Post Office - Weight Error

continualdiamond

Could of been something leaning on the scales at the post office or that they weren't set at 0. I posted loads of xmas cards at once to Australia. I left a few out as needed addresses, so when i went back and found they'd gone into the next price range, i was confused as they'd previously cost me 90p each before hand.

So the lady asked me to check that my handbag or anything wasn't leaning against it, when i did check i then noticed the scales weren't set at 0, but like 0.005 or whatever it was, anyway they weren't set at 0.

So she had to call the owner over to re set the scales as she didn't know how to do it. When all sorted, the cards fell back into the 90p weight range.

meandmaboy

Hi,
What I don't like @ my local Post Office, which is a tiny sub PO is that he keeps the digital scales behind the counter :mad::mad::mad::mad: & unless i've weighed it @ home the price is always different.The PO nearest to my work has the scales out @ the public side & you can see exactly whats what etc.:j:j:j:j The other sub PO near me also has his scales thro the back shop :mad::mad::mad:& the young lad thumps the item down without as much as a by or leave & I'm sure he is Guessimating:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek: the price & I always avoid this PO like the . I try just to post when I'm going to work but sometimes its just too much to lug the stuff on the bus when its full of schoolkids standing in the aisles.
The things we do eh for a few bob !!!!!!!!!!!!

MrStealth2011

If thread is still alive, I have a quick question.
Are there any tolerances aloud when posting items due weight discrepancies? i.e. like +/-1%

I ask because I used the on-line postage service to post an item. In the envelope it weighed 245g (using Salter digital postage scales), and cost £1.72 for a packet.
Took it to the post office and when they weighed it now weighed 253g (presumably because I then stuck the address label to the envelope) and they refused to send it unless I paid the extra.

Surely they could of let me off the the sake of 3g's??? I mean how was I supposed to weigh the item with the address label attached?
Seemed a bit unfair and extreme to me and like I said, would of thought were would of been some sort of margin of error, say +/- 10g to allow for situations like this, as in principle, the same can apply when franking parcels as something weighing 250g can easily weigh 251g after the label is stuck on.

custardy

MrStealth2011 wrote: »

If thread is still alive, I have a quick question.
Are there any tolerances aloud when posting items due weight discrepancies? i.e. like +/-1%

I ask because I used the on-line postage service to post an item. In the envelope it weighed 245g (using Salter digital postage scales), and cost £1.72 for a packet.
Took it to the post office and when they weighed it now weighed 253g (presumably because I then stuck the address label to the envelope) and they refused to send it unless I paid the extra.

Surely they could of let me off the the sake of 3g's??? I mean how was I supposed to weigh the item with the address label attached?
Seemed a bit unfair and extreme to me and like I said, would of thought were would of been some sort of margin of error, say +/- 10g to allow for situations like this, as in principle, the same can apply when franking parcels as something weighing 250g can easily weigh 251g after the label is stuck on.

how would you tell the sorting machine to give a discrepancy?
you have uncalibrated scales,the PO will be calibrated
a label wont weigh 3g
how would you feel if the PO let you off and then your recipient got a charged the difference+£1 at the other end?

MrStealth2011

custardy wrote: »

how would you tell the sorting machine to give a discrepancy?
you have uncalibrated scales,the PO will be calibrated
a label wont weigh 3g
how would you feel if the PO let you off and then your recipient got a charged the difference+£1 at the other end?

No, the seletape I used did.

I have another item that was identical and weighed the same and cut the A4 paper and used Pritt Stick and it weighed 249g!!

My scales must be accurate because the weight was then same on my Scales and the digital ones at the post office.

custardy

MrStealth2011 wrote: »

No, the seletape I used did.

I have another item that was identical and weighed the same and cut the A4 paper and used Pritt Stick and it weighed 249g!!

My scales must be accurate because the weight was then same on my Scales and the digital ones at the post office.

you have missed the other part
what would you do about the recipient?
RM have pricing bands and going into the next band raises the price

MrStealth2011

custardy wrote: »

you have missed the other part
what would you do about the recipient?
RM have pricing bands and going into the next band raises the price

Yes, but that's not what I was asking.

Why allow customers to do there own postage online if your not going to allow for a certain margin in error as, not every scale in every situation is going to be 100% accurate 100% of the time, nor are the post offices.

Just seemed a bit extreme which I see as very trivial and just wondered if there was any post office discretion allowed in the matter, as I've sent items which have been a few grams over before and never had any comeback from it, nor has the post office.

+/-5g seems quite reasonable to me as in a real world environment.

custardy

MrStealth2011 wrote: »

Yes, but that's not what I was asking.

Why allow customers to do there own postage online if your not going to allow for a certain margin in error as, not every scale in every situation is going to be 100% accurate 100% of the time, nor are the post offices.

Just seemed a bit extreme which I see as very trivial and just wondered if there was any post office discretion allowed in the matter, as I've sent items which have been a few grams over before and never had any comeback from it, nor has the post office.

+/-5g seems quite reasonable to me as in a real world environment.

you arent listening
if the PO gives you a discretion that the sorting machines dont then you get charged
whether there is or isnt a degree of variance in the machines isnt down to the PO
if they allow it through then you get the complaints from folks "that they had it weighed at the PO"

macfly

I wil have to try that in a shop. Something priced at a couple of quid, offer them less. Or I could just pay the correct price, as it's not a Turkish market.

MrStealth2011

custardy wrote: »

you arent listening
if the PO gives you a discretion that the sorting machines dont then you get charged
whether there is or isnt a degree of variance in the machines isnt down to the PO
if they allow it through then you get the complaints from folks "that they had it weighed at the PO"

Well the sorting machines must do or just simply aren't checking to begin with then... experience will show this.

But we're going off topic because to be fair your input could of been shortened to 'No post offices don't have any discretion and there are no tolerances allowed' which could of avoided this whole debate!

However, Just to reiterate my point, digital scales showing an item weighing 251g can still appear to weigh 250g on a analogue machine, as there not accurate to +/- 1g and is user dependant which in turn opens the door for errors.

It can never be 100% perfect can it so why try to enforce it! 3 grams is hardly abusing the system. Common sense should prevail.