Royal mail recorded delivery

talksalot81

The last while I have noticed that items delivered to me by RM recorded delivery are being left without a signature and those I send recorded are rarely showing as having been delivered via the website (and in some instances I know they have been - but the signing I dont know).

Has anyone else noticed this? Am I just unlucky at the moment!?

motorguy

I sold an item on ebay and the guy sent me £1600 in cash via Special Delivery. Our postie just stuck the special delivery bag through the door. No signature required, nothing!

If i had been a less scrupulous individual, RM would have had no evidence i received it. :eek:

gibbyni

we send about 15 - 20 shoe box sized parcels a week all recorded delivery, only about half show as delivered on the site even though they all do get delivered. On the up side after a year of sending them i think only 1 has ever went missing and only a hand full have taken about a week to get there.

talksalot81

My concern is that I use recorded or special delivery for legal reasons. It gives me proof that the item arrived where I said it went. If they dont get a signature, then I might as well not have bothered paying the premium for the recorded service! I am tempted to contact them and ask for refunds....

gibbyni

talksalot81 wrote: »

My concern is that I use recorded or special delivery for legal reasons. It gives me proof that the item arrived where I said it went. If they dont get a signature, then I might as well not have bothered paying the premium for the recorded service! I am tempted to contact them and ask for refunds....

You should, its only a phone call, the last time i did it i didnt even have to send the slips in. Or if you want you can download the form from the royal mail website and send them in.

Jon_C

Our postie in north Down scribbles illegibly on the docket himself and posts the package through the letterbox or leaves in in our porch if it doesn't fit.

It's handy most of the time as it saves me having to go to the post office or await redelivery if I just miss him but in theory could be problematic (for him more than me I guess).

Contains_Mild_Peril

I've heard a few similar stories about Recorded, but it's a bit worrying if it happens with Special too. Recorded isn't any quicker and (arguably) unlikely to be safer, but it's (theoretically) useful when you need to know and/ or prove that the item was delivered, which is why it's often used for legal documents. I've taken to using it to communicate with the Inland Revenue since they developed a bad habit of losing my paperwork then blaming me for not sending it.
I do get a bit annoyed when ebay sellers insist on using Recorded for low value items which would fit through my letterbox, because my postie never even bothers to knock, he just leaves a card and I have to go to the sorting office to collect it.

ballyblack

ebay sellers insist on using Recorded

How else would a ebay seller have proof they posted the item?

lisyloo

How else would a ebay seller have proof the posted the item?

You can get a free proof of posting from the post office.
It proves the item was posted (but don't not prove receipt).

This can be useful in certain circumstances if the 70p for recorded is not justified.

Some companies use this e.g . wilkinsons DVD rental.
I would guess for their business it isn't worth paying 70p each time but the proof of posting means they can't get ripped of by unscrupulous customers.

Obviously it depends on the circumstances as to which service is best, but being an ardent money saver then the 70p is not always necessary.

philhelen

Yes this is very common, I've had it happen to me a few times. I spoke to Royal Mail and they simply said it shouldn't happen, great advice!!
I've started to use Special Delivery now as it seems the safer option, even though it is more expensive. Or depending on the value of the item sending it normal post and replacing if needs be, it works out cheaper in the long run!

Donal

Quick tip for Recorded Delivery - if you're ordering tickets online and the seller offers Recorded, don't take it, as tickets aren't then covered for compensation if it gets lost.