Royal Mail Online postage heads up

[PhantomBigStu]

Heads up If sending decals etc and paying online particularly internationally, do not post it in a post box, whilst they claim to offer digital proof of postage that relies on the postie bothering to scan it in, and the QR codes you are given at payment expire after 3 weeks so if its not delivered by then the letter officially ceases to exist. Brilliant, can't even claim the postage back as it doesn't show in my RM account so will have to go and bang my head against their customer services people in a vague hope of getting something in compensation. So heads up if sending something of value take it to the post office, whilst most go through fine eventually one will go missing in action and you will be out a couple of quid and some decals.

[Avgas]

Part of my job in a local charity is to raise funds selling donations on Ebay.

 

RM have on the whole been good and only 3 parcels out of hundreds have gone missing in action.

 

Two of those we swallowed because it would've cost more in time to sort than they were worth. However, the latest to go mia was worth a lot more, so I went down the compensation route, as I had to refund the buyer. 

 

Long story short, compensation was refused because though I could prove how much we refunded the buyer with an invoice, I couldn't prove how much WE paid for the item.

 

The cynic in me thinks that the fact our invoices make it obvious we're a charity relying on donations, gave them the perfect opportunity for a get out, by asking for information they knew we probably couldn't provide. But that's by the by. 

 

More importantly (in these parts) is that this may be the approach they take toward those of us who may sell kits that have been part of our stash for years and any proof of payment loooong gone. 

 

I've learnt my lesson though and won't be bothering with more expensive options when sending in future, so they've lost at least a bit of income going forward. 

 

PS the story does have a happy ending - the package turned up just last week, 3 months later and the buyer made contact to arrange payment. I appreciated the honesty - just brilliant!