Royal Mail.......lost items!!!!!

[dancestationdirect]

Hi, has anyone noticed an increase in UK Royal Mail packages going "missing" recently. In the last 2 days I have had 3 different buyers claiming item has not arrived. One looks genuine as it is Recorded Delivery which has not arrived. The other 2 are fairly low value First Class items and of course I have no way of knowing if  this is genuine or not.

Prior to this (I have "lost" a few international parcels) but only 1 UK parcel last year went astray and never turned up.

Anyone else having problems with this?

[summit-to-sea-anglesey]

I've found two large letters in the bottom of mailbags this week, one had been in the bag for a fortnight, it was postmarked with a despatch date at the Post Office.

[vblstitchcrafts]

Still waiting to see what they advise when they reply. They have responded and looking into it (so say)

[yasminstreasure]

 This week I have heard back from RM after I had to complete a claim form. Usually they say they send a cheque of the value of the item but this time they just sent me 6 first class stamps instead. Its not like that buyers would like stamps as refund ...:/ 

[vblstitchcrafts]

That is a normal response from Royal Mail where a non signed for service is used. They say there is no proof that it was not delivered and as a ''gesture of good will'' they send a few stamps. 

I am sure the claim procedure is designed to be so bad and time consuming that it simply deters making a claim. It costs more to make a claim in time taken than the compensation given.

Even using a signed for service and when they do go missing (as is happening with me right now) the claim procedure is diabolical. It is so long winded and after filling in the clam form I have to send in a copy of the invoices of the components that I purchase and they ONLY PAY the value of the raw product (and the original shipping charge). No consideration is taken that I buy the raw material expecting to make a profit on every piece I purchase, I have labour costs and running costs to produce that item, I have to pay shipping to get that raw material to me originally.  As an example, if I spend £2 on raw components, take 30mins making it, supply jiffy bags, labels, adhesive tape, printed instructions, product protection, trip to the Post office, parking and charge my customer £10 - the compensation for just the basic raw material of £2 is simply just not on. I would then have to replace the missing parcel BY CONSUMER LAW, I have to remake / resend with all the same incurring costs to fulfill my selling obligations.

If the product I am selling has a ticket price of £10 to my customers and Royal Mail cannot fulfil their obligation to get that product to my customer safely (using the signed for service) Royal Mail should compensate that full retail price plus the original shipping & not just the raw basic component cost. 

[samslocker]

The claim process is a JOKE with RMG. It actually used to be pretty simple. I had so much hassle with them and one agent from the business claims team. How they get away with charging for a service and NOT providing it is not good.

I had to attach that many documents to one a email IT WOULD NOT all fit. I had to laugh at the letter I just got claiming how they are increasing compensation , they don't EVEN acknowledge the claims when you email them.

I actually think the average postie does a pretty good job. The so called business  support leaves a lot to be desired along with  network security.

eBay is the only marketplace I use them now as I have Amazon Logistics just do the rest, they just do the job better and if there is a problem with their delivery they don't make it your problem they just sort it.

Got about £48 out of £1000 worth of loss from them last year. Got a stack of claims here am just going to send to Moya Green direct.

They do not even realise there only hurting their OWN business they way they deal with issues. My own business has doubled in two years but my RMG spend has stayed the same.

[vintagejeans4u]

i had three items all lost in the post in january - all posted on the same day. Out of every 200 items posted by me at least two never arrive at their destination.

[yasminstreasure]

The same thing happened to me in January. But sometimes we have buyers that do receive their item and claim that they haven't just so they can get a free item from someone ... 😕

[a.watts-uk]

I had a spate of lost items. A dress i was selling.I have no idea what it was abouit this dress but it just had a curse on it that screamed 'lose me' or keep me for free' I had about 3 of them just magically disappear into thin air never to be seen again. It infuriates me that you can only claim back the cost price and not the price you sold it on for. I spent all that time listing it and faffing about with photos and item specifics and then in a matter of days all my hard work was undone. It also maddens me when you have to back your claim up with a paypal invoice, the sale invoice, the original receipt and fill out an intricate claim form which takes a good half hour of your life all for a few quid and all you get in return is a few quid and a defect. Touch wood i havent had any missing items for ages now. Maybe because i block every single customer who claims their item never arrived 🙂 WE WILL NEVER KNOW!

