Post Office staff seem either dodgy or incorrect the prices.

Jiries

Went to the local post office either here in Epsom or in Langley which I drop off orders most of the time on my way to work. First time the staff in Langley PO put wrong priced at £4.15 for USA for a Large Letter size at below 100g, He got it wrong and corrected to £3.15. Then last week in Epsom for the same package to USA the staff was rudely refused to accept my correct request twice to charge at £3.15 and not £4.15. Today was the final straw at Langley PO for a same Large Letter to Latvia should be £2.45 but charged me £3.45 so it was on the line of my shipping and handling costs for Europe so I was out of the pocket for handling and packaging costs. I checked with Royal Mail site after I got back home to see what the price for Latvia and it was £2.45 and my shipping method for this buyer was also corrected on the time she paid.

I decided to avoid using them for large letters rates in here and international by buying stamps at Royal Mail that they have all values of 1p to max of £3 stamps. For Europe I would use £2 stamp, then 2x20p stamps and 5p stamp. This way I won't be overcharged by them anymore and post it myself at the letter box. I also work in Royal Mail at the International Mail centre and know all the ropes and correct pricing since I started selling here. I had 3 international buyers very happy recently after they made very small flat orders that fit into the letter rate and applied £1 stamps and drop them off directly from my work place on the destination frames. I see some staff also bring their own letters to post themselves due to mistrust or worried of losing a important letter or documents.

Not sure if other UK sellers had been either wrongly priced or scammed. The one in Epsom used to be a main post office but now cut into small portion and share with Londis company. The staff are non-post office staff as they were useless or dodgy and heard lot of customers complaining when I was waiting on the queue. It used to be better before with more genuine staff from Royal Mail.

marshalltoys

Can you get airmail prepaid envelopes? You can in Australia.

I had problems with post offices over charging. PO tried to charge me a for shipment to the Netherlands as a parcel witch cost $10.55 not $2.60 as a large letter.

Jiries

I will have a look and do they also have prepaid bubble mailers as well? That a 4x the original pricing!

Markyd7

If you're 100% sure Jiries ask to see a price list, or take one with you.
I have a village Post Office that I use nearly everyday and now know me and my kids buy name. They're brilliant and very helpful. Then there's the Post Office in the city centre who regularly try and over charge me small parcel prices for large letters.
I'm tempted to film them secretly and send it to the local newspaper!
I have fun with them now when I have large letters that are under 100g.
I put 2 or 3 on the scale at once and it's still under 100g in total. The fun then begins as they ask me to weight one at a time and I try and explain it won't make any difference due to their pricing/weight charges.

Hoddie

Make an official complaint, it's the only way anything ever changes for the better.

Jiries

Yes I wonder if the staff that over charge them to keep the extra money to themselves?

Ems Bricks

Are you covered with proof of postage if dropping through the letter box though?

Jiries

Mostly on small parcels and upward and international ones but Large letters always in the letter box so far all the buyers got it. Will see how it goes when I start dropping international Large letters in the letter box but still use the PO for larger/heavier orders.

marshalltoys

do they also have prepaid bubble mailers as well? That a 4x the original pricing!

No They don't i use to put bubble wrap inside. Now i Buy 3rd party bubble mailers. The my local PO know me so well and also trust me that they now ask me what the cost of it should be without them weighing it.

Will see how it goes when I start dropping international Large letters in the letter box but still use the PO for larger/heavier orders.

Here you must fill-in a Customs form and lodge at the counter of the PO for each International large letter or its gets return to sender.

Jiries

The one in Langley PO gave me CN-22 forms and Airmail stickers so I can do it at home and bring it to the PO for airmail small parcels and drop off in the letter box for large letters and never had a return. Don't they give you CN-22 forms to take home to do it to save time before going to the PO? It useful as I can write down the actual order cost from the computer screen without forgetting it when coming to the PO.

marshalltoys

Yes they give me the Forms to fill in at home. but i can't put them in the mailbox, the PO here needs to Scan the barcode and i have to give them photo ID. It would be good if i could just put them in the letterbox as the queue at the PO last Friday afternoon was crazy 30min+ for about $4 in LEGO value.

Jiries

Update: I went back to the PO this morning and brought he receipt and they told me why they charge me extra because it a toy and not other contents. I recently posted Large letters to Italy, France, Netherlands and Germany and all went as £2.45 with toys inside as they know me for nearly 2 years it always a toy. There no mentioned on the Royal Mail site when I clicked on Price and chose Latvia and it came out as £2.45 without any mention of extra charges if they are toys.

Now I got one large letter for Italy awaiting payment at Bricklink which I charged the Buyer £2.45 plus the handling and packing costs of £1. This is a test when I take this to the PO to see if they going to charge me full £3.45 and lose the handling costs out again? Because of this I had to straight away increase the Europe rate of £3.45 for shipping and handlings to £4.45 for 2 weeks until I close my store for May. If anyone order it from Europe and take it to the PO and if they went for £2.45 depending who staff do it for me then I would be gladly refund the buyer back. Then I will buy stamps before opening my store in June and put the price back down where it was as I want the best correct cheapest shipping for the buyers. I am with the buyers side and not the PO side even I work with them at my local mail centre.

Markyd7

I think you need to speak to the manager of the store.
Europe large letter £2.45 under 100g. I don't think the contents matter unless it's batteries, knives or anything else you're not allowed to send.
Will ask in my PO this afternoon.
Is your
PO in another store like Martins or WHS?

Jiries

The one I went this morning is a proper PO Langley branch but the one in Epsom are with Londis company. Yes as I also read it from Royal Mail for dangerous items but there no mentioned of what contents you going to send on the Pricing section. Will it be risky if you ask them on your side as they might do start charging you extra unless they know you very well that you been sending toys in the packets. Let me know if you asked them.

