Royal Mail Lost My Jewellery - Please Advise Better Courier

[LadyBenita]

Hi everyone,

I run a small jewellery business - just me in my home studio. I always send my UK destined items by Royal Mail Next Day Special Delivery, and always insure them fully.

Well, a couple of weeks ago one of my handmade necklaces did not make it to their owner. According to tracking, it never even left the post office. I filed a claim with all of the relevant proof of purchase and value, but received a response today saying that they will not refund me in full - they will only refund the 'roof cost' of the item, and that I need to provide proof of this to receive any sort of reimbursement.

First of all, I don't know how I can prove this, given that the cost of the item, £150, is based on material costs and my wages. It's not like I'm a multi-million £ brand buying items for £1 from a factory in China and selling on for loads more.

I also don't understand why I shouldn't be reimbursed fully, given that I paid extra for the item to be insured up to £150. Say that you sent a photo that was sentimentally valuable to you and you insured it up to £1000 but they lost it. Monetarily it might be worth nothing to everyone else, but that person paid the insurance because to them it was invaluable.

Anyway, I've been trying to sort this out and have had to make another necklace for my customer who still really wanted it.

I'm wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything like this before, and also if anyone can advise a more reliable courier? When I pay for tracked and signed next day delivery, I expect the item to arrive safely and to not have to go through this kind of thing. It has been very stressful.

Any advice much appreciated, thank you.

[Dennis]

Yes I lost a ring in the post ten years ago, but my claim was resisted Royal Mail because I was unable to prove the value. The argument went round and round, even though I said I would settle for the price of the stone, for which I sent a receipt. In the end I made a new one and had it collected.

I have lost all faith in insurance for posted items. Dennis

[josef1]

I think they should refund the cost the customer paid as it was a new item. I think they wont pay a full amount if for example you sell something second hand on Ebay say a ring it costs £200 new but you sold it for £150 they would only pay £150. Just keep at them they lost it you paid for insurance. I think you just need to prove proof of purchase the amount that the customer paid. It takes a while but keep at them.

[Sheen]

Gorgeous ring Dennis, what a stunner!

[CJ57]

We’ve had these posts for years with the Post Office. It’s always been the issue that they’ll only pay the cost of the materials and not the SP. As we all usually make from stock materials they have us over a barrel even if we insure it every time

[ps_bond]

I think I'd be getting a crime number sorted and present RM with that, personally. Another approach would be to threaten them with legal action to recover the costs over & above the pitiful amount they're prepared to reimburse.

[pearlescence]

I stopped using royal mail for anything of value years ago. Everything you complain of is in the small print. They reimburse your materials costs and the postage but not your profit.
Plenty of other couriers around now.

[pearlescence]

Peter, the compensation is in the contract. We just don't bother to read it - and even most post office staff don't know.

[ps_bond]

I know - but I'd be gunning for it being an unfair term. Just because it's. In the contract (although not communicated at POS) doesn't make it acceptabke. Besides, theft is still a criminal offence.

[enigma]

I had a customer send a diamond from the UK fully insured and declared as a diamond and they paid around £80 to send it to me in Portugal.
When it disappeared they refused to pay her saying they did not cover precious gems or bullion despite the fact that they took the £80 to do so in the post office at the time of posting.
I have looked around at other couriers and so far cannot find one from Portugal that does cover such items when you read the small print.
If anybody does have an answer to this I would very much like to know as we are moving back to the UK soon and would love to have a courier service that insures fully.