Originally Posted by
rancidtom
PF48 will carry airguns for private individuals and on "contract" for RFD's.
As a private individual you can only send "low power" airguns, i.e. nothing Section 1 (FAC). You have only £100 insurance cover.
As an RFD you can send Sec 1 to other RFD's and you are only covered for £50 (IIRC) insurance. An RFD may return a sub12 repair via PF48.
I have no problem with the insurance side being ridiculously low numbers, if PF lose an airgun I will report it to my FEO as a loss of a firearm (even if sub12 it is still considered a firearm) and believe me the police will make it their business to investigate PF. I have no reason to doubt that PF would immediately launch an internal investigation if prompted by a FEO and that the gun would be found/accounted for immediately. The only reasons PF might destroy or "lose" a gun is if it is wrongly declared or wrongly addressed. If wrongly declared (say as sporting goods) then their terms and conditions state that they have the right to destroy it. If delivered to the wrong address then that's the fault of the sender (unless the driver has gone off the rails?)
I have never had a gun lost or damaged in transit via PF or RM.
The packing bit is my responsibility (or a customer who is sending me a repair, if so I send them instructions how to pack).
I always include a return address inside and outside.
I always declare a gun correctly as a low powered air rifle or a Section 1 firearm (as applicable). I would be committing an offence if I wrongly state the contents and could possibly lose my RFD and invite myself a stay in HMP.
I always mark the package "Please do not air uplift, do not leave with neighbour, to be signed for by addressee only".
The only times I have had late deliveries have been due to things such as postcode errors and one unexplained late delivery recently (could have been due to the start of the xmas rush).
I would never suggest anyone (private customer or RFD account holder) to wrongly identify a package, it's not clever, it's an offence to send a firearm that isn't declared because it means PF may not handle the package following the legal requirements, you would effectively be allowing them to break one or more laws, such as "leaving in a safe place" (the gun is still your responsibility until it is in the hands of the intended recipient) or allowing the package to be signed for by anyone other than the actual intended recipient. Imagine how much shit will hit the fan if you send a gun that gets signed for by a minor or somebody with a criminal intent who then commits a crime with your gun because you send it as "sporting goods". You might just find yourself in a whole heap of trouble and I for one would not have the slightest bit of sympathy.