Royal Mail / Post Office dishonesty
Discussion
Having seen what’s going on with the Post Office and the Horizon situation with the postmasters it’s made me think about how much we can trust the Post Office / Royal Mail.
At the end of last year I posted an item via insured delivery via Royal Mail. When it arrived at the company doing the refurbishment it had been damaged in transit. I made a claim as it was circa £100 to rectify the damage and they’ve turned it down. I’ve escalated the claim and they’ve come back to reject my claim still.
They’ve done this all by automated email without any contact details to effectively make it impossible for me to contact them.
Anyone else have similar experience with them when you have paid for insured delivery and they stonewall you? I’d like to get a bit of an idea of numbers because I have a suspicion I am not alone and given what is being reported in the press it’s made me wonder if there is more corruption.
At the end of last year I posted an item via insured delivery via Royal Mail. When it arrived at the company doing the refurbishment it had been damaged in transit. I made a claim as it was circa £100 to rectify the damage and they’ve turned it down. I’ve escalated the claim and they’ve come back to reject my claim still.
They’ve done this all by automated email without any contact details to effectively make it impossible for me to contact them.
Anyone else have similar experience with them when you have paid for insured delivery and they stonewall you? I’d like to get a bit of an idea of numbers because I have a suspicion I am not alone and given what is being reported in the press it’s made me wonder if there is more corruption.
Challo said:
Have you ever had any issues using other couriers? What was their reasoning for turning down the claim?
What’s the corruption? That they deliberately damaged your item and technically stole the insurance money?
I’ve paid extra for insured delivery. They damaged it. They are refusing to pay out without providing an adequate reason. Therefore at the very least they are miss-selling the insurance. It’s not like any other insurance where a booklet is given - nor does the receipt direct you to an online terms and conditions etc.What’s the corruption? That they deliberately damaged your item and technically stole the insurance money?
My main interest is to know if any others have suffered this - have others had pay outs etc?
W12GT said:
I’ve paid extra for insured delivery. They damaged it. They are refusing to pay out without providing an adequate reason. Therefore at the very least they are miss-selling the insurance. It’s not like any other insurance where a booklet is given - nor does the receipt direct you to an online terms and conditions etc.
My main interest is to know if any others have suffered this - have others had pay outs etc?
Maybe they have reason to think that the recipient damaged it rather than in transit. Maybe they have had many many claims from that recipient address.My main interest is to know if any others have suffered this - have others had pay outs etc?
As you say it would be nice to know.
One way to escalate is to email the CEO (google ceo email) and send a polite, short email with your request and the resolution that you want. These normally get intercepted by their exec assistant and then sent downwards to the customer care team which means it lands on a more senior desk than a normal complaint...
W12GT said:
Having seen what’s going on with the Post Office and the Horizon situation with the postmasters it’s made me think about how much we can trust the Post Office / Royal Mail.
At the end of last year I posted an item via insured delivery via Royal Mail. When it arrived at the company doing the refurbishment it had been damaged in transit. I made a claim as it was circa £100 to rectify the damage and they’ve turned it down. I’ve escalated the claim and they’ve come back to reject my claim still.
They’ve done this all by automated email without any contact details to effectively make it impossible for me to contact them.
Anyone else have similar experience with them when you have paid for insured delivery and they stonewall you? I’d like to get a bit of an idea of numbers because I have a suspicion I am not alone and given what is being reported in the press it’s made me wonder if there is more corruption.
Very similar experience of a valuable parcel being sent via Royalk Mail. It arrived at the business and it was clear that the box had been cut open and the contents removed. RM said that they would do a search for the missing item, I sent them a photograph showing that the box had been cut open, they blamed me for not using a thicker card box and said that it could have happened when the box was still with the Post Office. At the end of last year I posted an item via insured delivery via Royal Mail. When it arrived at the company doing the refurbishment it had been damaged in transit. I made a claim as it was circa £100 to rectify the damage and they’ve turned it down. I’ve escalated the claim and they’ve come back to reject my claim still.
They’ve done this all by automated email without any contact details to effectively make it impossible for me to contact them.
Anyone else have similar experience with them when you have paid for insured delivery and they stonewall you? I’d like to get a bit of an idea of numbers because I have a suspicion I am not alone and given what is being reported in the press it’s made me wonder if there is more corruption.
I think that a member of Royal Mail staff saw the address on the parcel, guessed the contents and thought that he would like it. happened twice now.
At work, we have to send and receive a lot of original documents/important documents, so not breakable items, but a pain when they get lost.
