Just had 3 cards delivered for my son - all been opened & the contents (money) have been taken.
They 've been re-sealed with labels advising that they were accidentally damaged.
To say I'm angry is the understatement of the century.
At the end of the day it's my child who is missing out & I'm furious.
I've tried my local Post Office - no reply. Royal Mail web site is long-winded & no help whatsoever neither is the customer sevices helpline.
What can I do - I want this money back & will not stop until I do.
Grateful for any help!

Who's stupid enough to send money through the ordinary post?

The senders should never have posted cash. What did they expect?

Yes I know they shouldn't send money & I've told them before not too.
However they have & its gone - so that is the issue not why they sent it in the first place!
But thanks anyway.

Sad for your boy but I agree with the others - it is madness to send cash thru the post.

Although it puzzles me that a thieving postman would let the evidence go forward to the recipient - surely if he had any common sense he would just bin it somewhere and you would have been none the wiser.

Three cards were accidentally damaged and the contents lost? That's a heck of a coincidence. In 17 years of running a business I have only had one or two damaged packages and that was because they were badly packed.

Yes, I agree that people are daft to send money through the post and no I wouldn't do it, but something has clearly gone wrong here.

If it was me I would call the local police (not the 999 number). One card could be considered an accident, but three. It is theft and if you contact Royal Mail they will just make excuses and cover it up. It may be that yours is not an isolated case.

It's been taken at the sorting office not our postman.

Thought someone may have encountered this before & been able to offer advice.
Didn't expect to get it in the neck because people I have no control over decided to post items that they shouldn't have.

Sorry I bothered!

*Thank you stargazer - we posted the same time

It is horrible isn't it? If you look here
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/c...diaId=84400738
this gives you all the info needed to complain, you should complain, they can trace the ropute of your mail and at least let the sorting staff know that they are being kept an eye on.

I'd get my son (if he is little little) to make a poster showing how sad he was that his cards had been opened and thieved from and ask the manager at the local sorting office to put it up, if he will. Make the thieving barstewards feel some guilt.

Sorry people are just judgemental on here sometimes, they aren't judging you though hon, don't take offence I am sure none is intended.

Well whoever it was - it was an employee of the post office.

If I were gonna do that I would just get rid of the evidence.

Trying to get any sort of 'customer service' from Royal Mail is almost impossible. The entire organisation is still suffused with the lazy 'why should I do that?' trades union attitude. I once went without mail for over a week only to find out it was because the postman couldn't be arsed to ring anyone's buzzer to let him in

I doubt you'll get anywhere, it's a monolothic organisation and even the managers don't really care about people's stuff getting nicked.

I think its a sad state of affairs when people are basically blaming the kind people who posted the money, rather than the thieves themselves.

There are also other organisations e.g. Postwatch on that link I posted also.

If you go "humpf no point in complaining" then nothing will improve.

Thank you for the link - most appreciated.

I'm not letting this drop, no way.

My postman (whom Ive known for years) said they're getting 6 or 7 of these 'damaged cards' EVERY DAY!
So someone is onto a good thing & no-one is doing anything about it - I think the police may be the best option under the circumstances.

Slightly off topic but this is one of the reasons im against Cheques being phased out. You can send a cheque to your family members and that is a much safer way of sending money, I always do this.

Go to the top and complain VERY loudly.

When I had a similar post theft issue a few years ago I wrote to "Adam Crozier, Chief Executive, Royal Mail" (A.Crozier has now left but I'm sure you can look up who the new Chief Exec is).

I copied my letter to (1) the local sorting office manager, (2) the local delivery office manager, (3) the local newspaper, (4) Watchdog TV.

Complain LOUDLY, complain strongly, complain to the highest authority -- copy everyone in and threaten to expose the THIEVING BASTARD scum for what they are on national TV.


You will get some compensation from the Chief Executive's office (even if you cannot prove how much money was in the envelopeds) -- they hate bad publicity !!!

Good luck !!!

Hello Pat,

You have my every sympathy as does your son.

As a family we are very fortunate, our post mistress is a family friend.

I run a business both from offices and home, our PM takes care of all our home correspondence and parcels and we get everything.

However there is a large segment of post office workers who are out and out thieves, nicking everything from credit cards to money, to electrical goods, they particularly like things that look like birthday cards.

My late Mother and 5 of my children have fallen victims to this kind of thieving, ( money gone missing or Amazon order ).

The PO don't really care, their stance is " don't post cash ", well that is fine but it is not just cash and that is no excuse for these thieving, robbing, bastards post workers,---the upsetness they cause kids and adults alike.

The worst of it is the majority of honest post workers know it's going on, they know the perpetrators but they don't report because of fear, indifference, loyalty conflicts or they themselves have nicked in the past.

Thank you JBag - sounds like a plan!

I agree - I had to call out a plumber a few weeks ago - how am I supposed to pay for stuff like that in future without keeping cash sitting around doing nothing just in case ?

Thank you seacam.

I agree with all you said.

If it was me they'd nicked off I could cope but my son has been saving furiously for a new guitar & was banking on this birthday money.

It's ruined his birthday (15 today) & opened his eyes to the real world for the first time I think.

Interesting thread. I enclosed £20 in a birthday card I sent my sister-in-law recently without giving it a second thought (I mean, it's only £20). It's not something I have done before - just being lazy this time! After reading this, I have now emailed them since I have not heard back.

How can they tell at the sorting office if a card contains money?

I can't advise you about how to deal with the post office as I don't know what the complaint process is - but all the advice on here seems very sensible.

However, whilst I am not blaming your relatives - as someone else said, it was kind of them to send the gift - I would contact them and tell them what has happened and that this is the reason they shouldn't do it in future. And of course, gift cards/vouchers are the same as they are as good as cash.

Oh bless his heart, that really blows. I'd just march in there and give em merry hell I think. Give them the MAJOR guilts.

It's so out of order, I mean you can see when it's a birthday card so you know you are wrecking someone's birthday and they could be a kid, it's really mean isn't it?

It's probably worth telling the people who sent the cash topo, maybe this will stop them from doing it again.

JeffG1 - I read that their scanners will pick up the metal thread in cash. Don't know whether it's true or not - but I sent some a few months ago, with a phone in the hope that the mechanics of the phone would disguise it - that seemed to work.

Apparenly if you wrap money in tin foil it works too .