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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think that "first class" mail should mean just that!

27 replies

allgonebellyup · 31/12/2010 22:34

Posted important-ish parcel on wed to the same county as im in, and it still hasnt been received today.
Hmmmmph

OP posts:

penguin73 · 31/12/2010 22:40

YANBU. Every time I go into the local post office to send something first class the staff ask if it's urgent as first class probably wont get it there in time if it is.....
Mind you after watching the postman deliver to one side of the road (odd numbers) one day and the other side (even numbers) the next on a couple of occasions whilst I've been off over Christmas nothing would surprise me about them now!!!

charliesmommy · 31/12/2010 22:43

If its important, send special delivery to guarantee priority, or at the very least send by Recorded Delivery, which doesnt guarantee it, but does usually mean it gets there quicker than standard first class.

PawPuss · 31/12/2010 22:56

You have stated that you have sent a 'parcel'. If it went 'parcel post' then YABU as parcel post takes about 3 working days so not even due until at least next Tue.

PawPuss · 31/12/2010 22:59

Charlie - Recorded Delivery does not get there quicker than standard delivery. It gets no special handling whatsoever - it just merely gets a signature on arrival.

Original poster

allgonebellyup · 31/12/2010 23:00

Well it contained a t-shirt but it fit easily through the "large letter" slot they measure post through.

OP posts:

Sidge · 31/12/2010 23:01

I posted my mum's Christmas card Recorded First Class on the 20th December.

She got it on Wednesday 29th.

I was less than impressed.

penguin73 · 31/12/2010 23:02

annoying though that you now have to pay SD rates to get 1st class service...why not just abolish 1st and 2nd class as there seems little difference between them?

PawPuss · 31/12/2010 23:02

Why did you post a christmas card recorded?

Sidge · 31/12/2010 23:05

It had a Gift Card in it and I wanted to track it to make sure she got it.

PawPuss · 31/12/2010 23:07

You cant track Recorded Delivery (or claim for loss of a gift card as its classed as cash). Recorded dosent cover this.

Sidge · 31/12/2010 23:09

I did track it - it had a tracking number and I could see when it was delivered and signed for.

I knew I wouldn't have been able to claim if it didn't arrive - it wasn't so much the value of the card I just wanted to check it got there.

PawPuss · 31/12/2010 23:13

Most people dont understand Recorded delivery. It is not tracked at all. It just gets chucked in the ordinary post with everything else. All you get is a signature at the other end so the recipient cannot lie and say they didnt receive the item - pointless with a trusted relative!

penguin73 · 31/12/2010 23:19

Recorded can be tracked and is insured up to £41 but is no quicker than normal mail, SD can be tracked and also has a guaranteed delivery date and increased insurance.

Sidge · 31/12/2010 23:22

I had a tracking number on the receipt, so I could see that it was still in transit and hadn't yet been delivered, and then I could see when it had been delivered.

It was partly for my own peace of mind, and partly so my mum couldn't claim I hadn't sent her anything!

PawPuss · 01/01/2011 13:54

From Royal Mail Website "Recorded Delivery offers a comfirmation of delivery track only". Its not 'tracked' in the way Special Delivery is. It gets no special handling at all.

penguin73 · 01/01/2011 14:21

SD and recorded delivery both tell you whether something has been delivered or not, where to and when so pretty much the same if you are posting to a residential address in the UK, only difference is the guarantee of when it will be delivered and increased compensation with SD, also the fact that you can tell where it is within the postal service but I've never really understood the benefit of this. Whenever I've tried to query non-delivery of SD I've either been told where it is within the system but this hasn't helped speed it up - I've also been fobbed off with fake signatures on 2 occasions which is wholly unacceptable but was never dealt with. If it isn't urgent or expensive SD really isn't worth the additional cost.

SugarMousePink · 01/01/2011 14:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

allgonebellyup · 01/01/2011 15:19

It was only 30 miles away!

OP posts:

panettoinydog · 01/01/2011 15:27

It's christmas.

If I want anything to arrive by a specific date between christmas ansd new year, I post it well in advance.

I can't believe how picky people are being about the post.

Starbuck999 · 01/01/2011 15:38

But 1st class isn't promised to arrive the next working day!

YABU, the weather in some parts of the country means is still bad, 2-3 days over Xmas/New Year in bad weather conditions is understandable, even for 1st class.

You should have posted it Special Delivery if it was important.

Also at someone sending their mthers xmas card recorded. The only benefit you have is that you can prove it arrived.. surely you know it arrives when your mother tells you it has! Why on Earth would she try and claim you didn't send her anything?!? How odd!

Sidge · 01/01/2011 20:43

I knew it was Christmas, I didn't expect my mum's card to arrive the next day but I naively hoped that it would get there by the Friday 5 days after I posted it, given that I posted it First Class. Ironically the other card I posted at the same time, non-Recorded (as it had nothing of any value in it) arrived on the Thursday!

The gift card I sent was only 20 pounds hence why I didn't need to send it SD - I didn't see any added benefit to the increased cost of sending it SD as sending it RD would have offered compensation up to 41 pounds if it didn't arrive.

Anyway I think the RM generally did a sterling job over Christmas, certainly our postie is a star and went the extra mile to get our post to us.

And don't be too outraged Starbucks - you don't know my mother.

southeastastra · 01/01/2011 20:44

poor rm, i think it will be changed forever soon so make the most of it

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 01/01/2011 21:44

I do feel sorry for the RM actually.
People complain about the cost of a first class stamp but everyone will appreciate the RM that little bit more when if the privatise it because you won't be sending a letter for 41p then.

PawPuss · 01/01/2011 21:52

Recorded delivery does not cover insurance for the loss of gift cards, vouchers etc as these are classed as cash . So even if it was only vouchers to the value of £20 these would have to be sent Special Delivery anyway to be able to claim.

Sidge · 01/01/2011 21:55

Ah that's not what the PO lady said to me!

Live and learn eh. I'll send it online next year.

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