# f***ing royal mail! AGAIN!



## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

i could kill em!
i recently posted out some baby hissers to someone on here, only to find out the box arrived, smashed to pieces with all but 2 of them escaped.
today i waited to receive my new adult breeding stock, to here the box being forced through my letter box. despite having FRAGILE written on it.
inside the box they were in was totally crushed, and has killed one of the hissers.
i got onto the royal mail website, only to be told they cant/wont do anything.
some times i wish royal mail would burn to the ground!:whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip::whip:


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

Just playing devils advocate but...um...stop using them...?


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

angela__k__84 said:


> Just playing devils advocate but...um...stop using them...?


who do i use then?
arnt they the only mail service?


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## Danhalen (Jun 6, 2008)

Unfortunately, that's what can happen if the box is labelled "fragile", or "contains live insects". Some disgruntled employee at RM (and with the recent strikes, there's alot) will always find a way to test how fragile the box actually is.

Personally, I just pack them well, and send it off without any labelling.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

They may be the only mail service but they are not the only courier service.
It may be common practices to send inverts through the post but Royal Mail are not actually licensed to carry live animals so they do not need to provide any level of care.


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

Danhalen said:


> Unfortunately, that's what can happen if the box is labelled "fragile", or "contains live insects". Some disgruntled employee at RM (and with the recent strikes, there's alot) will always find a way to test how fragile the box actually is.
> 
> Personally, I just pack them well, and send it off without any labelling.


iv had and sent, heavily labled box`s "fragile! live creatures! urgent! animals!" and just plain packages too. always the same rubbish.
i always send mine in a tub, taped up, covered in bubble wrap, in a square box. i try to offer maximum protection for the roaches.
staff there are just total ars holes. wtf gives them the right to destroy or damage other peoples belongings? its f***ing rude if you ask me!

im beginning to not like my post man more and more lol


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

angela__k__84 said:


> They may be the only mail service but they are not the only courier service.
> It may be common practices to send inverts through the post but Royal Mail are not actually licensed to carry live animals so they do not need to provide any level of care.


thats just daft  so they can take anything but bugs under their insurence? oblidged or not, that behaviour is still bang out of order.


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## Kerriebaby (May 12, 2009)

sorry, but you honestly sent live animals via Royal Mail?!


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

I am not saying it is not. Personally I hate Royal mail.
I never get my mail. It's messed me about several times - when my lazy arsed postman comes he shows up about lunch time. He posts stuff for the woman up the stairs through my door - think he is just too lazy to walk up the last lot of stairs.
The fact however remains, they do not cover live animals. I don't actually think Royal Mail allows you to send live animals it's just that they can't really stop you unless you outright declare when you send them "These are BUGS!" 
You take a risk when you send with Royal Mail. As you have no assurances, so if anything goes wrong there is no one for you to complain to. If you want guarantees use an approved animal courier. I realise that isn't economic but the reason you pay more is for your guarantees of the health of the animal being sent...


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

Kerriebaby said:


> sorry, but you honestly sent live animals via Royal Mail?!


well yes considering i have always sent and received stuff this way lol

i order my live food online and it all turns up via royal mail.
iv never had a problem before until recently.


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## Hoz (Oct 2, 2008)

Royal Mail policies about inverts can be found here, about halfway down the page - http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/...GVVFHQUHRA0UQ2K?catId=400138&mediaId=36200679


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## Danhalen (Jun 6, 2008)

Kerriebaby said:


> sorry, but you honestly sent live animals via Royal Mail?!


Most people send their inverts via royal mail. Personally, I only use RMSD.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

Well as long as they were sent out first class and well packed then fight your case.
I can't see you getting far but keep trying. You should at least get reimbursed.


