Royal Mail has reimbursed one of its customers an apologetic £6.85 as part of a dispute over what is claimed to be a missing parcel with AirPods worth £250 inside.

As reported in the News Shopper, Katie Harris left her AirPods in an Uber at the beginning of February, and the driver posted them back using Royal Mail’s special delivery service which guarantees arrival before 1pm the next day.

Despite the tracking site saying the item had been delivered with a signature, Katie says she was not at her Bromley home to sign for the package and could not find it when she returned.

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Katie began a dispute with Royal Mail who refused compensation for the “missing parcel” - despite the service offering insurance up to a value of £500.

Now, after appealing the refusal of compensation which was subsequently declined, and while she waits for the Postal Review Panel to look at the case, Katie has received a mere £6.85 in compensation from Royal Mail.

The cheque, dubbed the “maximum” that can be offered, came with a letter from the postal company apologising that Katie had recently had to complain about an item posted with the service.

It said in part: “I can see we’ve let you down on this occasion and I apologise for that.

“I can now offer the enclosed cheque as part payment for this service failure.

“This is the maximum I can offer in line with the conditions of the product used and the evidence provided.”

 

@kharris_x1

A series of unfortunate events with @uber and @royalmail

♬ cho meo - VĂN KHẢI ✅

Katie told the News Shopper that she is “seriously disappointed” by this.

She explained: “Considering the letter was issued on March 2, and I have not yet received email confirmation in a final decision by the panel, I would imagine that this is a response to the News Shopper article (dated March 4).

“They must have felt that some reimbursement would be appropriate, and of course, the minimal amount possible.

“I feel seriously disappointed that even when you pay for the insurance of the package, they can find away to avoid covering the loss.

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“It doesn’t give me much trust in Royal Mail at all – and I would have previously regarded them as a more premium service.

“It’s shocking really.”

The letter itself does not mention the Postal Review Panel’s decision, but a spokesperson from Royal Mail has said that the panel is still looking at the case and has not yet got back to Katie with a decision.

Katie said that she wants to “make as much noise about this as possible” – and is considering reaching out to Martin Lewis, the money saving expert, for help.

She has also made a TikTok video about her experience with Royal Mail – and has received more than 10,000 views and 500 comments.

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Katie initially told the News Shopper last week: “The Uber driver used a premium Royal Mail service.

“There was no package when I got home and none of my neighbours had it either.

“When I spoke to the postman the next day, he said he remembers posting it through the door, but we don’t have it so I don’t know what’s happened there.

“I put a claim in through Royal Mail for reimbursement of a lost package cost, but because its GPS system shows the postman on my road at the time it said they were posted, I can’t claim.

"I was told the previous decision can't be overturned.”

““It’s my word against theirs, I don’t have my parcel and I’m stuck in the middle.”

A signature reading “XPI”, and beneath it “Signed for by: KATIE” showed up on the Royal Mail “proof of delivery” site – but Katie claims this signature is not hers.

She added: “I imagine again the Postal Review Panel will use the GPS to go off, but I still don’t have the package.

“Also, the postman clearly signed for it – he didn’t actually get my signature and posted it through the letterbox.

“With the service it was sent through, the parcel should have been handed to someone.”

The AirPods inside the package are worth £250 according to Katie – to which she says you “wouldn’t just put £250 in cash through a letterbox”.

The full letter addressed to Miss Harris from Royal Mail Customer Services reads: “Dear Miss Harris “I’m really sorry you’ve recently had cause to complain about an item posted with Royal Mail.

“We’ve logged and investigated this against the reference number at the top of this letter.

“Having reviewed the evidence submitted, I can see we’ve let you down on this occasion and I apologise for that.

“I can now offer the enclosed cheque as part payment for this service failure.

“This is the maximum I can offer in line with the conditions of the product used and the evidence provided.

“Please visit our website at www.royalmail.com for more information.

“While this completes your enquiry, please be assured we will use the information you’ve provided to improve our services going forward.

“Yours sincerely “Royal Mail Customer Services “Enclosed: Cheque for £6.85 payable to Katie Harris.”

In response, a spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “Every item we handle is important to us and we always strive to provide the best possible service to all of our customers.

“Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver to mail to customers across the country, 6 days a week, in all weathers.

“Thankfully the vast majority of items are securely delivered to customers.

“We apologise to this customer if they did not receive the high levels of service expected from Royal Mail.

“The customer’s complaint is now being looked at by the Postal Review Panel where we hope to be able to reach a mutually satisfactory resolution.”

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