ISF mail sent from NRC to International Mail Centre

[Alexie]

Hi everyone,

I’ve done a quick search of the forums to see if this query has perhaps cropped up before, but I haven’t seen anything quite along the same lines. Perhaps someone can shed some light on the matter…

Some months ago, a letter I’d sent with the International Signed For service ended up in the National Returns Centre in Belfast. I didn’t make any attempt to reclaim the letter and I had expected by now that the letter would have been disposed of – it has been around six months.

However, a few days ago I came across the receipt with the tracking code again, and I was surprised to see that the status has now changed. It now reads that the letter is at the international mail centre and is being prepared for despatch. This update surely must be a glitch because I have certainly not reclaimed the letter, and even if I had there would be no reason for the letter to go to the international mail centre.

So, does anyone have any idea as to why the letter would be sent to the international mail centre? The status has remained as such for about four days.

[andy2007]

The only thing I can think of, is that either the address label (if you used a sticky label) had fallen off, the address was incomplete, or something had happened to make the address illegible. The Returned Letters Branch doesn't just send it back to you, if there's any way they can work out where it was supposed to go. If they sucessfully work out where you intended it to go, they put a fresh address label on it, and put it back in the system. This can take quite a while though, particularly as they will have been inundated with Christmas Mail that was undeliverable in it's original condition (often posted a month or 2 in advance, to avoid the inevitable backlogs in the Mail Centres and Delivery Offices). So that, coupled with the difficulty of tracking down it's intended recipient could account for the long delay. Those guys don't give up easily either. It never ceases to amaze me, how they manage to work things out from partial addresses. If they can't work out where it's meant to go, they try to work out where the sender lives, so they can return it. So there's never any need for you to try to retrieve it anyway.

It would be worth you keeping track of it's progress, as if it isn't a computer glitch. It might be arriving at it's destination in the not too distant future.

Please let us know how you get on.

[Alexie]

Thanks for the response Andy :)

I did continue to check the tracking regularly; up until yesterday, the status still read that the letter was at the International Mail Centre, yet bizarrely it has today reverted back to the following: 'A delivery was attempted for your item with reference [tracking reference] in NATIONAL RETURN CENTRE before [date and time of when the letter originally ended up at the Return Centre]'. So, I can only but assume that it must have been a glitch.

In all honesty, I haven't a clue as to how the letter could have ended up at the Return Centre in the first place (aside from that I clearly forgot to add a return address). When I originally sent the letter, it got to the intended country and it had been delivered successfully (according to tracking). I am sure I got the address and recipient name right, as after all it was a signed-for letter (it was sent to a residence, not a company or business, so it's not likely that the person who would have signed for the letter wouldn't know the intended recipient). Then again, given the aforementioned glitch, it wouldn't surprise me if the letter didn't actually get delivered in the first place...

[andy2007]

That's confusing. If it didn't arrive, and is in the Returned Letters Branch, then without a return address, they would have to open it (they're the only RM employees allowed to do that), and try to find clues as to who it's for or from. Did you put either address on the letter, or make any reference to where either of you live (e.g. mention something that happened nearby)?
The only thing I can suggest, to find out whether it arrived or went to RLB, is for you to contact the recipient, and ask if he/she recieved it. RLB won't be able to tell you, as they won't know which letter it was. If they knew it'd already be back in the system, on the way to one of you.

[TeeferTiger]

I've had things sent to RLB (the returns centre) because they circled the postcode on the Post Office postage label, rather than my return address on the back of the envelope It went to RLB, spent a few weeks there, got stuck in another envelope and then returned to me once they'd turned the envelope over and seen my address on the back.

I'm guessing the welsh on the postage label must've confused the Londoners So anyway, my packet was needlessly delayed for 5 weeks at RLB, but it wasn't tracked there despite being a recorded.

[SpacePhoenix]

I've had things sent to RLB (the returns centre) because they circled the postcode on the Post Office postage label, rather than my return address on the back of the envelope It went to RLB, spent a few weeks there, got stuck in another envelope and then returned to me once they'd turned the envelope over and seen my address on the back.

I'm guessing the welsh on the postage label must've confused the Londoners So anyway, my packet was needlessly delayed for 5 weeks at RLB, but it wasn't tracked there despite being a recorded.

The number of times that I've seen an item being returned to the postcode on a Horizon label If I see one like that and there's no return address it goes straight to the RLB (well unless the other shifts sort it back to us based on the Horizon label - then it gets sorted to the missort alt again)

[TeeferTiger]

I've had things sent to RLB (the returns centre) because they circled the postcode on the Post Office postage label, rather than my return address on the back of the envelope It went to RLB, spent a few weeks there, got stuck in another envelope and then returned to me once they'd turned the envelope over and seen my address on the back.

I'm guessing the welsh on the postage label must've confused the Londoners So anyway, my packet was needlessly delayed for 5 weeks at RLB, but it wasn't tracked there despite being a recorded.

The number of times that I've seen an item being returned to the postcode on a Horizon label If I see one like that and there's no return address it goes straight to the RLB (well unless the other shifts sort it back to us based on the Horizon label - then it gets sorted to the missort alt again)

It's not difficult though, is it?! lol I mean, anyone with half a brain cell should know the difference between the part postcode printed on the Horizon label and "Sender: (followed by address)" on the back of the envelope-you know, where return addresses usually are n that...

[Alexie]

That's confusing. If it didn't arrive, and is in the Returned Letters Branch, then without a return address, they would have to open it (they're the only RM employees allowed to do that), and try to find clues as to who it's for or from. Did you put either address on the letter, or make any reference to where either of you live (e.g. mention something that happened nearby)?
The only thing I can suggest, to find out whether it arrived or went to RLB, is for you to contact the recipient, and ask if he/she recieved it. RLB won't be able to tell you, as they won't know which letter it was. If they knew it'd already be back in the system, on the way to one of you.

Having looked at the full statement of the letter's travel, I've been able to establish that the letter definitely arrived at its intended destination, but about nine days later it was recorded as being at RLB. My assumption is that it could have gone to the wrong house number and whoever received it by accident must have put it back into the post with 'return to sender' on it; if the actual recipient who the letter was meant for received it and wished to return it, they certainly would have put my return address on envelope.

I don't recall having put a return address anywhere on the letter or envelope (I normally do, but if memory serves the letter was sent in haste as very busy at that time of year), so it doesn't surprise me that the letter's not been able to make its way back to me. Right now I'm more curious as to why the letter was delivered overseas and then returned...

[SpacePhoenix]

What country was the item supposed to go to?

Try the tracking number here (http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it gives more details and it may or may not give a clue as to the reason the item is being returned

[Alexie]

What country was the item supposed to go to?

Try the tracking number here (http://www.royalmail.com/trackdetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) it gives more details and it may or may not give a clue as to the reason the item is being returned

Thanks for the link SpacePhoenix; unfortunately no further information was given as to why it was returned, but the fact that it was definitely delivered and then sent to RLB convinces me it must have been sent to the wrong address (I admit, my handwriting can be pretty shoddy at times, although I've never actually had a letter go to the wrong address before) and that the recipient assumed the best thing to do was just put it back into the postal system.

Bit of a vague question, but does anyone know roughly how many days it would take for a letter to go from the International Mail Centre here in the UK to the Returns Centre? I'm guessing about three days...?

[shipmaster122]

On the 30th January, I was told that the National Returns Centre was dealing with the International returns received on the 17th January, so it seems they have a bit of a backlog. So much so that something returned from the USA on 26th January still hasn't arrived in the UK..