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## xweeqtx (Aug 18, 2009)

I've had fish sent through RM before, and although it isn't in their policy they allow it. Mine are always splashed with livestock, fragile, Live tropical fish etc. At one time, the guy came to the door with the polybox all wrapped up in a clear sheet and said "It's leaking, don't know what's happened". He slid the box in backwards and of course I turned it around and there was a huge crack in the box which was all bevelled inwards. Quite obviously dropped(or worse), and I stated this and the posty told me to take it up with head office. They just don't care at all. :censor:


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

angela__k__84 said:


> I am not saying it is not. Personally I hate Royal mail.
> I never get my mail. It's messed me about several times - when my lazy arsed postman comes he shows up about lunch time. He posts stuff for the woman up the stairs through my door - think he is just too lazy to walk up the last lot of stairs.
> The fact however remains, they do not cover live animals. I don't actually think Royal Mail allows you to send live animals it's just that they can't really stop you unless you outright declare when you send them "These are BUGS!"
> You take a risk when you send with Royal Mail. As you have no assurances, so if anything goes wrong there is no one for you to complain to. If you want guarantees use an approved animal courier. I realise that isn't economic but the reason you pay more is for your guarantees of the health of the animal being sent...


yeah i can understand that, but fact of the matter is, what gives them the right to trash other peoples stuff? only 1 out of those 2 packages were labeled bugs, so either way the service is disgusting. i think i will research into Currier in the future, but y do i receive all my live food via royal mail?
also if they arnt aloud, why does the post office sell the stickers saying "urgent live creatures inside"?


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## xxpaintxx (Mar 16, 2009)

Hoz said:


> Royal Mail policies about inverts can be found here, about halfway down the page - http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/...GVVFHQUHRA0UQ2K?catId=400138&mediaId=36200679


excellent thank you!

so they r aloud. so again... why be a total dick head about it?

my postman is going to have a note on the door for tomorrow lol


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## Hoz (Oct 2, 2008)

xxpaintxx said:


> excellent thank you!
> 
> so they r aloud. so again... why be a total dick head about it?
> 
> my postman is going to have a note on the door for tomorrow lol


No probs, I don't usually mark them as "live insects". I did once and the bloke in the post office tried to tell me he couldn't/wouldn't send it because it wasn't allowed etc, since then I've found it's easier to just pack really well and keep quiet about what's inside.


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

Courier's are far too expensive tbh and alot are just as bad if not worse then royal mail. Have a word with your postman.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

I find Royal Mail are arseholes about most things.
When I moved into my new flat I didn't get most of my mail for nearly 3 months. We have 2 post men - one was delivering male - the other wasn't cos he thought the flat was empty - even though the name on the door had changed and there was mail coming out to the house! He was just returning it all to sender.
I don't think I would ever send live animals by Royal mail. I have received letters and packages torn and burst, things inside destroyed, I wouldn't take the risk. Buy locally...


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

xweeqtx said:


> I've had fish sent through RM before, and although it isn't in their policy they allow it. Mine are always splashed with livestock, fragile, Live tropical fish etc. At one time, the guy came to the door with the polybox all wrapped up in a clear sheet and said "It's leaking, don't know what's happened". He slid the box in backwards and of course I turned it around and there was a huge crack in the box which was all bevelled inwards. Quite obviously dropped(or worse), and I stated this and the posty told me to take it up with head office. They just don't care at all. :censor:


I'm sorry but I do find this rather ridiculous! The others I can just about get my head around, although I'd rather go to the pet store...But a fish? Anyone who sends a fish through the post is asking for trouble. I'm sorry but anyone who is willing to send or recieve via post, a fish...Does not have the right to have a go at Royal Mail saying 'they just don't care at all' !
If you MUST send such animals in the post, employ a courier!!! Or don't do it at all! 
Animal welfare?! If you care about that animal at all, you wouldn't put it in such a dangerous environment where anything could go wrong!


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

What you could do is buy one of those big wooden post boxes and have it outside your property then the postman should be leaving your parcels/packages in that rather than trying to squish it through your door.
That won't help with things you have sent though - only what you receive. Provided it hasn't been kicked hell out of before it arrives with you (which I suspect it would have)
Maybe start packing in wee 9l RUBs?


