Claiming from Royal Mail.

sleepy

I sold something on ebay about a month and a half ago. It sold for £33 and cost just over £7 to send standard parcels, with increased insurance.
It never arrived at the buyers. So I refunded and put a claim in with Royal Mail.
Today I got a cheque for £33.
My problem is why don't they refund the postage cost? I'm not asking for the cost of packaging or my time spent taking it to the post office or anything like that back, but I don't understand why I have to pay them to not deliver my mail :mad: .
I paid for the service, then didn't recieve it, so why should I still have to pay?
I really don't understand how they can justify keeping my money when they haven't given me the service I have paid for (actually delivering the item).

Grrrrrr, really grumpy now :mad:

Epiphone

Whenever they've done that to me I've called them, pointed out what you just said and ALWAYS had the postage refund.

1jim

whenever ive calimed in the past I have used an invoice generated on the computer with the final price including post and packing charge (ie not listed seperatly), this way they refund the total amt you have paid out initially

jim

sleepy

I complained as was told that there was nothing they can do, they won't refund the cost of postage.
Maybe they're being firmer now and sticking to their rules, or maybe they just don't like me!

sleepy

Thanks for the idea 1jim, maybe I'll try that next time. This is the first time I've had to claim back from Royal Mail.

dollywops

I sold an item (Nike Anti Racism band) on ebay for £9 including p&p. I obtained a certificate of posting. The seller advised the item had not been received. I then sent another band, again using a certificate of posting, which the seller received.

I completed a claim form, attached a copy of the certificate of posting, together with a copy of the Paypal transaction details. I received a letter today apologising that 'my item of mail containing a nike band has not been delivered' etc, etc.

'Please accept the enclosed book of stamps in compensation for the loss. I realise that this amount is less than your original claim, but I must explain that we can only compensate for retail value of these items'.

Regardless of the item, does the Post Office have the right to decide on compensation based on the retail value, or market value of an item as I was told by a Supervisor. Surely, the market value of an item, is what someone is prepared to pay, in this case £9.

Does this mean, that if I buy some second-hand china on ebay, which original sold for 5 shillings, but for which I paid say £50, and also paid for Special Delivery, that if it goes missing, they will only pay 5 shillings.

The supervisor told me that if she paid £1 for a pair of boots, but subsequently sold them for £20, and they went missing, the compensation would be £1. I don't think so!

By the way, I have taken this matter to Postwatch.

dollywops

sleepy wrote:

I complained as was told that there was nothing they can do, they won't refund the cost of postage.
Maybe they're being firmer now and sticking to their rules, or maybe they just don't like me!

Why don't you report this to Postwatch and see what happens.

soolin

I've never had a problem with claiming from Royal Mail. I just send my COP or recorded delivery slip with the ebay invoice and claim back the total amount that the buyer paid, including post and packing.

I had so many parcels go missing just before Christmas that I was almost on first name terms with the nice man at Glasgow.

Soo

magoogy

i have emailed royal mail numerous times about a parcel that went missing with £12 worth of goods in - they have replied saying they cannot find my original complaint so can i resend it please? i have re-sent it twice - no luck....gonna phone them now,.....

but, i have now lost my receipt of posting - put in a drawer and cannot find it now? im not covered now then am i?

reverie

Just been reading this thread and I phoned my oldest friend who happens to work as a supervisor in Royal Mail "Customer Services". We ended up having an argument!

Basically, the policies as have been mentioned above, are to replace the purchase price (max £30 with 1st class) and no postage refund. I tried to explain that if you sold a wrist band for £9 that IS the retail value. She argued that you could buy another one for £1 and sell it again for £9 so they would only refund £1. I was going to explain supply and demand and the fact that it is because you probably can't go and buy it anymore for £1 from the original retailer that it is now worth £9, at this point I gathered that our 20 yr friendship was in the balance and decided to shut up!

Basically, I think they don't understand the concept of eBay. So I suggest that with such claims if asked, you say "the retail price is £(amount you sold it for incl. postage)". Then send the paypal documents ONLY showing the total, rather than itemising out the P&P. If you are asked how much you paid for it originally I suggest you just say the same amount as you are selling for. Also, if questioned as to how much you could buy it for now, you could send eBay print offs showing what they are going for, that would have to be construed as the retail price. I am not sure if my comments about claiming for total (not detailing P&P) and being creative with the amount you paid for the item are morally wrong but I can't see any other way of making them understand!

juno

I complained to Royal Mail once. They only replied when I wrote to PostWatch, and even then they got my name wrong!