Crazy new post office rule

[sawdust1]

The other half went to the post office with a parcel today, the nice lady told her a new post office rule just out is that they have to ask parcel senders if the parcel is dangerous or contains explosives. Now i know sometimes i am a bit daft but if i was going to send a bomb to anyone i probably would not tell the person i just handed it to !

 

[marcros]

i hear what you are saying. Had the same questions myself.

Then they gave an example of lithium batteries in a toy (cant remember whether it was now disallowed in the uk, or internationally, but it was one), and I have to admit, it hadnt occurred to me that it was dangerous.

 

[Reggie]

That's just daft, I mean clearly ask if there are batteries in a parcel if they're prone to cause issues and have a list of items that you won't carry but don't ask people to make a judgement call as to whether something contains explosives or not.

I'm actually surprised that the PO and other parcel services don't have lists of prohibited items and make them prominent on their sites too, there is some really crazy stuff you can get through ebay and whilst their uses are entirely legitimate, if they're not handled correctly they could cause serious issues.

 

[RogerP]

Royal Mail prohibited and restricted PDF ....http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/Royal-Mail-Prohibited-and-Restricted-Items.pdf

 

[doctor Bob]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....... don't get me started..............

 

[Jacob]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....... don't get me started..............

Spoons aren't on the list are they?

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The craziest thing they've done so far is to ensure that when you put anything more than one piece of paper in a small envelope, you will have no idea how much it's going to cost.
We're trying to sort something financial out and it's taking an age, with them asking us to repeat information over and over - it was only a few days ago we realised that half of what we were posting wasn't getting where it was meant to go because it wasn't carrying enough postage.

 

[RogerP]

Easy if you use RM Price Finder ... http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder

 

[Jacob]

The craziest thing they've done so far is to ensure that when you put anything more than one piece of paper in a small envelope, you will have no idea how much it's going to cost.
We're trying to sort something financial out and it's taking an age, with them asking us to repeat information over and over - it was only a few days ago we realised that half of what we were posting wasn't getting where it was meant to go because it wasn't carrying enough postage.

It's this sort of chaos which was the reason for establishing a state run post office in the first place. Similarly with the railways. We are just learning the same lesson all over again.
Notice how expensive it becomes as more and more private couriers get in on the act.

 

[Eric The Viking]

The craziest thing they've done so far is to ensure that when you put anything more than one piece of paper in a small envelope, you will have no idea how much it's going to cost.
We're trying to sort something financial out and it's taking an age, with them asking us to repeat information over and over - it was only a few days ago we realised that half of what we were posting wasn't getting where it was meant to go because it wasn't carrying enough postage.

It's this sort of chaos which was the reason for establishing a state run post office in the first place. Similarly with the railways. We are just learning the same lesson all over again.
Notice how expensive it becomes as more and more private couriers get in on the act.

Too right.

The internet doesn't avoid the need to send things physically from place to place, and the Royal Mail was a real agent for social change: for the first time ever, ordinary people could correspond with each other and families separated by distance could stay in touch.

I view the 'privatization' of railways, electricity and water and telecomms infrastructure, and removing Royal Mail and post offices, as incredibly stupid things to do. I'm not a fan of big government, far from it, but it was sensible having these things in public ownership. The trick was making sure they ran efficiently, not flogging them off.

We've had craven idiots running the country for far too long.

E.

 

[RogerP]

I post several packages most days and they can be to anywhere in the world. I really don't find it difficult (using the links I gave earlier in this thread) to price them and choose the most appropriate means - be it RM or a carrier.

As well as RM price finder I use http://www.parcel2go.com/ to see a selection of carrier's prices and choose which is right for a particular parcel. Easy

 

[bugbear]

I'm not a fan of big government, far from it, but it was sensible having these things in public ownership. The trick was making sure they ran efficiently, not flogging them off.

This concept seem relevant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_monopoly

BugBear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Easy if you use RM Price Finder ... http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder

Agreed, but I tend to go around with neither a scales nor a computer on me., and life's too short to memorise it.

 

[riclepp]

Royal Mail prohibited and restricted PDF ....http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/Royal-Mail-Prohibited-and-Restricted-Items.pdf

Thats easy...all post/parcels are prohibited and just give us yer money

 

[Eric The Viking]

Is there still a ban on sending dead fish?

 

[Myfordman]

There is a Government form that is used to start off the process for security clearance. One of the questions asks something like
" Have you even been a member of a terrorist organisation?"

It does make you wonder!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There was an American one that went - is the purpose of your visit to overthrow the government - or something like that.

 

[Eric The Viking]

They still ask that stuff. I've just done the forms on line for three of the family.

Rather than making you do the form on the aircraft for nothing, they now charge you $10 per person for the privilege of answering daft questions on line (plus a fee per entry/exit of the country)!

America, entrepreneurs to the world.

 

[tekno.mage]

I view the 'privatization' of railways, electricity and water and telecomms infrastructure, and removing Royal Mail and post offices, as incredibly stupid things to do. I'm not a fan of big government, far from it, but it was sensible having these things in public ownership. The trick was making sure they ran efficiently, not flogging them off.

We've had craven idiots running the country for far too long.

E.

+1

I have never understood why anyone thought having private companies running such infrastructure could be cheaper or safer than having public ownership. Private companies *have* to make a profit - they are answerable to their shareholders - someone has to pay for that profit, usually their customers and often their employees in lower wages, poorer and less secure working conditions, and often less regard to safety. Now we have the situation where much of our key infrastructure is owned by large and often foreign companies who have no need to care about the services they supply to people in the UK or how much they charge us (and prices just keep going up) so long as they show a profit.