Special delivery process

[huffee]

I'm trying to track down a missing letter (without my reference number unfortunately. I appreciate not having the receipt is ultimately my responsibility but the lost letter has now resulted in a court summons so I'm anxious to make every effort to track it!)

I've read on these boards that the Post Office record the delivery address alongside the reference number during the counter process for selling special delivery services? This would give me half a chance of tracking the missing letter as I know with half an hour when it was sent. However when I spoke to the branch I used they say that no information except the barcode number is recorded.

What is the process for special delivery sales and what information should be recorded?

[Stormproof]

Unfortunately I think you have little hope of locating the reference number via the PO. They process 1000's a day. The only way is via the reference number on your receipt.

[Snaggletooth]

The only record that is held in Post Office branches is a piece of paper with the barcode number, date & time of posting. You can infer the service used from the barcode number. Er, that's it. Address posted to is not searchable by any Royal Mail system that I am aware of (I believe that Parcelforce can search by destination address on their track & trace but I am not authorised to access that system).

You could ask the branch nicely to check their paper record but they probably shouldn't give you the information, data protection act and all that.

[huffee]

Thanks for the replies.

I'll chalk this one up to experience then.

[huffee]

After a lot of digging I've discovered the recipient is now claiming they did receive the letter, but not until the 2nd January, it was posted special delivery on 6th December. Does it sound even remotely plausible that it could take that long? I assumed that it would either be delivered in a couple of days or it would be lost altogether.

[TeeferTiger]

Can they give you the tracking number?

And as SD items travel separately to the rest of the mail, it's unlikely it would've been held up for that period of time. Perhaps a day late or something if there was a problem along the line, but not nearly a month.

[huffee]

That's what I thought.

I asked about the tracking number but they claim not to have the envelope.

[TeeferTiger]

If it was posted off somewhere with a postal room (such as a large company or somewhere like the DWP etc), who's to say it didn't spend a few weeks sat in there?

Then again, without your receipt, it's your word against theirs