Post Office Counter service

amuircroft

Hi.

I really need some help because the Post Office, complaints dept and Postal Review Panel wont help me!

In August 2010 I went into my local Post Office in Erdington as I needed to send a package to the US and have it returned to me. I put a return envelope in and asked for the assistant to do the necessary as I had no idea what to do.

SHe proceeded to do what I believed to be correct (based on her assertions and being a trained member of staff), I purchased insurance and left.

The package got the the US and was sent back to me but it is now lost and I cant trace it as the postage she used on the return was all wrong and to topit off, items are only insured going out, something I wasnt told about.

I complained, the manager agreed it was wrong so I followed the complaints process, The same manager changed her story and told the complaints dept her staff member knew what seh was doing and I have been told it is my fault for accepting the advice given.

The postal review panel now say the member of staff knows she couldnt do what she did so the fact that she DID do it and I am missing my package is irrelavent.

HELP, I need to resolve this one way or another but nobody seems to care.

Thanks in advance

bris

Looks pretty complicated this one. The item reached the US ok so the Royal mail has delivered their side of it. The problem you have is it is now the US postal service that has to get it back to you, this is why the insurance was only one way because they will not take responsability for their failure. Do you have any tracking for it to see it it at least got back to the UK and was lost over here.
Was the US postaal service even paid for the return journey. You may want to get in touch with the return sender and find out if they can track it in the US. It may just be sitting waiting for the correct postage to be paid.

amuircroft

bris wrote: »

Looks pretty complicated this one. The item reached the US ok so the Royal mail has delivered their side of it. The problem you have is it is now the US postal service that has to get it back to you, this is why the insurance was only one way because they will not take responsability for their failure. Do you have any tracking for it to see it it at least got back to the UK and was lost over here.
Was the US postaal service even paid for the return journey. You may want to get in touch with the return sender and find out if they can track it in the US. It may just be sitting waiting for the correct postage to be paid.

This the thing, they did get the parcel there but because the assistant told me that she would then get it back to me but did it completely wrong that is the reason why it is lost in the system.

I contacted the UPS and they told me that they will try and contact the person and then items may be destroyed. I have not been contacted and my address was all over it so...

My issue is not only the loss of the item but the Post Office completely ignoring the error by their staff member. The manager said to me 'she wont admit to what you say so there is nothing I can do'. basically she knows she did it but because she wont say it she cant do anything for me.

custardy

amuircroft wrote: »

This the thing, they did get the parcel there but because the assistant told me that she would then get it back to me but did it completely wrong that is the reason why it is lost in the system.

I contacted the UPS and they told me that they will try and contact the person and then items may be destroyed. I have not been contacted and my address was all over it so...

My issue is not only the loss of the item but the Post Office completely ignoring the error by their staff member. The manager said to me 'she wont admit to what you say so there is nothing I can do'. basically she knows she did it but because she wont say it she cant do anything for me.

in what way did she do the wrong thing?

pcombo

What im confused about is you wanted to send the package but have it returned to you once it to to us.

What was this package just out of concern, Why didn't you get the person in US to send it back using USPS with a tracking number and insurance on that side. I dont think post office or royal mail are to blaim here.

Really strange issue.

jd87

If you go into the post office and explain you want the item to get there and then be returned to you, what they would do is sell you a return envelope with the necessary postage on and put it in the package. But this only works if the package is remaining within the UK, because they can only put UK postage stamps on it. Your package was starting its return journey in the US so it needed US stamps on it for its return.

It sounds like you got a complete idiot assistant in the PO who didn't consider that British stamps wouldn't work in the US. The recipient at the other end must have got the return envelope, saw there was postage on it, and assumed that it would all work fine (why would they think otherwise).

Sounds like a total !!!!-up but I can't see you getting anywhere with it sadly.

amuircroft

I had no idea what to do so I went to the Post Office and asked for advice. And yes maybe I should have done it the way you suggest but hindsight is a marvellous thing isnt it.

As for the Post Office, why couldnt she have given me that advice?That is my issue, if she knew what she was wdoing is wrong why did she do it? I accept blame for trusting what she told me.

Custardy - she put the wrong postage on the item apparantly knowing full well it was wrong. Now to be clear I did not ask her to put the stamps she put on the pacakge, I explained what needed to happen amd she did it. That is my issue. Had I known all of this now I would of course looked for another route.

jd87 - unfortunately I think you are right, its just a shame that is the case really because, as I said before, when you ask for assistance you expect to be given the right advice.

Thanks for your replies

custardy

amuircroft wrote: »

I had no idea what to do so I went to the Post Office and asked for advice. And yes maybe I should have done it the way you suggest but hindsight is a marvellous thing isnt it.

As for the Post Office, why couldnt she have given me that advice?That is my issue, if she knew what she was wdoing is wrong why did she do it? I accept blame for trusting what she told me.

Custardy - she put the wrong postage on the item apparantly knowing full well it was wrong. Now to be clear I did not ask her to put the stamps she put on the pacakge, I explained what needed to happen amd she did it. That is my issue. Had I known all of this now I would of course looked for another route.

jd87 - unfortunately I think you are right, its just a shame that is the case really because, as I said before, when you ask for assistance you expect to be given the right advice.

Thanks for your replies

i still dont understand
you mean stamps for going to America or the return journey?
for any post sent with the USA(or any other country)then you need to use their stamps

jd87

custardy wrote: »

i still dont understand
you mean stamps for going to America or the return journey?
for any post sent with the USA(or any other country)then you need to use their stamps

She knows that now, but clearly the person in the post office didn't.