Underpaid postage on Xmas card.

silverfox51

Unsure of correct Forum for this, but it is Xmas related. Recently received basic Xmas card with current 2nd Class stamp and sorting office sticker requiring 19p for underpaid postage + £1 handling fee - total payable £1.19. The card measured 20x20cm, which exceeded current Royal Mail size by 4cm on one axis for standard 2nd class letter. Many RM customers still post cards in local postbox, not over the counter, so perhaps card manufacturers should be required to devise and print a basic rate postage code on card, alongside current price code.

custardy

silverfox51 wrote: »

Unsure of correct Forum for this, but it is Xmas related. Recently received basic Xmas card with current 2nd Class stamp and sorting office sticker requiring 19p for underpaid postage + £1 handling fee - total payable £1.19. The card measured 20x20cm, which exceeded current Royal Mail size by 4cm on one axis for standard 2nd class letter. Many RM customers still post cards in local postbox, not over the counter, so perhaps card manufacturers should be required to devise and print a basic rate postage code on card, alongside current price code.

many already do dont they? what happens to the cards they hold when the prices change?
Did you inform the sender?
It has been at least 6 years since the changes were brought in

IrishRose12

Personally don't think it's the senders fault, or the card manufacturers fault. IMO it's Royal Mail's fault for introducing such silly prices, rules and regulations. No matter how long these have been in place for, Royal Mail is a money grabbing bunch of so and so's and have no-one to blame but themselves when they go belly up as people are getting fed up with them. Think it's an absolute joke what they get away with these days and charging stupid amounts of money for a service that doesn't exist.

In the run up to Christmas it was our everyday normal postman that was posting things through our door, be it from Amazon, Boots or be it a small parcel or a large parcel. SO the can't use the excuse that they need extra people to deliver parcels, or extra vehicles, as there has been neither at my door this past 2 years!

The sooner they are made accountable for their RIDICULOUS size and weight prices and all other silly prices the better.

custardy

IrishRose12 wrote: »

Personally don't think it's the senders fault, or the card manufacturers fault. IMO it's Royal Mail's fault for introducing such silly prices, rules and regulations. No matter how long these have been in place for, Royal Mail is a money grabbing bunch of so and so's and have no-one to blame but themselves when they go belly up as people are getting fed up with them. Think it's an absolute joke what they get away with these days and charging stupid amounts of money for a service that doesn't exist.

In the run up to Christmas it was our everyday normal postman that was posting things through our door, be it from Amazon, Boots or be it a small parcel or a large parcel. SO the can't use the excuse that they need extra people to deliver parcels, or extra vehicles, as there has been neither at my door this past 2 years!

The sooner they are made accountable for their RIDICULOUS size and weight prices and all other silly prices the better.

Nice rant....

Dozey_crow

silverfox51 wrote: »

Unsure of correct Forum for this, but it is Xmas related. Recently received basic Xmas card with current 2nd Class stamp and sorting office sticker requiring 19p for underpaid postage + £1 handling fee - total payable £1.19. The card measured 20x20cm, which exceeded current Royal Mail size by 4cm on one axis for standard 2nd class letter. Many RM customers still post cards in local postbox, not over the counter, so perhaps card manufacturers should be required to devise and print a basic rate postage code on card, alongside current price code.

This happened to us too although the card that RM left said 'parcel'. We weren't expecting anything so did not respond to it. Blimen ridiculous!

custardy

Dozey_crow wrote: »

This happened to us too although the card that RM left said 'parcel'. We weren't expecting anything so did not respond to it. Blimen ridiculous!

Whats the problem?
Sender didnt pay,you got the option to pay.
Should RM not bother if items are underpaid?

Dozey_crow

custardy wrote: »

Whats the problem?
Sender didnt pay,you got the option to pay.
Should RM not bother if items are underpaid?

Not a problem at all for us as we werent expecting anything and therefore didn't bother fetching the 'parcel' from the depot. We had a card with absolutely no information other than the parcel box ticked and 19p underpayment with a£1 handling charge.

So we would be expected to pay £1.19 plus petrol to fetch a random parcel that we weren't expecting?? Ridiculous!

RM should charge but the actual POSTAGE deficit was 19p postage costs are high anyway and as someone else had pointed out the system is unnecessarily confusing. The additional pound is for the post person ticking a box and returning the item to the depot where it is placed in a purpose built section for collection. The postage cost is entirely reasonable not the so called handling free in my opinion.

Twisted_Cherry

My auntie made this mistake for years on Christmas Cards and Birthday Cards, eventually I stopped bothering to collect them and pay for them... Royal Mail charged meant I was paying more to them that what the card cost!

david39

It would be quite simple for the card manufacturer to put a warning code that everyone could understand meant that the card would not go through at standard postage rate.

They don't need to state the cost, just warn people that they need to check the rate or buy a different card.

I suppose non-standard-size cards are becoming more popular as so many people have stopped posting cards anyway - they just hand them out to people or send an email instead.

custardy

Dozey_crow wrote: »

Not a problem at all for us as we werent expecting anything and therefore didn't bother fetching the 'parcel' from the depot. We had a card with absolutely no information other than the parcel box ticked and 19p underpayment with a£1 handling charge.

So we would be expected to pay £1.19 plus petrol to fetch a random parcel that we weren't expecting?? Ridiculous!

RM should charge but the actual POSTAGE deficit was 19p postage costs are high anyway and as someone else had pointed out the system is unnecessarily confusing. The additional pound is for the post person ticking a box and returning the item to the depot where it is placed in a purpose built section for collection. The postage cost is entirely reasonable not the so called handling free in my opinion.

So in your world. Why would anyone bother with postage? If you dont have any extra cost.
Why not send without postage and hope not to get caught?
You have no idea oviously. The 'post 'person' isnt returning an item.
Charge items are handled in a different pipeline once identified as having a deficit in postage. If the postage cost is reasonable,where does the extra costs in charge items get covered?
Its all about time and costs through the network. You are basing your point on postage is too expensive and why should you pay petrol to collect. Who do you see covering the costs in charge items?
If they only charged postage,you wouldnt have an issue collecting that unexpected parcel?
FYI,there is no parcel box to 'tick' on the charge cards.£1.19 would in most cases be an underpaid large letter. Pay online and have it delivered with no petrol costs. save the planet

TONY1

we had the same last year sent 18 cards all the same size and weight 16 got through 2 was stop saying not enough postage and charged £1.19 to get delivered