Some advice needed regarding a compensation claim from Royal Mail

[HighFidelityGuy]

Hi guys, I need some help.

A while ago I posted a valve amp to another forum member using Royal Mail Special Delivery. This was very well packed with lots of foam and bubble-wrap and placed inside a cardboard box with extra cardboard above and below the amp for added strength. Despite all this the amp arrived smashed to pieces to such an extent that it must have been literally thrown multiple times.

I duly filled out all the necessary forms and provided photographs of the amp taken before and after it was shipped, including a photo of the box used. Royal Mail then asked me to send them the packaging I used. The recipient did this, including all the relevant reference numbers on the outside of the box as requested.

However, this never arrived at Royal Mail's customer service department because they obviously lost it. So after chasing this up with multiple phone calls and a complaint email, they finally agreed to process the claim based on the photographs provided and the proof of postage obtained when the packaging was sent.

Their decision was to refuse to pay compensation due to them not having evidence of the packaging used inside the box. So they're basically saying that they can't pay the compensation because they lost the evidence! :steam:

As you can imagine, both myself and the recipient are shocked and disgusted by this decision. I have already sent Royal Mail another complaint regarding this and also emailed "Citizens Advice consumer service" on the matter but I'm yet to get a response.

Does anyone have any other advice?

Needless to say, I shall never use Royal Mail again to post anything other than a letter. I would also recommend that anyone posting anything of value take numerous photos of the item and it's packaging before you send it to cover your back.

Thanks. :(

[Audio Al]

Typical of any company these days i'm afraid , all they want is your money :(

They will use everything they can to get off the hook

Some years ago I worked in a parcel sorting depot in East London I backed a 40ft trailer onto a bay and the workforce were to load it , A conveyor belt went
about 10 foot into the back of the trailer with 2 opperatives , one on each side of the belt , Can you guess how the parcels went the other 30ft into the trailer
:eek::doh::eek::doh::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Yep into orbit

[chelsea]

Had a similar problem with them.
Sent a tuner really well packed.
They never left a card and it sat in a depot for 3 weeks.
Was damaged and refused to pay out as i hadn't used poly something or other in the packing.

I always go over the top a bit with bubble wrap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last year sent cash twice to the same address for a xmas present one of them recorded.
Would only pay me back in stamps on the recorded one.

Bunch of tossers.

If i have to use them now i don't bother with insurance as it seems not to be worth having with them.

[Macca]

You could initiate action against them in the County Court. It would probably go on the small claims track as the max cover I belive is £500. Possible that once they get the notice they will settle up rather than defend as it does seem from what you say that the evidence is pretty damning against them.

[HighFidelityGuy]

You could initiate action against them in the County Court. It would probably go on the small claims track as the max cover I belive is £500. Possible that once they get the notice they will settle up rather than defend as it does seem from what you say that the evidence is pretty damning against them.

Thanks Martin.
I don't really know much about this type of thing. If I did go that route and Royal Mail did decide to defend the case and won, would I have to pay legal fees and such like?

[Audio Al]

Small claims court , Not worth doing , It will cost you more money , Dont ask how I know :steam::steam:

[Macca]

Thanks Martin.
I don't really know much about this type of thing. If I did go that route and Royal Mail did decide to defend the case and won, would I have to pay legal fees and such like?

I don't think you have any liability for the opponents' fees as it is an informal hearing rather than a court case. You won't need a brief. I'm no expert either so if you do consider this approach ask someone who is :) - Your only other option short of letting it go is to complain long and hard until you are blue in the face. keep at them, eventually they will pay up just to get rid of you. I know because I used to be at the other end of the process - not with Royal Mail though. You will need reserves of time and patience to pursue that strategy, of course ;)

[Techno Commander]

They managed to loose my mates Canadian Canoe. It was 9 foot long!!!

[nat8808]

Small claims court , Not worth doing , It will cost you more money , Dont ask how I know :steam::steam:

Admittedly I've no personal experience of small claims courts but I've read of people taking PayPal to the small claims and winning. When PayPal still failed to refund the awarded amount (I guess this part is the problem you had Al? A lack of action after winning a case), they kept on it and actually managed to get real county court bailiffs to turn up at PayPal to collect the money!

A small claims court should be as binding as any other, the problem is that you are not told what steps to take next.

[nat8808]

Thanks Martin.
I don't really know much about this type of thing. If I did go that route and Royal Mail did decide to defend the case and won, would I have to pay legal fees and such like?

If you won, no. You pay up front the £80 or so court fee and get that back when you win. You can also claim back your own legal fees and other costs if you win too, something you have to ask the judge to do during the proceedings, apparently.

Some people fail to win though because they don't claim the right thing or don't provide the detail or evidence properly - best to have some proper advice on it.

To me, this sounds criminal anyway - asking for the evidence and then seemingly destroying it to prevent a claim would be fraudulent wouldn't it? I'd take some stronger legal advice, even perhaps running it past your local police officer to see if it is criminal and not just civil.

[Audio Al]

Not as easy as that

I won a small claims case ,

as was told the person now had to pay its law

The person ignored the court order and paid nothing

I complained and was told I could take out an enforcement order at a further cost of £80 and this amount would also be collected

So I paid aging ( Mug )

3 visits by the bailiffs and because no one opened the door at the house even though the people were home ( confirmed by the bailiffs ) they were not able to gain entry

So what does out legal sestem do about this " Nothing "

I got a letter saying the case was now closed :steam::steam::steam:

[Wakefield Turntables]

This is very scary. We stump up huge fees to post things and look what we get. Not only that but what happens to our reputation on forums such as this :scratch: The legal system is a farce.Sometime I wonder how the hell anything gets done in this country. ;)

[sparrow]

A mate of mine sent 400 dollars cash to America recorded delivery..I tracked it for him and it never left the UK..he was fobbed of with stupid excuses from royal mail and finally he gave up. I have a mate who is a postman and he say right now at the big sorting offices loads of stuff is being nicked or getting damaged.

[alan47]

I have had two amps smashed by Royal Mail,they refused to compensate both times ,blamed my packing ,which was in my opinion nearly bomb proof.I gave up and have used Interparcel eversince,cheaper and always gets there next day in one piece..
Best of luck mate...

[Tarzan]

They managed to loose my mates Canadian Canoe. It was 9 foot long!!! Unbelievable!!!!:steam:

l will not use Royal Mail, as l sent a valve pre, l even took it to RM depot, mush behind the counter, dropped the box ( which was very well packed let me tell you) on to a chair, despite the fragile notices on the box, l challenged him on his actions and this bloke looked blankly not knowing what he had done:scratch: , anyway got an e-mail back from the buyer; er Andy amp arrived- but it is not working properly:steam::steam::steam:, god knows what they must have done with it, so Royal Mail never again.