to think the Royal Mail sould have some answers for me?

[hillbilllyhell]

I sent a special delivery packet last week that has been lost, or delayed as they tell me. It has to be 10 working days before they can consider it lost. In this packet were crucial, original documents for dh's work permit from the Canadian Embassy. Without this document, the work permit application cannot proceed. The document, which is a FBI police certificate took us about 10 weeks to receive from the FBI. The FBI does not issue duplicates, and has told us that we will have to start the whole process over.

Dh's employer in Canada will not wait for this to happen and if the Royal Mail cannot find the packet then effectively dh will have his job offer withdrawn and will be out of work very soon when his current contract expires.

We did not make copies as the embassy very clearly has stated that they only will accept original documents. All the Royal Mail can tell me is that they are investigating what has happened. Apparently there was a mailbag with 3 special delivery packets in it, 1 of them being ours and none of the items in the bag have been scanned in or delivered. The mailbag left Edinburgh processing centre last Thurday and should have arrived at the West London processing centre the next day, according to all of the people I have spoken to at the Royal Mail.

So what next? They don't seem to be particularly bothered and cannot answer any of my questions regarding what happened and only tell me it won't be considered lost until the 27th of this month, after then I can claim back the £5.45 of potsage costs. This error could cost dh a massive setback in his career, and our life in general. Any suggestions?

I am tearing my hair out, waiting for answers from the Royal Mail.

I would not hold out much of hope of them locating the package. I would start the processes again and courier your replacements next time.

Starting over isn't an option as dh's employer isn't willing to wait for further delays :(

can you contact/email the various departments and get them to confirm in writing that they had provided the relevant documentation - give the employer this info, and ask for additional time to get replacements (given the circumstances)?

And also really keep on at Royal Mail.
Tell them as nicely as possible that waiting is not an option for you. Then, you might find that the package arrives. Hope you do anyway.

A parcel was delayed last year for me, but it did arrive. There is hope!

I am going to try. Today we are going to post our bank statement proving that we did pay for a FBI police check and our post office receipt to the Canadian embassy to show that we have paid for and sent the police certificate. I will contact the FBI again when they open in afew hurs and see if they can offer any sort of help.

How can a special delivery mailbag just vanish????

I have been on the phone with them constantly, much to their annoyance. I might have mentioned something about going to the papers over this

ime these packages do turn up eventually - but how much time before your DH's contract expires and he runs out of time?

I think your best option is to plead for more time with the employer. If they really want him it's hard to see why they won't allow at least a few days'/couple of weeks' grace to see if the documents turn up.

I think embroiling yourself in the internal workings of the PO will achieve nothing - unless you can actually contact someone in the sorting department who can mount a physical search for the missing item. Otherwise you will just be snarled up with "procedures" and get nowhere.

Final thought - are there any Post Office bloggers you could contact - a sort of All Points Appeal for help - someone somewhere at the PO may have a clue what to do. Or ask the local press for help - "Desperate family seeks answers to vital missing documents" kinda thing.

I wish you luck, op.

The time consuming part is having to start over with the FBI police check. Getting the check all over again will be at least an additional 10 week delay. We received them from the FBI and posted them on to the Canadian Embassy vis special delivery. Dh's post was due to start Jan 3rd, but had already been delayed because these FBI documents took so long to arrive. It was the final document that the embassy was waiting for to process his work permit.

You are right about dealing with the post office directly, no one knows anything. All they can say is that the mailbag was scanned out of the EDinburgh centre and has not been scanned in anywhere else. They also said that they are investigating it but couldn't tell me how or where it was going to it's destination except "probably on a plane to Stansted."

I am going to use your PO blogger idea. Thank you.

except a quick google showed me that I have no idea how to find a PO blogger! :)

There's this one but it hasn't been active since last July. Perhaps there are links to others?

ask on twitter if you are on there

@PostOffice

probably wont help but wont do any harm

the one on twitter seems to answer queries pretty quickly

in work on phone. so excuse the dreadful typing. If this was me. I would now be searching google high n low. for all the decision makers ceo. directors ect. and looking for contact tel numbers n emails. i just found a page of names. then look for contact number and emails. Email them ALL. and then phone them. DOnt let receptionists fob you off. Just ask to be put through to so whoevers office. when the phone is answered. Ask to whom you are speaking. And then ask who is such and such's PA. Explain and complain and stress how u are not getting any help fro. other channels and appeal for thier help. In resolving. And speak to as many directors as possible. And let then know who you have already spoken to and who else you intend too talk to. this should get folk moving on ur behalf. esp wen they realise how determined u are. sorry cant help more. would google for u but at work no pc.
and sorry for the shit lack of englisha

Try Stansted freight handling dept? (not even sure that is what it would be called)? Perhaps they can confirm if the bag of 3 special delivery items arrived or not.

Good point! Any RM twitterers who could help perhaps?

I can't help but I understand your dilemma, RM have recently lost all of my identity documents (passport, driving license, birth cert, nhs card, etc) and bank details that I sent off for a CRB check.

I hope yours turns up soon, I've been told that mine are on their way to the lost parcel centre probably, I may get them back in a few months if I'm lucky and also to get replacements and officially log all of mine as lost/stolen if I'm worried

They also logged another special delivery (Ofsted cert) as posted and signed for last week but there was no signature It came on Tuesday, the postie didn't bother getting a signature and when DP chased him he said he didn't need it (for a recorded and signed for package!)

You could ask the embassy if they could apply pressure. The US Embassy's couriers lost a visa on its way to a friend of mine. The embassy staff applied some pressure and it mysteriously appeared. This is not the same situation, but it might be worth asking?

30seconds- I just asked for special delivery, I have never heard of Consequential Loss.
Everyone else- thank you for your advice. I have been on the phone all day to different people and am getting nowhere.
The embassy just told dh that they are going to give his application packet to the immigration officers for a final review without the FBI police certificate. So that isn't neccesarily good news as they requested this certificate that has gone missing.

I will keep updating ....

hilbillyhell find out the name of the RM area manager, get his phone number,email address, speak to them, tell them you are going to the papers if these item is not found pronto.

I work for RM, there is no way this S.D item should be lost. It shouldn't happen, it's a sackable offence for a postal worker to not get a signature, not scan in and out of RM premises, leave unattended.

It's a bloody disgrace, your item is sitting somewhere i guarantee it.
Get on the phone now and threaten RM with bad publicity hell.

Thanks pathan, I will do these things 1st thing tomorrow. I joined twitter and tweeted RM as suggested above and they were right on it. It took 15 minutes from the time I 1st tweeted until someone from RM actually phoned me and gave me every assurance that this will become top priority for their special investigation team! I hope he was telling the truth. I always said I was never going to join twitter, but maybe I will finally get some answers!!