Post Office Question

unholyangel

I was in the Post Office today and overheard the transaction of a elderly gentleman in front of me. He was sending a parcel worth £60.

The counter assistant asked him if he'd like special delivery which would cost £22. She didnt ask what was in it, just what the value was.

Now being as I rarely post anything that requires more than just a stamp, I'm not exactly knowledgeable in the world of mail. But I know you can claim for lost mail if even posting first class if you have proof of posting.

From looking on their site, maximum compensation payment is 100 x first class stamps....currently 46p i believe.....plus a refund of your postage......so basically £46 + postage refund. Now if nothing happened to his package, he's saved money. If something did happen, technically he'd only lose £14, so he paid £22 to save £14.

Again from their site i imagine this is covered by the "you must follow posting conditions" in order to make a claim, but then it begs the question......why have the maximum compensation as £46 if you're going to class £60 as valuable and as having to be sent special delivery? Possibly reinforced by the assistant telling him (after he declined) that he wouldnt be able to make a claim for lost mail unless he bought it.

Maybe i'm reading too much into it but to me it just seems inane to have first class compensation 100 x first class stamps if you cant send anything worth more than £5! Why even bother having a maximum if you wont pay out if your post is worth something and you havent sent it special delivery?