Last summer, Mr Peters sent 155 of these non-barcoded stamps to Royal Mail to be exchanged for barcoded versions via the free “Swap Out” scheme.

Royal Mail swapped 78 of his stamps but refused to replace the remaining 77, claiming they were “either stamps which have already been used or were not genuine Royal Mail stamps”.

The letter stated they recommend customers “always buy stamps from reputable Royal Mail-approved outlets”. The letter added: “If in doubt, stamps are available in Post Offices throughout the UK and on the Royal Mail shop.”

Mr Peters was subsequently told the stamps had undergone “two robust checks”.

Royal Mail said they could not provide any further details “for security reasons” but said they “have been identified as not being valid for postage”.

The firm has also withheld the stamps, informing him: “As it’s a crime to knowingly use stamps that have either already been used or are not genuine, I am unable to return the stamps to you.”

Mr Peters has provided Royal Mail with the receipt, and requested Royal Mail either exchanges them for barcoded stamps, refunds the value of £58.52 or returns the original stamps to him so he can return them to the local Post Office.

He referred the matter to the Postal Review Panel in November last year. They told him they asked for a “further inspection to be made” but that the non-barcoded stamps were “confirmed again as invalid”. As a result, they refused to return the stamps or arrange for replacement barcoded stamps to be sent.

Mr Peters said: “I just feel hopelessly incapacitated with all of this, because there’s nothing I can do. My hands are tied.”

Having used his local Post Office for 35 years, he’s confident they wouldn’t try to sell him invalid stamps.

He said: “It’s a man I’ve known all my working life. I exchange money, and do all sorts of business there, as one does.

“I don’t have any hesitation that he would have sold me fake stamps.”

Mr Peters later found some more of the unused non-barcoded stamps from the batch of 600 in his drawer. This time, he photographed them before submitting them in the Swap Out scheme using a different name and address.

All 104 of these non-barcoded stamps, with a value of £109, were exchanged for barcoded versions.

He said: “It’s the way that I’ve been treated by all of this. You’re accused [of submitting invalid stamps] but you don’t have a recourse. They’ve withheld the stamps.”

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

“We have a robust, multistage process in place when
assessing whether stamps submitted for swap out are genuine. This includes a
thorough examination using specialist equipment, then a follow up inspection by
a skilled member of the team before any stamp is marked as counterfeit or
pre-used.

“The stamps submitted for swap out by Mr Peters were checked
by our internal experts and 77 of them were found to be counterfeit. These
stamps then went through our appeals process and were assessed by the
independent Postal Review Panel and were again found to be counterfeit.”

A Post Office spokesperson said: “Stamps are available to
buy from a number of different sources. Post Office Ltd receives its stamps
direct from Royal Mail’s secure printers. Customers who buy stamps at Post
Offices are given an itemised receipt, and this is required by Post Office to
investigate any allegations of fake stamps.

“In this instance the receipt is for stamps purchased in
2020, which will make it very difficult to establish what could have happened
nearly four years ago. However, the business customer is a regular user of this
branch and we are making enquiries to try to establish what may have happened
as well as liaising with Royal Mail who are responsible for stamps.”

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