Are Royal Mail and the banks in cahoots??

[sn00psmum]

I'm not sure if this is another dirty trick but i've just been onto Royal Mail track and trace to check the date of my prelim. It was sent by RMSD on 20th March and guaranteed for 21st March. I should have thought i'd be able to view an epod by now, it used to be there after just a couple of days BUT now there is the following message:

 

Your item with reference XXXXXXXXXGB has been delivered.

If the item is being delivered to you at work, and you have not received it, please check with the mailroom or your colleagues.

Sorry, an electronic proof of delivery is not available for this item.

 

So much for the £4.10 I spent to ensure that it would get there safely and in good time- what are we supposed to do now? It does not even give a date of delivery, meaning we cannot be precise about deadlines etc. or even be sure that the letter has been signed for! This message appears to have been changed purely to assist mailroom staff in large institutions, such as banks!! (Or to give the customer relations departments a loophole) Have the banks asked for the message to be changed to this as they are so snowed under with claims that they can't keep track of mail coming in or don't have enough staff to sign for it? Poor things! I can't see why else it would have been.

AAAARRRGGGHHH!! What is going on??

SM:razz:

[danhere]

i have sent 3 letters by recrded delivery to lloyds and have got signitures for 2 which is a good return....

apparently when they deliver a sack lad of recorded mail to the same address they have a list with all the reference numbers on it and just sign for the top one. this is fine by me as it would waste everybodies time to have to stand there with the postman and sign 200 letters a day as received.

 

having said this, if this is the short cut they take they should still have a way to proove delivery by providing a copy of the list with your reference no. onit.

 

so basicly the post office are charging for a service they cannot always fulfill..........the cheeky ba$tard$.....

[Guest NATTIE]

THe answer is NO to be honest. Royal Mail must be making a lot of money but they are not in cahoots with the banks. Banks usually only sign special delivery letters the rest could be signed by the postie and delivered to the correct address.

[BreezyDay]

Sorry, an electronic proof of delivery is not available for this item.

 

So much for the £4.10 I spent to ensure that it would get there safely and in good time- what are we supposed to do now? It does not even give a date of delivery, meaning we cannot be precise about deadlines etc. or even be sure that the letter has been signed for!

 

I am going through exactly the same thing. Yes it is very annoying when it says you can now view your epod and when you click on it, another message tells you, sorry an epod is not available for this item!!! Like you say what have we paid £4.10 for exactly? I did ring them up and the guy managed to give an exact time rather than 'it was delivered before the guaranteed time' as it says on the trackntrace but didn't have view of the signature and told me it will take 5+ days to investigate. Perhaps we should send a complaint letter to the Royal Mail via Special Delivery to demonstrate our point.

[sn00psmum]

Banks usually only sign special delivery letters

 

This was sent Special Delivery, the reason I spent £4.10 rather than a pound for Recorded Delivery was that I wanted to be certain that they would receive it the next day- I have a reply to the letter in question from the bank but almost two weeks later I have no proof of which date it was signed for (or even if it WAS signed for).

 

I do lots of ebay and i've never had any problem with either service, even at Christmas i've always been able to see proof that what i've posted was signed for, until now. I just got a bit deranged when I saw the different message, it seems it's not there for the customer anymore, but for the benefit of, as I said, mailroom staff and I can only assume it's a result of increased bank mail!

[nicsussex]

Just assume that your letters have been received 2/3 days after you posted them. That is the way that the courts work when you get to issuing your claim against the bank

[BreezyDay]

Just assume that your letters have been received 2/3 days after you posted them. That is the way that the courts work when you get to issuing your claim against the bank

 

We can assume that if we post a 'normal' 1st class letter that it will be received within 2/3 days but if we opt for the premier delivery service of SD, then we should expect to receive confirmation of date, time and be able to view the signature - as they market on their website. Unfortunately our experiences of SD have proven that they have not given us anything more than if we had sent by 1st class post for 32p.

[MattyH]

IMO Royal Mail are a 2nd class (see what I did there) operation, who loose a totally unacceptable number of letters every week. (something like 250,000 (correct me if I'm wrong please). I think the time may have come for privatisation. But that said, everyone said that about the railways didn't they. and that hasn't got any better... so maybe not.

 

Something needs to be done though!!

 

Matt

[enaid]

I can't myself seeing it being rocket science, for them to work out a system were say there maybe 400 signed for letters, to the same address in one sack being signed for en bloc, with a list of reference numbers that have been delivered. After all this amount of mail to banks etc is not going to decrease for a long while yet is it!

