Possibly the smallest query ever

[Simpo Two]

As it's a bit quiet here this morning I shall attend to a receipt that's been sitting on my desk for too long...

3 June: Simpo goes to the PO and sends a letter by 'Signed For' at a cost of £2.91.
'Delivery aim: within 3 working days. Proof of delivery and signature at royalmail.com' says the receipt.

25 June: Tracking says: 'We've got it. Your item has been posted at a Post Office. As you've used our Royal Mail Signed For service, the next update you'll see is after we've attempted to deliver to the recipient. Tracking history:
Wednesday 03 June 2026 10:48
Accepted at Parcelshop
XXX Post Office'

So either they lost it or the postman forgot to tick a box somewhere. Can I claim my £2.91 back?

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 25th June 11:46

[48k]

Signed-For is not a guaranteed service but after 10 days it is considered lost. That said, given it has just received a tracking update I would leave it another 10 days to see if it gets delivered before putting a claim in.

[Simpo Two]

It wasn't a tracking update, I just went to see the current status and it's the same as since I posted it.

(I put July by mistake!)

[48k]

In which case yes since it's more than 10 days late it's considered lost and you put a claim in.

TBF all this info is on the Royal Mail site.

[Simpo Two]

Well they lead you a merry dance but my claim is in. In case others need it: https://help.royalmail.com/personal/s/article/Roya...

Somewhat more of a palaver than going to the PO and saying 'This wasn't delivered, I want my money back' and they check the tracking and say 'Ah yes you're right here's £2.91'. That's all it needs to be.

Note that you have to claim within 30 days of posting so there's not a massive window.

ETA Much to my surprise I got a reply this morning - perhaps AI is behind the scenes. Anyway, it says:

'Thank you for getting in touch with. I m very sorry to hear you ve had a reason to raise a complaint regarding an item in our care. We ve reviewed your case under reference number xxxxxxxx. After carefully considering the evidence you provided, it s clear that we didn t meet our usual standards on this occasion, and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused. We will be issuing a Stamps 1st x 8 shortly in recognition of this service failure. If you requested a higher amount, I regret that this is the maximum we re able to offer in line with the terms of the product used. For more details, please visit our website at www.royalmail.com. This response concludes your enquiry. However, please be assured that the information you ve shared will help us improve our services moving forward.
Regards
Royal Mail & Parcelforce'


8 x £1.80 = £14.40. Most generous as all I requested was £2.91!

Edited by Simpo Two on Wednesday 1st July 10:10