Royal Mail £8 Internal Post Handling Fee scam?

jimbms

A quick suggestion to this: If any of you know someone who lives in the Isle of Man, then the post office here do not charge for this international fee thing, so get it sent to your friend who can then send it on for the cost of a parcel delivery which is a little less than UK prices, I often do this for my sons who are over with you lot on the adjacent isle. It may be worth checking the Cannel Islands as I think do not charge this either.

cyberbob

jimbms wrote: »

A quick suggestion to this: If any of you know someone who lives in the Isle of Man, then the post office here do not charge for this international fee thing, so get it sent to your friend who can then send it on for the cost of a parcel delivery which is a little less than UK prices, I often do this for my sons who are over with you lot on the adjacent isle. It may be worth checking the Cannel Islands as I think do not charge this either.

Then though you may get to lots of tax to pay. Tax going into IOM or the CI then tax coming into the UK plus the handling fee.

zax47

silversapphire wrote: »

This is good news but what about those of us whose mail gets sent to Parcelforce automatically? AFAIK when USPS sent my last pair of boots and which I've just posted about as customs made me pay on the post charges as well, I have no say in whether I can use DHL or not. USPS send their mail here and then customs automatically send it to Royal Mail, it is really unfair.

USPS is the US Postal Service, so naturally it will be handled by their UK equivalent once it gets here - Royal Mail/Parcelforce. Just like if you sent it to the USA via Royal Mail - it would end up over there with USPS. If you want the seller to use DHL rather than "the post", them ask them to but it will probably cost more and may not be as convenient for them.

jimbms

cyberbob wrote: »

Then though you may get to lots of tax to pay. Tax going into IOM or the CI then tax coming into the UK plus the handling fee.

No tax to pay on goods from here when going to the UK there is a common trade agreement, don't know about CI though I think there may be with the UK but we also have an open trade with them.

thriftymanc

ARGH FLIPPING ROYAL MAIL!

I've been waiting for a parcel for about 6 weeks from the US. The sender insisted it was sent airmail ages ago, I assumed he was telling porkies and had sent it surface mail, or it had gone missing. I need it for Monday so I was getting really angry.

Yesterday a letter turns up from Royal Mail saying they've got my parcel - the letter was dated 28th May and yesterday was the 17th June, the letter was hand delivered so it looks like they've had it a while and only just remembered.

To make matters worse the name on the letter is wrong - I don't mean mispelled, I mean someone else's name entirely (I'm waiting for a reply from the seller to see if he wrote the wrong name on the parcel or if Royal Mail have put the wrong name on the letter). Now I'm worried I can't go and collect it in person because the letter says I have to take ID! I know it's definitely my parcel as I called Mount Pleasant and gave them the reference, they told me the sender's name and description of the parcel and it's what I was expecting.

Plus they're charging me that stupid £8 clearance fee which I am seriously not happy about considering they've had my parcel for three weeks (which incidentally is the amount of time they say they'll hold it before sending it back) and because it does not cost them £8 to hand deliver a letter when they're delivering post to my building anyway.

All day yesterday and today I've been trying the two phone numbers on the letter for my local area - no one is answering either of them! ARGH!

I need that parcel on Monday! I have no idea what to do. I can't go down there in person today as it'll be closed by the time I get there, and it's not open tomorrow... I guess I just have to turn up on Monday (that's another thing - the letter says they're open until 5pm but I've always been told in the past they're only open until noon, so which is right? I'll probably turn up at 4pm the earliest I can get there and find it closed) with a cheque for the VAT and hope that a) they won't make me pay that stupid fee and b) they let me have the parcel even though I can't produce ID for someone I've never heard of before

custardy

thriftymanc wrote: »

ARGH FLIPPING ROYAL MAIL!

I've been waiting for a parcel for about 6 weeks from the US. The sender insisted it was sent airmail ages ago, I assumed he was telling porkies and had sent it surface mail, or it had gone missing. I need it for Monday so I was getting really angry.

Yesterday a letter turns up from Royal Mail saying they've got my parcel - the letter was dated 28th May and yesterday was the 17th June, the letter was hand delivered so it looks like they've had it a while and only just remembered.

letter or card? as for hand delivered.I dont get this? arent all rM items hand delivered
To make matters worse the name on the letter is wrong - I don't mean mispelled, I mean someone else's name entirely (I'm waiting for a reply from the seller to see if he wrote the wrong name on the parcel or if Royal Mail have put the wrong name on the letter). Now I'm worried I can't go and collect it in person because the letter says I have to take ID! I know it's definitely my parcel as I called Mount Pleasant and gave them the reference, they told me the sender's name and description of the parcel and it's what I was expecting.

