Next day tracked delivery - consequential loss fee enhancement

[1949threepence]

I've bought a really expensive coin and with the shenanigans some of us have encountered with the post over the last few months, I'm not content with it being sent by ordinary next day tracked (up to £500) cover.

This link tells you about it. For example up to £5k is seemingly an additional £5.82, but well worth it for peace of mind IMO.

Just wondering if anybody else here has used it, either in sending or receiving. If so, what are the precise mechanics. Do you just ask at the PO counter and pay the extra?

Thanks in advance.  

[Paulus]

I often increase the insurance on Special Delivery, I thought the maximum cover with the RM was £2,500? Good value imo, never had to claim so far ...

[Paddy]

I checked at my local Post Office this morning.

Consequential loss additional cover is available through the Post Office - it is not a Royal Mail feature. You can get it added at the PO when you buy your Special Delivery postage. Because it is not a RM offering, you cannot do it online if that is how you usually pay for your SD postage.

Interestingly the first teller I spoke to had never heard of it, but a more experienced person overheard our conversation and came to our rescue!

 

[secret santa]

Special Delivery is what I used when the Royal Mail lost my rare 1862/1 penny recently (see thread on that subject) - I did at least get refunded.

[1949threepence]

1 hour ago, Paddy said:

I checked at my local Post Office this morning.

Consequential loss additional cover is available through the Post Office - it is not a Royal Mail feature. You can get it added at the PO when you buy your Special Delivery postage. Because it is not a RM offering, you cannot do it online if that is how you usually pay for your SD postage.

Interestingly the first teller I spoke to had never heard of it, but a more experienced person overheard our conversation and came to our rescue!

 

Well, you say that, but the bit about enhancement for consequential loss is under the "Royal Mail" banner on the website. So it's not crystal clear, and customer confusion would be wholly understandable.  

[1949threepence]

1 hour ago, secret santa said:

Special Delivery is what I used when the Royal Mail lost my rare 1862/1 penny recently (see thread on that subject) - I did at least get refunded.

Up to £500 Richard?

[secret santa]

11 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

Up to £500 Richard?

No, I sensibly insured it for the price I sold it - ~£2350 

[1949threepence]

4 minutes ago, secret santa said:

No, I sensibly insured it for the price I sold it - ~£2350 

It definitely makes sense to do this with more expensive items, given the slightly more unreliable postal service during the pandemic. But I'd bet it's something that's not been considered by all dealers/collectors.

[Paddy]

38 minutes ago, 1949threepence said:

Well, you say that, but the bit about enhancement for consequential loss is under the "Royal Mail" banner on the website. So it's not crystal clear, and customer confusion would be wholly understandable.  

 

I'd agree it is confusing. In the end the fact that the service is offered on the Post Office website, which was quoted, but not on the Royal Mail website, is the clue.

I have run into this before - Royal Mail and Post Office are two completely separate entities these days. I discovered this when trying to send stuff to Thailand early in the first lockdown. Royal Mail site said post was now being accepted for Thailand, but the Post Office wouldn't take it as their website still showed it as closed! When I queried this at the counter they explained that RM and PO are now independent of each other.

[secret santa]

On a slightly different note, but still worth noting in the current climate, is that I bought a golf club from the USA a couple of months ago. The USPS tracking data shows it to be delivered to a "facility" in the UK on 5th October. However, it's not possible to contact USPS to find out more details and so this is another non-delivered item.

These are (relatively) dangerous times to be mailing items.

[1949threepence]

14 minutes ago, secret santa said:

On a slightly different note, but still worth noting in the current climate, is that I bought a golf club from the USA a couple of months ago. The USPS tracking data shows it to be delivered to a "facility" in the UK on 5th October. However, it's not possible to contact USPS to find out more details and so this is another non-delivered item.

These are (relatively) dangerous times to be mailing items.

It might be worth contacting Royal Mail/Parcelforce to see if they can cast any light on the issue. I say Royal Mail/Parcelforce as I've had two items from the States, both trackable first one on RM track and trace, second one on Parcelforce, both using the USPS tracking No, once they arrive at a Mail Centre here in the UK.   

[blakeyboy]

3 hours ago, secret santa said:

No, I sensibly insured it for the price I sold it - ~£2350 

Does this mean you lost the price you paid for it?

[secret santa]

1 hour ago, blakeyboy said:

Does this mean you lost the price you paid for it?

No, I sold it for what I paid for it. I'm not in coin collecting to make money.

[secret santa]

2 hours ago, 1949threepence said:

It might be worth contacting Royal Mail/Parcelforce

I wish I'd known that before. I've just entered the tracking no. into Parcelforce and there was a complete history. Apparently they issued customs charges in September (which I never received) and eventually sent it back to the US because the customs fees weren't paid. What a cock-up !

[1949threepence]

39 minutes ago, secret santa said:

I wish I'd known that before. I've just entered the tracking no. into Parcelforce and there was a complete history. Apparently they issued customs charges in September (which I never received) and eventually sent it back to the US because the customs fees weren't paid. What a cock-up !

You should have received a letter from your local delivery office advising you how to pay the customs charges.

But like everything else these days, you've got to watch it like a hawk, checking, double checking and triple checking to make sure it doesn't mysteriously vanish (with or without trace).  

ETA: Also just remembered that the USPS tracking site also followed the item through to eventual delivery in my case. That shows up an inconsistency immediately, as it just stopped dead in yours - link

It was the reference to "Parcelforce" on October 16th, which prompted me to then check their website.

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by 1949threepence