Post Office - mis-sorted into wrong system?

[jimthing]

Does anyone know what happens if you post something at your local Post Office, but they mis-sort the item into the wrong delivery system? 

i.e. You drop an Evri item at the Post Office but they put it in the Royal Mail bag instead of the Evri bag, or vice-versa. 

Do RM and Evri have a way of handling these errors (or is your item just binned by RM/Evri!)? 

[davrman]

I have seen other posts here that suggest Royal Mail will put a card through the buyer's letterbox asking them to pay for the appropriate postage (plus a penalty fee) before they deliver the Evri package. 

I can't imagine that the tracking would ever update in either case. 

[jimthing]

Crazy system...

I just phoned RM business centre, and such letters/packages carry-on being delivered in the system it's currently in (RM carry-on the delivery of Evri items, and vice-versa), with said service charging the receiver on delivery for not 'enough postage being paid' (i.e. zero postage being paid) plus a handling fee!

The tracking would not update at all either, so there's effectively no way of the sender knowing their parcel had been delivered. 

When I said to the guy on the phone that the issue is surely their agent's error –the Post Office– and not a customer error? They said that you'd have to 'take that up with the Post Office' (given tel: 03457-223344). 

Rather weird I have to say, as you'd have thought doing that would effectively be extorting a fee from someone else's customer, while being at fault themselves by their agent mishandling the item. 

This must happen to hundreds (thousands?) of items a week, so you'd think they'd have professional operational methods for dealing with this error of their sales handling agents, eg. swapping parcels daily between services. But apparently not: they just each steal the other's business! 

[kyanyama]

I got a card through my letterbox stating 'Insufficient Postage' for a parcel.  As I hadn't bought anything that was posted via RM I was confused so asked family and friends if they had sent me anything in the post.  But I bought something off Vint*ed posted via Evri that was delayed.

Took the card to the delivery office and they allowed me to have a look at the parcel.  £7 to accept it - more than I paid for the item in the first place.  Not sure it was a postal worker error though - seller said they're not sure if they put it in the correct locker!  I don't post using lockers so I have no idea how these things work.  Could have been seller error or postal worker error.

They are competitors so I don't suppose they are going to make any concessions.

[pegr-834437]

The problem is its not Royal Mail who made the mistake but the Post Office and they are 2 separate things, if you want a whole 10 minute rant go to the Post Office in my town centre and call it Royal Mail 🙄.

You could try and phone the number Royal Mail gave you but if the tracking doesnt update I'd have thought they'd just send you back to Evri to claim off them for a lost parcel, either way it sounds a nightmare.

[akemp1]

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@jimthing wrote:

Rather weird I have to say, as you'd have thought doing that would effectively be extorting a fee from someone else's customer, while being at fault themselves by their agent mishandling the item. 

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Post Office and Royal Mail are separate companies with a contract for PO to handle RM items.

However if a PO was given an Evri item that would fall within the scope of their contract to handle Evri items.

So essentially the PO worker was working for Evri when they accidentally put it into an RM bag.

Which means that RM are not at fault and should be paid for delivering the item.

And the complaint should be raised with Evri that the PO worker, who at the time was working for them under contract, made the mistake. Good luck with Evri customer services. Maybe the branch might compensate you if you approached them directly.

[jimthing]

Yeah, it's a whole bag of hurt this kind of issue. Given the linked but separate nature of all the companies involved. 

If it transpires it was mishandled in the Post Office, then I would chase this with them, as they're the ones at fault. But then it might be a waste of time if Ebay seller protection under Simple Delivery steps-in and covers both seller and buyer  in the end, anyway. 

[akemp1]

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@jimthing wrote:

If it transpires it was mishandled in the Post Office, then I would chase this with them, as they're the ones at fault. But then it might be a waste of time if Ebay seller protection under Simple Delivery steps-in and covers both seller and buyer  in the end, anyway. 

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If the item had an Evri label on it then I can't see how else it would have got into the RM system without being put in the wrong bag at the Post Office by a worker working for Evri at the time. Unless the seller put it directly into an RM letterbox, locker or handed it over at their local RM delivery office or snuck it into a RM van when the driver wasn't looking...

[jimthing]

Yes we've established that it's a Post Office error. What we're ascertaining is how to go about fixing the problem from me (as the sender's point of view) following me dropping the SD pre-paid parcel at said PO branch, and getting an Evri receipt from the branch to prove it. 

The info coming out from the parties involved is unclear from that perspective. I might phone the Post Office number I listed above a call tmrw and ask them. 

[akemp1]

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@jimthing wrote:

Yes we've established that it's a Post Office error. What we're ascertaining is how to go about fixing the problem from me (the sender) who gave the parcel in at said PO branch, and got an Evri receipt from the branch to prove it. 

