Rant of the day!

[Skeptisk]

How useless is the Royal Mail/Post Office?!

I had to send a letter to HMRC with forms that needed to get there before the end of March. I was advised to send it registered mail so that HMRC would have to sign for it (as I wanted to evidence it had been received in case they queried it later).

To be honest I assumed it would be delivered but when I checked yesterday (some weeks after it was sent) there was only confirmation that I had posted it and no tracking of it having been received by HMRC. The Post Office where I sent it were useless and could not explain (not check) what might have happened, telling me that “HMRC get a lot of mail so my letter might not have been signed for”. Eh? What is the point of the registered delivery if they don’t register the delivery?

I rarely send letters or documents by post but unfortunately there didn’t seem to be the option of submitting the forms online (which is just ridiculous as why couldn’t they offer the option of scanning and emailing the forms rather than sending by post?).

Some things in this country just don’t seem to work anymore.

Rant over (for today)!

[Deranged Rover]

As I understand it, (and I'm sure I read it on here, so it must be true...) neither HMRC or the DVLA sign for individual letters. Instead, they sign for a whole sack of signed-for letters which may or may not contain yours.

[Colonel Cupcake]

In situations like this, you need to send it Special Delivery. They go in a seperate stream and each one is signed-for individually. Special Delivery will even be delivered when the posties are on strike, as management deliver them then.

That was certainly the case when I were a postie.

[Actual]

I needed to send a stack of paperwork to
HMRC
BX9 1HT

I tried to do Special Delivery online which I could then take to the post office or have collected and the BX9 1HT postcode would not match any HMRC office and it lists random addresses all over the country.

I did some research and all HMRC received post is scanned in at a central location and then who knows what happens?

I have posted using standard delivery and I just have to wait.

Edited by Actual on Tuesday 4th March 15:10

[bigpriest]

Deranged Rover said:

As I understand it, (and I'm sure I read it on here, so it must be true...) neither HMRC or the DVLA sign for individual letters. Instead, they sign for a whole sack of signed-for letters which may or may not contain yours.

DVLA have a notice at the delivery point that has their address on it and the date. Depending on the delivery service, they can take a photo of this notice for proof of delivery, I'm sure last time I used RM SD they did this.

[Skeptisk]

Actual said:

I needed to send a stack of paperwork to
HMRC
BX9 1HT

I tried to do Special Delivery online which I could then take to the post office or have collected and the BX9 1HT postcode would not match any HMRC office and it lists random addresses all over the country.

I did some research and all HMRC received post is scanned in at a central location and then who knows what happens?

I have posted using standard delivery and I just have to wait.

Edited by Actual on Tuesday 4th March 15:10

For tax returns there is a separate address that you can send special delivery letters or couriered documents to HMRC. You can Google it (a bit of a pain to find on HMRC website though).

[Skeptisk]

Deranged Rover said:

As I understand it, (and I'm sure I read it on here, so it must be true...) neither HMRC or the DVLA sign for individual letters. Instead, they sign for a whole sack of signed-for letters which may or may not contain yours.

I was told that yesterday at the post office, which annoyed the hell out of me as they didn’t tell me that when I sent the letter. If they had I would have paid for special delivery.

If they don’t sign for receipt then there is no point sending it with registered mail as there is no proof of delivery.

[Mr-B]

Skeptisk said:

I was told that yesterday at the post office, which annoyed the hell out of me as they didn’t tell me that when I sent the letter. If they had I would have paid for special delivery.

If they don’t sign for receipt then there is no point sending it with registered mail as there is no proof of delivery.

You have proof of postage though, it's not your fault RM/HMRC are st at delivery/acknowledging receipt. I received a £100 fine for late submission of a paper return years ago, I got proof of postage as I always did back then (ordinary 1st class post with free proof of posting) and it arrived 20 days later and 10 days past deadline, I showed them the proof and they cancelled the fine.

[Chauffard]

Sellotape doesn't stick to plastic money, someone didn't think this through before ditching rag/wood based denominational substrate , I have a fiver that is a ba' hair from being in two parts.