Page 1 of Complaining about the royal mail?

Whats the best way to go about complaining about the royal mail? Through your local customer service dept, or write to someone higher up nationally? If so who? My problem is I can`t get orders to play delivered to my address. So far this year 4 out of 6 to my address have not turned up, or turned up open and empty. When I get them sent to my mums they have no problems, with about 8 arriving without bother in the last few months. Now the only difference is that mine come through the main sorting office in newcastle, while my mums go through a smaller one in gosforth (small area of newcastle). How can I get the post office to do anything about it? Despite a number of complaints to customer services, and number of appologetic letters with books of stamps, it still seems to be going on. Now I`m just not going to bother trying my address anymore, despite them saying that my mail is being specially checked.

My other question is for anyone working at the post office, and that is why would only my recorded mail be going missing? I have no problems ordering things from amazon, dvdplus, hmv, cd-wow. All of which come normal post. It`s only the recorded stuff from play that goes missing. In what way are recorded items treated differently.

I`d call in the boys in blue if I were you. Someone is obviously interfering with your mail which is a specific criminal offence. It would seem that the route your recorded parcels are taking has a thief on it. Someone who has obviosly recognised the play247 labels as worthy of attention.

Might be worthwhile writing to the customer service bods and state the action you`re taking. Maybe it`s time for them to get real about this issue and do some detective work of their own - i.e. like customs & excise do -in sending a `rigged` package through the system that has a light sensor inside that transmits a signal when the package is opened. When Light-fingered Fred(a) gets the fake play247 pack (s)he`ll be caught red-handed. Why they haven`t done this yet I don`t know - as I`ve said they have surely done such a thing for C&E before now.

HTH

SN

when i started on the royal mail in 1987 they did a lot of checks before employing anyone, now its a s*** job they cant get the staff & so they just ring up manpower or some other agency & beg for staff even though it costs them twice as much to employ a casual. in a business any business you get all forms of life the good the bad & the ugly with 200000 staff you wil get some thieves & the sooner they get caught the better so keep complaining & get the internal investigations team involved & please don`t let this incident make you think all posties are bad the vast majority still believe in giving a good publc service even if management(accountants) want to run it as a business the two just wont go, it was a lot more efficient when we were loss making .

PostmanPat

I agree wholeheartedly with what you`ve said. I like most people have a good relationship with our posties and parcel office, who`ll generally bend over backwards to help get parcels etc., delivered to me. It`s the rotten apples that generally tarnish the reputation of the entire service. I believe you`re right when you speak about a public service - privatisation of the postal service (like the railways etc) is not something I`d support or encourage. Running a business based just on balance sheets and not service delivery(sic) is the easiest way to run it into the ground.

Unfortunately the holiday recruitment is bound to attract a percentage of career-thieves - The management must put procedures in place to (at the very least) supervise such short-term staff or secure their working environments to make theft harder. I don`t pretend to know what the solution is overall - I suspect like all theft - there isn`t one but I just wanted to say that my experience of the local postal service is that it has always delivered and I have not had occasion to complain about lost mail.

SN

I`m surprised RD stuff is getting through the system when it`s obviously been interfered with. Of course, the service isn`t what it used to be. If you get a package that has been damaged, you should never sign for it because the Post Office can use it to counter claim against you. Use the order history page at Play to get all the JB numbers for the packages that have been interfered with. If you haven`t signed for them, your postie will be for the high jump even if he hasn`t ripped them off. Your first port of call should be a phone call and a letter to your delivery office. Failing that, you should contact the Royal Mail.

Quoting their website:-
"If you would like to make a complaint, please call us on 0845 60 60 406 between 8am and 10pm, Monday - Sunday. If you’re calling from overseas, please call using your international dialling number +44 208 515 2900. Alternatively, you can send us an email.

If you are not happy with the response you receive and would like to take your complaint or query further, please contact Postwatch, the independent watchdog for postal services on the following address:

Postwatch
28 Grosvenor Gardens
LONDON
SW1W 0TT

You can call Postwatch on 08456 013 265 or fax them on 020 7730 3394. Alternatively, you can send them an email to ofni[at]ku.oc.hctawtsop or visit their website: www.postwatch.co.uk "

A friend of mine works for Royal Mail customer service and reckons that losses are massive and endemic. Because of this scams are widespread especially on returned catalogue goods - think about it - if you have proof of posting the returned goods and an empty envelope arrives .......... The only alternative is to use a delivery system that does not use the Royal Mail. I have recently started to test a service from the USA that does not post the packaging, just the disk. I will let you know how this works.

As always I done me homework. Take a look at the Postal Services Act 2000. Apparently there is a council that you can complain too, those with low incomes and the blind (others as well) get extra care, hmmmm.

Anyway the Act contains some real good bits that you can quote at Royal Mail. I guarantee they brick themselves if you start quoting Law.

I once remembered reading about a Royal Mail Act, but I think it was reppealed after the name change :(

Take a look below, just quote the name of the act and the part, did this for my dad with Daewoo once reagrding a car componant, we got our way in the end.

Hope this helps

Max Knight

P.S - Oh yes, here is the part you may like:

Postal Services Act 2000
(PART V OFFENCES IN RELATION TO POSTAL SERVICES)

---

URL: http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/20000026.htm

84. - (1) A person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, he-

(a) intentionally delays or opens a postal packet in the course of its transmission by post, or
(b) intentionally opens a mail-bag.
(2) Subsections (2) to (5) of section 83 apply to subsection (1) above as they apply to subsection (1) of that section.

(3) A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person`s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.

(4) Subsections (2) and (3) of section 83 (so far as they relate to the opening of postal packets) apply to subsection (3) above as they apply to subsection (1) of that section.

(5) A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (3) shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.

i like part 3, if you get something misdelivered to you & you open it you are breaking the law

Funny right. We all know that the odd DVD goes astray, but when I purchased my house about 6 years ago, I got a cash back deal of around £5k. Well, I arrived home from work one night to find an envelope hanging more out than in from my letterbox. Yep, you got it , a cheque for the full amount waiting casually for somebody to take it. I guess I got lucky as it did not walk but still, It really p****s me off !!!

Lets be fair if you cant be arsed to push one envelope through a letterbox you are either in the wrong job or a total cock. More likely both.

Pete.

This item was edited on Saturday, 5th January 2002, 00:00