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

half the time they are damaged before they even get to your local postmen so becareful not to take it out on the wrong person.


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

angela__k__84 said:


> What you could do is buy one of those big wooden post boxes and have it outside your property then the postman should be leaving your parcels/packages in that rather than trying to squish it through your door.
> That won't help with things you have sent though - only what you receive. Provided it hasn't been kicked hell out of before it arrives with you (which I suspect it would have)
> Maybe start packing in wee 9l RUBs?


lol those boxes would be broken into more often then not.


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## xweeqtx (Aug 18, 2009)

SkyGreen said:


> I'm sorry but I do find this rather ridiculous! The others I can just about get my head around, although I'd rather go to the pet store...But a fish? Anyone who sends a fish through the post is asking for trouble. I'm sorry but anyone who is willing to send or recieve via post, a fish...Does not have the right to have a go at Royal Mail saying 'they just don't care at all' !
> If you MUST send such animals in the post, employ a courier!!! Or don't do it at all!
> Animal welfare?! If you care about that animal at all, you wouldn't put it in such a dangerous environment where anything could go wrong!


Sorry, but if you look at websites selling Betta's, the service used is Royal Mail Special Delivery. MOST of the time, the PO know about it. I've only ever had a couple that don't state clearly what's inside the box. And to be perfectly honest, the animals are at risk sending via any courier whether its RM or not - so if you're going to go into animal welfare, then don't speak about couriers at all because none of them are totally reliable 100% of the time - anything can go wrong with anyone of them.


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

mythicdawn07 said:


> Courier's are far too expensive tbh and alot are just as bad if not worse then royal mail. Have a word with your postman.


My Husband was a courier for years and He says that they can not risk the damage of their post, because it is them personally who is in the firing line. They have to be careful with it! So in the huge majority of cases, using a courier is a hundred times better than using royal mail!! Yes, you will always come across idiots and accidents do happen...but generally you'll find, your post will be secure! More expensive? Of course! But worth it if it means you have 100% of your product at the end of the day.
Your postman only deals with post which comes from your post office to your house, not the rest of the way. So your postman could be as careful as he possibly can...only to be dealing with something which has been dropped, thrown around and trampled on by someone else!


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## David L (Jul 13, 2009)

p[lease dont tarnish all Royal mail employees with the same brush, I am an RM worker and wouldn'r dream of hurting anyones mail...

Unfortunately R.M being such an enormous company, they do have a fair collection of dicks working for them who spoil it for the rest of us. But dont be fooled by moving on to Deustche Post, Parcels Direct or TNT or any other Courier company, who are far more expensive and the percentage of misplaced items and damaged goods is higher in any of them than RM.

Bit of a tip though, dont put 'Fragile' or 'do not bend' on your parcels if you send them by first class... Send them RMSD, as First class (and second) services usually have the dregs of humanity working on them... messages like this are like red rags to a bull and a small box with 'fragile' written on it can be like putting 'this is a football, please boot me around the delivery office floor!'

Once I heard a Delivery Office Casual worker (who lasted about 3weeks) grab an envelope with the words 'PHOTOS - DO NOT BEND' on it... He proceded to bend the envelope and shout to everyone "bend?... yes they do!"

Idiot....

If I am delivering mail, (which is not very often, because I am office based) you can be assured that I take very special care in delivering your post and wouldn't dream of mangling it, and many of my colleagues think likewise...

Dont blame the company, blame the postie, report him and get him sacked. We dont want people like this.


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## Scaley (Sep 25, 2007)

Our posties round here dont mind at all, ive just had a load of roaches etc delivered and he knocks on the door if it dont fit through the letter box, instead of 'squishing' it through. One of the posties knows i get spids delivered alot and i see her walk down the road with it held out in front of her! lol

I only use RMSD with any inverts, that way you still have the insurance side to it. I just pack them really well and put fragile on it, never had a problem, only had one DOA and that was a tiny sling, so it could of been weak anyway?

