Signed for Postage

[GWR Man]

Could anyone please explain why a lot of the UK Model Shops insist on "Signed for Postage" ,as in Australia part for some and I mean some courier service ,t he parcel is left on the doorstep ,and sometime they don't even knock . It seems the Australia Post does not get paid for the service as it is charged and paid for in the UK  to the Royal Mail so as far as they are concerned it is just ordinary mail and is treated as such. I therefore wonder why we have to pay for this as the signed for only applies in the UK. Any ideas why then we have to pay for a service that we do not get GWR Man

[Dungrange]

I think the answer probably lies with the insurance limits.  The maximum compensation for something that gets lost but is not signed for is £20, but with 'signed for', that increases to £50.  Therefore, in the event of a claim for something not being delivered, the retailer will recover more of their loss if they have sent it signed for.  I think what they recover is the cost price rather than the retail price.

 

https://www.royalmail.com/retail-compensation-policy-loss

 

 

 

 

[Philou]

  Hmmm, interesting the comment regarding the Australian post. When I receive stock from the UK to here in France, when it's Royal Mail 'signed for', I sign on receipt. They have an electronic tablet that never worked until I got myself an electronic 'pen' - at least it now looks something like my signature!!

 

Cheers,

 

Philip

[andyman7]

Royal Mail offer 'Tracked and Signed' as a postage option for most international destinations, but for Australia you have to choose either 'Tracked' or 'Signed' but not both. I always use 'Tracked' for Australia as I'm aware that the signature service is largely academic for many places in Oz.

Edited February 2, 2020 by andyman7

[Nearholmer]

I think the choice of ‘signed for’ has a lot to do with bogus claims that goods were never received. Traders, and even casual sellers via the likes of eBay, have got rather tired of having to recompense buyers for things ‘lost in the post’.

 

Given that the seller is liable for losses in transit, even if they can recoup some of that loss via the postal/courier company, I think it’s a wise precaution, having had the ‘never received it mate’ trick (I am 99% sure) pulled on me in the past.

 

Some sellers dealing in high value items use fancier services to ensure that the full value of the goods is covered.

[jollysmart]

On 02/02/2020 at 14:18, Nearholmer said:

I think the choice of ‘signed for’ has a lot to do with bogus claims that goods were never received. Traders, and even casual sellers via the likes of eBay, have got rather tired of having to recompense buyers for things ‘lost in the post’.

 

Given that the seller is liable for losses in transit, even if they can recoup some of that loss via the postal/courier company, I think it’s a wise precaution, having had the ‘never received it mate’ trick (I am 99% sure) pulled on me in the past.

 

Some sellers dealing in high value items use fancier services to ensure that the full value of the goods is covered.

 

I seem to remember there used to be a scam where you could choose this service or similar at the time to send empty parcels to the USSR, when they were basically a closed country, and they would never be delivered, receipted or returned so you could claim back from the Post Office the imagined value of the contents of the parcel and make a profit.

[peterm1]

Slightly late reply here... I have most parcels, especially expensive stuff fro England sent to my local post office "parcel collect."

That way, if it does get lost, I have proof that I never received it.