Could you get compensation for delayed post as Royal Mail misses delivery targets AGAIN?

ROYAL Mail has once again missed its delivery target – but what are your rights if your post is delayed? The postal service delivered 85% of first-class deliveries the next day in the first three months of the year, missing regulator Ofcom’s target of 90%. Royal Mail has missed its delivery targets again Credit: PA We explain whether you’re entitled to compensation and how much you could get Credit: Alamy Meanwhile, 106 postcodes were told they will not receive their post on time earlier this month. You may be able to claim compensation from Royal Mail if your post or parcel is lost, delayed or damaged. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Here we explain what the rules are and when you are entitled to compensation. Am I entitled to compensation? You can claim compensation if you sent the item or were meant to receive it and posted it in the UK using a Royal Mail service, such as the Post Office. If you used the Tracked 24 or 48 service then only the sender is entitled to compensation. You also can’t make a claim if it was posted by special delivery but it had to be redirected or was posted to an address outside the UK. How much could I get? The exact amount you could get depends on how you sent your letter The amount you could get depends on the item and what happened to it. For example, if a letter or large letter was sent to a UK address then you might get the price of the postage as compensation. Most read in Money Meanwhile, for parcels you might get the lowest price of the postage for that size parcel. If your item was sent by special delivery and was guaranteed to arrive by 9am you’ll get a full refund of the postage cost. Or if you sent the item by special delivery guaranteed by 1pm or Saturday guarantee, you’ll get £5. This rises to £10 if the item arrives at least seven working days late. If you used the Tracked 24 or Tracked 48 service then you can’t get compensation for a delay. The same applies if your item was sent to an address outside of the UK. What about if my item was damaged? If your item is damaged then you could be entitled to even more compensation Credit: Getty If you sent the item to an address in the UK then how much you could get depends on how you sent the item. If you sent it by first or second class post then you may get stamps and the value of the item up to £20. If you sent it by first or second signed- for post then you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £20. Meanwhile, if you sent it by special delivery by 1pm then you’ll get a refund of the postage and the value of the item up to £750. But you may be able to get more if there’s extra insurance for the item. If you used the Tracked 24 or 48 service then you can get the value of the item up to £75. If it was sent by international standard post, economy post or HM Forces Mail, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £20. Or if it was sent by international tracked or signed for post, you might get stamps and the value of the item up to £50. Although you could get more if there’s extra insurance on the item. How can I claim compensation? You can claim compensation online, by phone or picking up a form from the Post Office Credit: Getty You can claim compensation by filling in a form online or completing a paper form and posting it to the Royal Mail. To get a paper claim form visit your nearest Post Office. You should then fill it in and send it to the address on the form. You can find your nearest Post Office by visiting the Royal Mail website. Or call customer services on 03457 740 740. What evidence do I need? You may need to provide evidence in order to fight your corner Credit: Viktoriya Skorikova Before you can claim any compensation you’ll need to get proof of posting. For example, your receipt or a certificate of posting if you used the Post Office to send the item. Meanwhile, if you received the item then you can use the packaging with the postmark on. If you’re claiming for a damaged item then you’ll need photos to use as evidence. You may be able to get extra compensation if your item was valuable. To get this you’ll need proof of its value, such as a receipt, bank statement or quote for repairs. The Royal Mail website has more information about the evidence you will need. On the site you’ll need to choose the reason for your claim and the type of postage you used to send an item. Comment now