Port woman’s shock as £300 ‘stolen’ in mail

[estelle]

http://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/news ... n-in-mail/

Apologies for formatting

Port woman’s shock as £300 ‘stolen’ in mail

Published: 25 Jun 2014 11:30
A PORT woman who posted a £300 fine to a court was shocked to discover the money had disappeared.

Fiona Beech, 45, sent the sum by special delivery to Glasgow Sheriff Court to pay for a driving offence.
But she claimed she was told that when the envelope arrived it did not include the fine.
Now she will have to cough up the cash again after the Postal Review Panel threw out her claim.
Royal Mail said the envelope showed no evidence of having been tampered with, or that the money had been removed while in their care.
Furious flight attendant Fiona has now reported the matter to police, who are investigating.
Fiona, of the Gourock Ropeworks apartments, told the Tele: “I sent the cash through the Royal Mail’s Special Delivery Guaranteed service where the contents were guaranteed insured for £300.
“I have escalated this matter through every available channel and still the Royal Mail will not accept responsibility.
“I paid over £6 to receive a service that would not fail, or my money back, not to mention the stress and costs of postage for further chasing up the claim.
“I am disgusted with this service and the police are now treating the incident as a theft.”
Fiona sent the fine payment from Port Glasgow Post Office on 18 February for a driving misdemeanour which happened in December last year.
The envelope contained her driving licence, which was still inside when the letter arrived, and £10 and £20 notes.
Following an investigation, Fiona received a letter in April from Royal Mail stating the Postal Review Panel had dismissed her claim.
Their Special Delivery Guaranteed service is described as an express next day service for the UK offering a money back guarantee for delay and compensation for loss or damage to items.
A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “We are sorry that Miss Beech is disappointed with the outcome of her recent claim and the service provided by Royal Mail.
“The Postal Review Panel has fully reviewed this case and is satisfied that the claim has been handled efficiently and correctly in line with Royal Mail’s compensation criteria.
“It concluded that there was no evidence to indicate that the item was damaged or the cash removed whilst in the care of Royal Mail.
“On inspecting the envelope it looks like it was consistent that it was opened by an electronic opener machine as used by the Sheriff Court.
“Further investigation shows that the envelope was intact when it travelled through our system.
“If not it would have also been placed in a transparent Royal Mail bag.
“If Miss Beech remains unhappy with our decision she is entitled to appeal to the independent body POSTRS who will adjudicate on the case.”
Fiona has been given more time to pay the fine by the court, which has now been reduced to £200.
She said: “It does not put a lot of faith in one of Her Majesty’s hugely used services.”
A spokesman from Greenock Police Office today confirmed that they had received a complaint from Fiona and said that enquiries were ongoing.

[scoobydo79]

Hmmm Why would any one in this day and age pay a fine in 300 Pounds cash? Still if She says she put it in the envelope then who am I to argue She has already shown She breaks the Law lol

[DB1100]

Whenever I've sent a special it has been weighed at the post office,wouldn't they have a record of what her special weighed when it was sent?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Whenever I've sent a special it has been weighed at the post office,wouldn't they have a record of what her special weighed when it was sent?

Most UK bank notes on average weigh 1 gram so at most 60g for £300 - Hopefully police will be checking that out, although my guess is the investigation will be more Dickson of Dock Green than CSI.

[Pinky 1]

Whenever I've sent a special it has been weighed at the post office,wouldn't they have a record of what her special weighed when it was sent?

Most UK bank notes on average weigh 1 gram so at most 60g for £300 - Hopefully police will be checking that out, although my guess is the investigation will be more Dickson of Dock Green than CSI.

Dickson ???? ......

[TrueBlueTerrier]