Best observed posting of / attempt to post an inappropriately packaged item

Strapped

Following on from this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4044867

I thought this was a great suggestion by Captainblondechick so am starting a thread for it. (Hope that's OK by her). What howlers have you seen?

I like Soolin's cake one. :T

Strapped

Or badly addressed things. I have seen a letter addressed to "Miss Ann Widdicombe, Strictly Come Dancing, Devon" - and yes, it was delivered. Well done Royal Mail.

Gleeful

A guitar pedal worth £100 shoved in a Jiffy bag and sent recorded delivery. It arrived intact though.

I get loads of clothing items just in an envelope, which is annoying as they often rip open. One dress arrived in a Tesco bag. That got a neutral, but mostly because it was not the size listed.

I_wanna_live_for_free

A dome-shaped mesh food protector (from flies etc) which was put in a poly bag and arrived mis-shaped and totally unusable.

Not badly packed but a vase which I chased the seller for and had been posted "last Thursday" arrived with a blurry postmark but on unwrapping had been carefully packed with yesterdays paper screwed up into balls for protection around it :rotfl:

CAPTAINBLONDECHICK

Strapped wrote: »

Following on from this thread:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4044867

I thought this was a great suggestion by Captainblondechick so am starting a thread for it. (Hope that's OK by her). What howlers have you seen?

I like Soolin's cake one. :T

:j I am so honoured!

The best one I have seen was a woman directly in front of me in the queue faffiing around with the mail bags in the shop part of the PO (this runs parallel to where the queue forms). I wasn't paying too much attention until she got to the counter and I heard her say "I want to send this to Canada - will you sort it out for me". She handed the cashier an unpacked paperback novel. The cashier just looked at her and said that she will need to wrap it and address it. More faffing with mail bags ensued - by this stage there was about 7-8 people in the queue with only 2 cashiers open. She eventually got a suitable one and proceeded to address it at the counter - still holding everyone up - the address book came out of her bag and she flicked through it for ages to find the right addressee. Now, the pens at the counter are just standard biro pens - you should have heard the tuts, huffs and puffs of her when as she was trying to write with this pen, it kept tugging on the plastic and not making any mark at all! She began to give off stink to the cashier about how the pens were "rubbish" and the cashier, with nerves of steel, tried to explain to her that they are there for people to sign forms etc and not for addressing packages at the counter. The cashier was able to find another pen that was inky enough and the woman then made the cashier write the address details! She wouldn't even seal with packet herself! She also complained at having to pay for the mail bag on top of her postage!

Crowqueen

I know I've done similar, a long time ago when I thought it was OK to send a book in an ordinary envelope.

OTOH a nice stamp sheet arrived in an envelope so tightly stuck together with tape that it ripped when I tried to open it. Ironically I didn't want to cut anything because I didn't want to slice an edge off it. It's partly why I try to use new self-seal envelopes because anything that has a lot of tape on it is going to be difficult to open without scissors and that runs the risk of anything paper or cloth being cut and thus damaged.

Oliver14

Strapped wrote: »

Or badly addressed things. I have seen a letter addressed to "Miss Ann Widdicombe, Strictly Come Dancing, Devon" - and yes, it was delivered. Well done Royal Mail.

I received a letter a few years back that had my Name and County on it. I was impressed according to the post mark it only took 2 days as well and no i'm not famous.

lovinituk

I once bought an airsoft (like paintball) rifle from a guy who sent it in a zipped rifle bag covered with just 2 thin bin liners. By the time it reached me, most of the bin liners had disintegrated and the zipped bag was not secured. Airsoft is all perfectly legal and I participate responsibly but if anyone at Parcelforce had peaked in the bag they would have got quite a shock as airsoft replicas look very real.

Splashy

I answered the door to the postman at my friend's house the other day - and he handed me a full size carrier bag with a teeny parcel in the bottom
She had bought an item of clothing from eBay that was in a supermarket bag and then put inside a large carrier bag with a bit of sellotape joining it up
Why on earth a seller thought this an appropriate way to send out an item beats me -

DirtPoorGuy

And there is this one to add to the list, in case anyone missed it.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4046977

whenIretire

I have bought twice from ELC and both times ended up ranting about the packaging. There was some time between the 2 purchases and it was only when the second item arrived that I remembered about the appalling packaging (or lack of) the first time I had bought from them online. Both items were 'boxed items', I think the first was a train set and the second was a lego set and ELC seem to think that this means that no additional stronger outer packaging is required other than a poly bag. Both items were totally crushed when I got them and in no way suitable for giving as a gift. Grr