Thanks and Merry Christmas Royal Mail!

[KidPhunk]

Morning and merry christmas to all,

 

I think I know the answer but thought I'd post it up anyway....my mum posted (from shrewsbury) some john lewis vouchers to my girlfriend - the card arrived on saturday opened and the vouchers gone! Now this is the second time that this has happened, last year my sister sent a cheque to my girlfriend and again the card was opened and the cheque gone (we cancelled the cheque before the lowlife scum could do anything) so no harm done but still annoying!

 

Now should we be accusing our postman as its either him who nicked it or at the very least if a card card is opened that should ring some alarm bells and the card should come with an accompanying note apologising for the damaged package!!

 

Neither posts were recorded unfortunately so I assume theres nowt we can do any advice would be welcome though! We will obviously contact Royal Mail to complain!

[Eater Sundae]

Presumably store vouchers are as good as money, so are at risk. We don’t send them anyway, but we do sellotape down the envelopes on Xmas cards (purely because the standard gummed bits are usually useless, especially on the cheapskate cards we buy). At least then it would be obvious if someone opened them.

 

As an aside. Do store vouchers have reference numbers? If we were to record them before sending, would we then be able to cancel them, to stop anyone else profiting?

[beansforyou]

You might want to put in a claim for loss, assuming you meet the criteria

 

http://www.royalmail.com/customer-service/personal-customers/refunds-and-compensation/claims-process/compensation-tables/compensation-lost

[scottf]

Neither posts were recorded unfortunately so I assume theres nowt we can do any advice would be welcome though!

 

I wouls recommend that you make sure you send anything like this recorded mail!! Especially as it happened to you last year too? It's not worth the risk.

[DerbyTup]

I think it's almost certain that this has nothing to do with your regular postie - and I also think it's a bit unfair to label them all as scum.

 

What's happening here is that in the run up to Christmas the Royal Mail will take on extras to cope with the increased demand. It's more likely that some of these extras are unscrupulously looking out for opportunities to raid the mail of vouchers, cheques, cash. But again, it's probably the minority - one or two bad opportunist eggs that are at work.

 

When I lived abroad almost every item of mail that arrived from England had been opened. I lived in a very poor country where even a fully qualified medical doctor would earn only £70 per month equivalent. So, the postal workers there saw any incoming mail from a foreign country as a source of potential bounty.

 

I would have loved to have seen the postie's face who opened a big jiffy bag that was sent to us from the UK. He must have thought it was going to be a bundle of notes - but in fact it was full of "baby soothers" (dummies) - which we couldn't buy at all over there - so the family had sent us several months supply.

[shane39]

Or you could send xmas/birthday cards in a brown envelope(so they don't look as tempting to the thieving scum)

[jenhoppy]

I wouls recommend that you make sure you send anything like this recorded mail!! Especially as it happened to you last year too? It's not worth the risk.

 

I agree....was it not sent recorded?? I too would have thought that if it had happened before that it would have been sent recorded?

[Murphy Jnr]

There was another thread on here covering a similar instance. In response someone more familiar with the workings of the mail service suggested that the machines used for sorting are responsible for a high number of envelopes being opened as they are rolled through. As a consequence items are released from their semi-safe haven. Seems feasible and believable though its possible that somebody is up to no good.

Can't imagine why these items aren't caught in a trap somewhere but maybe they are, what happens after that I don't know.

 

I think the word scum is overused.

[Kopman]

I'd just make out it never turned up lost inpost and all that

[mart]

Morning and merry christmas to all,

 

Neither posts were recorded unfortunately so I assume theres nowt we can do any advice would be welcome though! We will obviously contact Royal Mail to complain!

 

I wouls recommend that you make sure you send anything like this recorded mail!! Especially as it happened to you last year too? It's not worth the risk.

 

I agree....was it not sent recorded?? I too would have thought that if it had happened before that it would have been sent recorded?

 

A few responses on here are mentioning recorded delivery.

 

Recorded delivery provides proof of receipt. However, a little know fact is that recorded delivery mail is treated no differently until it is processed through the sorting office. When the member of staff takes it from you at the post office, your letter/item goes in to the collection bag with all the other ordinary mail items.

 

The only way to ensure safety is to send valuables by silver label next day guaranteed service.

 

If the sender wants a little extra support (in the event of a potential claim) request a proof of posting at the time of posting-there is no charge.