recorded delivery

soolin

I've just hit a snag with recorded delivery and as it may affect others I thought it was worth posting about.

I sent a package at the end of May to a department within one of Britain's largest universities and it has not been received. I have spent days chasing this up and making a claim for compensation against Royal Mail but my claim was refused.

The basis for refusal is that the postcode does not show in the RM database. The fact that you can Google search this postcode and get up various addresses that relate to it, and despite the fact that this relates to a branch one of the largest universities in this country and shows on their headed paper doesn't matter. I've even spoken to the university and they assure me they are there but the Royal Mail won't budge.

RM are saying that recorded and special delivery are only covered insurance wise if you use a postcode that is in their system, the fact that a genuine post code does not appear to be in their system does not help, I am not covered.

Soo

likabu_2

They should have told you that when you paid for the recorded delivery service. You have paid for nothing basically - wally's.


Lisa

Stonk

Is that written in the terms and conditions of the insurance? I don't think so.

Bossyboots

The post code issue is not the only problem with recorded delivery. Our postie at work just lobs the post through the door and nine times out of ten we do not get asked to sign for recorded items.

catalonia13

to the best of my knowledge a Postmaster is not supposed to accept a parcel without a valid postcode, so I wonder why this one accepted your parcel if it didn't come up on his system?, I'm sure he/she would have had to have checked before doing the Recorded Delivery bit?!

Altarf

soolin wrote:

the fact that a genuine post code does not appear to be in their system does not help,

Since the Royal Mail owns and manages Postcodes (as the Postcode Address File), if it is not in their system it is not a genuine Postcode (which as an aside is why the phone book did not show postcodes as the Royal Mail charge for their use and BT didn't want to pay).

I have found that not all Post Office branches check the Postcode when you send something (although they have the ability to do so), so as your experience shows, it is worth asking them to do so.

soolin

I have since found out that you can register with the Royal mail on their website and check up to 10 post codes a day for free. I sometimes check now for recorded delivery and have had another one where the post code does not exist. I got back to the buyer who told me that she lives in a new development and there has been major problems with her post code as 'they' (whoever they are) will not register it, so since moving in 14 months ago she has had lots of companies refuse to deliver to her or send packages as her entire estate of houses does not exist.

Soo

Altarf

If you have difficulty in finding a Postcode for an address, given how useless the Royal Mail site is, try using Streetmap to roughly find the location http://www.streetmap.co.uk and then click on the map so the arrow is pointing at the precise place. At the bottom of the page (almost hidden) is a link to "Click here to convert/measure coordinates". The page that comes up has the Postcode in it.

You can then check that Postcode back on the Royal Mail site to make sure it is valid.

You can also use the Streetmap site here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?GridConvert? to convert between a Postcode, an OS grid reference, a Landranger grid reference or Latitude and Longditure.

You can also get more than 12 searches of the Royal Mail site if you delete your cookies.

soolin

Altarf wrote:

You can also get more than 12 searches of the Royal Mail site if you delete your cookies.

That's worth knowing, thank you.

Soo

bonvonnie

I sent something via Standard Parcels, and I used the confirmed address on PayPal etc, but the PO wouldnt accept it, as the postcode wasnt recognised on their system.
So I had to go back home to contact the buyer, and she told me that she had a few problems, with the postcode, as RM changed them about 3 years ago!!!

why do RM go and change postcodes??
if change them, shouldnt their system be up-to-date??

Altarf

bonvonnie wrote:

why do RM go and change postcodes??
if change them, shouldnt their system be up-to-date??

RM change their postcodes for a variety of reasons, such as running out of numbers in a particular area, change of areas from rural to urban, etc.

RM's system will be up to date, after all they own the Postcodes, so whatever they say the Postcode is, that is what it is. The problem is everyone else's database is wrong. RM issue updates to the companies that purchase its Postcode database, but it can take a while for the information to filter through. For about 12 months the old and new postcodes exist in tandem to allow for this. However my area was 're-postcoded' about 5 years ago, but I still occasionally get mail from companies with the old Postcode on.

In your case it looks like the buyer didn't bother updating the Postcode that Paypal held with the new Postcode, not something that RM can really be held responsible for.