How long does it take to examine my parcel !?

[MissLady]

Hi,

I am curious as to how long the 'examination' process takes? I was being sent a parcel, within the UK, which unfortunately contained some lighters among other things which aren't prohibited. The lighters are unused, but after extensive research, I'm aware that they bin them anyway, regardless of what their rules say. Everyone seems to be being very scarce with details and wording is like no one knows.. But in general, how long does it take for a parcel to be examined? Or how long did it take with your package? I don't need an exact answer, but I need one better than 'however long it takes'.

I imagine all they need to do is remove the lighters and they can be done with it. It was special delivery guaranteed by 1PM, sent on Friday supposed to be here on Saturday.. I figured they would at least send it out today but I was wrong.. Please help me put my mind at ease !

Thank you for your time,
Farah

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Being well into the Christmas rush its going to take longer than normal anyway. However as it was a special delivery you can track its progress on http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - however RM are trying to phase this service out so it can be a bit slow getting results as well.

[MissLady]

Being well into the Christmas rush its going to take longer than normal anyway. However as it was a special delivery you can track its progress on http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - however RM are trying to phase this service out so it can be a bit slow getting results as well.

I've been using the trackdetails and it's still in Scotland. It's driving me mad because as unnecessary as this is, it had my just released deluxe edition of Dragon Age Inquisition and I can't play it ! Seems so trivial but I'm boiling up inside. What would you consider a 'normal' amount of time for this to take?! I was thinking maybe because it was special delivery guaranteed by 1PM it would have some sort of priority but I guess that is not the case.. It's so frustrating I feel like driving up to Glasgow and taking the lighters out myself, although I some how don't think they'd allow that :P.

[SpacePhoenix]

Being well into the Christmas rush its going to take longer than normal anyway. However as it was a special delivery you can track its progress on http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - however RM are trying to phase this service out so it can be a bit slow getting results as well.

imho the output from http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; should be the standard, every other rival firm offers that level of detail as standard

[MissLady]

Also I used the track and trace, and it has come up that it arrived from Glasgow to Greenford (about a 30 minute drive from where I am, near Heathrow), and then back up to Scotland?! What's happening, can someone please explain (I will print screen this phenomenon)

Picture wasn't loading in so link:
http://postimg.org/image/4k7wqrqvx/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you for your time !

[MissLady]

So this is tedious. For employees you don't give off much information. I did some investigating myself (which is stuff employees should ALREADY know). I called Glasgow Mail Centre and they said it was in Belfast. It reached Greenford, but because it was 'dangerous' they put it on yet ANOTHER plane to Belfast. Which is far from logical. But apparently that's where all 'return' packages go and it's being returned to customs. Even though all Greenford had to do was open the package, take out the lighters and drive 30 minutes to deliver it.

The postal service is a joke and no help what so ever. The woman on the phone didn't even know that you had to wait at least 10 working days before a complaint can be filed, someone working in Customer Services. It's pathetic. The woman in the post office also told my friend that he COULD post lighters and even told him to put it into ONE package, not two separate ones and packed the package herself. Post offices and RM not working together is just a pathetic loophole. But I know if I worked at a PO, I'd at least know the rules. Posting system is pathetic. No one truly knows what's actually happening and the most uesful people I could get a hold of was Glasgow Mail Centre. Sorry if I offended but I needed to rant.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

So this is tedious. For employees you don't give off much information.

We do this in our own time, free and voluntarily. We receive no official training and we are not recognised by Royal Mail. If you don't appreciate the effort put in by people after a long day doing a physical job in all weathers then please don't bother visiting again.

Sorry if I offend, by I needed to rant about your rant because it DID offend me.

[DGP1]

Only the RLC in Belfast are allowed to open mail, anyone else is committing a crime.


PS. try not blaming us for your mistake, you haven't been allowed to send lighters in the post for a couple of years now and if you'd done your 'research' you'd have known that.

