POSTED MISSING
£100 note wedding gift disappears
A newlywed couple have issued a warning to people using the Royal Mail this Christmas after £100 was stolen from a wedding present.
Adam Ford and his new wife Kayleigh were left devastated to find money sent from his mum in Shetland had gone missing in transit.
Chargehand Adam first realised something was wrong when a recorded delivery, meant for his house, was delivered to his work at the Montgomerie Arms.
Upon further inspection of the letter – which should have been signed for but was dumped on the bar with post for his work – he found it had been ripped open and sealed over with a Royal Mail sticker.
He then also noticed the address had been changed.
The incident, which has been reported to Police Scotland, has left Adam and Kayleigh questioning the integrity of some in the postal service.
Furious Adam said: “When I told mum she was just screaming and crying down the phone.
“One hundred pounds is a lot of money to her and it took a lot to be able to send that to us.
“It was her way of making up for the fact she couldn’t come down for the wedding, so it was a really big deal. “It really makes you wonder how safe your mail is if this is happening when it’s supposed to have been signed for.
“And at the time of year, when people are sending all sorts of presents and money, I’d think twice about using
the Royal Mail. There’s no comeback.”
The couple got married at the Torrance Hotel on November 5, with around 160 people in attendance for their special day.
Living and working in Shetland, his mother couldn’t make the trip for the midweek wedding so specially sourced a £100 note and sent it to the happy couple with her love.
However, it never reached Adam and Kayleigh at their Glebe Street address.
Instead, it was delivered with mail for the Montgomerie Arms to the pub on Montgomerie Street – while Adam was on shift.
Adam told us: “It was about a week ago when the postie came in and dumped a load of mail on the counter and walked out.
“I lifted the mail for work and took it through to the office. Then I noticed a tattered letter underneath and saw it was for me.
“It was addressed to a different house number on Glebe Street, not the pub. I opened it and saw the card from mum, so called her to say thanks.
“Then she asked if I got the money, but there was nothing inside it.”
Adam says the envelope had been ripped at the bottom corner and taped over, with the address clearly changed and other scribbles made on the envelope.
Upon heading to the Royal Mail sorting office in East Kilbride to complain, Adam was speaking to a woman in the queue whose parcel had been delivered in a sealed bag because it had been burst open.
Despite having paid for a recorded delivery, which offers compensation for lost or damaged goods, Adam has been told the pair are unlikely to see the money again.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We are concerned to hear of this incident.
“Every item of mail is important to us. We are investigating the matter.”
Even if the couple were to receive compensation, Adam says the damage has already been done and admits it broke his heart to tell his mum about the incident.
He added: “We’re really upset and disappointed to be honest – especially for my mum.
“I really wish I had known there was supposed to have been something in the card when I opened it, because I wouldn’t have let on to her that something was amiss.
“The Royal Mail said they think the letter was tampered with in Aberdeen and that we’re unlikely to get the money back.
“They said they’ll carry out an internal investigation and if anyone is found guilty, it’ll be a straight custodial sentence.
“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but it’s been a different postie every day since we complained and that postie had been a regular for us.”