Beckenham woman disgusted as engagement ring missing

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Beckenham woman disgusted as engagement ring missing from Royal Mail delivery

http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/11021158._/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AFTER spending months looking for a replacement engagement ring a Beckenham woman says she’s “disgusted and despairing” after it was stolen in the post.

Clare Spencer, 50, of Manor Road, said she was “ecstatic” to find the perfect piece on auction website eBay to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary.

But after parting with the £225 she received an empty package 24 hours later, finding “a small slit cut in the edge” and the diamond ring gone.

She said she’d wanted to arrange a private courier “just to be sure” but the seller assured her the Royal Mail’s Special Delivery service would be safe.

Mrs Spencer believes the company’s at fault. The mother of seven said: “The ring was placed in two bags and a padded envelope. She [the seller] might as well have stepped into the street and thrown it away.

“I get the feeling that opportunistic robbery is just seen as a perk of the job. We’re waiting for Royal Mail to follow through the very few hands that handled this to hopefully find someone’s sticky fingers. I want explanations.

“There can be no value to this company and no trust can be placed in this can of worms when it is clearly failing in its most basic duty.”

She added the recent privatisation of the organisation has left a “complete disinterest” of customer service and also questions why postal theft often goes unrecorded.

Royal Mail spokesperson Sally Hopkins said the allegation is “serious” and said the company will cooperate with police.

She added: "Royal Mail has a zero tolerance approach to any dishonesty. We will always seek to prosecute the tiny minority of people who abuse their position of trust.”

Bromley Police said officers are looking into the case. An eBay spokesman confirmed Mrs Spencer would get her money back through guarantee, while the seller’s covered by insurance.

But Mrs Spencer added it’s the Royal Mail’s duty to retrieve the ring and feels insurance should not always “have to pick up the tab”.

[bustedflush]

A sorry tale. I am assuming the seller is honest here, but it's an old trick by bent eBayers to put small valuable items in SD packets (but not put them in just some padding/wrapping to make it look like the item is inside) and put a near invisible slit in the rear edge with a scalpel. The PO clerk will not notice and the next person who does is the intended recipient after signing for it. Then we get this story, everybody accusing everybody. When I use SD I always show the item when I pay and seal the jiffy/packaging under the camera in front of the clerk for both our protection.

[UnhappyGremlin]

She added the recent privatisation of the organisation has left a “complete disinterest” of customer service and also questions why postal theft often goes unrecorded.

There was complete disinterest BEFORE privatisation. The only exception, a manager would BECOME interested if it meant they had the chance of sacking someone.

There are many ways this could happen. Theft is one.
BUT, that theft could have been done at the PO. It isn't clear cut that it is a RM employee.
It is just as likely, as stated above, it could have been the sender not actually sending it, i.e. fraud.
The recipient could also be involved.

The truth is unlikely to be known.
But these types of stories don't help with the image of the company, or us as posties.

[demon]

all hi valued items should be placed in the s/d bag in a safe room with cameras in a post office or in front of the collection driver who could have a video camera on him some were

[UnhappyGremlin]

all hi valued items should be placed in the s/d bag in a safe room with cameras in a post office or in front of the collection driver who could have a video camera on him some were

Pretty sure the vast majority (if not all) of PO's already have CCTV.
And there are camera's in RM buildings too, whether or not they are on/watched etc., I don't know.

[Lounge Lizard]

all hi valued items should be placed in the s/d bag in a safe room with cameras in a post office or in front of the collection driver who could have a video camera on him some were

but that's no use if, as seems likely it's "an old trick by bent eBayers to put small valuable items in SD packets (but not put them in just some padding/wrapping to make it look like the item is inside) and put a near invisible slit in the rear edge with a scalpel ......"