[MissLady]

1. It's the modern day, I barely use the post. I also didn't post it. I only expected the game, I told him I had no lighters, he thought he'd kill two birds with one stone and only told me when he got back. 2. You said it yourself that it's been a rule for years now, so how does the woman who's job it is and supposedly has been for a while, to post things, not know these simple things if it's so straight forward?! Think before you speak. Common sense. I'm not blaming you for it being examined, I accept that, as soon as he told me 'I put some lighters in there' I hung my head knowing what was to come. I needed a few straight forward answers, why is my parcel going from pillar to post, where is it and how long will it take. You already knew it was going to Belfast, and no one thought to tell me this? Not even customer service. I got it from Glasgow Mail Centre, where the guy was genuinely down to earth and actually worked and was logical. Also logic plays a key part in this. If a dangerous item has already been flown down, is a few minutes drive from it's destination, and is then found to be 'dangerous' flown all the way to Belfast, on yet ANOTHER plane. If it was SO dangerous, surely they'd warrant it to be opened anywhere? Or contact the parcel owner who is obviously nearby and get them to remove it. Anything but the system they have in place. It's hugely flawed.

Also pretty sure the motto for RM should be 'Don't blame us ;)'. Lol. Completely unaware that your JOB is to post things and get them from two and fro and it seems you're just using awkward loop holes to justify playing stupid.

[MissLady]

So this is tedious. For employees you don't give off much information.

We do this in our own time, free and voluntarily. We receive no official training and we are not recognised by Royal Mail. If you don't appreciate the effort put in by people after a long day doing a physical job in all weathers then please don't bother visiting again.

Sorry if I offend, by I needed to rant about your rant because it DID offend me.

Also if you're going to volunteer your time, at least make it useful, time is precious after all. If your time is tedious repetitive non informative answers, then I'm afraid to tell you that this is a waste of your time. If it's such hard work to sit on your computer and not actually help people opposed to the latter, then I suggest you come home after such a day at work, and just chill and drink a cup of tea and spend your evening doing whatever. Voluntary services are only respected if they are useful. On top of that, it amuses me how you jump straight on this and find time to reply to my rant, than to actually help..

[TrueBlueTerrier]

So this is tedious. For employees you don't give off much information.

We do this in our own time, free and voluntarily. We receive no official training and we are not recognised by Royal Mail. If you don't appreciate the effort put in by people after a long day doing a physical job in all weathers then please don't bother visiting again.

Sorry if I offend, by I needed to rant about your rant because it DID offend me.

Also if you're going to volunteer your time, at least make it useful, time is precious after all. If your time is tedious repetitive non informative answers, then I'm afraid to tell you that this is a waste of your time. If it's such hard work to sit on your computer and not actually help people opposed to the latter, then I suggest you come home after such a day at work, and just chill and drink a cup of tea and spend your evening doing whatever. Voluntary services are only respected if they are useful. On top of that, it amuses me how you jump straight on this and find time to reply to my rant, than to actually help..

I find you to be very condescending, and every post you make just seems to reinforce that.

1. Other people have found this site very useful, very few are as ungrateful or perhaps as unhappy as you are.
2. I am glad it amuses you at least you got some enjoyment. I get mine by trying to help rather than annoy, especially when people try to help in good faith.
3. How can I really help, I am at home on a computer all we can offer is advice and insight - its says that in the blurb we put in the customer section http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/customers.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We then added a customer forum because of the number of posts we were getting asking for advice. We can't answer any question in an official capacity, but we can offer advice, guidance,insights and at times using our local knowledge,we hope we can help in some small way.

4. How can we know it was going to belfast- it may actually have been returned to sender.
5. As to logic - when the danger is known steps can be taken to mitigate the danger like placing it a specifically designed container. That's probably what's happened in this case. However, it would be very expensive to customers and Royal Mail if they provided a service where dangerous items banned by IATA (not Royal Mail) could be transported. Commercially its just not viable.
6. Only certain people are allowed to open postal items in Royal Mail, and only in secure locations. If anyone else does it - its a crime, even the Police need good cause.
7. How do you suggest we contact the "parcel owner" we don't have the time in a Mail Centre to contact people for every suspect parcel, or indeed the information to do so. Perhaps they should jump in a van and drive it there. Not commercially logical as it would wipe out the profit margin on that parcel and probably about 100 others at the same time. Its also not very efficient use of time from a Business point of view and now we are privatised, efficiency is the key.
8. As to the Post Office staff, okay they gave incorrect information, but then thats the human condition, we all have flaws and we all make mistakes, I know I am not 100% correct, 100% of the time and I have yet to meet anyone who is.
9. Why not aim your ire at the instigator of this saga - the person who sent it to you. If they had done as you wished, you would have your item by now and we would be happily ignorant of each other.
10. Perhaps you would get more help and advice on here if you separated the fact in your mind that we are not Royal Mail, and the individuals on here cannot be blamed for all of Royal Mails failings. Certainly they deserve more respect than being called stupid

