Dear LPG

I read the information that LPG posted on xxx, and which was entitled  (►►►)  ‘Don’t discount electronic proof’, and it got me thinking about those of us who have something to send, and for one reason or another, cannot do it on line.

I know that sending letters is becoming less and less fashionable even though the Royal Mail is still very reliable.  Putting something in the post box is a really dependable way of getting the message across, and a quick phone call to the person you are sending your letter two is usually all you need to ensure that your letter arrived. But what happens if there are other reasons for posting?

Not so long ago I needed to send a letter that I am quite sure the person receiving it would not particularly have wanted.  It was a neighbour and that neighbour’s broken fence was causing a problem for me.  I had tried to talk to him but the conversation became a little confrontational, so I thought that writing what I had to say down would allow me to get my message across more effectively. The next question for me was how could I be sure that he received my letter?

I was advised to send the letter as a ‘signed for’ item so I took it to the post office and received a receipt with a reference number on it which I was told that I could track on line.   (At this point I need to tell you that I am just getting to grips with the internet, and my skills are limited, so using the internet to check if my letter was received was a little beyond me.)

I finally found a telephone number where you can get the Royal Mail to do the ‘tracking’ bit for you and They told me what the outcome of sending my letter was.  They told me that senders of letters that are signed for, recorded or registered are all, more or less, getting the same service these days.  They attempt to deliver once after which they leave a note asking the intended recipient of the letter to either visit the sorting office or phone to give a time when they should redeliver.  It was good to learn that you, the sender, can also ask them to attempt a redelivery on a specific day. 

I also found out that if you don’t check and it does not get delivered, after 18 days you letter will be returned to you provided your address is available which is good but I think I would have been a bit disappointed to have realised that weeks later.

The telephone number I used to get through to them was 03457 740 740 which is really worth knowing although you may want to take on board TF’s advice from the LPG post which featured on June 4^th this year (►►►).  Please remember that you really need to keep the tracking reference number which is on the bill.

TM, Lewisham

LPG has found the webpage you will need if you are able to track your letter or package on line and also some information about the cost of sending mail in this way.

(►►►)   (►►►)     (►►►)