Losing 45`s In The Post

[Denbo]

slightly off topic, has anyone ever got a record which has a high value on the outside and didnt get hit with the customs charge?

No, never!!! Not that I'm aware of anyway.

[Denbo]

yes and if you actually receive your record the tax people then steal from you

Yeah, you got that right!!!

[Denbo]

lots of times it continues to be tracked, just at the destination country's website. Thats what happens when you ship signed-for to the US. Once it enters the US you can check the tracking number on the usps website.

re: buying from jamaica ... I don't collect reggae like some people here probably do, but I recently bought from jamaica about 3 times and haven't had any problems yet. It did have a wide variety of shipping charges and a wide variety of shipping times, and some of the packages were pretty thin, but everything got here so far.

Yes, I've experienced that once or twice. But on the whole, doesn't work that well here in Europe. Some of the countries here have woeful tracking systems, if any at all.

[paultp]

slightly off topic, has anyone ever got a record which has a high value on the outside and didnt get hit with the customs charge?

Only once and I wish I knew how. The package had stickers with "there is a customs charge on this package" (or summat) in big red writing, but the postie brought it to my door and just got me to sign for it. Result!

I'm waiting for one at the moment, from one of those sellers that think England is on a different planet. I have this awful feeling that it was badly described and is going to be trashed when I get it and I'll have paid tax and customs for the privilege.

Edited March 19, 2012 by paultp

[Tiberius]

But Sebastian was correct when he said that the 'International Signedfor' system strangely only tracks to our shoreline. After that it's taken over by the country of intended destination. So, if a record goes missing, or turns up damaged, who does the sender claim from? Is it the Royal Mail or the postal service of the country it was sent to? I mean, do the Royal Mail compensate you then take up the matter with the postal service of the destination country? Or do they tell you it's not their problem after it left our shores? Makes you wonder, doesn't it? Has anybody got a definitive answer to this quandary?

Not definitive but Royal Mail quotes on their site -

"Unfortunately we can't accept claims where the problems were caused by another postal operator or other third party".

How they prove exactly where something got damaged en route I don't know. For loss, if the parcel is sent tracked then it should be clear to see if/when it left UK shores and Royal Mails responsibility ends. That said,I lost 2 sent regular Airmail and was quickly compensated both times. In one case I could only claim upto the £46 maximum tho this record was worth more.

[boba]

Not US or UK specific, It's strange that a country's post office could offer a "signed for" service where the recipient's country's post office might not even get a signature, let alone send back the signature as evidence.

The only way to guarantee consistent postal behavior is to use a private carrier that runs across country lines (DHL, FedEx, etc.)

[Guest john s]

slightly off topic, has anyone ever got a record which has a high value on the outside and didnt get hit with the customs charge?

Loads of times - much more often than being hit, including a box of 100 LPs marked $900 on the customs slip.

Every parcel I've ever had from Dusty Groove has been charged though - which is why I gave up buying from them.

[Denbo]

Not US or UK specific, It's strange that a country's post office could offer a "signed for" service where the recipient's country's post office might not even get a signature, let alone send back the signature as evidence.

The only way to guarantee consistent postal behavior is to use a private carrier that runs across country lines (DHL, FedEx, etc.)

I agree.

[Denbo]

Not definitive but Royal Mail quotes on their site -

"Unfortunately we can't accept claims where the problems were caused by another postal operator or other third party".

How they prove exactly where something got damaged en route I don't know. For loss, if the parcel is sent tracked then it should be clear to see if/when it left UK shores and Royal Mails responsibility ends. That said,I lost 2 sent regular Airmail and was quickly compensated both times. In one case I could only claim upto the £46 maximum tho this record was worth more.

What a load of bollocks.

How can a company like Royal Mail advertise a service called 'International Signedfor' then deny all responsibility after it leaves our shores. They should be done under the trades description act. They should honour what they are selling and if anything goes wrong, pay up, then argue their case with the overseas postal service to claim back their losses, not slope shoulder the problem onto us. It should be a door to door service, NOT a door to shore service.

[Tiberius]

What a load of bollocks.

How can a company like Royal Mail advertise a service called 'International Signedfor' then deny all responsibility after it leaves our shores. They should be done under the trades description act. They should honour what they are selling and if anything goes wrong, pay up, then argue their case with the overseas postal service to claim back their losses, not slope shoulder the problem onto us. It should be a door to door service, NOT a door to shore service.

Agreed but as I said my reply was "not definitive". In fairness it could well be that RM will pay compensation without any arguement,as in the case of the 2 std Airmail ones I lost. What I quoted was a statement from the RM website. I don't know if it's a hard and fast rule. To illustrate the point,here's another quote under "Exclusion" -

"where an item that may be damaged by bending is not packed in a strong container that will prevent the item from being bent , and marked with the words "DO NOT BEND" on the cover or envelope above the address"

I'm pretty sure not many will have had a claim refused for the packet not having "Do Not Bend" above the address!

Personally I've never had to claim since using Airsure/International Signed For so I can't comment on that score.