I still find the royalmail does a good service, i mean you can send a letter for the price of a first class stamp all the way across the country in a day!!! And for £6ish, you can send a invert across the country and be gauranteed before 1pm the next day!!!!


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

xweeqtx said:


> Sorry, but if you look at websites selling Betta's, the service used is Royal Mail Special Delivery. MOST of the time, the PO know about it. I've only ever had a couple that don't state clearly what's inside the box. And to be perfectly honest, the animals are at risk sending via any courier whether its RM or not - so if you're going to go into animal welfare, then don't speak about couriers at all because none of them are totally reliable 100% of the time - anything can go wrong with anyone of them.


Which is why I wrote 'if you HAVE to' ! 
Personally, I would not buy a fish off a website, I'd go to a shop and get one. If I couldn't get to the shop, I wouldn't bother!! The welfare of that fish means more than my selfish want...
Just one question...If you know they are at risk whether via royal mail or via courier, why do you do it anyway?


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## mythicdawn07 (Jun 18, 2009)

SkyGreen said:


> My Husband was a courier for years and He says that they can not risk the damage of their post, because it is them personally who is in the firing line. They have to be careful with it! So in the huge majority of cases, using a courier is a hundred times better than using royal mail!! Yes, you will always come across idiots and accidents do happen...but generally you'll find, your post will be secure! More expensive? Of course! But worth it if it means you have 100% of your product at the end of the day.
> Your postman only deals with post which comes from your post office to your house, not the rest of the way. So your postman could be as careful as he possibly can...only to be dealing with something which has been dropped, thrown around and trampled on by someone else!


Not when courier's cost more then the actual product, not to mention when selling thing's the buyer would never really choose to pay for courier over RMSD.


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## angela__k__84 (Oct 4, 2008)

I suppose like David_L said - it's your luck. I used to have a great postman. He had dreadlocks and used to sing as he delivered the mail. If you ever walked into him he'd have a wee chat with you. He was always on time and did a great job then he moved on to another job - the guy who replaced him used to dump the mail on the first floor window ledge of the building. Everyone in the buildings mail!
Eventually he got sacked as they found out he was dumping tons of peoples mail in the spare ground behind the STV studios.


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## xweeqtx (Aug 18, 2009)

I have no idea which person mangled mine, but the posty :censor: me off with his sneakyness in not telling me the reason it was leaking plus being so casual about it. Our posty at the last house was great though :2thumb:

I used a courier service once, which was guaranteed by 1.30pm. They never arrived until 4pm, and cared even less than RM.



> Which is why I wrote 'if you HAVE to' !
> Personally, I would not buy a fish off a website, I'd go to a shop and get one. If I couldn't get to the shop, I wouldn't bother!! The welfare of that fish means more than my selfish want...


Unfortunately when you are breeding Betta's it isn't as easy as that. I wouldn't buy "normal" fish from websites, because yes there are shops that stock them but when it comes to Bettas its impossible to do anything else except order from breeders or importers.


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

mythicdawn07 said:


> Not when courier's cost more then the actual product, not to mention when selling thing's the buyer would never really choose to pay for courier over RMSD.


I suppose it all depends on the product, which is why a lot of huge companies use couriers.
I just think that animals should be treated with a bit more respect then to be packed in a box and sent via royal mail that's all. 
If I had to do this, I wouldn't bother. Okay, one could argue that roaches and bugs will end up being lunch anyway? But why put more stress on them than is needed? It's much like pigs...what is better, organic british meat which has been treated kindly and without stress, or danish which has been injected with shit and left in a tiny pen not large enough for the pig to turn around in or even sit down and rest (for five years!!).
I know none of us, whether we buy our live food from a website or a shop can 100% guarantee that the animals have been treated kindly and not at all stressed, but I know in my mind...If I have done the best I can, it's better than nothing.