[trevor33]

IMO Royal Mail are a 2nd class (see what I did there) operation, who loose a totally unacceptable number of letters every week. (something like 250,000 (correct me if I'm wrong please). I think the time may have come for privatisation. But that said, everyone said that about the railways didn't they. and that hasn't got any better... so maybe not.

 

Something needs to be done though!!

 

Matt

Royal Mail "LOST" my recorded delivery SAR to LTSB but received statements anyway so letter was delivered but not signed for and could not track it. I am now in the process of claiming compensation from RM which is 100 times the first class stamp (£32). Probably many letters are "lost" like this so CAGers should claim off RM. Perhaps then they might do something.

[BreezyDay]

I am now in the process of claiming compensation from RM which is 100 times the first class stamp (£32). Probably many letters are "lost" like this so CAGers should claim off RM

 

Trevor, can I ask how you arrive at the 100 x - in your case, 0.32p. I thought you could only claim back what you actually paid?

 

Breezy

Breezy v Halifax

[barracad]

Royal Mail "LOST" my recorded delivery SAR to LTSB but received statements anyway so letter was delivered but not signed for and could not track it. I am now in the process of claiming compensation from RM which is 100 times the first class stamp (£32). Probably many letters are "lost" like this so CAGers should claim off RM. Perhaps then they might do something.

 

So in other words you are:

 

a) Claiming an item is "lost" which you know has been delivered; and

b) Falsifying the value of the said item to try and claim that an item worth a few pence is actually worth in excess of £30.

 

What you are proposing here is fraud.

 

I am afraid that you are visiting the wrong kind of forum for this kind of thing.

 

We deplore this kind of behaviour.

[sn00psmum]

I am now in the process of claiming compensation from RM which is 100 times the first class stamp (£32).

 

Does this mean I could claim 100 times £4.10 or is that an amount set by Royal Mail?

 

On a slightly different topic, I wonder how many times a week Royal Mail have to place someone's bundle of statements into one of their 'sorry your item has been damaged' bags along with an apology due to the bank's utter disregard for peoples' sensitive and confidential information.

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/natwest-bank/72120-fendy-natwest-16-1k.html

SM:p

[barracad]

Does this mean I could claim 100 times £4.10 or is that an amount set by Royal Mail?

 

No. A First Class stamp does not cost £4.10.

 

If your item was delayed you would be able to claim the £4.10 fee back, but you have had confirmation it was delivered on time. You can claim nothing back.

[sn00psmum]

Your item with reference XXXXXXXXXGB has been delivered.

 

I do have confirmation that it was delivered, but not that it was delivered on time neither that it was signed for. These are the services I paid for and therefore I expect them to be fulfilled. I am aware that a 1st class stamp does not cost £4.10, but Royal Mail Special Delivery does.

 

If I wanted it to get there 2 or 3 days later and wasn't too fussed whether it was signed for then I would have put a first class stamp on it, saving myself nearly £4.

 

I didn't start this thread because I want to claim anything back, I was annoyed that a service that I had paid for had not been fulfilled and wondered if anyone else had experienced this.

In my previous post I was just curious as to how trevor33 had arrived at the figure that he is claiming.

SM:p

[barracad]

Call them up and ask when it was delivered - if it was delivered 2 or 3 days late like you think it was then you can get your money back. If it was delivered on time then you have got what you've paid for.

 

 

In my previous post I was just curious as to how trevor33 had arrived at the figure that he is claiming.

 

See my previous post - he is trying to make a fraudulent claim, and is trying to claim for the maximum amount available for the service he used. Probably best if you don't ask him any more questions about it!

[sn00psmum]

I'll check back with track and trace tomorrow just incase i've an epod, if not I might give them a ring.

 

It was really because the letter I refer to is a prelim. When doing my LBA I wanted to be able to say 'in my prelim which you signed for on xx/xx' as we are to give them 14 days to respond but was unable to as more than a fornight had passed when I sent LBA and still no proof of date prelim delivered.

SM:p

[trevor33]

Call them up and ask when it was delivered - if it was delivered 2 or 3 days late like you think it was then you can get your money back. If it was delivered on time then you have got what you've paid for.

 

 

 

 

See my previous post - he is trying to make a fraudulent claim, and is trying to claim for the maximum amount available for the service he used. Probably best if you don't ask him any more questions about it!

I am p*****d off that RM is not giving me the service that I paid for (£1.00 Recorded). This is the second time that I have sent recorded mail and was unable to track them due to RM problems. I needed proof of delivery for my records.