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Did the buyer purchase Simple Delivery from ebay or did you as a seller buy the Evri label?

If it was scanned in then it's an item that's essentially been lost in Evri's network  (as they would have no delivery confirmation) and SD would probably give the buyer a full refund if they raised a delivery case with ebay. This would probably happen even if they were honest and said they received it but had to pay a penalty.

If you bought the label then sadly it's your problem to resolve with Evri or maybe Post Office although your contract would be with Evri.

[sml192]

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@kyanyama wrote:

Not sure it was a postal worker error though - seller said they're not sure if they put it in the correct locker!  

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I don't think it would be possible to put in the wrong locker as you need to scan the label to open the locker and it, therefore, wouldn't open if the label was for a different locker. 

[jimthing]

I am the seller! I literally said above that I handed it in directly myself at the Post Office branch. 
Not a locker or anywhere else. 

[sml192]

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@jimthing wrote:

I am the seller! I literally said above that I handed it in directly myself at the Post Office branch. 
Not a locker or anywhere else. 

Apologies for any confusion caused but my response wasn't directed at you.  It was intended for @kyanyama. 

[suelel1968]

HI Jim @jimthing , Interesting thread! I thought about this very thing this morning when i dropped an Evri parcel at the PO. I never knew you could until today and I assumed it would be dropped at the shop desk rather than the actual PO counter. Now the ladies at my PO are machines who would not make this mistake, but i know i would! I wouldn't dream of asking them what happens if they mess up, because I can't imagine that happening to them, but I am keen to know the answer. I would be fuming if I or a buyer got charged by RM for a PO error. I guess if you have the POP you would be compensated.

[dancewithadingo]

Good Morning Jim

It is not clear from your opening question if this is what happened to you or if you are talking hypothetically.

If your package was put into the wrong bag then how do you know that? 

[kyanyama]

I only told you what happened to me!  The seller coudn't remember when she posted it and where.  I only know that I received an Evri parcel from the Royal Mail Delivery Office and had to pay £7 cos it was considered Insufficient Postage.

My PO is situated in a convenience store which is open from early to late - and the shop staff deal with PO customers when PO employees aren't there.  It will be an easy mistake to make - and I am sure it is going to happen more often now - especially when the PO is busy.

[akemp1]

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@kyanyama wrote:

I only told you what happened to me!  The seller coudn't remember when she posted it and where.  I only know that I received an Evri parcel from the Royal Mail Delivery Office and had to pay £7 cos it was considered Insufficient Postage.

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In your case if the seller can't even remember where they posted it and don't have proof of postage receipts etc then it may well have been their own error sticking it in a postbox. Either way if somehow it has got into RM's network and it doesn't have a RM label then IMHO they are entitled to charge for delivering it as RM would not be at fault for the situation. I hope the seller refunded you the fee.

[selective_distribution]

I have actually had this happen to me, but managed to catch it in time. I was posting 3 packages all of the same size and weight with pre paid labels, two were Royal mail, and one was (annoyingly), Evri. The post office worker scanned all the items and then immediately put them into a Royal mail sack. Luckily I saw him do to this, and said "That`s one`s Evri"! He then took the Evri package out of the sack, and placed it into the Evri sack, with no comment or apology. If I had not been watching what he did I would probably have had a lot of hassle to come. Ever since then if I have an Evri package I make a point of always pointing it out to the person at the counter.

[jimthing]

Remember folks, this discussion is about packages dropped directly by sellers at a Post Office branch – with a receipt to prove that! (So please, no more comments on 'did the seller drop it at the right place/box/location' et al., as it's not relevant to this discussion.) 

Well phoning the Post Office (03457-223344 / https://www.postoffice.co.uk/help) is ONLY a bloody automated bot, no humans whatsoever! Then trying Evri (0330-808-5456 / https://www.evri.com/contact-us ) phone is an automated bot, and chat eventually after writing 'agent' on the Evri chat repeatedly, a human connected and refused to say anything except "ask Ebay". 

They're a complete waste of time, as there are no staff to speak to – just bloody automated bots and humans that give stock answers so may as well be bots for all the 'help' they offer! 

So it looks like you have to deal with Ebay (if it's a Simple Delivery bought postage!), as no one else does anything. 

[akemp1]

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@jimthing wrote:

So it looks like you have to deal with Ebay (if it's a Simple Delivery bought postage!), as no one else does anything. 

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Yes unless you offered free postage and paid the SD yourself then it's the buyer who payed Ebay for the failed Evri SD service so it's for the buyer to progress by raising a postage case with Ebay.

With SD then provided the Evri tracking shows you dropped off the item you have done your job. As a seller it's weird to not take accountability and want to help with postage issues but you have been cut out of the delivery contract by SD.