Can I also make a point that one of the rules everyone agrees to when they join, even customers, is that everyone is treated with respect and that failure to do can mean removal or banning of the account.

[aposter]

TBT you forget we only deliver one parcel at a time and her parcel should have been easily found by any adhoc postman who could then have popped it in their car and driven it round personally negating the removal of contraband!

[DGP1]

1. It's the modern day, I barely use the post. I also didn't post it. I only expected the game, I told him I had no lighters, he thought he'd kill two birds with one stone and only told me when he got back. 2. You said it yourself that it's been a rule for years now, so how does the woman who's job it is and supposedly has been for a while, to post things, not know these simple things if it's so straight forward?! Think before you speak. Common sense. I'm not blaming you for it being examined, I accept that, as soon as he told me 'I put some lighters in there' I hung my head knowing what was to come. I needed a few straight forward answers, why is my parcel going from pillar to post, where is it and how long will it take. You already knew it was going to Belfast, and no one thought to tell me this? Not even customer service. I got it from Glasgow Mail Centre, where the guy was genuinely down to earth and actually worked and was logical. Also logic plays a key part in this. If a dangerous item has already been flown down, is a few minutes drive from it's destination, and is then found to be 'dangerous' flown all the way to Belfast, on yet ANOTHER plane. If it was SO dangerous, surely they'd warrant it to be opened anywhere? Or contact the parcel owner who is obviously nearby and get them to remove it. Anything but the system they have in place. It's hugely flawed.

Also pretty sure the motto for RM should be 'Don't blame us ;)'. Lol. Completely unaware that your JOB is to post things and get them from two and fro and it seems you're just using awkward loop holes to justify playing stupid.

OK, who said it was flown anywhere? Dangerous goods are put on a boat (like most of the mail coming to Northern Ireland) so you don't know what is even going on within the RM system.
As I said before, if you don't check then don't blame us when things go astray............go to the official PO site and complain to them.

[DGP1]

Just another thought, the Post Office is a different company to Royal Mail.

[feduppostie]

So this is tedious. For employees you don't give off much information.

We do this in our own time, free and voluntarily. We receive no official training and we are not recognised by Royal Mail. If you don't appreciate the effort put in by people after a long day doing a physical job in all weathers then please don't bother visiting again.

Sorry if I offend, by I needed to rant about your rant because it DID offend me.

Also if you're going to volunteer your time, at least make it useful, time is precious after all. If your time is tedious repetitive non informative answers, then I'm afraid to tell you that this is a waste of your time. If it's such hard work to sit on your computer and not actually help people opposed to the latter, then I suggest you come home after such a day at work, and just chill and drink a cup of tea and spend your evening doing whatever. Voluntary services are only respected if they are useful. On top of that, it amuses me how you jump straight on this and find time to reply to my rant, than to actually help..

I find you very rude! This is a forum for postal workers (mainly) who also take their time to answer questions from the public

FYI our job is to deliver the post not answer questions on a forum - we do this simply to help people

So as to your problem - the item contained items that are not allowed to be posted - not your fault but not ours either

Your item has been sent to Belfast ( presumably to be opened and said items removed) they are the only people allowed to open items ( as pointed out earlier in the thread) presumably when this is done it will either be forwarded to it's original destination ( you) or returned to sender - if the sender included an return address ( not everyone does!)

We can't comment on why a Post Office staff member advised they could be posted as the PO and RM are two different companies

And lastly the reason you may not have been given much information by customer services is that the person who posts the item ( and pays for it) is the customer NOT the person who receives it - harsh but true

You may not like these answers but they are the correct answers