Pigeon Post or Pony Express?

[gettingolder]

I have my United States Postal Service tracking number and the package was delivered in London at 5.02pm Sunday 29th Sepptember 2015. Status, in transit to destination.

 

 

it is a priority paid package and signature is required as proof of delivery.

 

 

It took four days California the London. Day five and still no delivery. I have bent the ear of our postman everyday since Tuesday. We live 125 miles from London.

 

 

This package is a book, not a big problem to some. This magazine has been out of print since 200015 and there were only two left, mine being one. If i want to buy a second hand copy from EBay I could have to pay up to £999.00 I am not kidding. If you are an emroiderer/quilter you might understand why this book has become so expensive. I exhibit at international quilt competitions these days. This book is a one of a kind and has a very intricate design.

 

 

Royal Mail is nightmare, I cannot check to see if the package is stuck in the system. only the sender can do this via the United States Post office.

 

 

There is no human I can speak to at Royal Mail customer Services. Not to be thwarted, and beiing an old campaigner i sent them an RM an email with all the facts needed to trace this package, as each step of the way the label has to be scanned for tracking purposes. It was scanned at Heathrow, despatched to Mill Hill, scanned there and no further scanning.

 

 

No wonder Royal Mail is haemorraging customers.

[snowdragon]

September 29th? it is only the 25th today x

[gettingolder]

Typo Snowdragon, should read 20th September 2015.

[snowdragon]

no problem, was not picking fault! hope someone comes along to help

Sandy x

[obiter dictum]

All overseas mail, especially parcels and packets are diverted to Mount Pleasant sorting office. Customs then checks the items for contraband and duty.

 

It can take up to 14 days for you to receive the item from when it was posted.

 

Registered or special delivery items are only valid in the country of origin. Once the item enters the the UK it is treated as ordinary mail now.

 

I can tell you now the packet will be delivered as normal with no signature required

 

The Mill hill is BFPO, or forces post office which is no longer in use at that address

[gettingolder]

I understand..I should proof read, just that I am fuming about RM. If I send package overseas, these can take up to four weeks to reach the destination and the hold up is always at this end. My family is overseas so I have to post any parcel for Christmas by the end of October. I would hate it if something was going to Third World Country. One of the parcels I posted earlier this year, languished for three weeks before being loaded on a plane to cross the Pond. I arrived at the destination two weeks before the parcel. On checking the dates, it took two days from landing in NY to get to Texas, yet three weeks from the local post office to the aircraft at Heathrow. When you pay nearly £85.00 in postage you do expect a better service.

[sillygirl1]

obiter dictum you are wrong - not all mail is redirected to Mount Pleasant. I have had items posted to me from around the world this year and none have gone via that route, in fact mail from China is received quicker than mail from the USA,

[obiter dictum]

Royal Mail now have a contract wih China post so they use each others infrastructure.

 

I know Mount Pleasant very well as an ex Trade Union Rep

 

I have even been on the Royal Mail underground railway, sadly no more

[gettingolder]

Thank you for explaining this. RM or Customs need a better screening system. Tracking ticket does say Mill Hill, more mystery because it came through civilian postal system. We are definitely not British Forces, even though we live on a RAF station.

 

 

from what you are saying, it is useless for me to pay for priority paid mail, it cost me the equivalent of £32.00 for postage as I need the book for reference.

 

 

You learn something every day, Thank you.

[obiter dictum]

The screening process is to good by design, it is in the favour of Royal mail that customs pull items for duty

 

Royal Mail can then charge £8.00 handling fee to release the item

 

The british airports will all have designated mail centres for screening foreign items, any that are suspicious or need duy will be passed onto Mount Pleasant where HMRC are based

[gettingolder]

I know any parcels delivered by DHL and UPS (not the postal service) attract Duty. I bought 120 spools of thread in the States and sent them home here, the UPS driver came up the hill during a snowy day, rang the bell and demanded £16.00 in Duty before he would give me my package. Good thing I had thhat money in the house that day. I found since not use DHL or UPS as every package is screened for duty. Yet the stabilliser I use and belive me I use 100 yard rolls of this stuff, has never attracted duty. I have since learned it is easier to bring it back with me, I declare what I am carrying when I come through Customs and yet I have never been asked to pay Duty on any of it, thread or stabiliser.

[obiter dictum]

Rather than using the standard international special delivery, the only true service is Airsure (International signed for) for trackable items in, or out of the EU by a domestic postal carrier

[gettingolder]

I am learning, wait until i go down to the village post office and ask for the next parce to go by Airsure.

 

 

I had a traumatised grand-daughter when she got her doll last Christmas, I had to repackage the doll, legs up around the neck so the box was under 60cms, otherwise it could not be sent by Royal Mail. My daughter in law is still laughnig about how the doll looked when the box was opened.

 

 

I am more calm now, knowing it is the British end that is the problem, but I supppose in fairness, the system back home has it's quirks and the Obama government is closing more post offices especially the Unionised Post Offices. If, I when I am home, I have to post anything , I have to drive right across town some fifteen miles now the local post office has been closed.

[gettingolder]

Got a reply back from Royal Mail this morning

 

 

Dear Mrs

Thank you for your recent email about an item of mail you are expecting from overseas. I am sorry to hear that your item has not yet arrived and hope you will accept my apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

 

As you may be aware there is no trace of your item on our Track & Trace system at this time so I regret that I cannot confirm its current whereabouts or say what might have caused it to go astray.

 

In order to investigate this matter, we recommend you contact the senders and ask them to provide their own postal administration with the posting details. We have a Universal Postal Agreement with all our international partners, which means all enquiries and claims relating to international mail must be initiated by the senders in the country of origin. Please see the Universal Postal Union's website at (link removed) for further details regarding this.

 

Where applicable, the postal administration in the item's country of origin will liaise with Royal Mail to investigate the loss. They will then respond to the senders directly, just as soon as their enquiries are complete.

 

I hope you have found this information useful and that this explanation resolves your enquiry. Please accept my apologies, once again, for any inconvenience caused and if there is anything else we can help you with, please let us know.

Regards

Name supplied

Royal Mail Customer Services

[obiter dictum]

That is just a standard template response. Seen it many times before

[gettingolder]

Have to agree, I have sent it on to my sender. I have told her that it could turn up in about two weeks and if it does i will let her know. I want to buy sme more books, but wont until I know how long it does take to arrive.

 

 

I visited another site overseas, they send their parcels via DHL and there is a rider, to please allow up two weeks for package to arrive at your address. I know I have an expensive hobby, but wasting money on missing books and postage for same does not figure in the budget.

 

 

I wonder if my book will arrive by next Monday? I know I am lucky that this is the only problem I have these days.

Edited September 28, 2015 by gettingolder
typos

[citizenB]

It can indeed be frustrating when purchasing from overseas, especially craft materials and books. I do know how expensive some of these out of print reference books can be as well, so I hope yours turns up safe , sound and soon, gettingolder.

[gettingolder]

Still no sign of the missing parcel, USPS have started to make inquiries of Royal Mail. Royal Mail have admitted they can't track it because it is not on track and trace system YET....I tried to ring RM again yesterday, no luck, the disembodied voice advising me it can take 25 days for something to arrive. I hope it arrives before I pop my clogs.

[gettingolder]

5 October and still no sign of package....I hope whoever has it, is enjoying it. Karma will catch up eventually.