Anyone come across these rules at the P.O?

Kittenonthekeys

I run a small business and send/receive all my work via RM Special Delivery.A counter assistant at my local P.O. - always a bit more of a jobsworth than the others at the branch - has just (politely) given me a dressing down for (a) using a recycled box and (b) attaching an address label to it!
She said she would accept my parcel this time, but it is not allowed to use 'secondhand' boxes or attach labels to Special Del. items - they have to be hand written, as it is too easy to tamper with them.
Been doing this work for over 20 years and this is a new one on me.
Whilst I get what she's saying, these rules don't seem to apply in all post offices, as I receive boxes via Special Del. in all shapes, sizes and conditions; all are recycled, some are tatty, most have labels attached and many do not even have a return address on them; clearly not all POs are as 'meticulous' as my local branch.
Having to buy a brand new different size box (from the PO perhaps?) for each individual item, then being expected to hand write each address would be a logistical and financial impossibility.
Has anyone else been told this?

Auntie-Dolly

Absolute rubbish. I've been ebaying for years & never hand written an address label.

iammumtoone

Is that why it called special delivery? as it has to go in a special box? I would email Royal Mail to complain of your experiences. I should think RM should be grateful for any business they are getting at the moment without imposing unworkable regulations.

Nilrem

I've never even heard of RM caring about the packaging, as long as it's suitable (and even then, they don't care much about suitable except in so far as it's not going to let the contents out, or isn't up to the job and you make a claim).

I reuse packaging all the time when sending stuff, as Amazon boxes tend to be perfectly reusable*, and you just need to tape them up again.
Indeed I've had stuff shipped to me from retailers in reused boxes, as it keeps their costs down (as they have to pay to dispose of rubbish, and would have to pay for boxes).
Let alone almost every ebay purchase from individuals...

I've also never heard of any problems with printing address labels for SD items - pretty much every item I have delivered from online retailers via SD has a printed address label.
Even RM's own online postage payment system will, from memory let you print out the address as well as the unique postage code thingy (and from memory RM even sell the labels to do this, themselves, and have the fact you can create an address book and store it on their system as a selling point).

It sounds like you got a shirty/ill informed member of staff - was it a proper post office (IE owned by RM where it's just a post office), or a sub post office in another store?


*I tend to keep a small stack of them in a cupboard, as they fold flat and then just need some packing tape to be of use again (incredibly handy when you need to do an RMA, or send off an ebay item).

Kittenonthekeys

Sorry, I didn't make it very clear - she was saying no labels allowed
at all on Special Del. parcels, the address must be written directly onto the box!
I asked her how that could possibly work for businesses, especially ones that send out a large volume of SD items, but she had no answer.
I think all this is coming from the branch manager.

Kittenonthekeys

Yes, it's a new PO - kind of a proper 'branch within a branch' of WH Smith.
It's always well run, fully staffed and they are generally helpful and knowledgable.
Would RM respond to an email, do you think?

iammumtoone

your are probably better off filling in this http://www.postoffice.co.uk/contact-us-complaint

as your complaint is with your treatment at the PO rather than RM, depending on their response (ie was the Po telling you the correct information) you could then take it to RM

Kittenonthekeys

Great - thx for that, will do it.

Flat_Eric

will be interesting to see what response you get. I get the impression that they intend for customers to use their special bags at cost to customers and profit to the post office. :eek:

Kittenonthekeys

Flat_Eric wrote: »

will be interesting to see what response you get. I get the impression that they intend for customers to use their special bags at cost to customers and profit to the post office. :eek:

Yes, I agree.
I'll post the response when/if I get one.
Any more of that nonsense and I'll just use an alternative delivery co.

iammumtoone

Flat_Eric wrote: »

will be interesting to see what response you get. I get the impression that they intend for customers to use their special bags at cost to customers and profit to the post office. :eek:

Thats why i would take it to RM if you get a response like this, they may view the situation differently especially when you mention moving to a carrier due to it. As you run a business you should have more clout than the average RM user.