AIBU to think Royal Mail are "extracting" extra postage fees more often?

[StickyTick]

Not sure which category to post this under. Please advise, if you see something more relevant.
AIBU to think Royal Mail are taking liberty with our post to generate more money, unfairly?
Twice in the last 3 months, our family has had to pay excess postage fees because Royal Mail has maintained a sender didnt pay enough postage. The first time was a birthday card I sent my daughter, and cost us an extra £2.50, the second is a parcel which the Mail claims requires an extra £7. The only parcel I am expecting at the mo has already cost £5.45 to post. I have the receipt proof that the sender paid a week ago.

I can't find out more details until I liberate my parcel, and pay the "ransom fee".
I'm in my 50s. I've only ever had to pay excess postage twice before that, (and then we were talking pennies or low pounds).

Is anyone else seeing a recent increase in Royal Mail asking them to cough up more, before an item can be delivered?

What else can they do though? The sender didn’t pay the postage, they don’t know who the sender is, only the recipient so they ask you to pay it. Do you want them to just sub people who underpay postage?

cards are often made too big for standard letter size, they’ve gotten bigger over time

I’m not sure what is happening with RM but it’s not good.
We received a leaflet a couple of months ago saying our mail would only be delivered on alternate days.
That was a surprise as we usually get a delivery of about 7 letters once a fortnight.
Loads of things we are waiting for just don’t turn up, or arrive three weeks late.

they’re changing 2nd class to alternate days. First class and parcels every day. Most people just won’t get much post though, rather than them not delivering it

You will need to investigate each instance and complain if RM are lying or incorrect.

RM charged my mum a pensioner £5 for a postcard from her grandchild. It had a stamp bought on holiday in good faith but misold as it did not have a bar code. I get RM are not a charity but they are a disgrace.

What’s her being a pensioner got to do with it? That they shouldn’t charge pensioners?!

Thank you for your reply. The thing is, maybe I didn't explain it clearly, we have the receipt. The sender has paid for the parcel at a post office already, using post office scales and following the advice of the counter staff. He paid £5.45. Insists that the parcel is much lighter than a kilo. So, in total it will cost £12.45. it was posted on the 17th July, and I still haven't received it. Also, because it is a parcel the sender has put their name and address on it.

£5 extra for a single piece of A5 card. (Actually smaller). Blimey. That puts £7 extra for a parcel into context. Thank you. That's daylight robbery.

Probably OP is just pointing out how much harder it would be for a pensioner to cough up an extra fiver. ?

Why would it be? Every pensioner I know is better off than the working parents with childcare costs that I know.

When my first class parcel finally arrives it will have taken 2 weeks. (That's if it does arrive tomorrow. The reply from the p/o on paying the extra £7, is that they will "try" to deliver it on Friday).

Also, forget alternate days.
We tend to get all our post in piles, on alternate weeks.

I had one of these unpaid postage cards but I had no idea what I had ordered. I checked that my close relatives hadn’t sent anything then I ignored it as I refused to pay £7.

They delivered it anyway - I guess return to sender was just too much hassle.

I’ve just paid £10 (two parcels at £5 each) for things that should have fitted in an envelope.

The place we ordered from has been awful so I’m not surprised, and won’t be shocked if there’s no postage on them at all. Shall have to wait until they are delivered to see.

Agree RM is particularly bad at the moment though.

Oh my goodness. Round of applause for you. I admire your style.

She doesn’t have to pay it though. They’ve just given her the option.

I don’t understand why people wouldn’t be more frustrated with the sender sending them something and not paying properly!

re your parcel I don’t really understand what you describe has happened but you complain and are entitled to compensation if a parcel or letter isn’t delivered to the timescales it should be. Parcels are tracked so easy to find out where to is and why it was delayed

A privatised industry offering worse service, for higher costs, than before privatisation? Shocking

Post Office and RM are separate so pay the charge, keep proof of payment then claim it back from the Post Office, it was their error

That’s not true. Our postman is very vocal about the fact that they’re told to prioritise parcels and leave the letters, and that’s why we only get a delivery of letters every week or two. And it’s not like we live in the sticks, we’re in a city. We still get a fair bit of post when it does come, but sometimes it’s hospital appointments that have been and gone, and multiple birthday cards 10 days late.

To be fair, it is three years since stamps have needed a barcode. It's the shop that sold you the stamp you should be angry with, not Royal Mail.

whats not true? I said 2nd class every other day first class and parcels every day. That’s the leaflet that Royal Mail put through the posters door, and it’s a change in law, so it is true and easily checked

the parcels prioritised over letters is a urban legend spread by the postal workers union. Even a recent government select committee found no evidence it is true .

I have to say that around here, RM is very good.
I regularly send parcels from outer SW London to a charity in East Yorkshire - have done for a few years now - all accurately weighed and measured, and postage prepaid at home - I use the Click and Collect service, so the postman collects them.

Unless they’re collected on a Saturday, they have invariably arrived in E Yorks the next day. I do send them first class though - an awful lot of time and work goes into the items, so I need to be sure they’ll arrive safely.

I ran an online company for many years. Over the last couple of years I was suddenly getting fines on my post, roughly 3 a month.

I always asked for proof of the error (i.e. I sent it as Large Letter they would say it was packet, or I said it weighed 100g they said it weighed 2.5Kg etc) - 8 out of 10 times they said "whoops, our mistake" the other times they would send me photos and it would show as my small parcel on top of another parcel.

I would imagine that large companies just paid the fines, so yes, I do think RM are trying to add on costs.

Do as I did and challenge every one. If the postage was purchased at a Post Office then just a copy of the receipt will do. Take photos before you open it, showing dimensions and weight, then if you feel the charge is wrong, fill in the form on the Royal Mail website and claim your surcharge back.

Bear in mind that when RM ask you to pay a surcharge, only part of it reflects the postage you should have paid. They will also be incorporating the additional handling and admin costs as it’s no longer a straightforward delivery for them.

£5.45 is likely to be a 1st class small parcel weighing up to 2kg, with maximin dimensions of 45x35x16cm

When it arrives take photos with measurements

I think you might be exaggerating. It’s highly unlikely they made that many mistakes. You reckon Royal Mail just tell their (highly unionised) workers to lie and fraudulently take money from the public and the posties just go along with it for no personal gain at all?