If anyone likes to read the reverse of the orange slip you get it states that if an item is lost or damaged they will pay up to 100 times the price of a basic weight first class stamp.

[barracad]

If anyone likes to read the reverse of the orange slip you get it states that if an item is lost or damaged they will pay up to 100 times the price of a basic weight first class stamp.

 

Exactly - lost or damaged - your item was neither.

 

I repeat what I have said earlier, what you are suggesting is fraud - there is no place for that on this forum. It is pointless trying to justify your actions it all boils down to the same thing - you are attempting to make a fraudulent claim against Royal Mail.

 

Please re-read my earlier post - we deplore this kind of behaviour and do not welcome any further discussions of this kind.

[sn00psmum]

I am p*****d off that RM is not giving me the service that I paid for (£1.00 Recorded). This is the second time that I have sent recorded mail and was unable to track them due to RM problems. I needed proof of delivery for my records.

If anyone likes to read the reverse of the orange slip you get it states that if an item is lost or damaged they will pay up to 100 times the price of a basic weight first class stamp.

 

That's how I felt and why I started the thread. If that's what they say you can claim back, then you're right to do so, but isn't it just if your item is lost or damaged? The Special delivery slip just says to pick up a leaflet /claim form from PO if your item is lost or damaged.

 

The Post Office definitely needs to take more responsibility. They can't charge increased rates for a service they can't guarantee. Special Delivery is guaranteed to be signed for by 1pm next day or at least that's what they claim.

SM:p

[KnellyK]

I was beginning to think that there could be a Bank/Royal Mail likn too!

 

I've sent all of my letters to the bank 'Signed for', my LBA was sent on 20 Feb and it didn't get delivered, I know this because I checked on the RM Track and Trace, so I phoned them up and they said it wouldn't be 'officially missing' until 10 March! (So I took 2 copies of my LBA to my local branch, got one of the staf to sign and date 2 copies and asked them to put one in the internal post and I kept the other one!) on 10 March my letter still wasn't signed for and so I rang again, downloaded a claim form P58 (so they can trace the letter and so I could make a claim - I wasn't fussed about the cost of the letter or compensation, even though the letter was very important to me it had little value! So I've claimed £2.00 max - £1.12 postage, an envelope and 10 sheets of paper). I took the form and original receipt to the local PO and handed it in , got a receipt as well!

 

I received a letter from RM dated 15 March, confirming they'd had my P58 claim. This letter says

'Part of our enquiries may involve writing to the intended recipient & allowing them time to respond'

They add that they aim to deal with it within 30 days of receipt...

So, today they've had 30 days from the date of their letter! I phoned them at 5 past 2 today - the office closed at 2pm!

 

I'll phone them on Monday to see what's going on and I think I'll put in an official complaint to Post watch as well.

 

I sent another letter to my bank on 10th April, again this was signed for and this one isn't showing as delivered as yet! I'll report this one as missing if necessary too!

 

But, to look on the bright side, at least I know that they haven't been delivered, I'm not sitting here wondering!

[barracad]

But, to look on the bright side, at least I know that they haven't been delivered, I'm not sitting here wondering!

 

Not necessarily. More often than not you will find that the letter has been delivered, but not signed for.

 

I always advise against using Recorded Delivery for prelim and LBA letters as it sometimes causes more problems than its worth - an ordinary First Class stamp is perfectly fine for letters like these.

[KnellyK]

Well, I've had other letters that have been delivered but not signed for, the Royal Mail site says something like

 

Your item with reference xxxx was delivered from our xxxx Delivery Office on xxxx.

Then the electronic proof of delivery bit says

sorry, electronic proof of delivery is not yet available.

I'd assume this is delivered but not signed for.

 

The missing one still says

 

Come back later

Recorded Signed For items are only tracked after the item has been delivered. BLah BLah

 

I took this to mean that it hasn't been delivered!

 

Either way, they're taking their time looking into it!

[barracad]

Your item with reference xxxx was delivered from our xxxx Delivery Office on xxxx.

 

It would only say that if the item had been signed for. If it had just been delivered with no signature taken then it would never update to show it has been delivered, as if they have no signature, they don't know it has been delivered!

 

Recorded Delivery items are not tracked at all, so unless a signature is taken they will never know what happened to it.

[KnellyK]

I didn't realise that.

I trusted that it would be delivered and signed for!

 

Well, all I can say is, you live and learn!