international delivery - again!

[LydiaNiz]

Royal Mail seems to have adjusted their cover again down to £250 for their standard insured international delivery. For up to £500 it is now £62. Yikes. Anyone recommend a service they have used to ship to the U S? Looking for tried and tested please!

[camalidesign]

WOW! That's massive! :( I'm afraid I dont' have an alternative, most of my parcels are still within the £250 mark... But I would be interested to know of an alternative too, I reckon using something like Fedex is probably going to cheaper than that!

[metalsmith]

And getting anything out of them is blood out of a stone anyway

[ajda]

As far as I remember, if you do claim on the insurance for something you made, they reckon not on the retail price but only the basic material cost with no accounting for your time and work. Unless it had a very much higher material value, I'd insure up to £250 and hope for the best...
Alan

[LydiaNiz]

the stone alone is going to be £400 :-(

[Tabby66]

I have no idea on costs Lydia, but have you checked out UPS?? They are very good internationally.

When I'm sending something (UK) I use Parcel Monkey to compare prices, terms, etc., it my be helpful....

[Wallace]

As far as I remember, if you do claim on the insurance for something you made, they reckon not on the retail price but only the basic material cost with no accounting for your time and work. Unless it had a very much higher material value, I'd insure up to £250 and hope for the best...
Alan
that is incorrect. It would mean that no one is covered for manufacturing time, if that were true. It is a myth that has come about for whatever reason.

this link is for International signed for - http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/claims-process-for-international-items. It clearly states there under items requiring proof "Evidence of the item’s value for loss, part loss & damage claims (This evidence must show what it cost the claimant to acquire, purchase or manufacture the original item (or repair in the case of damage)"

for standard domestic, via special delivery there is also a similar statement

"Your Posting receipt obtained from the Post Office, copy of docket book or Online Postage print out stamped by the Post Office (digital images must be clear and of the original documentation)
• Proof of the items value which must show what it cost the claimant to acquire, purchase or manufacture the original item (or repair in the case of damage)" - the link for this is: http://www.royalmail.com/personal/help-and-support/claims-process-for-inland-items

these terms were changed in August 2015

[ajda]

Thanks for the correction/clarification, Wallace.
Alan

[ps_bond]

that is incorrect. It would mean that no one is covered for manufacturing time, if that were true. It is a myth that has come about for whatever reason.

I know a knifemaker who hit up against that myth and had to fight tooth and nail to get more than just the materials costs about a year ago. Prior to the change of terms, of course.

[pearlescence]

You aren't covered for time or profit. Only cost of materials. And they fight that. One of the reasons I don't use special delivery any more. The last time I claimed (two items lost SD in two weeks) I eventually sent them copies of invoices written in manderin, after which they did pay up - materials only though. I did at the same time argue that insurance means I had to be put in the same position as before the loss, which meant they would have to fly me to Hong Kong to replace the lost pearls since replacement was not possible from any UK source (except me, but I didn't say that!)
Read that term of the contract. You will continue not to be compensated for your time which they consider not to be a cost of manufacture. It is worded so you think it covers time and profit, but a lawyer would say a-ha. I do wonder what a judge would say though. It could come down to how a judge would construe the contract

[CJ57]

It's interesting isn't it. I've just sent my first parcel to the US although under the £250. Our counter staff wasn't sure so she phoned up the helpline herself to clarify all the rules and regs and came back saying she had been told yes we are covered for time and materials. You would then expect if a staff member has then told you that.....OH was aware of the debate we'd had in the past so he really pushed her on it his ex cop skills never leave him :)

[pearlescence]

Well, since you got that assurance and then entered into the contract with them (although they split hairs between royal mail and post office counters etc etc etc) then they are bound by that no matter what the written terms say, since you formed the contract iwth the agent who stated that time was covered (we knew materials were, but what about profit?)

[CJ57]

God it's complicated Wendy but that's pretty much what OH thought. Don't know if I can ask the poor girl to go through all that again about profit, if I get another sale then we will put it to the test

[Aurarius]

Well, since you got that assurance and then entered into the contract with them (although they split hairs between royal mail and post office counters etc etc etc) then they are bound by that no matter what the written terms say, since you formed the contract iwth the agent who stated that time was covered (we knew materials were, but what about profit?)
In practice though, if it didn't suit them, they wouldn't be bound at all by what a member of their counter staff said to a customer.

I had to send a parcel recently and before I finally sent it went in three consecutive post offices, each of which gave me differing information and asked for different fees, (in the case of two of the post offices for exactly the same service). One of the post offices even rang Royal Mail HQ for me but the person on the other end of the phone couldn't or wouldn't commit to a definitive answer. None of the Post Offices got its facts right on all counts.

Royal Mail is a shambles, and the days of always honouring an employee's word are long gone, not just within Royal Mail but in nearly every enterprise and organisation you're likely to have dealings with. Cultural norms have changed.

[CJ57]

In practice though, if it didn't suit them, they wouldn't be bound at all by what a member of their counter staff said to a customer.

I had to send a parcel recently and before I finally sent it went in three consecutive post offices, each of which gave me differing information and asked for different fees, (in the case of two of the post offices for exactly the same service). One of the post offices even rang Royal Mail HQ for me but the person on the other end of the phone couldn't or wouldn't commit to a definitive answer. None of the Post Offices got its facts right on all counts.

Royal Mail is a shambles, and the days of always honouring an employee's word are long gone, not just within Royal Mail but in nearly every enterprise and organisation you're likely to have dealings with. Cultural norms have changed.

To be fair to her she didn't know and phoned up the helpline in front of OH. It arrived safely at its destination and took longer at the US airport than it did to get there so we haven't had to test it.

[metalsmith]

You will continue not to be compensated for your time which they consider not to be a cost of manufacture. It is worded so you think it covers time and profit, but a lawyer would say a-ha. I do wonder what a judge would say though.

Of course one could always ask whether if the lawyers / judge consider their time to be valued in monetary terms why should not any other labour :-O

[pearlescence]

Aurarius, In law they would be, when the customer had a witness as to what was said. As the agent the counter person entered into a contract which may or may not be the same as the written terms. But a verbal contract is worth the paper it isn't written on.
I agree that Royal Mail is a poor thing at present.

[pearlescence]

Not in question - the whole point of a contract is that there may be profit, It is one of the ways in which damages is assessed. If the other party renegs or fails to carry out the contrct properly the party is allowed to claim profit, once he can demonstrate that the profit was clearly going to happen, not simply wishful thinking. So if we are sending an item to a customer who has already paid, clearly there is profit. It doesn't actually matter what is in the contract, if judge decides that the contract is unfair, or 'take it or leave it' as here with Royal Mail, they can simply re-write parts.(Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 and subsequent)

[LydiaNiz]

Just FYI FedEx have just quoted me £54-59 to post jewellery up to the value of $1000 USD (about £675) to USA & Australia. I'm delighted this means I can actually ship to Australia, but it's a pretty hefty add on. I wonder if anyone has used 3rd party insurance, not sure how complicated it is. Especially given the infrequence I post overseas with.