Royal Mail : Abyssmal Customer Service

nheather

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I ordered 10 books of 12 1st Class stamps from the Royal Mail online shop on 14th April. I was informed that the order would be with me within 5 working days.

When it wasn't I attempted to telephone. You get through to the premium number menu and then every option goes straight to engaged. I have tried this over the last week and it is the same every week.

So I sent an eMail and got an automated response telling me that a customer advisor would respond within 10 working days.

Moves on ....


My stamps arrive today. I oven the letter and find 10 books of 2nd Class stamps. Initially I think "oh the stupid buggers , they've sent the wrong ones" but then I see the accompanying letter from Customer Operations Manager NEIL WAGGOTT.

Two paragraphs read

I am very sorry to let you know that the Retail Stamp Booklet that you originally ordered is currently out of stock. However, we have sent you the nearest alternative Booklet available and hope you are delighted with it.

If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with the items we have sent, please return them for a refund or exchange within 30 days of receipt.

Exactly what planet are they on. This NEIL WAGGOTT is extremely arrogant.

I order 120 1st Class stamps and they deliberately send me 120 2nd Class stamps and expact me to be delighted. In who's tiny mind would that ever be the case.

There is no return address. No return instructions. Presumably I have to pay for the return myself.

Absolutely disgusting.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
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what a bloody waggott
they would have been better off telling you this than actually sending them out.
take them to your local post office. I assume they refunded you the difference between first and 2nd class?
 
There is no return address.

I always assumed a 'return' was to send something back from where it came - their address at the top may be a start :p:D
 
Shocking! Yes, this guy is arrogant but his boss is probably even worse and he has merely been made to carry out instructions.

They are forecasting a 10-15% drop in postal turnover as a result of the massive increase. If it werent' for the confusion that has been caused by the massive investment that loads of punters have made (including me and just like you have done) into buying a shed load of stamps, I reckon it would have been nearer to a 25% drop. I guess the drop will percolate through but will now take about a year to do so.

I suppose your purchase will always 'come in for sending out your Christmas Cards'? I wouldn't suggest you would be better off sending them back.
 
I always assumed a 'return' was to send something back from where it came - their address at the top may be a start

Probably but it is an assumption. For example does it need to be marked returns department and if not will it get lost in the system.

Given you can't get in touch with these guys I can see this disappearing into a black hole.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
You also have to wonder whether this was a deliberate action. They didn't want people stock piling 1st class stamps so they send out 2nd class instead.

Some might not be bothered to return them and those that do will get their money refunded despite an explicit request for replacment.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
I would hazard a guess they did not

No they did not. That would have been bad enough but they took money for 1st class and provided 2nd class and expected me to be delighted.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
What's more I have no evidence that I received 2nd class stamps.

The enclosed statement says 120 1st Class stamps as does my online order.

The letter - as above just suggests I got an alternative product.

They don't even have the balls to put what they did in writing.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
that isn't good... :(

take photos of everything and I suggest a reply along the lines of:

Thank you for supplying an alternative product, but unfortunately you have picked a product from your budget range of products rather than the premier range I selected and paid for.

If you wish to replace my 1st class stamps with 1st class stamps I will post these budget stamps back to you otherwise please refund my payment in full and I suggest you let me keep these budget range stamps as recompense for you wasting my time.


or something along those lines...
 
Did you have to sign to receive these in the post? If not I think a 'lost in post' claim should be filed. If they want to muck you around then why not return the favour? ;)
 
chump said:
Did you have to sign to receive these in the post? If not I think a 'lost in post' claim should be filed. If they want to muck you around then why not return the favour? ;)

I was going to say the exact same thing but i probably would have received a barrage of abuse.
 
they took money for 1st class and provided 2nd class
Then you didn't get what you paid for and must have payment from them of the difference in value, or a full refund if you reject and return them.
What's the problem in getting one or the other?:confused:
 
I think its the underhand manner of business and tone of the letter that's irritated the OP, more than anything else.

RM seem to have forgotten to mention the fact that if they (the OP) are not 'delighted' with the 2nd class stamps, that the OP is entitled to the difference back...
 
Then you didn't get what you paid for and must have payment from them of the difference in value, or a full refund if you reject and return them.
What's the problem in getting one or the other?

Two things really.

(1) They have been impossible to contact. As mentioned in the OP you have to call a premium number (although I'm using a say no to 08700 alternative) which puts you through to an automated menu (so customer is immediately charged the connection and a minimum of 1 minute) but as soon as you select a menu option you get an engaged tone, no queue. So had I not known about the SAYNO alternative, I would be charged by Sky (my phone provider) 25p just to get an engaged tone.

So I'm not envisaging it to be easy to contact them tomorrow to find out what I'm supposed to do.

(2) The tone of the letter, the fact that they have done it, and the fact that it is so underhand (undocumented).


BTW if you ring Royal Mail Customer Services you just get "they are a different business to us". So the fact that they are branded all over with Royal Mail doesn't seem to count for a thing.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
I never do things by phone,so I can't comment on that, and there are many other ways.
The tone, from the - probably fictitious - Mr Waggott would make me all the more determined to get my money back.
 
I never do things by phone,so I can't comment on that, and there are many other ways.
The tone, from the - probably fictitious - Mr Waggott would make me all the more determined to get my money back.

I'm not worried about getting my money back - in fact I don't want it, I want the stamps.

Either will happen, plus compensation, that much is certain. I'm just really amazed that it even happened.

For a communications company they are really crap at communications.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
Blimey, seriously what logic was Mr Waggott employing when he thought you would be happy with 120 2nd class stamps for the price of 120 1st class stamps :confused::confused::confused: Where do they get these people from?
 
Gets better.

Just sent them an eMail laying out everything that has happened and this is the first line of the automated response

Dear Customer

We are currently experiencing a high volume of email traffic, and will
endeavour to respond to your enquiry within 14 days.

Please accept our apologies for this unfortunate delay.

Welcome to the planet zongo.

what logic was Mr Waggott employing when he thought you would be happy

Not just happy, but DELIGHTED

Cheers,

Nigel
 
Last edited:
nheather said:
Gets better.

Just sent them an eMail laying out everything that has happened and this is the first line of the automated response

Welcome to the planet zongo.

Cheers,

Nigel

14 days. Pfffft pathetic
 
Who buys stamps online anyway ?
Can understand your rage though, another fine example of a big company just doing what they like and no comebacks.
 
Who buys stamps online anyway ?

Certainly I wouldn't have normally considered it. In this case, I planned to get some stamps before the price hike and had heard the stories about stores running out. So I dedided to be lazy - couldn't be bothered trawling around the shops and post offices only to find no stock or restricted purchases. So I decided to order direct, pay for p&p - what a mistake that turned out to be.

Well we live and learn - never again.

Cheers,

Nigel
 
Being a postie, this doesn't suprise me one bit. RM constantly bang on at us in meetings and letters about providing a great service, but the people at the top couldn't run a p*ss up in a brewery. 14 days to answer an Email and they think that's acceptable?
 

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