Edited March 20, 2012 by tiberius

[Denbo]

Agreed but as I said my reply was "not definitive". In fairness it could well be that RM will pay compensation without any arguement,as in the case of the 2 std Airmail ones I lost. What I quoted was a statement from the RM website. I don't know if it's a hard and fast rule. To illustrate the point,here's another quote under "Exclusion" -

"where an item that may be damaged by bending is not packed in a strong container that will prevent the item from being bent , and marked with the words "DO NOT BEND" on the cover or envelope above the address"

I'm pretty sure not many will have had a claim refused for the packet not having "Do Not Bend" above the address!

Personally I've never had to claim since using Airsure/International Signed For so I can't comment on that score.

Yes, but your original quote from Royal Mail;

"Unfortunately we can't accept claims where the problems were caused by another postal operator or other third party"

gives them a get-out clause should they wish to use it, therebu slope shouldering the problem back onto us. That's not a 'service'.

It shouldn't be like that. They should offer a service, for which we pay a fee, after which we shouldn't have to worry about a thing. That's what insurance is all about.

Seems to me that Royal Mail would like to have their cake and eat it too, when it suits them.

[Soulfuljules]

Hey Dave, as an italian record collector I think that you must name and shame the guy if you feel he's ripping you off.

There's not so many collectors in Italy (certainly not as many as in the uk), it's quite a small community and we more or less know each other.

On a slightly separate note, I'm getting pissed off with all the prejudices concerning italian buyers and the italian post system. Firstly, because over the past 15+ years of record collecting I think only a couple of parcels have not been delivered (because of the dishonesty of the seller). I've bought hundreds of records on here, 5£ to 1000+£, never had a single problem, other than misgrading, especially from uk sellers which, to me, is a plain rip-off.

Do I come here everytime saying that all uk sellers or dealers are misgrading their records?

If anybody has had problems with italian buyers/postal system FIRST-HAND, can they please state when, how, which records and what sums are involved and hopefully the person's name?

Then we can see how big the problem is and how many liars/thieves are amongst us italian collectors.

I am not saying that we are all saints, I just wonder if the rate of "lost" packages in italy is sensibly higher than those lost all over europe.

BTW, Dave I do hope that the record is delivered and nobody loses money on this.

Best,

Giulio

Edited March 20, 2012 by soulfuljules

[JOE TORQUAY]

IVE HAD A FEW WITH CUSTOMS CHARGES OVER THE YEARS,

BUT THE POSTIE JUST POSTED THEM THROUGH THE LETTER BOX BECAUSE I WASEN'T IN OR HE COULDN'T BE BOTHERED WAITING,

JOE.

[Ian Dewhirst]

Well, my all time record for one of my packages reaching it's destination came today. UK to Australia by 1st Class post: Posted on 9/11/11 and arrived yesterday morning, some 4 months and 1 week or 17 weeks to get there. Can anyone beat that?

Ian D

[Modernsoulsucks]

Giulio,

I dont think anybody should be named and shamed based on a "feeling". You need proof of irregular dealing.

Fact is that packages do go missing. I sent £300 worth last year to a member on here in Belgium. It never got there but I sent it Int Signed For and fully insured so was able to claim back from Royal Mail without too much trouble.

ROD

[Tiberius]

Yes, but your original quote from Royal Mail;

"Unfortunately we can't accept claims where the problems were caused by another postal operator or other third party"

gives them a get-out clause should they wish to use it, therebu slope shouldering the problem back onto us. That's not a 'service'.

It shouldn't be like that. They should offer a service, for which we pay a fee, after which we shouldn't have to worry about a thing. That's what insurance is all about.

Seems to me that Royal Mail would like to have their cake and eat it too, when it suits them.

It shouldn't be like that and hopefully the service is better in reality.

Re. "insurance", don't forget that's extra not standard. It's an additional £2.50 for insurance up to £500. Airsure and International Signed For aren't insured as such. You are paying the extra cost over and above std Airmail for priority handling and tracking, not insurance. Airsure only offers £46 max compo as standard which is the same as normal Airmail. It's also interesting to note the list of destinations both these trackable services apply to.....quite a few suprising omissions so no point in paying the extra in some cases. Just noticed Italy isn't listed but the recent couple I've sent were traceable so I don't know what's going on there????

[Pilgrimsoul]

Just a quick point regarding insurance,can you imagine the queue if royal mail paid compensation cart blanche,all kinds of toerags would jump on the bandwagon with false claims.Not sure how the claiming system works as I have never had the problem but as a responsible company then I would think that they should be quite good.Registered items from most countries aren't recognised here as there is no trail as such that Royal Mail can follow and the barcodes don't show up.There was a time when they would replace the barcodes with new ones but as you can imagine with the amount of packets that now come through this is too labour intensive and time consuming,not sure whether foreign countries adopt the same policy.

[Soulfuljules]

Giulio,

I dont think anybody should be named and shamed based on a "feeling". You need proof of irregular dealing.

