Anyone come across these rules at the P.O?

Noctu

Sounds like absolute rubbish to me.

I've had good (and rapid) responses from @RoyalMail on Twitter - they should be able to respond quickly if you Tweet them!

dktreesea

Just a suggestion, but rather than special delivery, if you are sending more than 1,000 items a year, how about using Royal Mail's tracked service instead? You would need to get a Royal Mail account, but it is so much less hassle than standing in a post office queue day in day out, still insured and you can specify you want it signed for. I recommend their tracked 48 service.

chunkychocky

What a load of rubbish! I use the online Royal Mail thingy to print off my postage, but still have to take Special Delivery items to the counter for them to attach the bar code label to start the tracking off. Royal Mail website produces the address label with one of those QR box things on it showing that I have paid for Special Delivery. Why would it give me one of those to print off if I'm not allowed to attach it? Biggest pile of steaming manure I've ever heard!

yangptangkipperbang

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:

Ooooh - you are a cynic

dktreesea

chunkychocky wrote: »

What a load of rubbish! I use the online Royal Mail thingy to print off my postage, but still have to take Special Delivery items to the counter for them to attach the bar code label to start the tracking off. Royal Mail website produces the address label with one of those QR box things on it showing that I have paid for Special Delivery. Why would it give me one of those to print off if I'm not allowed to attach it? Biggest pile of steaming manure I've ever heard!

??? you just order the special delivery stickers from the Royal Mail, plus the special delivery book, write up the details in the book, attach the parts of the sticker to the appropriate places in the book, and pay for it all online.

Kittenonthekeys

Thank you all.
This is all very interesting. I've never actually used online postage and certainly hadn't realised you could use it for SD.
As you say it prints the address label as part of the process, then what my PO is saying is nonsense.
My business is only small (not as many as 1000 parcels a year) but still enough to make this matter, and besides, its the principle, as going by the responses, these bizarre rules don't appear to have been encountered by anyone else!
I'm going to look into the 'small print' on RM website to see if all this carp is mentioned anywhere - in fact next time I visit the PO I have a good mind to ask them to show me where all this is stated.
In the meantime, I will contact them - thx for the Twitter tip, yes RM has responded well to that in the past.

Kittenonthekeys

Update: heard back from the PO and they confirmed there are no rules against re-using packaging as long as it's clearly labelled and the old details are obscured. And of course labels are allowed.
The PO staff member is to get some 'training'......