I’ve learned that Signed For delivery means s
t all, half the time the posties are not scanning the tracking numbers so we have no idea if items are received or not, and claiming for ones that don’t get there is a massive ball ache that we’ve learned not to bother with as it’s more hassle than the measly payout. Special Delivery is better but still not reliable. One special 1pm next day item sent to us was posted in Dec 22 and arrived in July 23…
And the week before Christmas, the temporary RM postman taking the evening collection took away our box full of mail we received that morning, despite all the envelopes in that box being addressed to the same place… our office which he was standing in
But it’s not really dishonesty, it’s just poor service and lack of experienced staff. Our regular friendly postman can’t wait to retire, only has a few more years so is sticking it out
Dishonesty is what the PO did to those poor sub postmasters. In fact, it’s not dishonesty, it’s down right disgusting
I’ve learned that Signed For delivery means s
t all, half the time the posties are not scanning the tracking numbers so we have no idea if items are received or not, and claiming for ones that don’t get there is a massive ball ache that we’ve learned not to bother with as it’s more hassle than the measly payout. Special Delivery is better but still not reliable. One special 1pm next day item sent to us was posted in Dec 22 and arrived in July 23…And the week before Christmas, the temporary RM postman taking the evening collection took away our box full of mail we received that morning, despite all the envelopes in that box being addressed to the same place… our office which he was standing in
But it’s not really dishonesty, it’s just poor service and lack of experienced staff. Our regular friendly postman can’t wait to retire, only has a few more years so is sticking it out
Dishonesty is what the PO did to those poor sub postmasters. In fact, it’s not dishonesty, it’s down right disgusting
Edited by Ffordd Ar Gau on Saturday 6th January 18:27
I’ve had quite a few items not received, things like critical documentation, packages with items of value enclosed. All sent special/recorded.
Our village postal worker said (and he’s been working for them for over 20 years in various roles) that the service is in a complete state.
Understand royal mail and the post office are different entities though, but would stand that the evidence shows they are in equal state of disrepair
Our village postal worker said (and he’s been working for them for over 20 years in various roles) that the service is in a complete state.
Understand royal mail and the post office are different entities though, but would stand that the evidence shows they are in equal state of disrepair
Of the entire operation is still around in 5 years I will be amazed, I know at least 3 or 4 long term posies who have quit, and one to do a menial, job delivering,.
They are operating a business that is simply not needed as it was and are more interested in making money than keeping to their promises.
The sad thing is they have done as much cost saving as they can, but the pension pot is simply too dear to lok after for a business that is simply dying, so it will go under, a few will get very rich, hopefully the pension pot is maintained, but I would not hold my breath on that.
I temped there very briefly in the summer, it was awful, as a temp within a day doing a full round on my own, one day of training with a lifer on an easy round then out in the van as a temp, it was ridiculous.
And being honest you spent half your time taking pictures and knocking on peoples doors in an effort to leave stuff with them. Thankless job and one that has seemingly lost its time, but has also a massive pension pot that has to be maintained.
They are operating a business that is simply not needed as it was and are more interested in making money than keeping to their promises.
The sad thing is they have done as much cost saving as they can, but the pension pot is simply too dear to lok after for a business that is simply dying, so it will go under, a few will get very rich, hopefully the pension pot is maintained, but I would not hold my breath on that.
I temped there very briefly in the summer, it was awful, as a temp within a day doing a full round on my own, one day of training with a lifer on an easy round then out in the van as a temp, it was ridiculous.
And being honest you spent half your time taking pictures and knocking on peoples doors in an effort to leave stuff with them. Thankless job and one that has seemingly lost its time, but has also a massive pension pot that has to be maintained.
I'm a business user and send a few hundred packages a week with Royal Mail. A lot of high volume / repetitive stuff that I sell on eBay and the likes. On a regular basis RM will erroneously fine me for under declaring the weight of a parcel and every time they'll reject my initial appeal with a 'computer says no' type of answer. Basically they say that their scales are calibrated and they're right and I'm wrong, despite me sending them a picture of the same item with packaging on my own scales at home. I always over declare too so if I send a 60g package I will for example declare it as 100g. RM will however come back and say it was actually 340g and they're going to take some money from me as a result.
It takes chasing and escalating for them to finally admit they got the weight wrong (which they have done every time I have appealed). Often the effort involved isn't worth the cost of the fine. I used to let it slide but on principal I chase each one now.
I'm a small-fry customer but I do wonder how widespread this scam is and how much they make from it. Fine each customer, implement convoluted appeal process, reject initially then hope that they can't be bothered following up.
