Post Office Rules

zembu

Sender posted an item to me at a Post Office and received a certificate of posting. I consider that they now have a contract with the Post Office to deliver that mail to me with no further fee. Post office put a card through my door saying the sender didn't pay full postage and expect me to pay the difference plus one pound handling fee. If the Post Office rules allow this, then it opens the way for them to make much greater profits as the accepting office does not have to care whether or not they charge the correct amount, and they could actually be encouraged by Post Office head office to undercharge as this will enable the extra pound to be demanded.

custardy

zembu wrote: »

Sender posted an item to me at a Post Office and received a certificate of posting. I consider that they now have a contract with the Post Office to deliver that mail to me with no further fee.

Post office put a card through my door saying the sender didn't pay full postage and expect me to pay the difference plus one pound handling fee.

If the Post Office rules allow this, then it opens the way for them to make much greater profits as the accepting office does not have to care whether or not they charge the correct amount, and they could actually be encouraged by Post Office head office to undercharge as this will enable the extra pound to be demanded.

much easier to read with paragraphs
lets separate this
a sender sent an item via a post office,Royal mail put a card thruogh your letter box regarding an underpaid item

you are now saying that post office headquarters is encouraging post offices (many being basically franchises) to undercharge postage so that Royal mail can charge an underpaid fee
even though the cost of handling underpaid items it higher and if nobody collects the item it is then returned to sender incurring more costs.

is that about it?

DCodd

zembu wrote: »

Sender posted an item to me at a Post Office and received a certificate of posting.

OP are you saying that they sent this recorded delivery? If so custardy, does this not require the Post Office to weigh and apply correct postage?

paulofessex

Wow...l bet the OP is overwhelmed with the welcome to the forum after their very 1st posting.

I think the OP has a valid point here. A sender goes to the post office counter has the item weighed and paid the requested fee from the counter clerk.

The receippent is then asked to cover the cost of incorrectly priced postage cost. Clearly the fault lays with the counter clerk who processed the transaction. Hence why l can understand where the seller is coming from with their view of Royal Mail allowing this as Royal Mail can clearly see by the label it was processed at a Post Office and instead of taking it up with the counter clerk they expect the customer to pay....easy money

My advice to the op would to keep the original postage label, obtain a receipt from the sorting office for the extra costs ask the sender for a copy of proof of postage and then request a refund from Royal Mail.

Also to the op WELCOME TO THE FORUM

derrick

DCodd wrote: »

OP are you saying that they sent this recorded delivery? If so custardy, does this not require the Post Office to weigh and apply correct postage?

POP is not the same as RD.

POP is free, RD costs.

If the PO accepted the item they should have noted it did not have correct postage, (part of their job), and informed poster, as they appear not to have done , I agree with OP, the sending PO should pick up the tab

Darksun

I don't think there is any kind of conspiracy here, but the OP does have a point. If it was posted from the counter, the counter staff should have informed the customer it had inadequate postage.

Was the postage affixed by the customer, or was it actually weighed/measured by the staff and had the postage applied by the staff? If the latter I think there's a very clear case for the costs being waived on this occasion.

Owain_Moneysaver

zembu wrote: »

Sender posted an item to me at a Post Office and received a certificate of posting. I consider that they now have a contract with the Post Office to deliver that mail to me with no further fee. /QUOTE]

There's the fundamental prbblem. Senders don't have contracts with the Post Office, PO services are provided in accordance with statutory schemes, which are not subject to normal contract or consumer law.

custardy

derrick wrote: »

POP is not the same as RD.

POP is free, RD costs.

If the PO accepted the item they should have noted it did not have correct postage, (part of their job), and informed poster, as they appear not to have done , I agree with OP, the sending PO should pick up the tab

if thats the case then the sender can claim the costs from RM
the sender who refund the recipient
however the OP didnt ask for advice on what to do

zembu

Thank you all for your responses especially paulofessex and darksun.

One respondee referred to the fact that I didn't ask for advice. Well, I wasn't really asking for advice, but was wondering if anyone else had had the same experience. However, if anyone is able to give me advice that will enable me to receive the item without paying extra postage and the £1 "handling fee", such advice will be gratefully received.

I expect this problem has arisen because the item is thicker than the rules allow and the receiving post office missed that fact.

However, it is the case that the Post Office accepted the item and the payment as being suitable and they issued a Certificate of Posting.

I have written to the Post Office stating;

Firstly, I think that they made a contract with the sender when they accepted the item and the money and issued a Certificate of Posting.

Secondly, I claim that if it is within the Post Office Rules for them to do as above and still be legally able to claim more money from the recipient, there is something wrong with the rules.

Thirdly, I said I will be writing to my MP if I don't get a satisfactory answer.

zembu

Derrick, Also thanks a lot for your reply.

zembu

Owain this sounds interesting, I thought that under the law contracts between the payee and the service provider are automatically created at the point of sale.