Best alternative to the Post Office for UK shipping?

[JB68]

Decided to try to start reselling in January as a side project. Since doing this I’ve encountered a major flaw with my local Post Office. The people working there do not take the signed-for service (or next day for that matter) seriously. They often print receipts with fictitious address details. Example, I returned a personal purchase to a company.
Company is located in ‘Tetron Point’ Postcode is ‘DE11 0BB’
Details printed on my receipt building name/number ’T’ Postcode ‘DE11 5HJ’
For an eBay sale last week receipt should have have building number 50 but they printed it with 156! Again postcodes are all over the place. Happens all the time.

Not only is this a problem because they are entered into the system wrongly, receipts are also printed wrong and I’ve had to refund 2 eBay transactions through appeals because of this.
Both of them were signed for, maybe the postie left them with neighbours at a guess. Had one buyer phone RM to enquire where it was left only for RM to tell them I had incorrectly addressed the parcel. Buyer tells this to eBay who verify with RM, eBay grants buyer a refund. I am left without a leg to stand on and probably makes me look a bit dodgy to eBay.

Raised this problem with RM who blamed it on my handwriting! It’s perfectly legible. The example I gave above was a pre-printed returns label, I paid to add the signed-for service myself as it only covered standard second class post and the value was £98.
We live rurally and this is the only PO near us, next one is an hour round trip in a car (which I don’t always have access to) away so I don’t want to push the issue too much.


What is the best alternative without going to the Post Office and having them manually do the labels? Post & Go would achieve the problem I believe?
I am thinking of eBay postage labels? Can these provide tracking without having RM print a receipt? (I sell mainly clothes and games which seem to be INR claim targets). Can I print the labels at home and simply drop them off at the PO without the cashiers getting involved? I have a mono laser printer is this good enough to print them? (Also I guess I could never be accused of incorrectly addressing a parcel again?).

I would like to try and avoid Hermes and Yodel. Our 2 daughters live in London and Leeds and actively avoid companies that use them as they never receive the parcels. Similarly Collectplus, as the nearest one is an hour trip from us. Found this out when I had to return an eBay item through them.

[arktech]

why did you raise the problem with RM please ?

[Bunneh]

if you purchase your postage through ebay or paypal you will be given a tracking number straight away, and all the post office do is scan it and give you a bulk receipt.

[wired]

Use Royal Mail Click and Drop, which accept PayPal, and then they scan them. It will pee them off as they dont get the money going through their account for them, but they should of thought about it when they offered slack service.

any problems, raise a complaint with RM themselves and Post Office customer services and they will soon get their act into gear, trust me I get a red a carpet these days when they use to huff and puff when I came in with my three binbags a day of prepaid mail

[JB68]

Originally Posted by arktech

why did you raise the problem with RM please ?

Because their staff are entering the wrong details into their system for my signed-for items and it's costing me money. :(

One member of staff also took a tenner out of the PO till (whilst sat next to the manager) and gave it to a colleague who was on her to way Boots and asked to get her some hairspray. I am guessing she paid it back later but still. Naughty!

[JB68]

So the PO staff don't have to do anything other than scan the existing barcodes?
They don't produce a receipt similar to the signed-for ones?

I've been reading this up online and it's not very clear. It just seems tells you to take it to the PO and get proof of posting.
Overall I don't think the RM provide a bad service and it seems to be convenient for most buyers. But the incorrectly imputed addresses and receipts I get from this PO are really messed up beyond belief and at the end of the day I am the one who looses out.

I already complained to RM who sound like they couldn't be arsed. I don't want to push it too far and cause animosity. I guess this what you get for living in a small town.

[Haidukken]

Heh, I do Drop & Go to support my local old ladies and even then they roll eyes sometimes. Its like, yo lady are you allergic to work? I guess they have been there so long they look at the whole thing as their little social club and when I drop some work off, they get offended.

One day if I start dropping prepaid mail, I think half of them will just grab their mugs and walk out and quit. Bless em.

[arktech]

Originally Posted by JB68

Because their staff are entering the wrong details into their system for my signed-for items and it's costing me money. :(

One member of staff also took a tenner out of the PO till (whilst sat next to the manager) and gave it to a colleague who was on her to way Boots and asked to get her some hairspray. I am guessing she paid it back later but still. Naughty!

you raise the issue with the post office not rm

[arktech]

you insist on a certificate of posting not a speedy bulk bar code scan. the reciept should say cert of posting

[easy.bake.oven]

Check your receipt when you are at the postie and if incorrect, tell them there and then.