[yasminstreasure]

Good idea maybe I should block the ones that have claimed item never arrived. But ones you can tell that don't make it up I wouldn't block as these things can happen. But it is strange that especially that specific type of dress kept going missing 😞

[a.watts-uk]

I meant to put if they have any dodgy feedback either from buying or selling i just block em so they cant do it to me again.Its hard to know if they have a bad feedback history from their purchase history when a seller can only give them positive feedback so you have to go on how they sell as well if they have sold stuff on ebay . For example someone purchased a dress off me and they wanted me to post it ASAP as they needed it for an event so i did. A few days after the event the dress magically unpicked itself on the shoulder even though i checked all the seams and they were fused together like two pitbulls fighting. iNSTANT BLOCK That to me says we have a buyer who doesnt like to wear the same dress twice likes to shop on a very very tight budget and uses ebay as a walk in free wardrobe. She also had rubbish feedback as a seller where she replied to disgruntled buyers with catty feedback.Or if a buyer claims their item never arrived 4 weeks after purchasing an item. That would be a block from me. Why would you wait 4 weeks to complain? i would complain after a week. Some items do genuinely go astray,you just have to decide which are the genuine buyers and which aren't. I must stress though most of my buyers are genuine and i am very grateful to them for their custom.

[jozzie-k]

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@a.watts-uk wrote:

.Or if a buyer claims their item never arrived 4 weeks after purchasing an item. That would be a block from me. Why would you wait 4 weeks to complain? i would complain after a week. Some items do genuinely go astray,you just have to decide which are the genuine buyers and which aren't. I must stress though most of my buyers are genuine and i am very grateful to them for their custom.

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Wow talk about deja vous 8:15 pm on Sunday buyer opens INR case. Buyer requests item not refund. Needs it for Monday as going away. How the heck am I supposed to do that. Item was purchased 37 days ago 

Some buyers make me lose the will to live. (yes, I will refund tomorrow morning)

[a.watts-uk]

Just block em and try not to take it personally. I know it's hard and it makes your blood boilIt's so obvious what they're doing but there's not a darn thing you can do about it unless the item was recorded or signed for.

[bluepsycho10]

ive had a nintendo xl 3 ds go missing from royal mail it had been signed for by the postman but not posted the postman doesnt know what he did with it and im now out of pocket a small fortune for the item for my grandsons birthday lost money cos sender has proof although forged signature and i cant afford another so grandson goes without the post service isnt helpful in anyway and now after reading others on this site with similiar problems doesnt look like police help either gives them to right to help themselves to everyone goods and get away with it 

[vblstitchcrafts]

Postie signing for it will not count. email Moya Greene, the Chief Exev at R/Mail. The more that do that the better. Just google her name. Not sure what service you used, hopfully with an item of that value it was special delivery otherwise you are only covered for £50 on the basic signed for service

[a.watts-uk]

complain complain complain. Don't let it drop and hopefully you'll get somewhere. Royal Mail are liable for the loss. Even if you only get £50 back,it's something. You should be able to get a picture of the signature on Royal Mail website. Just put the tracking number in. If you have a signature I don't see a problem. It's the postmans responsibility to make sure it's delivered to the house and not signed by a randomer on the street. Keep complaining so they get sick of hearing from you.

[bettybloo1932]

Yup ...many in the last 2 weeks ... please report to royal mail via email and threaten to contact the police ...this monopoly are taking the mickey..as well as lost mail how about this one... Had a postie sign for a parcel on behalf of the customer ( forged signature ) and their response was that he had been reminded of the procedure regarding signed for mail ...not dismissed ...this is fraud just as bad as theft and no wonder nothing happens when items go missing / stolen ...until royal mail are inundated with complaints via emai / telephone will anything ever be done ...keep pressing mate ...

[stephenss88]

Have recently had four of eight parcels gone missing, what on earth is going on ? That's 50 % surely that's no coincidence ,

[kris5161]

i will repeat what i wrote a few months ago. i post royal mail every week. items over £20 recorded/signed for. items under £20 not recorded/signed for. for 2 items out of 27 sent i received a not received message and as per usual both are for non recorded/signed for items. fact:- in the last 12 months i have not had 1 lost item sent recorded/signed for. nor have i had 1 not received from my ukmail deliveries all tracked signed for. i genuinely do not beleive this to be a coincidence

[vblstitchcrafts]

Recorded / signed for take a slightly different route as it has a paper trail. They still go missing though and why should you have to pay extra so that your item has a better chance to get to its final destination. I have a signed for (posted on 22-2-16) claim still waiting processing (see earlier post). Of course signed for will have a better non fail rate than the normal service - there will be people trying it on too.

[kris5161]

that is my point?. MOST on here blaming royal mail. i personally do not beleive for 1 minute that every not received message i get is genuine. and you are not paying for a better chance of it getting there. you are paying for the extra time service of tracking/ signing for.