Stolen items in postal system.

polishingpete

I would appreciate anyones help and guidance on the problem I have detailed below.
I sent a package from England to a Greek Island, Global Priority signed for on delivery and insured for £1700. When the package arrived it had been opened enroute and the contents stolen. The recipient assures me he was handed the parcel in the street and did not sign anything. Eventually Parcelforce provided me with a signature (it took ten days) they got from Greece which, when forwarded to the recipient, was denied being his and he restated he didn't sign anything.
Now to the contents, it was a gold/precious stone ring which I am now told is not covered for compensation.
At our local Post Office there were almost whoops of surprise when I requested the package be insured for £1700 as they had never had an insurance charge for £68.70 before! The total postage cost including postage was £107.22 for a small padded envelope but not once did they ask me what the contents was nor was I given any documentation on what is and what is not covered. Also there are no signs telling you what you what you are not covered for, only a list of prohibited items.
I have read other posts on problems dealing with ParcelForce and feel sick!
Any clues which direction to turn as each contact I make I'm told 'jewellery is not covered'. I have done a word search in the Parcelforce conditions of carriage and nowhere does the word jewellery appear. It is only when you are in the need for making a claim does this exclusion appear.
Your comments would be appreciated.
Kind Regards
Peter

mattyprice4004

From the conditions of carriage:
4. Restricted and prohibited goods

4.1 Prohibited Goods and Restricted Goods are described in the Retail Guide.

From the retail guide:
Compensation exclusions
Below is a list of goods excluded from compensation for loss/damage:
5. Valuables:
• Antiques (objects over 100 years old)
• Articles made largely or wholly of gold, silver or other precious metals
• Diamonds and other precious stones
• Fur (except imitation)
• Jewellery (except imitation)
• Sim cards
• Watches

If you're sending something worth £1700, it would make sense to double-check all documentation first to make sure it's covered. I'd be triple checking everything before sending something of that value.

battleborn

You made an error in choosing ParcelForce, you should have used someone like DHL or UPS.

visidigi

battleborn wrote: »

You made an error in choosing ParcelForce, you should have used someone like DHL or UPS.

I wouldn't have bothered with any.

Chances are Parcelforce didn't even take this shipment themselves but handed over to one of the big three (DHL, UPS or FedEx) - and none of them cover compensation for jewellry.

To use the Parcelforce service you have to write on the docket what it is and where its going to so I am a little confused as to how 'no one asked me what was in it'.

Can you provide more information?

tinkerbell28

I would not of sent anything worth nearly 2k to Greece full stop.

mattyprice4004

tinkerbell28 wrote: »

I would not of sent anything worth nearly 2k to Greece full stop.

Worth more than their economy!

battleborn

visidigi wrote: »

I wouldn't have bothered with any.

Chances are Parcelforce didn't even take this shipment themselves but handed over to one of the big three (DHL, UPS or FedEx) - and none of them cover compensation for jewellry.

To use the Parcelforce service you have to write on the docket what it is and where its going to so I am a little confused as to how 'no one asked me what was in it'.

Can you provide more information?

Atleast with DHL or UPS you could have tracked it door to door.

I fear you might be fighting a losing battle.

A flight on Ryanair or Easyjet to Greece to deliver yourself would have been a better choice in hindsight, and you wouldnt be £1700 out of pocket.

Lesson learned but the wheels keep turning.

visidigi

battleborn wrote: »

Atleast with DHL or UPS you could have tracked it door to door.

I fear you might be fighting a losing battle.

A flight on Ryanair or Easyjet to Greece to deliver yourself would have been a better choice in hindsight, and you wouldnt be £1700 out of pocket.

Lesson learned but the wheels keep turning.

You can with FedEx and parcel force too.

All of them offer full tracking...tracking isn't the issue here though, it's the security and the fact that no courier covers such items, jewellers who use couriers have to have external insurance coverage.

battleborn

Well the OP is well and truly........then.

MamaMoo_2

Actually, I'm half with the OP here. As it was sent by Parcelforce, you'd be looking at their restricted goods list. Neither here, http://www.postoffice.co.uk/prohibited-items here, http://www.postoffice.co.uk/sites/default/files/6966%20DG%20countertop%20DL%20leaflet_tag%20version_3.pdf nor here http://parcelforce.com/retailprohibitions is jewellery mentioned as a restricted or prohibited item...

The only time this shows up is in "items excluded from compensation" http://www.parcelforce.com/help-information/compensation-refunds-and-claims/items-we-exclude-compensation

Surely it's unfair to carry an item but refuse to insure it?

However, ultimately, the OP should have researched the insurance first to make sure it was suitable, so there's no real recourse here. Still a bit iffy though, as surely it's unfair to carry but not insure an item, especially as OP paid the hefty premium.

polishingpete

Guess we are all wise after the event, thought I'd covered all eventualities by insuring it, when I stood at the counter the staff did not ask why I was insuring for a record breaking amount of money (In this office). There was no docket involved, with hindsight I get the feeling they just handle a parcel, charge the fee and leave it up to the customer to know if they can or can't be insured, thats the negligent part I feel. Without any knowledge of the postal or postal insurance system how is someone expected to know what is covered? With car insurance you get (the option) to see the policy before you buy..
Kind Regards
Peter