Whats the point of special delivery?

nanker

hi all,
an odd question, but bear with me.

i recently ordered a 4 caret gem to make into a ring for my wife. it was sent to me using royal mail's special delivery. when it arrived and i was asked to sign for it, i was not allowed to open the package in order to check it was inside. posty said "more than my jobs worth" and that he would get sacked if i opened it first. i explained that i did not want to sign to say i had received something without checking. so off it went back to the sorting office.

i called the post office for clarification, and it appears he was correct - all i am signing for is to confirm the package arrived!

now, when i have been to the post office and wish to send valuable items they sell me special delivery, telling me its insured up to £2500. when the customer signs the other end, i consider that they have received the goods, not just the packaging.

this has exposed a fundamental flaw in their service, and i urge you to think before signing for goods sent this way. i shall send by other courier service from now on.

rant over!

bclark

I have to agree to be honest. The other day I received a Special Delivery item which I signed for on the doorstep and when I closed the door and opened it I found out that the package had been tampered with and the package was empty. There was supposed to be an expensive electrical item in the package sent from my work.

Of course now the Post Office can just say that I signed for the item so they are covered. That is why they do it I suppose.

matimage

Aren't you supposed to always sign for things as 'unchecked' then you're covered when you do open it?

nanker

i wanted to do that, but i was informed that i couldn't sign unchecked. never had this problem with other couriers. makes me mad, as i have sent tens of thousands of pounds worth of goods special delivery, not any more though!

Andy_L

The point of special delivery is that they guarantee next day delivery. It's only covered for £500 unless you buy extra cover.

Bclark - how is the compensation claim going? Are they saying you signed for it so no compo?

nanker

ahh, but they are only guaranteeing delivery of the packaging , not the contents andy.

the customer service manager at the post office explained to me today that the recipient should not even touch the package without signing first. he also suggested that any one who would wish to inspect before signing would be suspected of "fraudulent action", what could he mean?

when else would you be expected to sign to say you had received something without being allowed to check first?

Badger_Lady

If we were able to only sign for items that were inside the package, the Royal Mail would suddenly become liable for claims on those items. Since they have no involvement in items being dispatched, only the delivery service that they operate, this would be ridiculous.

The best way for RM to protect themselves is to only take and deliver sealed packages - that way they can not take liability for the items within, only their delivery.

Yes, they insure items, but only against damage / loss in transit, nothing else. You are not signing to say "yes, I received my item", you are signing to say "yes, I received a sealed packet from Royal Mail". Anything that's wrong inside the package is down to the person who sent it to you.

Of course, if there are signs of tampering, this is something you should be able to see without opening the package.

custardy

rm deliver to addresses,pure and simple.
if the package is intact then thats all RM can vouch for.

FYI any mail in transit belongs to the queen by law.
until you sign for that item it is still classed as in transit.
even in RM only one office has been granted legal rights to open mail and thats the belfast office where letters are sent without return addresses
couriers are not under the same legal obligation

i had an old guy recently get an RD item in the office which waws signed for and handed over.
i had noted it had a security seal on the envelope which was intact.
he went away and came back a few minutes later saying it should have had a diamond ring inside but it wasnt there.
i pointed out the security seal was intact but he said 'we' must have done somthing :rolleyes:

nanker

thanks for all your comments and observations.

i take your point,badger-lady, but if i were to sign and subsequently find a pebble instead of a gem stone inside, it would leave me in a very precarious position. every other courier i have used will allow me to look inside, or if not too valuable or i am in a hurry, i simply sign "unchecked". the royal mail does not allow this. i am not even permitted to check to see if the package has been tampered with before signing for it.

custardy,

RD item, return delivery? the example you have cited is exactly what i am talking about. if you had allowed the old guy to open in front of you, there could be no argument as to whether the ring was inside or not.

bclark

Andy_L wrote: »

The point of special delivery is that they guarantee next day delivery. It's only covered for £500 unless you buy extra cover.

Bclark - how is the compensation claim going? Are they saying you signed for it so no compo?

I am not too sure, my work has taken over as it was them who sent it. I rang the Royal Mail straight away and they weren't helpful and I had to fill in a form. The tape had been ripped off the parcel and it was stapled back down.

custardy

nanker wrote: »

thanks for all your comments and observations.

i take your point,badger-lady, but if i were to sign and subsequently find a pebble instead of a gem stone inside, it would leave me in a very precarious position. every other courier i have used will allow me to look inside, or if not too valuable or i am in a hurry, i simply sign "unchecked". the royal mail does not allow this. i am not even permitted to check to see if the package has been tampered with before signing for it.

custardy,

RD item, return delivery? the example you have cited is exactly what i am talking about. if you had allowed the old guy to open in front of you, there could be no argument as to whether the ring was inside or not.

RD=recorded delivery.however its not RM's duty ot police whats inside a package.
the security seal was intact when i passed the item over so whats inside is between the old guy and his company.
thats between the recipient and sender.remember RM's contract is with the sender.
as ive stated before RM cannot allow items ot be opened before delivery(by law) is complete.