Does Recorded Delivery actually exist?

Chomeur

I'm trying to get my head round the different options for sending an item, say a passport, in the post. From what I can see https://www.royalmail.com/sending the options are:

1. Special before 9am, compensation limit £750
2. Special before 1pm, £750
3. Tracked 24, £150
4. Tracked 48, £150
5. 1st class signed for, £50

My passport has less than six months to run, so is fairly useless, but it would be a big inconvenience if it got lost. If I'm not so worried about the financial compensation I guess it's still worth sending it special delivery because the chance of it getting lost must then be a lot less as Royal Mail will take better care of it.

Have I got my head around the different options correct? The people to whom I am sending the passport advise to send it Special or Recorded delivery. But does recorded delivery actually exist?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Recorded Delivery is now called Signed For and is treated the same as standard (1st/2nd) mail except for the postman getting a signature upon delivery, which is most cases means them scribbling something on the PDA.

For something you wish to reduce the risk of it going missing as much as possible Special Delivery is the answer, with the contents being safely packaged  

Chomeur

Thanks. I have some difficulty in understanding how Special Delivery actually makes an item less likely to go astray. If I was a dishonest postal worker I would be keener to steal a Special Delivery item than one sent by regular post. But perhaps the Royal Mail has systems in place to make theft of Special Delivery items harder.

EffieTrinketsWig

As I understand it Special Delivery items have a chain of custody, each individual employee who handles the package has to sign as received so it is easy for Royal Mail to identify if someone has lost or stolen the item whilst in transit.

jon81uk

Chomeur said:

Thanks. I have some difficulty in understanding how Special Delivery actually makes an item less likely to go astray. If I was a dishonest postal worker I would be keener to steal a Special Delivery item than one sent by regular post. But perhaps the Royal Mail has systems in place to make theft of Special Delivery items harder.

Special Delivery is fully tracked, so like using a courier it is scanned regularly so Royal Mail should know where it is.  If buying direct from Royal Mail website there are also the Tracked 24/48 options. Signed For has very limited tracking and is mainly about it being confirmed as delivered.