Mistake choosing a postal service - it it likely to matter?

[Globalti]

Sold a pair of cheap wheels on Ebay and asked £4.99 for the postage intending to use Collect Plus. This morning I realised that CP won't carry the box, which is about 1m x 1m x 20cms. So I used the Ebay postage tool and chose RM first class parcels, paid and printed the label and dropped the box at the PO. I'd seen somewhere that this would be OK for anything up to 1.5m long but the post bloke thought not. Got back to my office and re-checked and see that he's right.

So what happens now? Will the parcel be delivered? Do PO employees really care? If they're going to return it to my home address they might as well deliver it to the consignee. Anybody else made a mistake like this?

 

[Enw.nigel]

I made a similar mistake when sending a bike that was packed in a bike box. The Royal Mail guy called to pick up the bike as arranged, took one look at the box and laughed. 'That's too big mate. We don't take them over 1.5m long'(or something similar). He then got in his van and drove off. I then went online and checked the small print and he was, of course, correct. It was his attitude I didn't like.
I then arranged for the bike to be delivered through another courier.
It'll be interesting to see what happens to your parcel.

 

[asterix]

Maybe they will shorten it for you?

 

[Mark Grant]

Maybe they'll send it Standard Parcels.

 

[I like Skol]

Maybe the recipient will have to pay a top-up fee plus handling charge on delivery? Expect some neg feedback to come your way!

 

[screenman]

Sorry to say this but I think that the OP should have stumped up the money and got the wheels posted properly. For sure if the buyer incurs costs then they should certainly be reimbursed.

 

[Matthew_T]

I dont go with RM. I have to organise delivery of a bike next year from a fellow CCer to me. I am going with Parcel Force as they are cheap and (hopefully) delivery ontime and without damages.

 

[Milo]

I dont go with RM. I have to organise delivery of a bike next year from a fellow CCer to me. I am going with Parcel Force as they are cheap and (hopefully) delivery ontime and without damages.

They were utterly gash the one and only time I used them.

 

[Widge]

Parcel postage is a complete lottery IME in this country at the moment. At a time when enterprise can live or die based on its results I am amazed by what so called courier companies get away with..........(you can probably guess-I've just had a run-in with Sh#tyLink! ). ParcelForce have always been good to me....but given that so much of our economy is increasingly based on online retail and home-delivery we have appallingly inconsistent delivery systems.

End Rant

Good Luck and best

w