Royal Mail barcoding stamps - existing stamps valid only until 31 Jan 2023

martindow

lindylootoo said:

How many people have had their stamps stolen from the swapout scheme? 

I think a RM system overwhelmed or uderstaffed explains most cases of missing stamps rather than theft. 

From responses on here, they seem to be well aware of problems taking a customer's word for it when stamps are not received or incorrect stamps returned.

NBLondon

johnb2 said:

I sent in a range of 1st/2nd small/large letter stamps to get them barcoded, and the Royal Mail have only sent back small 1st stamps, so they expect me to overpay 27p per letter or faff around making up postage for large envelopes. How can I get the  variety of stamps I wanted?

As above - chase them up.  If you sent red 1st Large; you should have got blue barcoded 1st Large in return.

03457 740740  

johnb2

I have raised 2 support queries by email. Obviously I'm not going to waste my time in a support queue. They said "We are not always able to replace non-barcoded stamps with their like for like barcoded equivalent, so this time we are sending you 1st class stamps". It seems they have run out of second class stamps..... I am going to fight them.

HonestJohn

Stamp shortages might be due to the change of monarch.

HowardFisher

My problem is that Royal Mail rejected my stamps as counterfeit. Given I bought one book of 12 2nd class stamps in a Post Office and the other of 1st class stamps at a major supermarket some months earlier, the chance of both being counterfeit is vanishingly small. I’m going through their appeals process, but the first appeal wasn’t great - they simply reiterated that they were dud and gave no further details or photo so I can verify this or that they are even the stamps I returned (I kept a photo of the stamps being returned before sending them). They used my house name as my surname in their reply, so I’m not hugely convinced of their attention to detail.

NBLondon

johnb2 said:

I have raised 2 support queries by email. Obviously I'm not going to waste my time in a support queue. They said "We are not always able to replace non-barcoded stamps with their like for like barcoded equivalent, so this time we are sending you 1st class stamps". It seems they have run out of second class stamps..... I am going to fight them.

Are you saying they sent you a pile of 1sts to cover your numerical values instead of a pile of 2nds?  Is it the right total value?  Not sure if that's worth the fight.

Or are you saying you sent Large 1sts and got the same value in standard 1sts but a larger number?  You're right - that's not the agreement.

NBLondon

HonestJohn said:

Stamp shortages might be due to the change of monarch.

Don't see how...  The barcoded ones were printed at the start of the year and probably in millions.  I suspect that RM underestimated how many were going to be sent back from collectors and dealers,

johnb2

NBLondon said:

johnb2 said:

I have raised 2 support queries by email. Obviously I'm not going to waste my time in a support queue. They said "We are not always able to replace non-barcoded stamps with their like for like barcoded equivalent, so this time we are sending you 1st class stamps". It seems they have run out of second class stamps..... I am going to fight them.

Are you saying they sent you a pile of 1sts to cover your numerical values instead of a pile of 2nds?  Is it the right total value?  Not sure if that's worth the fight.

Or are you saying you sent Large 1sts and got the same value in standard 1sts but a larger number?  You're right - that's not the agreement.

18 first, 30 second, 10 first large, 6 second large. So the value matched 64 first, but of course what I wanted is the same distribution I sent in. 64 first small stamps will last me a decade. I am very happy to fight companies that muck me around, and will inconvenience me for years to come.

bill888

fwiw, I sent in some books of 1st, 2nd and some very small sheets of unused 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p self adhesive stamps.  I also had to stick two very old stamps to the back of the form.   About 20 quids worth in total.

Two weeks later, I just received a letter today from Royal Mail claiming I did not send any stamps with the form.....  and to resubmit form and include the stamps.

I definitely included the self adhesive stamps with the form.  I couldn't get through to them by telephone, so submitted a swap out enquiry web form, quoting what looks like a reference number on the original letter.

Now read the deadline to use the old stamps has been extended to next July 2023.....


Update: 17th Nov.  Received a letter of apology regarding above letter they sent.  They have included loads of 1st class bar coded stamps.  Far more than the value of the stamps I sent in too.  Nice. 

geffers88

I have had a problem with swapping stamps using the Freepost Swap-out route. I sent my stamps worth over £50 to the address in a secure envelope. I have just received a letter stating that the stamps were not in the envelope. They were definitley in there so they have been 'lost' or 'removed by persons unknown'. The trouble with this is that because it is freepost you cannot get extra insurance cover. I have tried phoning but was on hold for more than 30 minutes. I have also emailed them but I don't hold out much hope for a refund. Why they could not have been swapped in a Post Office I just don't know or is it handy to 'lose' some in the post. Just thought I would post a warning to anyone swapping their stamps.