Take ID for the address that shows you live there

Plus they're charging me that stupid £8 clearance fee which I am seriously not happy about considering they've had my parcel for three weeks (which incidentally is the amount of time they say they'll hold it before sending it back) and because it does not cost them £8 to hand deliver a letter when they're delivering post to my building anyway.

sorry but the fee isnt for delivering a letter,CBA posting on this again

All day yesterday and today I've been trying the two phone numbers on the letter for my local area - no one is answering either of them! ARGH!

because the phones are understaffed,welcome to the staff cutws at RM
people are only interested when it affects them

I need that parcel on Monday! I have no idea what to do. I can't go down there in person today as it'll be closed by the time I get there, and it's not open tomorrow... I guess I just have to turn up on Monday (that's another thing - the letter says they're open until 5pm but I've always been told in the past they're only open until noon,

told by whom? many offices have had their opening hours extended

so which is right? I'll probably turn up at 4pm the earliest I can get there and find it closed) with a cheque for the VAT and hope that a) they won't make me pay that stupid fee and b) they let me have the parcel even though I can't produce ID for someone I've never heard of before

good luck with that plan,I would expect ot leave without your package in that case

/.///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

thriftymanc

Whatever the £8 fee is for there's no chance I'm paying it when they've held my parcel for three weeks without bothering to tell me they had it.

By hand delivered, I meant there's no stamp or post mark, it was just a plain envelope with the name and address handwritten on - so it's not been posted from somewhere else, possibly getting stuck somewhere else for three weeks, which would be slightly (...?!) more forgivable. They've only just bothered to give me this letter which they allegedly wrote in May, either that or they have no idea what the date is.

I'll take something with my address on and hope that does the trick, thanks for the advice. I can't prove I'm someone I've never claimed to be after all!

As for the opening hours, the redelivery cards still say noon on but this letter says 5pm. I had a redelivery card three days ago that said noon on it.

I don't know what that "people are only interested when it affects them" comment was about. That seems like a pointless dig, how do you know what my opinions on issues like this are? Are you suggesting I should spend all my free time campaigning for more staff in Royal Mail sorting offices just in case I ever have a parcel attract a customs fee again?

Freddie_Snowbits

thriftymanc wrote: »

Whatever the £8 fee is for there's no chance I'm paying it when they've held my parcel for three weeks without bothering to tell me they had it.

1 How do you know they have held on to it for upteen weeks?

2 Ignorance is bliss.

Freddie has no problem importing from the USA!

custardy

thriftymanc wrote: »

Whatever the £8 fee is for there's no chance I'm paying it when they've held my parcel for three weeks without bothering to tell me they had it.
as i said,good luck with that
By hand delivered, I meant there's no stamp or post mark, it was just a plain envelope with the name and address handwritten on - so it's not been posted from somewhere else, possibly getting stuck somewhere else for three weeks, which would be slightly (...?!) more forgivable.

Its an RM charge item.why would RM pay postage to themselves to send an item through their own system? delivery offices have no need to apply postage to mail their own staff will be delivering in their own delivery area They've only just bothered to give me this letter which they allegedly wrote in May, either that or they have no idea what the date is.

well it could have been misdated,or theres been nobody doing the charges.i have seen the bags stacking up as theres not enough staff
see my point below on staffing

I'll take something with my address on and hope that does the trick, thanks for the advice. I can't prove I'm someone I've never claimed to be after all!

As for the opening hours, the redelivery cards still say noon on but this letter says 5pm. I had a redelivery card three days ago that said noon on it.

well ask when you are in,It could be as simple as a ROMEC printing error on either types of card

I don't know what that "people are only interested when it affects them" comment was about. That seems like a pointless dig, how do you know what my opinions on issues like this are? Are you suggesting I should spend all my free time campaigning for more staff in Royal Mail sorting offices just in case I ever have a parcel attract a customs fee again?

my point is,get used to it
staff levels get cut,service levels drop

mazza111

Of course, you could always pay the fee online and get the item delivered at a time that suits you. But that would mean paying the full fee.

So they actually sent a letter in a white envelope? Or sent a grey and white postcard?

Not going to defend RM when they do wrong, even if I do work for them. But am trying to understand what it is you have been sent.

Had a classic customs charge error today written on a card. Poor guy who did it wrote the value of the item down, instead of the charge, poor customer thought he had a £60 charge :rotfl:Image the relief when I told him it wasn't that much