Royal Mail Recorded/Signed For Doesn't Insure Tickets, Vouchers, Cheques, Coupons etc

mew

To my dismay this week I realised Royal Mail will not accept liability and/or compensate you for items such as tickets, vouchers, cheques or coupons etc if they are lost or damaged in the post. I always knew cash & jewelery was not covered by Royal Mail 1st or 2nd Class Recorded/Signed For but I assumed everything else with a value under £60 (although it is actually £46) would be covered.

Luckily my item (£15 ticket) arrived but if it did not arrive, I would be out of pocket as Royal Mail would simply refuse to compensate me for losing the item (regardless of me having both proof of purchase of the item, proof of sale and payment for the item and proof the item had been sent).

With some situations, I can fully appreciate using Royal Mail Special Delivery but for low value items, you can not really justify charging £5.90 P&P.


Royal Mail definitions of cash & jewelery:

You’re sending valuable items through the post.

You’re sending money through the post (any amount)
The Royal Mail definition of money includes any:

i) Coins & Bank notes of any currency that are legal tender at the time of posting;
ii) Postal Orders, cheques and dividend warrants uncrossed and payable to bearer;
iii) Unused postage and revenue stamps and National Insurance stamps; Exchequer bills, bills of exchange, promissory notes and credit notes; Bonds, bond coupons and any other investment certificates; and
iv) Coupons, vouchers, tokens, cards, stamps and other documents that can be exchanged in whole or in part for money, goods or services.
You’re sending jewellery through the post (any value)
The Royal Mail definition of jewellery includes any:

i) precious metal that has been manufactured in such a way as to add value to it, including coins used for ornament;
ii) diamonds and precious stones;
iii) watches and jewellery where the cases of are made wholly or mainly of precious metal;
iv) similar articles with an intrinsic value other than the value of the workmanship.http://www.royalmail.com/customer-service/personal-customers/sending-mail/sending-valuables-and-cash

Obviously_the_best

Yes, and if you posted it at the PO the clerk should have asked you, The only way to insure tickets is Special Delivery

forgotmyname

Same with tesco deals etc, We always use special delivery.

Also check the insurance, We had to pay a bit extra when booking 2 holidays
with the tesco deals. Almost £700.

mew

Obviously_the_best wrote: »

Yes, and if you posted it at the PO the clerk should have asked you, The only way to insure tickets is Special Delivery

They did advise this this time, which is the first time they ever have done, Usually they just ask the value. Am I the only person then who both didn't know this and who thinks it is wrong?

Why will Royal Mail compensate you if they loose for instance a mobile phone sent by Recorded post worth £46 but won't insure a ticket or coupon etc of any value?

theonlywayisup

mew wrote: »

They did advise this this time, which is the first time they ever have done, Usually they just ask the value. Am I the only person then who both didn't know this and who thinks it is wrong?

Why will Royal Mail compensate you if they loose for instance a mobile phone sent by Recorded post worth £46 but won't insure a ticket or coupon etc of any value?

Why do you think it is wrong? It is well documented.

shaun_from_Africa

mew wrote: »

Why will Royal Mail compensate you if they loose for instance a mobile phone sent by Recorded post worth £46 but won't insure a ticket or coupon etc of any value?

Probably for a number of reasons.
A box containing a mobile phone should in theory be harder to misplace or lose than a very small envelope (which could easily get stuck in a sorting machine, at the bottom of a mailbag etc).

A small envelope would also be far easier for someone to steal without getting noticed.

Happy_bunny

Documented, and shown on TV reports, Recorded travels the same as standard mail and is frequently (ahem) 'misplaced' at the sorting office whereas SD is actually monitored so should be a great deal harder to 'misplace'.

As an aside I send recorded letters everyday for work (paperwork only) and am asked the contents whichever post office I use and have been advised in the past to upgrade from standard/recorded on other items to better protect myself.

macfly

Happy_bunny wrote: »

Documented, and shown on TV reports, Recorded travels the same as standard mail and is frequently (ahem) 'misplaced' at the sorting office whereas SD is actually monitored so should be a great deal harder to 'misplace'.

As an aside I send recorded letters everyday for work (paperwork only) and am asked the contents whichever post office I use and have been advised in the past to upgrade from standard/recorded on other items to better protect myself.

Any links to these reports? Frequently? How "frequently"?

RFW

I've mentioned on here before that recorded delivery needs, at the very least, a name change. Not may companies could get away with selling something that often doesn't do what it suggests in its name. There so often isn't a recorded delivery, if there is it may or may not be the person it has been sent to.

mew

theonlywayisup wrote: »

Why do you think it is wrong? It is well documented.

Because I could send any item (except cash or jewelery) with a value of up to £46 with 2nd class stamp on and be compensated for the item if it gets lost or damaged but If i want to send a cash item, even if it's only worth £1 and even if I paid 95p extra to get a signature on delivery (easier to prove it hasn't arrived) Royal Mail won't accept liability for it's loss or damage.

Where it well documented? I found it quite hard to get information on the Royal Mail website, especially I would not consider a £15, easily replaceable ticket a valuable item

RFW wrote: »

I've mentioned on here before that recorded delivery needs, at the very least, a name change. Not may companies could get away with selling something that often doesn't do what it suggests in its name. There so often isn't a recorded delivery, if there is it may or may not be the person it has been sent to.

I totally agree.

theonlywayisup

mew wrote: »

Because I could send any item (except cash or jewelery) with a value of up to £46 with 2nd class stamp on and be compensated for the item if it gets lost or damaged but If i want to send a cash item, even if it's only worth £1 and even if I paid 95p extra to get a signature on delivery (easier to prove it hasn't arrived) Royal Mail won't accept liability for it's loss or damage.

Where it well documented? I found it quite hard to get information on the Royal Mail website, especially I would not consider a £15, easily replaceable ticket a valuable item
.

It is on the RM website. It really couldn't be any easier to find. It isn't even hidden in the small print.....



The reason RM won't accept certain items for standard mail is exactly that, as it is standard mail (recorded is standard mail). Special delivery is dealt with differently.