Tag Archives: Consumer affairs

More recently Royal Mail has become embroiled in a row after a Telegraph investigation revealed that China had flooded Britain with counterfeit stamps, landing victims with £5 penalties. Senior MPs have since called on the postal service to stop the “unfair fines” while it investigates issues with new barcoded stamps, …

Yesterday senior MPs called on Royal Mail to stop the fines, which increased last October from £2.50 to £5, as it investigates issues with new barcoded stamps. A spate of customers claim they have been wrongly surcharged. The Liberal Democrats said it was “ridiculous” customers were being caught up in …

It quickly became the must-have membership of the Covid era. When the Pret coffee subscription was launched in September 2020, it cost £20 a month, with the first month free. Customers loved it. Five drinks a day, ranging from coffee and tea to smoothies, and a sign-up process which saw subscribers sent …

Meanwhile Baroness Altmann, vice chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Consumer Protection, said the law should be changed so that only the Post Office can sell stamps. The former pensions minister said: “We actually got caught out by that last year. My uncle had his birthday last summer and …

An executive at Royal Mail said: “When letters arrive at the mail centre, they all go through the system and the barcode is read. If the barcode comes up as suspicious it is rejected and goes into a separate channel for further checks. “A revenue protection person will then inspect …

Alicia Kearns, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, demanded the Chinese state launch an investigation and crack down on factories “brazenly” producing the counterfeits. She said: “It is incumbent upon the Chinese state to now crack down on these companies who are openly supporting illicit trade in stamps, investigate printing …

The Royal Mail introduced barcode stamps in 2022 in an effort to put a stop to forgeries that were costing the postal service tens of millions of pounds every year.  The barcodes are scanned when post arrives at sorting offices and suspicious stamps are then inspected by staff who then …

What colour is the logo? If you have bought individual stamps, this step won’t apply to you. However, when purchasing a book of stamps or even a sheet of stamps, find the Forest Stewardship Council certification. All genuine Royal Mail stamp books and sheets will have the FSC logo. What …

Previously traditional stamps were delivered to a sorting office where they were stamped with ink to show they had been used. However the Post Office claims fraudsters were able to wash away the postmark ink and resale used stamps. David Gold, the head of public affairs and policy at Royal …

Has a company treated you unfairly? Our Consumer Champion is available to help. For how to contact her click here. Dear Katie, I ordered a book of stamps on Amazon and it arrived the next day. I used several of them to send a birthday card, some thank you cards, and a …