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How to make Royal Mail pay up By Isabelle Kassam
More than 14.6 million letters go missing every year out of a total of 20 billion items, causing major inconvenience to consumers and businesses. Often they have simply been put through the wrong letterbox and may be returned to the Royal Mail It is easy to imagine the havoc caused by the non-delivery of letters containing hospital appointments, 'thank you' cards and invitations to job interviews or weddings. But for office worker Mark Anderson a notice about some shares he owned cost him hundreds of pounds in lost savings. Mark, 33, from Yorkshire had read in a newspaper that a company he held shares in was being taken over. He expected to be given an option to keep his shares, but no letter arrived. When he contacted the firm he learnt that he had already missed the deadline. "I was too late to reject the takeover offer so was sent cash for my shares when I would have insisted on keeping them," he said. "Some time later the company was taken over again at a much higher price and I missed out on that gain - because of a lost letter." Overstressed postal workers The missing stockbroker's note was eventually found on the Pennine Way with thousands of other letters. They had all been dumped by a postman who could not cope with the demands of his job. Mark's experience is far from unique. The Salcombe Swimming Pool Association failed to spot that they had a major leak because a bill from South West Water was delivered to the primary school next door which was closed for the Christmas holidays. The water supply remained running and added more than £1,000 to the local charity's bill. The association's chair, Diane Tobin, insisted: "We would have turned off the water immediately if we had picked up the bill the day it was delivered." Helped by mail watchdog Postwatch, the charity won compensation of £1,250. There are a number of reasons for the snail-mail problem. Sometimes the fault lies with a postman who simply dumps or destroys post that he cannot deliver. But on other occasions it's badly written addresses that are the problem. Sometimes crazy addresses can find their way thanks to thanks to postmen's local knowledge. 'Louise, The House Near the Dangerous Bend, Somewhere Lane, Near the Disused Railway Station, Kenilworth' is one such example. However, your letters stand a much better chance if you take care with addresses. Royal Mail insists that 'every letter counts'. It says that it has tightened up its procedures - especially when it comes to recruiting and training staff. It claims it spends more than £10 million a year tracking down the rightful recipients of poorly addressed post. It faces hefty fines from the industry regulator, the Postal Services Commission (Postcomm), for failing its customers. What you can do Postwatch has some useful tips to get your mail to the right destination on time: Write the address clearly in ink. Always use the postcode and write it on a separate line. You can find out the postcode by calling Royal Mail on 0906 302 1222 (premium rate) or carry out an online search at royalmail.com. Put a return address on the back of the parcel or envelope. Wrap items properly - and if they are fragile mark the package to alert staff. Check if the postal service you are using includes cover for loss or damage to your items - additional insurance is available. Ask for a Certificate of Posting - this is a free receipt that proves you sent the item. It may be needed to claim compensation if your item is lost. Use Special Delivery to post items which are time sensitive. Compensation If your letters are lost or delayed you may be able to claim compensation. You need to call the Royal Mail's customer helpline on 08457 740 740 in the first instance. Don't expect to get a huge cash payment - however angry you are - most payouts are made in stamps. Compensation ranges from 12 first-class stamps for five days delay to a first-class letter or seven days delay to a second-class letter to £10 for much longer delays. Either the sender or the intended recipient can claim compensation but not both. To get the stamps, you only have to answer questions about the delay over the phone, but written proof of delay has to be provided for cash payouts. Compensation for lost items is more complex and a Certificate of Posting may be required to trigger the payout. Payments vary depending on the value of the item and can be denied if the item was not properly wrapped, addressed or insured. Postwatch has a leaflet explaining the compensation terms. Ring 08456 013265 or email info@postwatch.co.uk for a copy. This year we may get the chance to try out rival firms who want to start delivering our mail as postal services are opened to competition. But it remains to be seen if they will make a better job of it than the current monopoly provider.
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