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Rules about batteries?

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alvinlwh
Posts: 20
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 14:56
Gender: Male

Rules about batteries?

Post by alvinlwh »

Hi

Wondering, what really are the rules about posting batteries? I had known for a long time that Li of any type is not allowed but NiMH should be allowed as per the Prohibited and restricted items list.

https://www.royalmail.com/sites/default ... 745440.pdf

I recently placed an order for a number of items, including a NiMH battery, tracking no. JC543800727GB. It got as far as Inverness before being sent to NRC. The seller said it was due to "a standard level of incompetence at Inverness with them being continually unable to understand their own rules with batteries", and going from the document above, it seems that he might be right. From my own experience with them, I regularly get Li-Ions sent to me with various RM services and they all got to me just fine via Inverness MC.

Note that this is a retail sales with brand new items in their original packaging, not some dodgy second hand ebay purchase, so that battery do comply with the "Must be new and sent unopened in their original retail packaging. Surround with cushioning material e.g.bubble wrap." requirement of the document above.

Cheers

Snaggletooth
EX POST OFFICE
Posts: 2025
Joined: 13 Sep 2011, 20:17
Gender: Male

Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by Snaggletooth »

The rules are as stated in that leaflet.

If you don’t receive your batteries, you need to make a claim from the seller, and they need to claim from RM.
alvinlwh
Posts: 20
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 14:56
Gender: Male

Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by alvinlwh »

Snaggletooth wrote:
22 Jul 2021, 20:29
The rules are as stated in that leaflet.

If you don’t receive your batteries, you need to make a claim from the seller, and they need to claim from RM.
So it means NiMHs are allowed, as per the leaflet, and Inverness MC rejected it and sent it to NRC for no reason at all?
Snaggletooth
EX POST OFFICE
Posts: 2025
Joined: 13 Sep 2011, 20:17
Gender: Male

Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by Snaggletooth »

alvinlwh wrote:
22 Jul 2021, 23:25
Snaggletooth wrote:
22 Jul 2021, 20:29
The rules are as stated in that leaflet.

If you don’t receive your batteries, you need to make a claim from the seller, and they need to claim from RM.
So it means NiMHs are allowed, as per the leaflet, and Inverness MC rejected it and sent it to NRC for no reason at all?
NiMHs are allowed with conditions, but also banned in some circumstances. Without seeing what Inverness MC have seen, it is impossible for any of us to say if they have done the right thing or not.

The National Returns Centre seem to think they are alright though. The parcel has gone back into the system and arrived at Inverness MC yesterday morning.
alvinlwh
Posts: 20
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 14:56
Gender: Male

Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by alvinlwh »

Snaggletooth wrote:
23 Jul 2021, 06:41


NiMHs are allowed with conditions, but also banned in some circumstances. Without seeing what Inverness MC have seen, it is impossible for any of us to say if they have done the right thing or not.

The National Returns Centre seem to think they are alright though. The parcel has gone back into the system and arrived at Inverness MC yesterday morning.
I often use Amazon to check what is allowed or not allowed. They are very (overly) careful these days due to the fine by CAA in 2016 thanks to RM. It became extremely difficult to obtain some items in the Isles now. At least, RM had the "Not by air" sticker in the past. Anyway, this particular NiMH battery is definitely an allowed item.
Looks like it is stuck at Inverness MC again as it did not get on this morning's flight, and going by their record, probably going to be shipped to NRC again OR sent to Wick to be tossed into the Penthland Forth like PT904256258GB.
Snaggletooth
EX POST OFFICE
Posts: 2025
Joined: 13 Sep 2011, 20:17
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Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by Snaggletooth »

It is of course possible that the airline operating the Inverness to island leg has a more strict policy than the CAA on the carriage of batteries. But that doesn't excuse Royal Mail from taking the mail over, they will just have to carry it by lorry and ferry.

If they are regularly failing to carry allowed batteries over to the islands where you live, you need to use Royal Mail's complaint process. That doesn't just mean making a complaint. You need to make a complaint in writing, keep the response and, if it happens again, go through the escalated complaints process etc until you get to the regulator, if necessary. That will make RM take action, eventually.

And you need to claim from the seller if the current parcel doesn't arrive.
alvinlwh
Posts: 20
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 14:56
Gender: Male

Re: Rules about batteries?

Post by alvinlwh »

Snaggletooth wrote:
23 Jul 2021, 20:45
It is of course possible that the airline operating the Inverness to island leg has a more strict policy than the CAA on the carriage of batteries. But that doesn't excuse Royal Mail from taking the mail over, they will just have to carry it by lorry and ferry.

If they are regularly failing to carry allowed batteries over to the islands where you live, you need to use Royal Mail's complaint process. That doesn't just mean making a complaint. You need to make a complaint in writing, keep the response and, if it happens again, go through the escalated complaints process etc until you get to the regulator, if necessary. That will make RM take action, eventually.

And you need to claim from the seller if the current parcel doesn't arrive.
I deliberately held back on my response until I got the delivery of a similar battery from Amazon.

The original battery (and everything else) finally arrived after 22 days. It was packed even better than the requirements stated by RM; in original package, wrapped in bubble wrap, in a strong outer box (where everything else are shipped in), labelled with that huge battery warning label (not required by RM for NiMH) and a further label stating it is a NiMH that comply with the regulations in the package. Inverness MC still decided to ship it off to NI instead.

Now, the order from Amazon arrived right on the expected day with no delays, it was in its original packaging package and tossed into one of those Amazon cardboard wrapper "box" thing and that's it. Also, the Amazon battery is more "dangerous" than the original order from a UK business (4500mah vs 3000mah). Note that this package came the same exact route as the previous one, on a plane via Inverness MC.

Now back to your first statement, I spoken to the local posties, and they told me that the airline don't check the post, RM does at Inverness MC before it gets loaded on the 0600 mail plane (not a pax plane) to the isles. I used to be able to get all kinds of "dangerous" items, even rattle cans of spray paint, by RM in the isles, they just stuck a "DO NOT FLY" sticker on the package and put it on the plane anyway (what my local postie said and looking at the delivery time, it is impossible that it actually came by boat). But for whatever reason, RM stopped doing that now and instead just applied a blanket ban instead.

I don't think a complaint will work since RM is "just" complying with CAA regulations. Even if all the people of all the Scottish Isles complain about this lack of service, I don't think we will get anywhere since the numbers is so small out of the total UK population.

I normally go for sellers who use RM for delivery as they are the fastest and most reliable for the isles. Everyone else either charges extra for the isles and have an extremely long delivery time as they wait for the cargo boat which runs twice a week. However, this seller had enough and said he will be using Hermes for me at least in the future. While it is nice and easy for you to say make a claim against the seller, I will prefer my (legal) products that I purchased arrive on time instead. I know this is a RM staff forum, what I say here will not affect the company.
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