Royal Mail - refused compensation

Mic2904

Hi all,

firstly I hope I am right here with my problem!

We recently sent some Jewellery down to England, which we have sold on ebay. It was a Bracelet, worth roughly £50. I remember excactly going in to the Post Office where I wanted to send the item from.

The lady asked me if I am sending anything valuable and I 100% certain replied: "its a bracelet - would signed for 2nd Class be ok?" and she said that this would only be covered up to £40, if thats ok with me. I the clear hope of Royal Mail NOT messing up, I posted it recorded, signed for 2nd Class.

Of course the RM managed to lose the Mail!

I thought it would be pretty straight forward. Handed all details in (forms, printed documents, statement etc) and thought I would get the £40 back... until I called them last night where I have been told that the claim will be refused. Acc to the lady, all valuable mail should have been sent with Special delivery, such as jewellery, couchers etc.. However, I would think that everything is valuable to some extend, whatever I sent and does this recommendation mean, that RM doesnt trust their own employees?

However, due to being wrongly advised by the staff in the Post Office, I am thinking I should get the compensation. I didnt know that Jewellery has to be sent by Special delivery, but yes, I found it on the webpage.

Needless to say, that I think anyway that RM is tretty annoying anyway. I must get at least 1 letter a week, which is not addressed with my name and missing different letters from different compnaies over the last couple of years....

Does anyone know, how my chances are, still getting the money and how would you approach RM. I have been told that I can escalate this matter via Free Post (if its not getting lost), once I get the confirmation that the claim has been refused. The lady on the phone last night, wasnt able to update the details on the system...

Thanks for your help.

Markus

hollydays

Go to your post office and get a form to make a complaint about the member of staff concerned?

mazza111

Hiya, not sticking up for RM here but what you were told on the phone is correct. Your complaint is really with bad advice from the Post Office.

Does Royal Mail trust it's own employees? I would think no. Take this from a postie. We have security measure in place for Special Delivery items which means that the item is scanned and logged to every person who lays hands on it, it's a much tighter procedure than Recorded Delivery. Hence why it's more expensive. Royal Mail check all their employees thoroughly, however there is always one numpty gets through the net.

You state that you have letters that don't have your name on them delivered to your address. Sorry but letters are delivered to the address not the person. If you want letters to stop being delivered for other people, u have to contact the delivery office and ask them only to send mail for "Mr Smith" etc to that address. It's dealt with in the same way as a redirection, so that should sort that problem. As for letters from companies go missing, I won't comment too much, but certainly companies like to tell people to go check at the delivery office for mail, or we sent it out in the post just to get you off the phone. I used to do it myself when I worked with a very large telecommunications company, it was a way of keeping call times down and passing the buck.

Anyway, good luck with your claim, although I wouldn't hold my breath.

Yes, you've guessed, I'm a postie, and while I'm not defending RM here (cos i really don't like them very much atm ), they are right in the advice that they are giving you.

Mic2904

mazza111 wrote: »

Hiya, not sticking up for RM here but what you were told on the phone is correct. Your complaint is really with bad advice from the Post Office.

Does Royal Mail trust it's own employees? I would think no. Take this from a postie. We have security measure in place for Special Delivery items which means that the item is scanned and logged to every person who lays hands on it, it's a much tighter procedure than Recorded Delivery. Hence why it's more expensive. Royal Mail check all their employees thoroughly, however there is always one numpty gets through the net.

You state that you have letters that don't have your name on them delivered to your address. Sorry but letters are delivered to the address not the person. If you want letters to stop being delivered for other people, u have to contact the delivery office and ask them only to send mail for "Mr Smith" etc to that address. It's dealt with in the same way as a redirection, so that should sort that problem. As for letters from companies go missing, I won't comment too much, but certainly companies like to tell people to go check at the delivery office for mail, or we sent it out in the post just to get you off the phone. I used to do it myself when I worked with a very large telecommunications company, it was a way of keeping call times down and passing the buck.

