Post in the UK

[Ally]

Been chatting to mum earlier and she was telling me that yesterday when she was in her kitchen she'd missed the postman at the door.

She's had a note telling her to call at her local post office to pay £1.19 excess on a card!

She then told me this has happened a few times since a new envelope sizing/weight thing came in?

So...dad has to drive to the PO, pay the charge and collect the card.

Mum think's its from her cousin in America.

So, if someone posts a card, and it's not the standard size, but has just put some stamps on it to cover the postage, the receiver has to pay excess if its not right.

This made me laugh when mum said..it's 19 pence for the charge and £1 for the handling fee for the postman.

[Kaz]

Yes this has been the case for a year or two now Ally - isn't it awful?

[Ally]

I can't believe the faffing around...

What happens when the door is opened by a frail 90 year old...does the postman stand there waiting for the money before he hands the mail over?

Jeez.

[Gal]

Yes it is a disgrace! I needed a first class stamp for a birthday card for my BIL shortly before Christmas. I went into the Post Office to buy said stamp and was told the postage would be 90p!!! I could have driven over with it myself for less - because the card was larger than 'normal'

[Ally]

I'd get the sack if I was the post lady..I'd be too embarrassed to ask for the money!

[Rodo]

I got two cards from the Post Office pushed through the door at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve saying I had to collect at the office (which closed at 2 p.m. and was closed for several days after that) two items and pay £1.09 on each.

No indication what the items were. Well, of course I couldn't go and collect them as I had arranged to collect my meat for Christmas and had to get there for that. Frankly I didn't want to anyway, to have to pay £2.18. I suppose they were Christmas cards, but I will never know.

The Post Office said that, after 18 days they would be returned to the sender, but if they are Christmas cards how in heaven's name will they know who to send them back to anyway. Wouldn't if have just been simpler to have delivered them. Someone on another forum who lives in the Lincoln area said she had two items marked insufficient stamps but they had just been delivered anyway.

Black mark Preston delivery area.

[miasmum]

Most cards now have it written on the back, so you know. I wouldn't buy a larger card to be honest.

I find the biggest problem is hand made cards, when people have stuck little bits on them which makes them wider.

[JoM]

It's disgraceful.
I once had a card through the door saying I had some excess postage to pay so went to the sorting office. Before paying I asked to see the item of mail so was shown it through the security screen - it was junk mail!

I know I sent considerably less cards this Christmas because postage has become so expensive - more than the price of the actual card - and the service, in my area anyway, is rather poor with items regularly delayed and even lost.

[saundra]

if you have them redelivered you have to pay the handling charge
and excess first
and our postman is really good but he cant accept the money even
if he brought the card
our parcel postman in a van takes delight in shoving to pay cards through the door
or you wernt home (i was)

[molly]

Mum think's its from her cousin in America.

But I don't think the post office get a share in the cost of something sent from abroad so if there was not enough stamp value on the envelope they would not care.

I suspect it is from the UK not America...................I could be wrong though!!