It takes chasing and escalating for them to finally admit they got the weight wrong (which they have done every time I have appealed). Often the effort involved isn't worth the cost of the fine. I used to let it slide but on principal I chase each one now.
I'm a small-fry customer but I do wonder how widespread this scam is and how much they make from it. Fine each customer, implement convoluted appeal process, reject initially then hope that they can't be bothered following up.
As the OP I’m appalled by the obvious corporate dishonesty.
On balance for the Post Office, it was my sons birthday before Christmas. One morning there’s a knock at the door and our local postie has an empty envelope from nanny with my sons initial and surname on it in a plastic bag. He apologies for the card not being in it and that it must have got lost - it was obvious that the envelope hadn’t been stuck down. Two days later mr postie knocks on the door again and presents me with a card with my sons name on it asking if that’s his name. Turns out the local depot manager was upset a young lad had not received a card from his nanny so he searched high and low and found it. I was literally speechless.
On balance for the Post Office, it was my sons birthday before Christmas. One morning there’s a knock at the door and our local postie has an empty envelope from nanny with my sons initial and surname on it in a plastic bag. He apologies for the card not being in it and that it must have got lost - it was obvious that the envelope hadn’t been stuck down. Two days later mr postie knocks on the door again and presents me with a card with my sons name on it asking if that’s his name. Turns out the local depot manager was upset a young lad had not received a card from his nanny so he searched high and low and found it. I was literally speechless.
flatlandsman said:
Of the entire operation is still around in 5 years I will be amazed, I know at least 3 or 4 long term posies who have quit, and one to do a menial, job delivering,.
They are operating a business that is simply not needed as it was and are more interested in making money than keeping to their promises.
The sad thing is they have done as much cost saving as they can, but the pension pot is simply too dear to lok after for a business that is simply dying, so it will go under, a few will get very rich, hopefully the pension pot is maintained, but I would not hold my breath on that.
I temped there very briefly in the summer, it was awful, as a temp within a day doing a full round on my own, one day of training with a lifer on an easy round then out in the van as a temp, it was ridiculous.
And being honest you spent half your time taking pictures and knocking on peoples doors in an effort to leave stuff with them. Thankless job and one that has seemingly lost its time, but has also a massive pension pot that has to be maintained.
Honestly this annoys me, especially as youve worked there.They are operating a business that is simply not needed as it was and are more interested in making money than keeping to their promises.
The sad thing is they have done as much cost saving as they can, but the pension pot is simply too dear to lok after for a business that is simply dying, so it will go under, a few will get very rich, hopefully the pension pot is maintained, but I would not hold my breath on that.
I temped there very briefly in the summer, it was awful, as a temp within a day doing a full round on my own, one day of training with a lifer on an easy round then out in the van as a temp, it was ridiculous.
And being honest you spent half your time taking pictures and knocking on peoples doors in an effort to leave stuff with them. Thankless job and one that has seemingly lost its time, but has also a massive pension pot that has to be maintained.
1. Post office group is owned by HM GOV.
2 Royal mail is owned by IDS
3. Royal mail is now a parcel/packet company that delivers letter, so its going to be around for as long as online buying is.
4. Royal mail is the countries largest delivery company of small letterboxable packets as no one else can make money out of it.
5. Royal mail is often the only company who will deliver is deep rural areas.
Also, the work to seperate RM and PO started in 1986.
The entirely separate board and management was in place long before the privatisation and Horizon.
I’m not defending either, but they really have nothing to do with one another, other than PO is of course one of the access routes to RM.
The entirely separate board and management was in place long before the privatisation and Horizon.
I’m not defending either, but they really have nothing to do with one another, other than PO is of course one of the access routes to RM.
W12GT said:
I’ve paid extra for insured delivery. They damaged it. They are refusing to pay out without providing an adequate reason. Therefore at the very least they are miss-selling the insurance. It’s not like any other insurance where a booklet is given - nor does the receipt direct you to an online terms and conditions etc.
My main interest is to know if any others have suffered this - have others had pay outs etc?
A friend of mine had a similar issue. He makes custom made knives, quite expensive at around £500. One was sent via special delivery with enhanced insurance for £500. RM then proceeded to lose it. He claimed on insurance, but they pointed out they only cover for material loss and would therefore only pay out for the value of the bare wood and steel used. Not his weeks worth of labour. My main interest is to know if any others have suffered this - have others had pay outs etc?
After much letter writing and their insistance they werent paying him, he took them to court, and won. The judgement stated that as they had offered enhanced compensation and accepted his payment for it they by default agreed a value for the package. Therefore they were required to either pay out, or be guilty of obtaining money by deceipion if there was no intention to ever honour that particular contract.
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