To be upset with Royal Mail? I've lost £350!

[ALittleCrisp]

I purchase a phone on eBay but it hasn't arrived. I know the seller is a good one because he has 1000 of positive reviews and it's PayPal so my money is secure if things go wrong.

However, Royal Mail say they've delivered my phone when they have not. They sent an email to say they'd be delivering, and then they never delivered. But, I got another email that same evening saying it had been delivered

What do I do?

Royal Mail website says to contact the seller but this is obviously not the sellers fault. I don't want to cause a rift with someone on eBay for £350, it's a lot of money and I feel terrible since it wasn't there fault.

AIBU to be annoyed at Royal Mail?

Keep us updated, IceRebel? I'm really curious as to how eBay will decide this.

@AnchorDownDeepBreath I would also love to be kept updated, although did you mean to @ me or the OP?

Ah sorry Ice!

No worries Anchor it's easily done.

Royal Mail rob people blind. I worked in their loss prevention dept for a bit and they are largely hamstrung by the unions.

If youre disputing it via Paypal you more than likely wont get a refund. I had a similar issue a few months ago. Seller sent tracking info saying it had been delivered and that was it case closed in their favour.

Thankfully mine was for a much smaller amount.

HeadsDownThumbsUpEveryone
The Seller has provided tracking details which show it to have been delivered. The only evidence to suggest it has non arrived is the OP saying she has not got it.

There isn't much in the way of evidence to show the item was delivered. Royal Mail's system might say it was delivered, but address and details of delivery seem to be unknown - was the parcel handed to somebody or left at a property? Those details should be available and would make it much easier to find out what's happened.

I think if you don’t get your money back OP you need to write 1) to the CEO of Royal Mail and point out this is a major flaw in their non-signature tracked services. 2) A consumer problems column in a good newspaper.

There isn't much in the way of evidence to show the item was delivered. Royal Mail's system might say it was delivered, but address and details of delivery seem to be unknown - was the parcel handed to somebody or left at a property? Those details should be available and would make it much easier to find out what's happened.

Yep.

I would take either Royal Mail or the seller to the small claims court. It would cost £35 but at least you will get the majority back.

It would cost £35 but at least you will get the majority back.

Really curious but would the OP actually get anything back if they went to small claims court? Since the seller has tracking showing it was delivered.

Since the seller has tracking showing it was delivered.

RM Tracked services with no sig say it was delivered but not where and to whom. It’s impossible to know if it was the mistake of the postman who marked it delivered when it was not, or whether it was delivered but to someone else.

Bottom line - this service is not properly tracked. Even if it didn’t have a signature it should be possible to discover precisely where it was delivered.

Sorry I have only read OP, but this happened to me.

I lost my money, eBay insisted the package had been delivered as RM said it had when it hadn’t, didn’t even provide a signature. I lost my money 😢

When I have more time I will read this thread.

Really curious but would the OP actually get anything back if they went to small claims court?

Balance of probabilities. In a general sense the small claims court is interested in who has the better story. It could help that since the OP would be able to choose a county court local to her, it could mean a lot of travelling by the seller, who might choose not to turn up. The thing OP would need though is evidence that Royal Mail's "Delivered" indication often means very little at all in terms of a parcel being delivered to a specific address.

For this amount of money the small claims court is only really a practical option if it's DIY. It would be a big faff and would be stressful.

Whilst out this morning, a Tracked/No signature parcel was delivered to my house (same service as OP). They put a card through the door to indicate that they'd left the parcel by the back door. So OP should have received a card from RM if they left the parcel on her property. Whilst OP's relationship is with the seller, rather than RM, I think it's worth getting back to RM to request exact details of delivery (address; passed to person or left on property and if the latter, explanation for lack of card). Other (cheaper?) delivery services manage to provide details of delivery.

Hi all, thanks for staying interested

Unfortunately, the seller won. eBay sided in their favour, however, if I can contact Royal Mail, get them to interview the delivery driver and write to me the outcome and what they think happened with the parcel, I will be refunded. But it's unclear if this would be out of EBay's pocket or the sellers

Sorry to hear that. Have you actually spoken with eBay over the phone? If not, I'd give them a call to ask what will be the next steps*. I've found them to be much more reasonable over the phone than when interacted with via the system-driven processes.

• There is still the remote chance that eBay might view this as a no-fault matter for either the side of the buyer or the seller and cough up themselves (although I'm only seen them do this for much smaller amounts.)

I would write to the CEO and head of customer services at the same time. Put in your request for them to interview delivery driver (as if he’s likely to remember), and draw their attention to a major flaw in their so-called ‘tracked’ service.

That will expedite the customer service enquiry.

I’d also contact one of the Consumer complaints columns of a broadsheet. I think everyone who uses this particular RM tracked service needs to know that they’re effectively not fully tracked.

you havent lost it

This happened to me too although for a lot less so I didn't persue it. Seller sent an item recorded delivery with signature and I didn't receive it. The tracking said I had signed for it. After a lengthy investigation with Royal Mail they wrote to me to say the item had bene incorrectly addressed with a street that didn't exist. So who signed for it or where it went I don't know. I gave all this info to eBay and PayPal in 2 separate cases but they wouldn't refund me as they had proof of delivery

@Bellasorellaa

See the OP update a few posts above yours. It MAY not be lost but what they now have to go through to get it back is ridiculous.

I'm absolutely outraged on your behalf, OP. The seller should have made sure the item was signed for. And secondly Royal Mail should've put a card through your door to say where they delivered it. Because they didn't and the fact it was marked as delivered, I can only assume the Royal Mail delivery person has stolen it. You should pursue it with Royal Mail. The delivery person needs to be interviewed carefully.

Surely the onus is on the seller to get proof that it was delivered i.e. a signature.
Good luck.

Oh no, that is rubbish. It is a lot of money to loose . Could you contact RM with the tracking number and ask the address where it was delivered.

Surely the onus is on the seller to get proof that it was delivered i.e. a signature.

Not as far as eBay or Paypal are concerned. In their view signatures aren't required for items less than £750 in terms of proving delivery. If they can find an online confirmation of "Delivered" then they view that as sufficient.

GPS should prove it was left on yoyr street - either they left it somewhere or one of your neighbours has it I reckon.