I saw the £2.45 stamps on 2 letters to Denmark and Norway at my job this afternoon when sorting letters. (I am on break time now while typing this and checking my store) and this what I want to purchase it on-line from Royal Mail where they have stamps for sales between 1p to £3.

Stragus

I may be missing something about shipping from the UK... but can't you guys purchase postage online, print and tape to the package?

Here in Canada, I only go to the post office to drop parcels too big for the street letterbox, and postage is always already paid. Can't you do the same over there?

Markyd7

@Stragus if we want proof of posting we have to take it to the post office.
The Post Office I go to laughed when I said about charging extra for toys.
As I mentioned, you should go and speak with the manager and say what's happened. Then get them to prove sending toys costs more! I've never heard of this before and you couldn't find anything on the Royal Mail website.
Sounds crazy to me and my PO agreed!

Jiries

Agreed Markyd7 and at least your local PO know is wrong and find it crazy.

@Stragus, I did look up at Royal Mail online postage and to print out only from a A4 paper or sticker paper that will print out up to 4 parts in 1 A1 paper, to me is would be too big for small packages and will use a lot of ink, paper and electricity. It fine if I able to print out up to 16 labels per page which I use for buyer's addresses. Some sellers use Paypal postage and printing method so are they are good and free to use without any fees?

Stragus

@Jiries Paypal shipping works well in Canada, it automatically includes the Canada Post small business discount so it's even cheaper than the counter rates. Even without that discount, I would prefer to spend a little ink and paper than go wait in line at the post office!

I really think you should investigate all options to ship from home (and the closest street letterbox).

Ems Bricks

The problem with posting from home or in letterbox in the UK is you just do not get the proof of postage, as Mark has already mentioned. I use drop and go which, apart form having to drive to the Post Office, is really handy. You have an account and just leave your post with them and collect receipts next time you are there. You do have to use a trustworthy PO though, but I've never been let down yet.

Jiries, I will check my receipts today to see what they have charged for international large letter.

Jiries

Yes Emma and let me know about it. @Stragus will look into it next month when my store is closed.

DagsBricks

Always ask them to point you to the documentation so that "you can understand it better". If they refuse or can't, call for the manager. If it *IS* the manager, report to the postmaster general or whatever your country's equivalent is. Maybe you could file a small claim with the post office for past overcharges?

Ems Bricks

Jiries, I have been charged as it should be ... £2.45 for under 100g for my International Large Letters.

Jiries

@Dagsbricks might do that to ask them next time. In the mean time if any EU buyer order here I will not post it at Langley or Epsom but there another one very small PO near to my house to see if I will be charged correctly. It a Indian husband and wife working there and they are good so I see what happened. Next month I will purchase £2.45, £3.15 and £3.30 stamps from Royal Mail in bulk so I can start using it and this will be cut by 50% from going to PO only for small parcels and upward. I notice the £3.30 stamps can be use on the 1st class small parcels and some are not big can fit through the letter box as well.

@Emma, at least your local PO was honest and good one.

Hoddie

You should make a complaint to the main post office, it's their responsibility to ensure sub post office staff are correctly trained. I'd also be asking for a refund if all the extra cash you'd spent.

Jiries

It happened twice only so I immediately stopped. Last night I ordered 25x of 2.45 and 25x of 3.15 stamps from Royal Mail and would arrive here probably tomorrow. Now I have 2 orders for Europe and will stay here until I get the stamps and post it through the letter box. Will look into next month like what Stragus said so I can do from home for all domestic and international mail.

Jiries

£2.45 and £3.15 stamps had arrived this morning and posted 2 EU large Letters via the letter box. Touchwood hope it all goes well now.

polarbomber

,My local post office has just charged me £4.10 for a 45g large letter to canada , i argued that it is not a small parcel but should be sent as a large letter @ £3.15 , they told me you can only send papers as a large letter abroad .

Hoddie

,My local post office has just charged me £4.10 for a 45g large letter to canada , i argued that it is not a small parcel but should be sent as a large letter @ £3.15 , they told me you can only send papers as a large letter abroad .

A load of nonsense. The Post Office website specifically states: "You can send items using our International Standard service, as long as they fall within the length, width, depth, height and sending criteria we’ve outlined below." ... it then goes on to list the standard letter, large letter, etc sizes.

http://www.royalmail.com/personal/international-delivery/international-standard

As above I can only suggest that you make a formal complaint. These staff are basically ripping people off; how much more are they earning the franchisee/main post office by conning people into paying more for postage than is necessary?

Jiries

,My local post office has just charged me £4.10 for a 45g large letter to canada , i argued that it is not a small parcel but should be sent as a large letter @ £3.15 , they told me you can only send papers as a large letter abroad .

It seem there a scam spreading between the PO staff and trying to make more money out of it which eventually hit you today. My advice is to buy £2.45 and £3.15 stamps asap which they have it available to order it online from Royal Mail site. I ordered it a while ago that came at 25 stamps each sheet costing me around £140 in total and used it 4-5 times on each £2.45 and £3.15 stamps so a big V-Sign to them and saving me money from being robbed. Don't know how much your additional charge on your side as I see you lost 95p from them. If you going to buy stamps and get it within 2 working days then any orders from Europe or N America at below 100g do not send and keep it with you until the stamps arrived, then applied it and fill the custom forms if need it and post it in the letter box. Imagined how much they will earn from robbing other customers per day?

@Hoddie Yes there no mentioned of extra charges for toys. There was no scam during the 2014 prices before.