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

I have to say the guy that delivers and deals with our RMSD is fantastic. He knows we send and receive T's and bugs and always makes an effort to keep an eye out for our boxes at the sorting office and keeps them to one side so they dont get knocked around. He even tubs up interesting looking spids they find in the parcel office for us :2thumb: :lol2:

He's been my parcel bloke for 8yrs now and i hope he never leaves the job, ive had him find missing ebay parcels for me and even had him find the missing male for Lisa that went to Singapore and back.

He always gets a bottle of something alchoholic off me at chrimbo


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

xweeqtx said:


> I have no idea which person mangled mine, but the posty :censor: me off with his sneakyness in not telling me the reason it was leaking plus being so casual about it. Our posty at the last house was great though :2thumb:
> 
> I used a courier service once, which was guaranteed by 1.30pm. They never arrived until 4pm, and cared even less than RM.
> 
> ...


Then I'd not breed them in the first place :blush: Sorry...I'm not having a go, that's just me! I'd love to breed my royal, or my beardie but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, purely because I cannnot guarantee that they will be treated kindly where they end up! Most of the animals I've had have been rescued...because the people who have owned them did not treat them kindly! We've just got a Royal python and she's the first animal that we've got in more recent years that we've just purchased...but the person who had her looked after her so well and she's very happy and healthy, I don't think I could make a habit of it though. 
How many bettas do you have?


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## Nodders (May 11, 2009)

xxpaintxx said:


> i order my live food online and it all turns up via royal mail.
> iv never had a problem before until recently.


Sick of em tbh , my locusts were sent out the same lunchtime I ordered them , 6 days later still not here . I have now no locusts for the cham from today . I ordered in plenty of time .

Last week I had a parcel , postie knocked then immediately walked away , he was halfway down the street when I shouted him back . He handed me a parcel and my normal post ? To this day I have no idea why he would walk away with my letters .

Last postie we had we had just moved in , in those first 4 - 6 weeks , the amount of important mail we were waiting on was astronomical , the joys of moving and trying to let everyone know . For 2 months we recieved nothing . Of course we were getting worried because all the previous tennants mail was showing up . I grabbed the postie in passing one day and said do you not have anything for "insert name here" has we had phoned people and were told they had sent numerous mailings out .
He looked and said yes , but he never bothered posting any because he knew the previous tennants name and that was'nt ours . The carnage he wrought was unbelievable , took us months and months to sort out . I reported him , recieved a telephone call from his boss and was told he never posted anything because it looked abandoned , I told him that was an outright lie , for one he was posting the previous tennants post and two , there was always curtains up at the property and never looked abandoned . 
Upshot is , the same postie was still delivering mail . I believe it is illegal , I could be wrong , for the postie to hold onto mail and not attempt to push it through the door .

Royal Mail ? I think they lost the right's to "Royal" some time back .

Rant over :devil:


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

Muze said:


> I have to say the guy that delivers and deals with our RMSD is fantastic. He knows we send and receive T's and bugs and always makes an effort to keep an eye out for our boxes at the sorting office and keeps them to one side so they dont get knocked around. He even tubs up interesting looking spids they find in the parcel office for us :2thumb: :lol2:
> 
> He's been my parcel bloke for 8yrs now and i hope he never leaves the job, ive had him find missing ebay parcels for me and even had him find the missing male for Lisa that went to Singapore and back.
> 
> He always gets a bottle of something alchoholic off me at chrimbo


That's brilliant!! :no1::2thumb:


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## SkyGreen (Jul 31, 2009)

Nodders said:


> Sick of em tbh , my locusts were sent out the same lunchtime I ordered them , 6 days later still not here . I have now no locusts for the cham from today . I ordered in plenty of time .
> 
> Last week I had a parcel , postie knocked then immediately walked away , he was halfway down the street when I shouted him back . He handed me a parcel and my normal post ? To this day I have no idea why he would walk away with my letters .
> 
> ...


