as an excuse to increase prices.

More money but still falling standards.

dounome

Hi all
Yes i am a postie and have been for nine years. Funkybase, if you worked for RM you should know it is an offence not to leave a calling card for anything you tried to deliver without success, not just Recorded Delivery.
Let me clear up a few things.

1. All undelivered items must have a calling card left for them unless there is no access to leave it. If not we will attempt redelivery next day.
2. Recorded items also have a calling card left if no one is there to sign, this can be kept for various days depending on the item. Sometimes the instruction is for immediate return or 3 day return or more.
3. You can on written agreement with your Delivery Office and your postie get him to sign for an item if you are not home. If your postie is willing.

There should be NO item taken back to the office without a notice left with the customer.
By the way do you know that RM are the cheapest in Europe for a first and second class letter delivery.
If as i expect european companies start to deliver letters in UK you can guarantee that wee rural outposts can forget getting mail every day for 31p.
Maybe once a week for 3 times that price.

funkyBase

Katyag wrote:

DH used to be a postie (for 5.5 years) and he said to avoid using recorded delivery always. Special delivery is the better way.

Special delivery is better but costs a complete fortune, chaning to that would up my postage bill by 100s of pounds a week!

I have a great postal service but I've found out that some people are scammers and blame the post when they have received the item (RD tracking number shuts them up) and well some areas have a terrible service. Another postcode lottery.

From working for RM, I decided as soon as there was another way to send my mail I would. Yes there are many hard workers there but too many people who just don't do their job.

I don't think the people of NI will forget that UNOFFICIAL strike in a hurry, yet another problem. 3 week backlog, takes a month to clear and guess what all those striking workerd get paid overtime to clear it. They create their own bad press.

funkyBase

FANTASTIC dounome! Lots of compensation for my customers then. I'm glad I kept a record of people who didn't get calling cards! Official complaint to royal mail is being made as we speak. If it's an offence not to leave a calling card that means they aren't doing their job and my customers get some compensation (as they provide compensation for everything else they guarantee that doesn't happen). I'll let you know how it goes.

Once I get an official responce from RM (not disbelieving you dounome but would like something official before I set my plan into action) that it's an offence not to leave a calling card I will include with all my items how to complain and get compensation if a calling card is not left. As calling cards are frequently not left.

The reason I was so firmly in the belief that RM didn't guarantee it was because it doesn't say it on anywhere in their RD information about them a guarantee to leave a card and more than one postie has told me it's more of a courtesy thing and well it should be done but doesn't HAVE to be left and also picked up things from working there I know what people do or don't.

I'm so happy to be wrong!!

I'll ask a few managers I know too what their view is on this. Should be interesting to see what they say.

I've worked and lived in one of the most expensive countries (cost of living) in Europe and the postal service was fantastic (daily and I didn't live in the middle of a big town) and the cost was in line with the cost of living actually now I think about it about the same as RM. If that postal service was here, I'd be happy!

Base

smartie1976

I have to say, that in defence of my postie, he almost always delivers when I'm not in, so as a result there is always a red calling card there waiting for me.
I have never had an incident where a RD parcel has been put through my door without my signature.

The service I get from my local postie and PO is very very good.

However, the only way we can make this better for others is to make sure those who fail to comply with RM rules are brought to task. In not doing a simple thing like getting a signature for RD, the RM is actually exposing itself to even more compensation claims, which ultimtely push up the price of posting (even if the government wishes to monitor the price increases).

If I didn't perform all the tasks of my job I'd be sacked. Most of us would, so why would we condone a practise which is a sackable offence for the sake of convenience? That's just madness.

dounome

HI Funkybase
Surely it is common sense that if no calling card is left then the customer will have no idea delivery was attempted and where or how to collect.
I know from experience that i have left a card only for the customer to put it in the bin by mistake with the so called "Junk Mail".
And remember before trying to claim compensation you have to prove that no calling card was left, that might be the hard part.
Good luck though.