If they cant fix it there and then, cancel the postage, get your money back and your parcel and go to another post office that works & write a complaint letter to RM with proof pics etc and they will give you some great freebies man

[e2free]

Why don't you get online business account from royalmail it's much easier to use and hassle free u can simply drop the post to post office in bags or royalmail will collect from you if you spent 15k per year with them for free

[JB68]

Originally Posted by Haidukken

Heh, I do Drop & Go to support my local old ladies and even then they roll eyes sometimes. Its like, yo lady are you allergic to work? I guess they have been there so long they look at the whole thing as their little social club and when I drop some work off, they get offended.

One day if I start dropping prepaid mail, I think half of them will just grab their mugs and walk out and quit. Bless em.

Our PO is just a kiosk in a newsagents. Usually full of people collecting their pensions, paying bills the old fashion way, or sending a letter or two. Everyone knows each other, probably the only time some of them get to talk somebody that day. Personally I don't really mind they're polite enough but it's just annoying they're entering fictitious details into the system.

Originally Posted by e2free

Why don't you get online business account from royalmail it's much easier to use and hassle free u can simply drop the post to post office in bags or royalmail will collect from you if you spent 15k per year with them for free

This is a new venture so I don't meet their criteria yet. I need something to see me through the year.

Originally Posted by easy.bake.oven

Check your receipt when you are at the postie and if incorrect, tell them there and then.

If they cant fix it there and then, cancel the postage, get your money back and your parcel and go to another post office that works & write a complaint letter to RM with proof pics etc and they will give you some great freebies man

I did mention it to them. The first time I only noticed when I got home and entered the tracking details into eBay, second time I checked in the PO and they said it would still get there and changing the receipt is a 'faff' and wasn't really necessary. They also don't weigh parcels unless they think they're near 2kg. If I pushed it any further it would just cause problems. This is the nearest PO to us, the other is an hours trip away in a car that I don't always have access to. Realistically I could only get there once a week and I don't think they'd be too happy if I turned up with 30+ parcels. And then slow dispatch times too.

Originally Posted by arktech

you insist on a certificate of posting not a speedy bulk bar code scan. the reciept should say cert of posting

Originally I did complain to the PO itself but they brushed it off saying the parcels would get there and not to worry.
Complained to PO customer services who said they would record it on file. So I also complained to RM because ultimately the PO is just a pay point for RM services.

Is the proof of posting the same as the ones they provide for eBay pre-paid return labels?
This is what I've been trying to find out. Because the receipts I have for using eBay return labels have the tracking number printed but also the house name/number and postcode. These are what the PO really mess up on signed-for receipts. So I would still be left in the same situation?

[zamzam]

Originally Posted by e2free

Why don't you get online business account from royalmail it's much easier to use and hassle free u can simply drop the post to post office in bags or royalmail will collect from you if you spent 15k per year with them for free

Exactly, if your doing a fair amount you would be better off with a Royal Mail business account, (PPI) If you are VAT registered then I guess the 24/48hr service is ideal if not then stick to 1st/2nd class (example 1st class large letter would cost you 80p compared to buying from the post office at 96p...plus it's all straight forward and you can get the items collected from you for free if you intend on doing mail which will cost you over 15k annually!

[Play]

Originally Posted by wired

any problems, raise a complaint with RM themselves and Post Office customer services and they will soon get their act into gear, trust me I get a red a carpet these days when they use to huff and puff when I came in with my three binbags a day of prepaid mail

Interesting. I had to deal with the huffing and puffing for months on end. Endless correspondance with Post Office' head office got nowhere. Royal Mail brushed their hands off stating they had nothing to do with how the Post Office is run.

All in all, I feel the Post Office has become a shambles.

[wired]

Originally Posted by Play

Interesting. I had to deal with the huffing and puffing for months on end. Endless correspondance with Post Office' head office got nowhere. Royal Mail brushed their hands off stating they had nothing to do with how the Post Office is run.

All in all, I feel the Post Office has become a shambles.

You need to get a good Rep at the Post Office HQ to deal with it. I had some utter morons who did nothing, then I got this one woman who literally laid the smack down. Literally within a week, I was then warmly welcomed, smiles and yes ill help you with all those bags, and they then scanned them all immediately, unlike before where they would leave them for days till they could be bothered with them Man to be honest, I thought he was going to offer me his daughter he was being that nice.

But the Po has become a complete shambles - this is what happens when they lose their tax payer bursary, they are struggling to make ends meet, so dealing with the mail we have paid RM direct with is a massive pain to them, BUT, its in their contract with RM, so they have to do it.

[doofy01]

appreciate all the above help.

after some further research i am considering the click and drop service with the royal mail.

is this ok with multiple stealth accounts?

thanks

[mctaggart]

yes i use it with multiple accounts, got 10 ebay accounts all nicely in one app with royal mail so i can fire off all the postage centrally and it updates the ebay accounts with the relevant tracking info, saves loads of time.