Anyway, good luck with your claim, although I wouldn't hold my breath.

Yes, you've guessed, I'm a postie, and while I'm not defending RM here (cos i really don't like them very much atm ), they are right in the advice that they are giving you.

I know after reading the I-net that I should have posted it via Special delivery, but I didnt know and if a person working for RM does say, that Recorded Delivery - 2nd should be fine, I would think its ok...

That is on what I will base my further complaints on!

mazza111

A person working for RM or a person working for the PO. I know we are still one company in the public's eye, I however cannot speak for what happens in Post Offices. As any time i'm in there, i'm just Joe Public, just like you

ellawaude

The error is definitely on PO side there. The only thing I can suggest is going in to talk to the manager and ask for complaints details that will get you the compensation you cannot claim from Royal Mail.
Be prepared for them to say its Royal Mails fault, but stick to your guns, and let us know how it goes.

Destroyer

What i cant understand is how youve paid for a service you havent recieved ?? You paid for the 'Recorded Delivery' service is this correct ?? The item has not been delivered & there is no Recorded proof of delivery ?? You have not recieved the service you paid for if this is correct & Royal Mail normally would pay out for this regardless of the value of the item. The maximum you can claim for on Recorded Delivery is £30 i believe - however, i do believe the maximum amount of claims per household for non recorded items per year is 3. But dont quote me on that.

pitkin2020

mazza111 wrote: »

You state that you have letters that don't have your name on them delivered to your address. Sorry but letters are delivered to the address not the person. Got to say whilst i see what your saying im not sure all posties have passed a basic reading exam i know for damn sure our postie cant tell the difference between atleast 3 streets and for numbers well getting our post is like winning the lottery, we live at 29 but regulary get post for number 40 and number 49 and a lot of the time its post not even for our street!!


If you want letters to stop being delivered for other people, u have to contact the delivery office and ask them only to send mail for "Mr Smith" etc to that address. Thats excellent advice i for one didnt even know that was possible and i will be calling them to get the last tenants post stopped as he moved out 18 months ago and has been to damn lazy to change his details with his bank, his tesco clubcard, (he works for tesco) and his childrens school

It's dealt with in the same way as a redirection, so that should sort that problem. As for letters from companies go missing, I won't comment too much, but certainly companies like to tell people to go check at the delivery office for mail, or we sent it out in the post just to get you off the phone. I used to do it myself when I worked with a very large telecommunications company, it was a way of keeping call times down and passing the buck.

Anyway, good luck with your claim, although I wouldn't hold my breath.

Yes, you've guessed, I'm a postie, and while I'm not defending RM here (cos i really don't like them very much atm ), they are right in the advice that they are giving you.

no doubt on my first section above you will suggest i complain about the postie directly to RM, well i have but after trying to call royal mail 20 times to complain i gave up as i lost the will to live. There telephone line is regulary busy and when you select complaints it tells you they are too busy and cuts you off, whn you do get through to a person they too cut you off after 20 secs

RANT OVER LOL

dmg24

This post is from October. If the OP still needs help, perhaps they could update us?

pitkin2020

GGRRR why do these old threads kepp coming up

Nine_Lives

I know this doesn't help with OPs problem as they're probably not going to come back & it's an "old" thread,

BUT

recorded delivery - i thought this was up to the value of about £36? So no matter what you're sending, so long as it's not worth more than (lets say for e.g. £36) £36,t hen you should be eligible for £36 compensation, whether it's jewellery or a box of chocolates.

Anything above £36 should be Special Delivery surely as doesn't this cover up to something like £500 at a rough guess?


It sounds like the OP paid up for a recorded signed for delivery. I assume it wasn't signed for as it wasn't delivered, so they surely should be eligible for compensation up to the amount of recorded delivery (£36 is my guess)?

If this isn't the case ..... then why not?


Asking as i send bits & bats as eBay sales now and then & would like to know for the future.

Is recorded delivery worth ANYTHING at all if the answer to the above question is no?