Fact is that packages do go missing. I sent £300 worth last year to a member on here in Belgium. It never got there but I sent it Int Signed For and fully insured so was able to claim back from Royal Mail without too much trouble.

ROD

Hi Rod,yes, you are totally right. More of a provocation from my side, rather than an actual demand. But if somebody who is not a regular poster on here makes a first purchase and then shortly after claims that the record has not been delivered, then he's either very apprehensive because of lack of experience with international transactions or he's just a dodgy character. I think it's the seller's right to tactfully check on this guy's honesty, maybe through past transactions with others ss members.What I think is absolutely wrong is to start generalising on the whole population's honesty or a national postal system, which sooner than later will harm honest buyers = the vast majority.Best,g

[p0stscript]

Hi Rod,yes, you are totally right. More of a provocation from my side, rather than an actual demand. But if somebody who is not a regular poster on here makes a first purchase and then shortly after claims that the record has not been delivered, then he's either very apprehensive because of lack of experience with international transactions or he's just a dodgy character. I think it's the seller's right to tactfully check on this guy's honesty, maybe through past transactions with others ss members.What I think is absolutely wrong is to start generalising on the whole population's honesty or a national postal system, which sooner than later will harm honest buyers = the vast majority.Best,g

one of the benefits of feedback for buyer as well as seller.

[Guest micksoul]

As you sent it 'Signedfor', I take it that was within the UK?

So what was the reason given for not compensating you?

Because i didnt send it special delivery , I got a letter of apology and a book of 6 first class stamps off them ! Edited March 20, 2012 by micksoul

[Denbo]

Because i didnt send it special delivery , I got a letter of apology and a book of 6 first class stamps off them !

You mean you sent it straight 'Signed For' without insurance cover on top for at least the value of the contents?

[boba]

On a slightly separate note, I'm getting pissed off with all the prejudices concerning italian buyers and the italian post system. Firstly, because over the past 15+ years of record collecting I think only a couple of parcels have not been delivered (because of the dishonesty of the seller). I've bought hundreds of records on here, 5£ to 1000+£, never had a single problem, other than misgrading, especially from uk sellers which, to me, is a plain rip-off.

Do I come here everytime saying that all uk sellers or dealers are misgrading their records?

Sorry to have offended, I have mailed records to Italy (and France) without problems. I was saying "I heard" specifically from another message board I'm on that is filled with professional record dealers and record store owners. There definitely are daily complaints about chargebacks from french buyers (usually buyers of "Boogie" records) and I think Italy sometimes gets lumped unfairly with that group. There was a specific thread about the Italian post office where someone was talking about it, I will try to find it.

In my experience in the US, I have had the worst delays and most lost packages when ordering from Canada, which is bizarre.

[Tiberius]

Because i didnt send it special delivery , I got a letter of apology and a book of 6 first class stamps off them !

That's the minimum amount. Sent 1st, 2nd, or Signed For you could still have got upto £46. The key is to submit enough evidence to prove the items value.

According to their website -

"For stamped and metered items a postage refund plus compensation on the basis of actual loss, where evidence of posting and evidence of value can be provided. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the market value of the item and statutory maximum of 100 x 1st Class stamps ....." = £46

"Postage refund (a minimum payment of 6 x 1st Class letter stamps at the first weight step) shall be payable where only basic evidence is provided or the item is of no intrinsic value."

Proof of postage isn't enough on it's own. You have to send as much evidence as poss eg.copies of the paypal transaction or ebay completed listing etc etc.

I sent all this for the couple of claims I've made in the past and had no problems....apart from 1 of the records was worth more than the £46 I got back. But that was my own fault for not buying insurance.

[Guest micksoul]

That's the minimum amount. Sent 1st, 2nd, or Signed For you could still have got upto £46. The key is to submit enough evidence to prove the items value.

According to their website -

"For stamped and metered items a postage refund plus compensation on the basis of actual loss, where evidence of posting and evidence of value can be provided. This compensation is subject to the maximum payable being the lower of the market value of the item and statutory maximum of 100 x 1st Class stamps ....." = £46

"Postage refund (a minimum payment of 6 x 1st Class letter stamps at the first weight step) shall be payable where only basic evidence is provided or the item is of no intrinsic value."

Proof of postage isn't enough on it's own. You have to send as much evidence as poss eg.copies of the paypal transaction or ebay completed listing etc etc.

I sent all this for the couple of claims I've made in the past and had no problems....apart from 1 of the records was worth more than the £46 I got back. But that was my own fault for not buying insurance. Ive still got all the paperwork but it was last june so too much time may have elapsed , will look into it , cheers

[Guest micksoul]

Sorry Tiberius , have put up your original post in my reply , am new to all this and keep making mistakes !

[Guest micksoul]

You mean you sent it straight 'Signed For' without insurance cover on top for at least the value of the contents?

Yes , Ive been told i should have chased it up harder and ive still got the paperwork but i may have left it too late and will have to put it down to experience

You mean you sent it straight 'Signed For' without insurance cover on top for at least the value of the contents?

Edited March 22, 2012 by micksoul