Again. I don't think it's fair to have a go at Royal Mail as a whole...There will always be idiots working for them that they don't know about until later. Unfortunately they can't tell every idiot by an interview. We used to have a great postie but then he left and this other guy took over who is rubbish. Our post ends up in other peoples mail boxes, it must do, because we get other peoples in ours!! Rubbish!!:banghead:


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## xweeqtx (Aug 18, 2009)

> Then I'd not breed them in the first place :blush: Sorry...I'm not having a go, that's just me! I'd love to breed my royal, or my beardie but I just couldn't bring myself to do it, purely because I cannnot guarantee that they will be treated kindly where they end up! Most of the animals I've had have been rescued...because the people who have owned them did not treat them kindly! We've just got a Royal python and she's the first animal that we've got in more recent years that we've just purchased...but the person who had her looked after her so well and she's very happy and healthy, I don't think I could make a habit of it though.
> How many bettas do you have?


It's a hobby, and I understand what you're saying as I'm selling a few at the moment and refusing to Ebay them because I most likely wouldn't know where they end up. But, it's near to impossible to buy breeding stock from a shop unless they get a once in a blue moon fish in that's probably just as inbred as the run of the mill ones.

They are bagged and packaged in preparation for a rattly journey, and prepared beforehand by not being fed the day before to prevent ammonia poisoning in the water from waste, provided with a heat pack in the box etc. It's all done properly, it's not as if they're shoved in bags of water into a box and sent on their way.


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## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

xweeqtx said:


> Sorry, but if you look at websites selling Betta's, the service used is Royal Mail Special Delivery. MOST of the time, the PO know about it. I've only ever had a couple that don't state clearly what's inside the box. And to be perfectly honest, the animals are at risk sending via any courier whether its RM or not - so if you're going to go into animal welfare, then don't speak about couriers at all because none of them are totally reliable 100% of the time - anything can go wrong with anyone of them.


I would point out at this point that it is illegal to send live vertebrates through a public postal system ie Royal Mail, and given that fish are vertebrates, then posting them through Royal Mail is therefore illegal.


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## xweeqtx (Aug 18, 2009)

ian14 said:


> I would point out at this point that it is illegal to send live vertebrates through a public postal system ie Royal Mail, and given that fish are vertebrates, then posting them through Royal Mail is therefore illegal.


If you take a look at the link provided earlier in the thread, RM accepts "fish fry" in it's list of allowances. This has been discussed before on another forum and numerous people have contacted RM in regards to this as they DON'T specify an age so up until the fish is fully grown, it is regarded to as "fry".


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## Spikebrit (Oct 23, 2006)

ian14 said:


> I would point out at this point that it is illegal to send live vertebrates through a public postal system ie Royal Mail, and given that fish are vertebrates, then posting them through Royal Mail is therefore illegal.


Actuall fish are except, for reason i dont know. If you look through the list of whats acceptable on the royal mail site they state inverts and fish. Its somthing i always found weird. 

I'm still waiting on a a package, was post first class a week yesterday and has still not bloody arrived. All these strikes are pissing annoying. 

jay


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## Fatpower (Aug 17, 2007)

Never had a problem with RM tbh. Then again I dont send and receive much live stock! but general products theyve always been fine with


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## Hedgewitch (Feb 12, 2008)

Man, our postie always seems kinda good. Last Thursday we missed a package, we had 2 packages turning up on Friday and the guy brought up Thursday's package as well. :2thumb:

It's gotta suck for some posties though, post gets smashed up at the delivery office then they get an earful... stuff like that _will_ stop people caring.


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## spider_mad (Mar 8, 2007)

angela__k__84 said:


> I don't actually think Royal Mail allows you to send live animals it's just that they can't really stop you unless you outright declare when you send them "These are BUGS!"



Not true It is legal and acceptable to post invertebrates and livefood (insects) through royal mail. Whether there are insects in a package or a glass ornament makes no difference doesnt give the postmen a right to treat boxes like a football and more so if people actually put fragile in the box then they seem to be more inclined to trash it. Hence why I never write anything on the box anymore and send through RMSD.


