How much does Royal Mail make from undelivered parcels?

[super jumbe]

Freedom of information research shows that the Royal Mail is making an increasing sum of money by selling these goods at auction, amounting to nearly ?1m last year.

Over the past six years the postal service has more than doubled the income it generates in this way, from ?432,000 in 2005/06 to ?933,000 in 2010/11.

Financial year Royal Mail income from auctions
2005/06 ?432,000
2006/07 ?485,000
2007/08 ?646,000
2008/09 ?798,000
2009/10 ?824,000
2010/11 ?933,000
The items are undeliverable because the address is inadequate or the recipient has moved, and there is no return address.

Valuable goods which cannot be delivered or returned are stored for up to four months.

If they are not claimed, they are then sold at auction.

The company insists this is always a last resort, where the sender cannot be traced.




Speechless, you would think they should give that money to children in need!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GastonJ]

Aye not only for those reasons either. I sold an entire disk array on fleabay once for a small fortune. I made the mistake of sending it via Parcelforce.

Called them after a week and they told me they couldn't deliver it and had sent it to their place up in Manchester. Can I have it back? "well no we dispose of them ourselves" was the answer, "you can claim the insurance" Obviously insurance didn't cover the cost...

Total rip-off bunch I'd never send anything with them again.

[Meat-Head]

Called them after a week and they told me they couldn't deliver it and had sent it to their place up in Manchester. Can I have it back? "well no we dispose of them ourselves" was the answer, "you can claim the insurance" Obviously insurance didn't cover the cost...

did you not have a return address on it?
a week is a bit short

you should have posted a empty box to empty address - plenty here in Meat-City
insured it for a whopper, then cliamed on insurance

[GastonJ]

I always put a return address on things - except hate mail . The buyer had complained that it hadn't arrived after a week. I suspect that whoever was delivering it decided it would make a nice centre piece for their lounge and decided to take it home.

I've been 'bitten' by Parcelforce and non delivery before when I ordered a server with next day delivery. The depot is only 30 miles away. Waited 3 days and called, got the usual "the driver didn't make it to your area today" for the next 2 days.... on the last day told them that if he drove that slow that he couldn't drive 30 miles in 8 hours he perhaps needed sacking and that if it wasn't here the next morning I'd be there... it arrived.

I'm not sure but I do seem to recall that if they "try" to deliver it so many times ?5?, in that they set out - even if the driver don't make it to your city, they return it as undelivered to the depot (where they lose valuable items of course).

Excellent con scheme if you ask me.

Found this as well

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbHGJk4B6NU"]Lee Evans Parcel Force - YouTube[/ame]

[Meat-Head]

now last winter when we had all that snow, i doenload a box of sideward facing foo-foo valves, via Parcel2Go | Courier Services | Express Parcel Delivery Company - arrived, in an extra well packwged box

also last winter in the snow, downloaded a 'toy' - came in it's own van, bloke had nothing else to deliver