Faulty item returned by freepost - store won't send me a replacement

mountainofdebt

smcaul wrote: »

Registered only gives you trackable item and a proof of delivery, it does not give you any enhanced compensation - you are thinking of Special Delivery which is a completely separate product offering from RM.

yeap that's what I meant...d'oh! I know with recorded delivery the maximum compensation is 100 x the price of a 1st class stamp.

I still don't think proof of posting gives any compensation though.

Sammy635

As I said before the company specifies not to use Special Delivery which offers enhanced protection.

The receipt I have from the Post Office contains the weight of the item, the delivery address and name of the company the item is being returned to, and a 13 digit barcode. The barcode shows where and when the item was posted if you enter it in the Track and Trace section on the Royal Mail website, however, it doesn't show you when the item has been delivered.

The receipt I obtained from the Post Office contains the following statement:

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU RETAIN THIS RECEIPT AS IT IS YOUR PROOF OF POSTING

The point I am trying to make is that I wasn't told that I could send it back by any other method. If the company had said to me you can send it back freepost for your convenience but it's not fully insured I would not have used this service. They specify you can't send it Special Delivery.

I have since spoken to Royal Mail and explained the situation and they told me that I can claim £41 from them after 15 working days as this is when the item is considered lost.
I have to complete a P58 claim form and include the original proof of posting and proof of value for the item (they said an emailed invoice is suitable).

The issue I have is that the company's returns procedure doesn't explain the risks associated with freepost. Although the company states that the item is my responsibility that doesn't explain the fact that the item is not covered.

woody01

OlliesDad wrote: »

There is no way to insure goods and still be freepost!! Freepost is a basic service which offers £41 cover..

Makes no difference at all.
The company offered Freepost but i am 100% certain they didn't insist on it.

OlliesDad wrote: »

Because they are the one who pays and contracts Royal Mail to do the job.

Makes no difference either. It's who posts it and gets the proof. It has nothing to do with the cactual person that paid the money.

Proof of posting is not proof of delivery.......

To the OP, you have fulfilled your contract as it were, you followed their instructions, once you used their freepost it is basically their responsibility, the royal mail will not entertain a claim from you anyway as their contract is with the company not you, all the proof of posting does -is - well - providing a proof of postage. I would get back on to the company and inform them that as soon as it was posted it was their responsibility not yours, and that they need to track it down.

Sorry but you are completely wrong.
If you bought something from me now, and sent me the money to post it, and it got lost, would you be responsible???Of course not.

The point I am trying to make is that I wasn't told that I could send it back by any other method. If the company had said to me you can send it back freepost for your convenience but it's not fully insured I would not have used this service. They specify you can't send it Special Delivery.

I doubt ignorance would work as a defence.
There was nothing sopping you insisting they sent a courier, paid for by them, to collect. Then they charge you for carriage only if it found to be not faulty.

Although the company states that the item is my responsibility that doesn't explain the fact that the item is not covered.

It does by defining it is your responsibility.

Sammy635

To woody01, be realistic, if they won't pay for Special Delivery they aren't going to pay for a courier to pick up the item are they?

Please don't post pointless advice that is based on assumptions.

Even if a courier did pick the item up, the same thing could happen, the courier loses the item, would you consider that my fault? The courier may say that they picked up the item the same way Royal Mail said they posted my item.

Don't forget I'm dealing with a business not an individual, businesses have more responsibilities when they send you faulty items. I should not incur any cost involved in returning an item that is not fit for sale.

woody01

Sammy635 wrote: »

To woody01, be realistic, if they won't pay for Special Delivery they aren't going to pay for a courier to pick up the item are they?

Please don't post pointless advice that is based on assumptions.

Even if a courier did pick the item up, the same thing could happen, the courier loses the item, would you consider that my fault? The courier may say that they picked up the item the same way Royal Mail said they posted my item.

Don't forget I'm dealing with a business not an individual, businesses have more responsibilities when they send you faulty items. I should not incur any cost involved in returning an item that is not fit for sale.

You really haven't got a clue how these things work have you?
Most companies will send a courier, and if the item is NOT faulty, they will charge you for this. If not, they won't.

I cannot put it any simpler for you so please try to grasp this.

Sammy635

Woody01, there's no point in me arguing with you as based on some of the unintelligent responses you have given others I don't think the internet is a healthy place for you to be.

:T

mountainofdebt

But OP the store only advised you not to use SD as they would not reimburse the costs of sending it SD.

You could have sent it SD but chose not to.

As far as i was aware proof of posting was only useful to prove that it had been sent.

POPPYOSCAR

I think this is poor customer service from this company.I recently had to return a bag to Play.com.They advised me to send by recorded delivery and they would refund the cost to me. They sent me a new bag and refunded the full cost of the postage.

custardy

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

I think this is poor customer service from this company.I recently had to return a bag to Play.com.They advised me to send by recorded delivery and they would refund the cost to me. They sent me a new bag and refunded the full cost of the postage.

RD would have cost this company 75p
SD would be over £5
so you can see why they wouldnt cover SD
FYI,RD could have left the OP in exactly the same situation

Sammy635

The point I was trying to make originally was that the returns procedure doesn't specify how you can send the item back, the cost of me returning the item was irrelevant as I would have been willing to pay for the extra cost if I knew the item wasn't covered.

After hassling the store and asking to see their full returns procedure (which they don't publish on their website), they found my bag in their warehouse, it arrrived over a week ago but they failed to log it on their system.

I think it is irresponsible not to inform customers of the risks associated with the Freepost option. I don't expect the company to tell me the ins and outs of every method of postage but I expect to be made aware that I have other options available to me.