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## Pinkytoes (Jun 25, 2009)

Spikebrit said:


> Actuall fish are except, for reason i dont know. If you look through the list of whats acceptable on the royal mail site they state inverts and fish. Its somthing i always found weird.
> 
> I'm still waiting on a a package, was post first class a week yesterday and has still not bloody arrived. All these strikes are pissing annoying.
> 
> jay


im still waiting on a packet that was sent 3 weeks ago, the seller has resent the same order a week ago and that hasnt turned up either!


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## Gomjaba (May 25, 2009)

David L said:


> Bit of a tip though, dont put 'Fragile' or 'do not bend' on your parcels if you send them by first class... Send them RMSD, as First class (and second) services usually have the dregs of humanity working on them... messages like this are like red rags to a bull and a small box with 'fragile' written on it can be like putting 'this is a football, please boot me around the delivery office floor!'


Funny you say that - When I gave a box to our local post office labelled "fragile, glass inside" or something like this - she suggested taking that sticker off for the same reason .. Then I thought - fook it - and left it with her .. SHE then threw the box in the corner ... :whip:

I asked her if she is joking or something ... Then you saw on her face that she realized what she has just done ... 

Well anyway - back to the point - there was no glass in there obviously but a spider and I just wanted to make sure it was handeled with care - which is clearly not the case .. 

BUT BUT BUT : Because I packed it WELL - it never got hurt .. and I am sure it got kicked around the office several times .. 

Here is how I packed her : First time I packed a spider - Arachnophiles Forum

So a LOT is down to your packaging as well - surely.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

xxpaintxx said:


> i could kill em!
> i recently posted out some baby hissers to someone on here, only to find out the box arrived, smashed to pieces with all but 2 of them escaped.
> today i waited to receive my new adult breeding stock, to here the box being forced through my letter box. despite having FRAGILE written on it.
> inside the box they were in was totally crushed, and has killed one of the hissers.
> ...


 the solution is to pay extra and have it sent special delivery. No crushing, no forcing through the letter box. They travel seperate from the normal mail and you have to sign for them.


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

post in bigger cardboard boxes than the live insect box/your letter box and they tend to actually realise it wont fit, I've had some stick insects forced before:bash: but only once, one DOA.

Or send royal mail special delivery or royal recorded(signed for)


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## Pinkytoes (Jun 25, 2009)

even signed for isnt a guarantee as i sent cash once (i know i shouldnt have) by signed for and it was never received,some RM worker is 40 quid better off anyway:devil:


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## Chaika (Jun 5, 2009)

I've never had anything to complain about (maybe I'm a minority!). I've received lots of insects and tarantulas by Royal Mail SD and have honestly never had a problem, everything always arrived next day and in pristine condition with barely a dent on it. I do however get almost everything sent to my work...
Have had livefood sent to our home address though but also without any problems.


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## Love_snakes (Aug 12, 2007)

The word fragile seems to be more of a challenge than a warning for the people at RM lately.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Pinkytoes said:


> even signed for isnt a guarantee as i sent cash once (i know i shouldnt have) by signed for and it was never received,some RM worker is 40 quid better off anyway:devil:


Which 'signed for' service did you send it via? Since any signed for method is traceable and guaranteed, the worker should have been traced and you should have put in a claim and been refunded.
Someone once sent me £250 in a normal envelope by normal mail. (have no idea who it was) all in £20 notes. It arrived safely. Mind I do have a fantastic postie. Love him to bits as he is always cheerful and friendly. 'Big up' for the postie who does Tydd St Giles.:no1:


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## ginna (Jun 2, 2009)

sorry to hear about all the slack arses trashing your mail:whip:

but our postie is great he takes our packages to the P.O if we are not in cos we told him we have a lot of bugs coming in (and out).

maybe you should tell the sorting office in advance so they know what to expect 


maybe you should threaten the postman and tell him you will shove his license plate so far up his arse youl have to take a pic fore the speed camera......ore something like that


