The Post Office Lost Mail Rant
 

In the last month I have lost a parcel going out and another coming in, I have always believed in keeping postage costs down and I seem to have gotten away with it, are things getting worse or has my luck just run out?

Rob

A postman I met whilst I was on my deliveries, he seemed to feel some comradery with me, told me that RM are being told to start using their 'leave safe' options. So if a delivery is missing check your bushes, shed, side gate etc. it maybe tucked away.

I bought a stealth bomber... Royal Mail claimed they delivered it using their ‘leave safe’ protocol. Do you think I can find it?

A couple of years ago I received an empty ripped open jiffy bag through the door, it should have contained a wartime pair of Newey cobblers pliers I had bought on ebay, the next day I met our then post lady riding her horse up the lane where I live and I told her of my disappointment, when I described the missing item she said she had seen it fall from the bottom of a postal sack and she delivered it to me the next day.

An anecdote with a happy ending which probably makes it sound like its still the 19th century in this bit of rural Devon, maybe it is?

But anyway is this problem getting worse?

Rob

You bought a stealth bomber?:eek:

Shhhh!

Please... stealth bombers... like they even exist! I’ve never seen one. :D

It's under his couch...but you didn't hear that from me....

I bought some badges about 2 years ago from an online dealer. When I received the envelope it had been stuffed with bubble wrap and the badges missing. Because the UK customs sticker was stuck over where the envelope was torn and resealed, it can only have been opened by somebody pre-UK customs, I suppose Royal Mail. To this date I haven't received any refund despite claims.
Cheers,
Alex

Look for the wheel dents in your lawn?

Customs can open mail and do random tests on parcels. Royal Mail cannot. The only time Royal Mail open mail is if they cannot deliver it (no such address, refused, Failed to collect), and it has no return address on it. If they find an address inside it is returned to sender with a notice explaining why it was opened.

It seems to me that the originator / sender covered up a hole they made with the customs sticker, these are always put on by the sender. I doubt there were ever badges in it. Knowing you would blame the posties.

99% of the time when some rogue Postie has tampered with the mail you just won't get it.

So if an empty package is delivered, usually in a bag with 'Sorry your package was found damaged or open in the mail' the item has been lost somewhere in the process. Nearly always due to poor packaging.
Sharp items in jiffy bags nearly alway's protrude from the bag because of the process of being collected, mailbagged, area sorted, mailbagged, transfered, machine sorted and mailbagged, walk sorted, all in various lorries or vans to final destination.

Thanks for the explanation, that makes more sense to me. No doubt I was conned out of the badges from the start then.
Cheers,
Alex

A couple of years ago I had an item lost in the mail, the envelope was torn open and returned to the dealer who's name appears on this forum from time to time. I got a refund from the dealer for the lost badge and the other 2 turned up in a flimsy plastic bag, no wonder the bag got ripped open. Just a case of very poor packaging by the dealer.

I later replaced the lost badge via the forum for 4GBP, which was a saving on the cost of the original badge.

Regards

Phil.

To be quite honest, although, I don't like additional costs that is always incurred when something is posted, I always look at the cost of the alternative, certainly actually collecting the item in person would normally be far more expensive.

Most of my collecting interests are at the lower end financially, with items worth only a few pounds, so having them sent by an expensive tracked service is not really an option. For me its probably cheaper in the long run to accept a few losses than continually pay for insurance you don't use.

But no one else seems to have noticed the post office getting worse, maybe its just chance that of late I have had a few issues all at once?

Rob