Royal Mail International Compensation Claim

NandoDave

Good afternoon,

I'm stopping by to vent my frustrations at Royal Mail's responses to my claim for compensation of an apparently lost International Signed For letter containing $150USD and my Wedding Application. I'm also asking for any advice if anyone cares to comment on the content of my next letter to the Postal Review Panel.

In October we sent a letter to the National Park Service (NPS) office in Yosemite, California containing $150 USD and a wedding application.

The letter hasn't arrived at the National Park Service address I sent it to so I waited 20 working days, emailing the NPS most days for an update. At 25 working days we sent a claim in for loss.

They replied on 12th December with the crux of the letter stating:

"I'm happy to advise that my investigations with the postal administration in the United States have confirmed that your item was delivered on 27th October 2011"

Would I really have put a claim in for loss then? Couldn't they have called me to confirm that, in fact, my claim for loss was actually due to the apparent loss of the letter?

After re-checking with the NPS office, no letter has been received - so they have asked that we send them the signatory details before they can look further.

I replied 23rd December (it took a little time for the NPS to come back to me) enclosing an email from the NPS declaring that they had not received the letter and asking for them to obtain the signatory details for the International Signed For so they could investigate.

The Escalated Customer Resolution Team replied on 3rd January with the crux of the letter saying two things:

"The Postal Authority in the USA has confirmed this item was delivered on 27th October 2011, so I'm sory to hear that the recipient claims not to have received it.

... if the recipient still hasn't receiver this item, they will need to contact their postal authority to raise a formal complaint or to request a copy of the signature obtained at delivery, in the first instance. Please be advised, however, that it's the decision of the foreign postal authorities to make such information available. If the outcome of their complaint is favourable, please come back to us to reconsider your enquiry."

The office this was sent to in the USA is a small office and I'm sure they haven't received the letter. They aren't, however, able to start chasing the postal service (if they even knew which postal service to chase) for a letter I sent that has apparently gone missing, but has perhaps been signed for as a batch delivery for the day.

Who exactly am I supposed to ask them to contact in the USA? I have no knowledge of which postal service in the USA the Royal Mail contract out to deliver their International Signed For items.

I'm flabbergasted that they have suggested I put the onus on the recipient to investigate this in order to get the signatory details - I was under the impression that, having paid for International Signed For with compensation for cash up to the value of the USD we sent, Royal Mail should be responsible for resolving claims with their conract partners in the USA. I can only assume they have no ability to get signatory details for my Signed For letter and are trying to shrug this off?

I'm now having to sit down to write my next letter to the Postal Review Panel in order to try to get some form of real enquiry from Royal Mail into who exactly signed for the letter and to get me details so I can take this further with my now familiar an friendly faces at the NPS.

Has anyone got any thoughts on the pertinent points to put in this letter because whenever I come to write it I get so wound up that Royal Mail appear to be subverting their responsibility as the company I paid to deliver my letter, including purchasing appropriate insurance/compensation for the item being delivered.

If you can help me, thanks.

Dave

k66yla

Nothing RM can do about it if USPS are saying its been signed for and delivered.

Valli

Somebody, somewhere is $150 up!

Couldn't you have transmitted the money by a safer way like IBAN?

NandoDave

k66yla wrote: »

Nothing RM can do about it if USPS are saying its been signed for and delivered.

There is nothing they can do about the letter, but they can get me the signatory details, which is the proof I asked and paid for?

I'm holding that the 'Postal Authority' (I haven't been told it is the USPS who was contracted to deliver this letter on behalf of Royal Mail, remember) is responsible to Royal Mail, not my recipient, to respond to enquiries as to signatory details.

Simply stating 'it was delivered' when it hasn't been isn't a robust enough rebuttal to my claim in my opinion because I have had several people at the NPS check and confirm the post received that day, and it doesn't include my letter.

At this stage, the NPS want to know who signed for it so they can say if that person works for them or not I expect. If it turns out the signatory is an NPS employee then my claim turns to the NPS but at the moment Royal Mail aren't giving me the answer to the question of signatory that I have asked for.

arcon5

As far as i'm aware RM don't insure cash......

NandoDave

Valli wrote: »

Somebody, somewhere is $150 up!

Couldn't you have transmitted the money by a safer way like IBAN?

I asked the NPS and currently they can only receive Wedding Applications by Cash or Cheque. An international draft cheque is expensive for such a small amount and as I understand it is not cancel-able. Thus, there is no differentiation between sending Cash or International Draft aside from the name on the draft reduces the likelihood of theft (for which I believe I was insured!). I fully accept that sending cash is not the most reliable way of posting money, but having discussed the options with the NPS, it seemed the most appropriate given the value we were sending.

Thanks for pointing out that there are better ways to send cash overseas though!

NandoDave

arcon5 wrote: »

As far as i'm aware RM don't insure cash......

Please see here

"The maximum compensation payable when extra compensation has been purchased for items containing coins, banknotes or currency notes, securities or instruments payable to bearer (e.g. cheques, bankers drafts, travellers cheques) has been limited to £100 per item."

I was surprised also so we double checked with our post office when sending. As it happens, $150 was worth £97 odd at the time of sending.

Valli

Well if it were me getting married there I would have done it by transferring £100 (or so) to someone I know in the USA and getting them to post a cheque for me. Which, as it stands, is what you may have to do. Assuming you still want to get married there, that is...

I would also be complaining to the NPS that their cash handling systems are subject to abuse and they might want to consider offering other, safer ways of payment for customers.

NandoDave

Valli wrote: »

Well if it were me getting married there I would have done it by transferring £100 (or so) to someone I know in the USA and getting them to post a cheque for me. Which, as it stands, is what you may have to do. Assuming you still want to get married there, that is...

I would also be complaining to the NPS that their cash handling systems are subject to abuse and they might want to consider offering other, safer ways of payment for customers.

Valli, thank you for your points and they are all valid, albeit off the topic. I appreciate the efforts you have taken to point out alternative methods of sending my second $150 - but you made an assumption that I have friends who are willing to take time out of their busy lives - the only ones whom I do are in the UK at the moment.

arcon5

Can't your bank do an international bank transfer? There would be a fee mind.

It won't resolve the issues with the first envelope, will however resolve the current issues and secure the booking.

custardy

NandoDave wrote: »

There is nothing they can do about the letter, but they can get me the signatory details, which is the proof I asked and paid for?

I'm holding that the 'Postal Authority' (I haven't been told it is the USPS who was contracted to deliver this letter on behalf of Royal Mail, remember) is responsible to Royal Mail, not my recipient, to respond to enquiries as to signatory details.

Simply stating 'it was delivered' when it hasn't been isn't a robust enough rebuttal to my claim in my opinion because I have had several people at the NPS check and confirm the post received that day, and it doesn't include my letter.

At this stage, the NPS want to know who signed for it so they can say if that person works for them or not I expect. If it turns out the signatory is an NPS employee then my claim turns to the NPS but at the moment Royal Mail aren't giving me the answer to the question of signatory that I have asked for.

why don't you contact USPS yourself?
thats all RM are doing
you are just creating delay for yourself

as for which postal service. how many postal services do you think America has?
when you posted the letter,who did you think would be delivering it?