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## Lucifus (Aug 30, 2007)

If you had it via special delivery it should be insured.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

ginna said:


> maybe you should threaten the postman and tell him you will shove his license plate so far up his arse youl have to take a pic fore the speed camera......ore something like that


 and that very grown up response will surely endear you to him and ensure he takes great care of all your mail.:bash:


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## Muze (Jun 20, 2007)

fenwoman said:


> and that very grown up response will surely endear you to him and ensure he takes great care of all your mail.:bash:


Agreed :notworthy:

It was because i took the time to talk to my parcel bloke years ago that he looks out for our parcels.


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## ginna (Jun 2, 2009)

yea thats what we did to our post man 

not the licence plate thing


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## just_one_more (Aug 21, 2009)

I have sent things through post (8" snail was one) and I put him in cricket tub then bubble wrapped the tub then put in another box with loads of bubble wrap and paper and he was perfect when they got him. Make sure the box is big enough so it has to come with a seperate van (only small parcels come with our postie) and make sure the bigger box has as much screwed up paper and bubble wrap as you can then smaller box slap bang in middle then if it gets kicked around it it shouldnt effect the inner box with the live 'pets' inside.


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## Pinkytoes (Jun 25, 2009)

fenwoman said:


> Which 'signed for' service did you send it via? Since any signed for method is traceable and guaranteed, the worker should have been traced and you should have put in a claim and been refunded.
> Someone once sent me £250 in a normal envelope by normal mail. (have no idea who it was) all in £20 notes. It arrived safely. Mind I do have a fantastic postie. Love him to bits as he is always cheerful and friendly. 'Big up' for the postie who does Tydd St Giles.:no1:


just the basic "signed for" think the one you mean is special delivery
Apparently it just gets treated like normal 1st class post only diff is the recipient signs for it on delivery.


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## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Pinkytoes said:


> just the basic "signed for" think the one you mean is special delivery
> Apparently it just gets treated like normal 1st class post only diff is the recipient signs for it on delivery.


 So did they ever find out exactly who signed for it? I mean, that's the whole point of recorded delivery isn't it? Or at least it's supposed to mean that because someone has to sign for it, they can trace the person who signed.


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## Graylord (Jul 17, 2007)

I think the issue here is to make sure things are sent next day delivery then there would be no squeezing things through letter boxes .

It only cost around 6 quid i think and a small price to pay.

My wife didn`t hear the postie one day when i was expecting some slings .

She phoned the delivery office and they sent them up in a van on their own .

Thats service...mind you Darwen is a one horse town :lol2:


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## Mutley.100 (Nov 3, 2008)

Graylord said:


> Thats service...mind you Darwen is a one horse town :lol2:


What colour horse ?:lol2:


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## Slinkies mum (Jul 15, 2008)

The problems I've had with RM are unbelievable, 10 parcels missing in under 8 weeks!!!!! Plus 4 I received that weren't addressed to me. Complaining gets you nowhere, it takes them 5 days to reply to an email and then it's just a load of twaddle about how good their service usually is.
As others have said bomb proof packaging is a must, the critter in its lill box then tonnes of bubble wrap B4 placing in a stout cardboard box. Marking it 'live animals' just brings out the stupidity in some people so unless I'm using RMSD I don't mark the box.
RMSD is the better option but even that is unreliable, I once sent out 5 Pachnoda beetles which were late arriving and the bloke had gone to work. They spent the next 10 days in the post as the RM said they didn't know what had happened to the parcel after it went back to the office. Remarkably when they eventually turned up only one was dead...the others had eaten it :gasp:.


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## Pinkytoes (Jun 25, 2009)

fenwoman said:


> So did they ever find out exactly who signed for it? I mean, that's the whole point of recorded delivery isn't it? Or at least it's supposed to mean that because someone has to sign for it, they can trace the person who signed.


It was never signed for.
so either the postman was too lazy to wait for a reply to get a signature or it went missing in the sorting office.


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