Who is responsible for postage?

Gavin83

Hello everyone,

If you order an item at a business online store, they post it first class and it goes missing, who is responsible for the cost of the item? Does the consumer have to take the loss or is it the retailers responsibility to send another? I know that Royal Mail won't refund for standard delivery.

Does it make a difference if the retailer lists on their Website at the time of sale that they aren't responsible for anything lost in the post?

custardy

if you order an item and dont receive then you are entitled to a full refund
RM insure 'standard' delivery for 100x the value of a 1st class stamp (£41 just now) but thats not your problem

cyberbob

The seller is responsible for getting the item to you. If you do not receive it you are entitled to a refund or a replacement.

I wouldn't touch any seller who put that on their website. How did you pay? If the seller refuses and the item was more than £100 and you paid via CC you will be able to claim via that or a visa debit under £100 or if you paid via paypal you can open a dispute there. If they do refuse report them to trading standards as well

williham

Royal Mail do cover losses at up to £41 per package, but it would be up to the business to claim etc. you shouldn't have to do anything.

paulofessex

As far as l'm aware the retailer should make a claim from Royal Mail for the cost price of the item along with the postage although there is a certain time period they have to wait until they can claim.

The consumer should be sent a replacement item at no extra cost, or if agreement a refund issued. The item/product is still the property of the retailer until received by the consumer no matter what they may have stated on their website.

The consumer needs to ensure the issue of chasing up Royal Mail is not pushed onto them by the retailer

Gavin83

Ok, this is pretty much what I thought.

I just want to point out it actually hasn't become an issue as of yet. I've ordered several items online recently that offer a 1st class service along with a recorded service but state on the 1st class service they aren't responsible for anything lost in the post. I always thought that the poster was responsible for the item getting there, just wanted to confirm it.

Im talking fairly large companies here by the way, not just small ones. One of them was ticketmaster, I ordered some tickets and it clearly said they aren't responsible for lost post. Was quite shocked when I read it.

wealdroam

OP, I would generally agree with all the advice given so far, but I wonder whether the vendor being a 'business store' might make a difference.

If its a business to business transaction, might they be able to specify terms different to usual consumer terms?
I don't know the answer, but I am sure someone here will.

:beer: