International Tracked & Signed for UK to Germany

[racci]

Please help! I don't know what has happened to my parcel. My recipicent in Germany says she hasn't got it.

I posted on 07/10/15 and ket checking the tracking on RM website, which neve got beyond 09/10/15.
I phoned RM and learned that once it reaches Germany, the tracking is on their partner company, GLS, using the same tracking number.
This shows:
Date Time Parcel status GLS Location
13/10/15 10:07 Delivered Germany

I assumed this means "delivered" but it lso states:
Shipping information
Signature: RETURN

I am not sure what this means. I phoned RM and they don't know but said I need to contact their partner in Germany. I got back onto the GLS website and sent an email enquiry but have had no reply. The GLS website has contact details for different countries and for UK it is ParcelForce, so I rang them but they said it is nothing to do with them, as I sent by RM.

Someone must be responsible for my parcel. My recipient has not been left a card or anything. How can I find out what has happened. It was supposed to be delivered within 5-7 days. It is day 15 today and I can't get any answers.

[SpacePhoenix]

The

Signature: RETURN

is what they put when an item is being returned to sender. Was it addressed to a PO Box addreess?

[racci]

An American Forces Air Base. The mailroom signs for all packages.
No card was left, like GLS didn't even attempt delivery.

And if it is being returned, why is it taking so much longer than it took to get to Germany and why can't I track it?
I hope it is still insured. I paid extra to cover the full value.

Who pays to re-deliver if it is being returned?

[racci]

I saw on the GLS website that the adjacent town/village has a GLS parcel pick-up/drop-off centre.
Why wasn't my parcel placed there for collection in person if a personal signature was a necessity?

[racci]

The GLS website also states:

Current parcel status
Delivered

So this is really confusing! I sent GLS an email enquiry a few days ago, but got no reply.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

What exactly was in the parcel? gls are a lot stricter with banned items that royal mail, batteries are a usual problem with them

if it's being returned it will go back to the return address on the parcel, there will be a sticker on the parcel detailing exactly why it was returned, that will explain why it wasn't held locally etc

unfortunately you would be responsible for the cost to post it again if there was no error made

[Snaggletooth]

If sending to a military facility you often have extra rules on addressing, contents etc that don't apply to other mail. Here are the basic rules for using the American Forces Post Office (AFPO):

https://stamps.custhelp.com/app/answers ... itary-mail" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting they say to take the battery out of any electrical items, the exact opposite of what the IATA specify! So the rules on this are entirely different depending on whether you send by AFPO or civilian mail systems.

An American Forces Air Base. The mailroom signs for all packages.
No card was left, like GLS didn't even attempt delivery.

As the mailroom signs for everything there would be no need to leave a card. I expect that it has been, in one way or another, refused by the personnel at the base. You mentioned in a different post that it could have been taken to the local delivery office: this would only happen if there was nobody about to accept delivery, and the chances of that on a military base are almost nil.

And if it is being returned, why is it taking so much longer than it took to get to Germany and why can't I track it?

I expect that there is an issue here of the domestic German mail system and the AFPO having different rules and nobody knows how to deal with it.

I hope it is still insured. I paid extra to cover the full value.

Yes, the insurance applies regardless. It comes into play if the item is lost or damaged. Loss is only declared if it is missing and undelivered 5 weeks after posting.

Who pays to re-deliver if it is being returned?

You do. When the parcel comes back, check carefully what is written on the outside by the various postal services and make sure that everything is addressed correctly. If everything was correct at your end then reclaim the original postage from Royal Mail using a P58international form. You might want to consider keeping the outer wrapper of you parcel to submit with the claim.

[racci]

Thank you for your advice.

Your link was very helpful. I see from that, that I complied. I copied and pasted the name and address, so it was spot on and exactly right. There were no batteries. I was sending a small, lightweight, collectible ornament, made of wood. Nothing dangerous or offensive, to a lady collector on the Air Base.

I am puzzled as to why it is being returned to me. I got my postage at a main post office branch in the UK and was advised by RM counter staff and was told it was all correct. So I think I have a strong case for recouping the cost of postage. I'll wait and see what it says on the parcel when it is returned.

[SpacePhoenix]

It might be worth emailing the lady to ask her to ask in the air bases's mail room if they refused the item entry to the base and if they did, why

[racci]

It got returned to me this morning.

It is still sealed in my original packaging, with a black marker pen circled round the sender address.
A small sticker has been added with handwritten "P.O. Box mentioned". It doesn't look like German handwriting.
On the reverse of the package is a large GLS sticker with scanning codes.

That is all.

I'm unclear as to why it was returned. Can anyone help?

[Snaggletooth]

A small sticker has been added with handwritten "P.O. Box mentioned". It doesn't look like German handwriting... I'm unclear as to why it was returned. Can anyone help?

I hadn't thought of this before, but the issue is this:

International Tracked & Signed or International Signed items cannot be sent to PO Boxes and delivery points where there is no-one to sign for the item. Customers using the Post Office® may send International Tracked & Signed or International Signed items to PO Boxes in the Middle East and Africa.

...which came from this web page:

http://www.royalmail.com/personal/inter ... ked-signed" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[racci]

But the Air Base has a permanently staffed mail room where someone signs for all mail.
My intended recipient states that this is how she receives her mail and she has never had a problem before.

What is more, I took my parcel to main branch of RM Post Offices and the counter staff saw the address, gave me advice about delivery times, etc. but she did not alert me about Box No issues.

Do I qualify for a refund? I'm out of pocket to the tune of £11.20 and I've done nothing wrong.
Is there any point in trying to deliver again? I could deliver to her home address but she is not at home to sign and it is not her registered PayPal address, so I lose that protection.

I'm feeling a bit short-changed by RM.

[Snaggletooth]

In the web page I linked to above it shows AFPO addresses in three different formats, and it may or may not have a PO Box in it. Did the address you used have a PO Box as part of the address? If not, I would apply for a refund with Royal Mail as described above. If it did have a PO Box mentioned then the Post Office at this end should have realised, you should start a customer complaint with them on 03457 22 33 44 (you have a reasonably good chance of getting your money back if you explain your case well).

As for trying again, it rather depends on the answer to the same question...

[Minischoles]

You cannot post mail to overseas bases directly to the country - for someone to post to you they would post via the APO system which is the Department of Defence.

Mail would first go to the US and would then be distributed to an overseas base by them - this is true whether the base is in Germany or Iraq

[racci]

I'm having a run of bad luck....

I posted it again, this time to the home address. The recipient informed me that it has arrived damaged. I got emailed photos. It was a limited edition figurine. It will be impossible (or hugely expensive) to repair and has no real value as it is now.

Now I'm struggling with the claim form. The buyer paid me about £100 plus P&P, so that's the amount I'm out of pocket by. Unless my buyer insists I source her another or pay for repairs. That would cost me £250. For this reason I took out the extra insurance and got cover for £250. Now I'm confused by the claim form. It seems to be asking what price I paid for it originally and the RM want the original invoice. Well, I've had the item for years, so I haven't kept my purchase receipt, and it's a collectible which happens to have gone up in value, which was my reason for selling it in the first place.

Why can't a claim be submitted by email. I have photo files I want to attach, whereas by post I only have a b/w printer to use. What kind of proofs do RM want? I have a PayPal invoice for the amount my buyer paid but even that shows the wrong address.

I asked my buyer to hold off with sending it back, as that would only incur more costs.

Is it worth phoning customer services?