POSTWATCH
Postwatch warning to
consumers
Damaged or Lost Mail
How
To Make A Complaint
Remember to...
Postwatch
warning to consumers
The Consumer Watchdog
Postwatch Northern Ireland has today issued a warning to
consumers not to send cash or items of value by ordinary
mail. Consumers need to be aware that 1st and 2nd Class or Recorded
Signed For Mail are not guaranteed services and are therefore not
covered by any form of insurance if money or items of value are
lost in the postal system.
Postwatch has dealt with the following complaints recently:
• A consumer received a Birthday card for her son. It was
delivered in a Royal Mail apology bag as the envelope had been
opened and the £20 it had contained was missing. Royal Mail
was only able to offer a book of stamps in compensation.
• A consumer sent a card containing £100
via the Recorded Signed For service. The card was never received
and Royal Mail
did not pay any compensation as none is payable for the loss of
cash within the Recorded Signed For service.
• A consumer sent their Driving Licence and a cheque for £60
to the Fixed Penalty Office via 1st Class Mail. Unbeknownst to
the consumer the items were never delivered and as a result the
customer received a court summons. Royal Mail was unable to offer
a conclusive reply as to what happened to the items, as they are
not able to track 1st and 2nd class mail through the postal system.
• A consumer was aware of 7 Birthday cards posted via 1st
Class Mail to his son containing a total of £80. None of
the cards were received and the consumer was not entitled to any
form of compensation.
Commenting on this issue Postwatch Chairman John Stringer said,
“Consumers
need to be aware that they should not be sending cash through
ordinary mail.
It is
common practice throughout the
country for family members to enclose cash in birthday cards, which
in many cases are distinguishable from other mail.”
Postwatch Northern Ireland would advise consumers to think carefully
before sending cash or items of value through the post. Further
information on the right product or service to use can be found
at Royal Mail Customer Services – 08457 740 740.
Damaged or Lost Mail - Postwatch Is Here To Help
We post some 2 billion items of mail over the Christmas period
including all those carefully chosen gifts for family and friends
across the country.
But did your Christmas present arrive on time? Was it in one piece?
Most people will have a good experience, and things will have
got there on time and in good condition. However, a number of people
will have had a different experience of using the postal system
over Christmas and Postwatch can help.
John Stringer OBE, Chairman
of Postwatch Northern Ireland, said: "By
now people will know whether the Christmas present sent to a friend
or relative got there, and whether it arrived in one piece. If
it didn't, we urge customers to complain. If you have complained
and have received an unsatisfactory response then Postwatch will
take up the complaint.
" Lost and damaged parcels and letters are just one of the many
postal topics which consumers contact us about. It is vital to
us that we know what consumers feel about their postal services
and we can help when things go wrong, consumers can get advice
or assistance by contacting us.
The Northern Ireland Committee of Postwatch,
the body championing postal consumer interests in Northern Ireland, works
closely with the industry regulator, the Postal Services Commission,
to sets targets and standards of service for licensed
postal operators such as the Royal Mail.
In the event of serious breaches of these standards by Royal Mail,
Post Office Counters Network or Parcelforce Worldwide - Postwatch
can ask for substantial financial penalties to be levied.
We put one of our listener’s
complaints to the Regional Chairman.
She had decided to get her Christmas present posted early to her
grand daughter in Florida. It never arrived. Postwatch has promised
to investigate this with Post Office Counters, on our behalf.
The chairman explained the
important role the body will play in the province:-
"Postal services lie
at the heart of social and business life in the province. About
a million
of us visit post offices
every week and, on average, we each send nearly 200 items in the
post a year and receive almost double that amount."
The new postal licensing arrangements are designed to benefit
consumers through increased competition.
Postwatch will be pivotal in ensuring that this results in tangibly
better services - and not the opposite. The obligation to provide
a universal postal service at a uniform tariff is of critical importance
to Northern Ireland.
"I believe that I lead
a strong and talented team of people who will rigorously and
effectively
protect the interests of consumers
of postal services in Northern Ireland."
"We will be keeping a
very close watching brief on three major areas of concern to
Northern Ireland:
the first of these
relates to post office closures, especially in socially deprived
and rural areas.
"The Government decision
to pay social security benefits through the banks from 2003 is
likely
to put many smaller post
offices at risk of closure.
"Secondly, there is
the issue of delivery standards, such as the percentage of first
class
post delivered the next day, where
performance has been declining. Finally we will be active in addressing
complaints not resolved by Post Office businesses.
"In conjunction with
the National Postwatch Council and other regional committees
throughout the
UK, we are fighting to reduce
the cost of a first-class stamp by a penny, although for an interim
period the regulator has settled for a price freeze for ordinary
mail."
Postwatch will take up a complaint
on our behalf about Royal Mail Parcelforce Worldwide, post offices
or any future licensed provider
of postal services.
Your complaint could be about anything from a lost or late letter
to queuing too long or being given incorrect information at your
local post office.
How To Complain
If you have not already done so and would like to complain, you
should first do so to the company concerned:-
Royal Mail customer services
Tel: 0845 774 0740
Post Office Counters Customer
Services Tel: 0845 722 3344
Parcelforce Worldwide General
Enquiries 0800 22 44 66
If you did not receive a satisfactory response to your complaint,
or wish Postwatch to send your complaint to one of the above on
our behalf, then write to:-
Postwatch Northern Ireland
24/26 Arthur Street
Belfast
BT1 4GA
Telephone Helpline 08456 013265
Fax number is 028 9027 0309
Remember to:-
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tell
Postwatch when the events leading to the complaint occurred |
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tell
Postwatch when and who you initially complained to (provide
the person’s name if you can). |
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provide
a short explanation of the response to the complaint. |
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tell
Postwatch what your ideal outcome of the complaint would
be eg compensation, improved service etc... |
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include
your own contact details |
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