ome customers making an attempt to swap previous Royal Mail stamps for brand spanking new variations with a barcode have been advised their purchases are faux, based on new allegations.

From August, common stamps with out a barcode have been not legitimate however they are often exchanged for brand spanking new barcoded variations, as a part of Royal Mail’s Stamp Swap Out scheme.

People wishing to trade their previous stamps should fill out a kind and ship them to Royal Mail, the place they are going to be swapped for brand spanking new barcoded variations freed from cost.

But some clients have discovered their previous stamps are counterfeit or fraudulent, The Telegraph discovered.

If an invalid stamp is used, or the stamp is detected to be fraudulent or defective, then the recipient must pay a payment to be able to obtain their submit.

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We will all the time fortunately overview particular person circumstances and if an error has been made then we are going to in fact appropriate it

Affected clients advised the newspaper the stamps had been purchased from respected and official locations, together with the Post Office or at counters at retailers like WH Smith, and even immediately from the Royal Mail web site.

The Telegraph mentioned it had seen 40 cases of consumers claiming the stamps they'd purchased have been flagged as invalid – each previous ones, and the newer barcoded variations.

Royal Mail mentioned it wants enough proof to have the ability to examine circumstances of stamps being marked as counterfeit or not real.

A Royal Mail spokesman mentioned: “It is vital we can investigate any instance where a person believes their stamps have been incorrectly identified as counterfeit or pre-used.

“To do this, we require any customer who believes they have been incorrectly surcharged to send the envelope with the barcoded stamp attached to us, along with the exact location of where the stamp was purchased.”

It mentioned it might probably then assess each barcoded and non-barcoded stamps with a “thorough examination using specialist equipment”, in addition to a human inspection after which further safety checks.

“We are confident our processes are robust,” the spokesman added. “We will always happily review individual cases and if an error has been made then we will of course correct it.”

The Post Office, which sells stamps, mentioned it takes allegations of faux stamps critically and likewise mentioned it might probably solely examine a case if a buyer has their receipt as proof of buy.

Possible faux stamps would then must be checked by the Royal Mail, it mentioned.

A Post Office spokesman mentioned: “Stamps are available to buy from a number of different sources. Post Office Ltd receives its stamps direct from Royal Mail’s secure printers and are shared with our experienced postmasters and operators to sell in their Post Offices.”

Consumer champion Which? mentioned Royal Mail ought to take into consideration investigating any potential points with its new stamp barcode system.

Lisa Webb, Which? client legislation skilled, mentioned: “It’s unacceptable for recipients to be wrongly charged for stamps that have been bought legitimately from reputable retailers.

“It’s in Royal Mail’s interests to investigate as a priority any issues reported with its new stamp barcode system.

“Anyone who believes they have been wrongly charged for stamps marked as counterfeit should raise it with Royal Mail and the company must ensure that any customers who encounter problems with the new system are not left out of pocket.”

All retailers have been advised to cease promoting non-barcoded stamps from October final yr.

The new barcoded stamps, which nonetheless characteristic a picture of the late Queen, have been launched final yr as a part of a transfer to modernise the service, and to permit enhanced safety features.