Why was special delivery not delivered on time?

[Larissa]

Hi all, me again I posted a special delivery (by 1pm) package in Ashford on Thursday afternoon to be delivered yesterday but the recipient received the parcel today? she was in yesterday and was waiting for it to be delivered but it never showed, she contacted someone from the PO with the tracking number and they said it was sitting in the Tunbridge sorting office and should be with her in Inverness today, why would this happen when I paid for the guaranteed next day service? I'm not having a go at Royal Mail as I know most of you work very hard, just want to know what went wrong and if I should get any compensation from this?

[DGP1]

If you posted it on Thursday and it was only delivered today then you are due the postage back.

[Broxi51]

Hi Larissa,

What time did you post the item? Which PO did you send it from? Was the PO a half day shut in which case they should have said when you paid for it but it would delay it by a day.
Am sorry I cannot help any further but as already stated, you should get your money back.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Sorry but Inverness is not covered by the before 1pm delivery deadline for them I think its 5:30.

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... d=22700558" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We deliver by 5.30pm the next working day in the following postcode areas:



Mainland
AB30-56 Aberdeen
IV21-28, 40, 52, 54 Inverness
KW1-14 Orkney
PA28-38 Argyll
PH15, 17-26 Perthshire
PH31-40 Perthshire
PH49 Ballachulish
PH50 Kinlochleven

[Broxi51]

Sorry but Inverness is not covered by the before 1pm delivery deadline for them I think its 5:30.

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... d=22700558" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We deliver by 5.30pm the next working day in the following postcode areas:

IV21-28, 40, 52, 54 Inverness

Should have still went further than Ashford to Tunbridge in one day though

[fishtank]

Should have still went further than Ashford to Tunbridge in one day though

It probably has but until it's scanned in at it's next location it will still show up as Tunbridge.

[DGP1]

Sorry but Inverness is not covered by the before 1pm delivery deadline for them I think its 5:30.

http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cont ... d=22700558" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We deliver by 5.30pm the next working day in the following postcode areas:



Mainland
AB30-56 Aberdeen
IV21-28, 40, 52, 54 Inverness
KW1-14 Orkney
PA28-38 Argyll
PH15, 17-26 Perthshire
PH31-40 Perthshire
PH49 Ballachulish
PH50 Kinlochleven

Still was late, posted on Thursday, it should've been there by 5.30 on Friday not Saturday.

[fishtank]

Still was late, posted on Thursday, it should've been there by 5.30 on Friday not Saturday.

Not if it's got one of these postcodes IV41-51, 55, 56,then the Skye is the limit....or two working days.

[DGP1]

Still was late, posted on Thursday, it should've been there by 5.30 on Friday not Saturday.

Not if it's got one of these postcodes IV41-51, 55, 56,then the Skye is the limit....or two working days.

But if I remember correctly, didn't RM beat Top Gear in a race from one end of England to some island up in Scotland and if they could manage that with a 1st class letter then why not with a special (out premier service ).

[Stormproof]

Is'nt it half day closing in Ashford on a Thursday. I know it used to be, but that was many moons ago

[feduppostie]

if you look on the back of your special delivery receipt it should tell you the date it is guaranteed for delivery by

[Larissa]

Hi all many thanks for the help so far, you guys are great! loads of responses ok here's some answers to the questions, I posted it at 1.53 on Thursday afternoon from the Brookfield Road post office in Ashford, the post office is open all day on a Thursday it's a Wednesday that it is only open for half a day, the lady at the office said nothing to me about it not able to reach Inverness at the stated time and service of next day 1pm that I paid for, I even asked what is the latest I can bring a special delivery parcel up until and she said 4.55pm so I was well within time, the receipt does not say anything on the back just has printed on the front the post offices address, date and time, session id, dest, quantity, weight, special D by 1, total cost of services, posted after last collection (no) barcode, destination address and is address validated (yes)

[feduppostie]

In that case - given the info you have supplied - I would be ringing customer services and asking for an explanation from memory it is 08457740740 but it may have changed

I would also print out the tracking info for the item ( you can get this on royalmail.com using the SD item number) that should display when and where it was delivered and make sure you keep hold of the receipt

If they ask you to send these items I would definately photocopy them before sending and send them SD so you can track them ( yes i know the irony)

hope this helps

[harrycook]

I work in the Inverness office and we do have the 1pm deadline. Its is the areas we supply that are not covered, Gairloch, thurso, wick etc. Only reason it could fail is if the skynet flight doesnt make it due to weather or goes tech.

cheers

harry

[mazza111]

I don't know about Inverness, but in the Glasgow and surrounding areas it was a holiday weekend. I will probably stand corrected, but I thought all next day deliveries should be posted before 1-2pm? If this was the case, then it would have reached Inverness on the Saturday. I've heard of some offices only taking out Saturday specials on the Saturday, I know in our office we take them all out. But this would have been ready for Monday delivery, if Inverness got the glasgow holiday then ready for delivery on Tuesday.... This is the way I would have read it anyhoo, if it had been coming into our office, with the holiday etc. I don't know about the holidays in Inverness or other parts of Scotland

Anyhoo, at the end of the day, you haven't received the service that you paid for and should be on the phone complaining to our wonderful CS team. You may also have been misadvised by the PO. Time to give them all an ear bashing I think