Parcel Destroyed! Help!!

[wackorash84]

On the 24/11/2015, I paid £17.20 to post a parcel containing 3 items, 1x Boss Orange Man, 1 x Boss Orange Woman and 1 x Wedding Card.

This was done through International Tracked Small Parcel Service with a Tracking Number of LB211198106GB.

I specifically asked the person that served me at the Post Office till (Woodhouse, 12 East Way, Sale, Cheshire, M33 4DX) whether it would be ok to post perfumes to which he said yes and I declared on the Customs Good Declaration form that the package contained perfumes of the value of £60.

I was shocked and surprised that on the 7th of December 2015 I received a letter from Royal Mail stating that they had to open, repackage and return to me, as it contained certain items classified as 'dangerous goods' which under transport regulations are prohibited from post. They've also adviced me that they had removed the 1x Boss Orange Man and 1 x Boss Orange Woman and disposed of them, and repackaged the remaining items and returned them to me.

I totally appreciate the legal and safety aspect but I'm disappointed that I did make sufficient effort to clarify:-

1- whether the postage of the perfumes was permitted,
2- I declared the perfumes
3 - I paid for International Tracked
4 - I've still not received the remaining items.

Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 states the following Pre-contract information The Consumer Rights Act states that if a retailer provides pre-contract information in relation to a service and the consumer takes this information into account, the service must comply with that information.

I really appreciate if someone could give me some information as to:-

a) am I entitled for compensation due to information wrongfully provided by the Post Office?
b) am I entitled to claim the insurance through the International Track?
c) I paid for the service through my credit card - for obvious reasons the purpose of the transaction has not been accomplished?

I thank you for all your help and support.

Regards,

[Snaggletooth]

Perfumes are definitely not allowed in the international mail under any circumstances. You should attempt to claim compensation from the Post Office for incorrect information given, and you have a reasonable chance of success. Call them on 03457 22 33 44.

Your other points aren't valid. Firstly, you have committed a criminal act in sending this parcel: even though you didn't know this, the legal responsibility lies with you. Nobody is going to attempt to prosecute you, but it makes it extremely difficult to claim legal liability from Royal Mail or your credit card company.

[Snaggletooth]

Secondly, my understanding is that normal consumer law does not apply to Royal Mail products. This is because RM are a common carrier who are legally obliged to carry any item which complies with the regulations, unlike the normal situation for a retailer in which both parties enter into the agreement voluntarily.

With regards claiming from the Post Office (not Royal Mail), this will help to avoid other people having the same problem as you. Did the clerk show you the A4 laminated card with the list of exclusions on it? This is more important for the process than what you wrote on the customs form.