Postman folds vinyl LP in half

Updated
The package, folded in half.
The package, folded in half.



Admittedly, in the age of digital music, vinyl records aren't quite so common any more. All the same, you'd think that a postman would recognise one when he saw it - and not decide to fold it in half.

But when one vintage music enthusiast from Barnes, south west London, ordered an LP online, that's exactly what happened. Finding nobody in at the house, the postman folded the package in half so that he could stuff it through the letterbox.

This was despite the fact that it had the name and logo of the sender, a record shop, on the front and was liberally wrapped in sticky tape reading 'FRAGILE'.

Digital strategist Sharon O'Dea was first to come home and found her husband's new record on the floor.

"Wow. @RoyalMail folded a record - labelled 'fragile' - in half to get it through the letterbox," she posted on Twitter. "If I wanted my stuff smashed by idiots I'd have used Yodel."

The Post Office has responded to her tweet, and is promising full compensation.

As Ms O'Dea's tweet implies, it's courier companies that tend to have the worst record when it comes to damaged deliveries.

A MyHermes delivery woman, for example, was last year caught on camera hurling a package over a gate. On another occasion, a delivery person from the same company hurled a parcel with such force that it actually landed on the roof of the customer's house.

In October 2014, Which? surveyed its members and found that City Link was the lowest-rated, with only six in ten people saying they were satisfied. The Royal Mail was fifth, with 77%, while DPD topped the list at 83%.

If Royal Mail damages a package while delivering it, either the sender or the receiver can claim compensation.

However, your contract is actually with the seller, as it's their responsibility under the Consumer Rights Act to make sure that your goods arrive in good condition. If an item's damaged, you have the right to a repair, replacement or refund; we don't think a repair would be much use to the O'Deas...

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