Royal Mail Tracked parcel

Gillyjoslin

Hi, I posted a Christmas parcel via Royal Mail Tracked and signed for service. It was a Christmas present for a little girl who has special needs. Our nephew had recently moved and had not got round to giving us his new address, when they tried to deliver the parcel the occupant of the house advised the postman that they know longer lived there. I checked on line to see if it had been delivered and found the message that the parcel was unable to be delivered as the family had moved. Trying to converse on line with their automated customer service just sent me round in circles. I managed to find a customer service number , and spent and hour on Monday trying to get through, eventually managed to speak to an advisor who confirmed all of the above. I assumed wrongly that as there was a tracking number on the parcel, they would be able to redirect the parcel to  their new address- but apparently they cant do that they have to return it to sender. The only problem with that is my details are not in or on the parcel, I explained at no time when I paid for it at the post office that I needed put my details on the item.  So therefore they cant redirect the parcel, it cant be sent to back to me as my address is not on the package, it will be sent to Belfast where basically it will be left. I have paid £6.20 for it to be tracked, plus the cost of the present and as I didn't put my details on the parcel I cant claim for the loss. So just a warning put your sender details on the parcel- I would like to know what happens to all the items that must end up in Belfast! No apology from the post office just a guy with a monotone voice who didn't want to know or help - when I asked him why I wasn't advised to put my details on the package he said the Post Office counter and Royal Mail are two different companies.! Has anyone else experienced this issue, and did you managed to find your parcel?

MattMattMattUK

Gillyjoslin said:

No apology from the post office just a guy with a monotone voice who didn't want to know or help

He is a guy in a call centre, with no ability to change things, who is not to blame.

Gillyjoslin said:

I have paid £6.20 for it to be tracked, plus the cost of the present and as I didn't put my details on the parcel I cant claim for the loss.

Royal Mail (it is in their terms of service) advise people to put a return address on everything that is sent with them.

Gillyjoslin said:

Has anyone else experienced this issue, and did you managed to find your parcel?

I am sure many people have had the same issue, I am sure that no one has had the issue resolved. Royal Mail are huge, they will not have the time (especially at this time of year) to go hunting for individual rejected packages and even if they did, the changes of them being able to back trace them, to a person on a phone call would be very difficult, if not impossible.

Unfortunately this is one of those situations that you will have to chalk up to experience.

Gillyjoslin

Thanks I appreciate your comments, I just think as the parcel has a tracking number on it, it should be easier to locate it.

Flight3287462

All parcels should have the senders address, you made a mistake.

DiddyDavies

I'm not trying to be funny or nasty here but there were plenty or errors made, none of which were by the Post Office or Royal mail so neither of those two organisations have done anything that needs apologising for.

Your nephew had moved and hadn't yet passed on their new address.
Your nephew didn't have a mail redirection service in operation or they had one which had expired.
Contrary to Royal Mail guidance, you didn't put a returns address on the outside of the package nor on the inside.

Gillyjoslin

Thanks I realise my mistake, but as mentioned above it does have a tracking number on the parcel - if it is possible to track it to the address, surely it can still be tracked now? I just hope the present is given to a good cause and not just destroyed.

donnac2558

I have always put my address on all parcels I have ever sent as the sender.   No one ever told me I should do it I just did.

Aylesbury_Duck

Gillyjoslin said:

Thanks I realise my mistake, but as mentioned above it does have a tracking number on the parcel - if it is possible to track it to the address, surely it can still be tracked now? I just hope the present is given to a good cause and not just destroyed.

You're lucky the new homeowners aren't like many of the chancers we get on here, grabbing whatever erroneously arrives on their doorstep and trying to keep it, citing "unsolicited goods".  At least they had the decency to turn it away.

davidmcn

Gillyjoslin said:

if it is possible to track it to the address, surely it can still be tracked now?

Yes, I expect the Belfast office will do their best. But it may take time.

DiddyDavies

It might not help (but it couldn't do any harm) but why not write directly to the Royal Mail returns centre in Belfast and explain what has happened. If you send a copy of the tracking receipt and your postal address, they might be able to locate the package when it gets sent there and then arrange for it to be returnsed to you.
A long shot, but for the sake of a stamp might be worth trying.

Their address is:
Royal Mail National returns centre,
20 Donegall Quay,
Belfast
BT1 3AS

Gillyjoslin

Thank you, I will pop a letter in the post tomorrow, as you say for the cost of a stamp it may be found.