LIKE Mrs Clothier (Letters, August 22), some mail posted from a friend in the north of England was not reaching me, so we decided to use Recorded Delivery, whereby a certificate of posting was issued and the recipient would sign for the item. All the items I have sent have been received by my friend in the north although there was a delay on one occasion.

However, as regards mail posted to me, although some have been correctly delivered with my signing for them, two have completely gone astray, others have been put through my letterbox without the obtaining of a signature. One was returned to the sender with a note to the effect that I had not collected it within the specified period from the local Royal Mail delivery office (as no card had been left at my address I had no knowledge of the item).

One letter was returned to the sender marked "Not known at this address''. So even paying extra for Recorded Delivery does not guarantee one will receive mail.

It does appear, however, that the fault is at the southern end as mail forwarded by me is reaching its northern destination.

When trying to use the online track and trace to locate the missing mail I was informed by Royal Mail's Plymouth office that mail is not considered mislaid until 15 days from the date of posting has elapsed.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED.