An Post - Parcel Missing *after* Delivery??

shaunoc1

Ordered a dvd from Ebay. I wasn't home on the morning it was delivered, so got the standard "You can pick up this parcel from tomorrow" docket thing in the door.

Brought that out to the An Post centre in Togher Industrial Estate the following day. After a ten-minute search, I was told that the parcel wasn't there, and that they didn't know where it could be. They took my phone number and said they'd ask the postman in question and call me back.

4 days later, no phonecall. Went back out to Togher, and basically got the same story again, "It's not here, but we'll call you when we find it".

3 days after that, no phonecall. Went back out again. Same story.

Can anyone advise me on what to do? It wasn't a registered post delivery, but aren't An Post now liable for the cost of the dvd?

The weird thing about all of this is, I wasn't even the *least* bit surprised when I didn't get a phonecall back from them. I actually expected it. After years of dealing with various Irish public companies (Bus/Iarnrod Eireann) etc, I know well that these people couldn't care less about customer relations.

Shaunoc1

Miaireland

Try your local post office. Sometimes they send them back there but don't mention it on the docket.

kiffer

Miaireland wrote: »

Try your local post office. Sometimes they send them back there but don't mention it on the docket.

Yeah... You'd think the guys in An Post would think of that wouldn't you? As part of looking waiting for it to turn up they should probably rung places it might have ended up like the local post office instead of the depot on the docket or the house of the postman that delivered it...

trad

A helpful postman where I live left a parcel in my green bin. Luckily it had been emptied and I hadn't time to put it away that day. Saved me an 8 mile trip to the sorting office but I heard the practice has been stopped now brcause the binman got there first.

Did you try your neighbours, they will oftwh give it to a neighbour who might have it sitting on their hall table.

dudara

If you go to the sorting office the very next day to collect, it often happens that the postman has taken the item back out again for delivery. This has happened to me more than once.

It is odd that it's still missing though. Try your local PO as others have suggested as a first port of call.

ttm

I know this is tough on the seller but if you paid by PayPal and the seller has no proof of delivery, you don't have the item and so no proof that it exists - parcel could have been from someone else or not contian the DVD anyway - so claim through PayPal for item not delivered?

TouchingVirus

The seller has to claim from An Post anyways, so get in touch with them

Rev. Kitchen

ttm wrote: »

I know this is tough on the seller but if you paid by PayPal and the seller has no proof of delivery, you don't have the item and so no proof that it exists - parcel could have been from someone else or not contian the DVD anyway - so claim through PayPal for item not delivered?

Thats unfair on the seller who from the sounds of things sold and posted the DVD properly. It was an Post that lost it so the seller shouldnt loose out. Its also up to the buyer to pay for the DVD to be insured or registered if he didnt go for that then its again not the sellers fault.

shaunoc1

Thanks for all the replies -
Yeah I'll head down to the local PO on Monday and see if there's any sign of it there. I wouldn't put any blame on the seller though; I know it can't be proven but to be fair, the guy did send the dvd promptly, and it's obviously a mix-up on An Post's end. To be honest I'm just glad it's a dvd that's been lost; I wouldn't like to be in this situation with anything more valuable...

siobhan.murphy

some non national below in the village signed for my parcel along with fags he had imported I knew whhere he lived,but couldnt get my parcel,had to be reimbursed by an post,btw,normally I get my parcels thrown in the green house,with no note in the door,Im serious!

partyatmygaff

An post are rubbish, I once got a parcel, I'd had won a psp game as far as I remember sent to me. Note in through the door and next I day I went to collect and it had vanished from the post office. Im guessing it was stolen by the postman, obviously was not reimbursed by an post and can't go asking for the prize to be sent again.

foggy_lad

there must be a lot of theft from sorting offices and post offices as the temtation is so great with the value of items like games and presents etc being posted and the postal staff would be the only people that could identify what is in an envelope/parcel without even opening it! they know all our birthdays and when people are getting married etc they know everything about our lives from our post!

Arciphel

OP, i hope you have filled out and posted off inquiry form regarding your missing item? You can download one of these from the An Post website, or better yet go to the depot where they "lost" your package and get one there so they know you are going to follow this up.

I had an issue recently with my local An Post office here in Dublin where a package sent from Cork didn't turn up, it hadn't been posted registered but luckily the sender did have the receipt of postage. I complained to An Post and the package eventually turned up two weeks after it had been posted. The hilarious part was that the box had been opened and then re-taped up with different tape.

I asked the chap behind the desk in the depot if it was standard practice now to hold all package for two weeks and search them to make sure they were safe for the recipient, needless to say I got no reply

My uncle used to be a postman and sued to tell me that if you are ever posting a birthday card you should always put it inside a manilla envelope before you post it, as cards have been known to go "missing" in the sorting office fierce frequently when they are sent in brightly-coloured envelopes.

shaunoc1

Ok, so I called into my local Post Office (not the depot), as advised on these boards, and asked if they happened to have the parcel. They didn't.

So, I went back to the Togher depot (my fourth time out there so far) and here's where it gets unbelievable:

I explained my situation to the lady at the counter and gave her the delivery docket. She disappeared for 5 mins, and, when she returned, told me the following:

1) The package was not in the depot.
2) Both of the postmen who run the route had been asked about it, and not only did they not know where the package was, neither had any recollection of making the delivery (I kid you not).
3) One of the postman had tried to contact me on the phone number I had left with the depot, but couldn't get through. (This never happened; I pretty much run my business through my phone and any missed calls I get are returned immediately.)
4) They think that the package might have been returned to the sender, but they're not sure, so I should get on to him.

I've just emailed the sender (I bought it from ebay) to see if it had been returned. But I seriously doubt that it has; it seems to me that basically, the package has "disappeared" from the Cork Post Office Depot and they are trying to fob me off, to the extent where they're telling me that noone remembers even making the delivery or filling out the docket (yes, the same docket that I'm holding in my hand).

So what do I do? As advised by Arciphel, I'll certainly send off a missing item enquiry form, but are there any other routes I can take? I just cannot believe that something belonging to me, in the possession of the national Postal service, can disappear from a Delivery Depot with NO explanation or compensation.

catbear

It will be interesting to how the new entrants into the postal market conduct their business after liberisation in 2011.

Essexboy

An Post are rubbish, worse than a local authority.

I emailed them about an obstacle at a postbox and received an email promising a response within two days. Two months later, still no reply, so I wrote to An Post's Chief executive and got some action.

You could try this approach. He is

Donal Connell
Chief Executive
An Post
General Post Office
O'Connell Street
Dublin 1

cc-offe

I got one of these notes through my door on monday, It was for 3 parcels and 8 packets (ebay haul), 1 of which was registered.
Amazingly enough when I went to collect them today, they have all gone missing with the exception of the 1 which was registered.
I have seen my postman on tuesday and today and he never mentioned having them or attempted to redeliver the items.
Nothing like this has ever happened to be before but I don't understand how they can all be gone missing.....

foggy_lad

they are being robbed from the postal depots either by staff or outside contractors who can usually walk in and wander around while waiting for their bags of post!

cc-offe

but 10 out of 11 parcels for one person in one day being stolen? Would someone risk that? Infuriating

sunnysoutheast

We've basically told family members not to send us Birthday or Christmas cards with presents in them any more unless they hide them in a blank envelope as so many vouchers, gift cards and CD/DVDs have gone missing (not far off one in three). It's certainly got much worse over the last couple of years. It was a local postman (who is beyond reproach) who told us that items are getting stolen from sorting offices both in the UK and Ireland and he said to make them look as much like junk mail as possible.

Good luck OP.

SSE

wyrn

I hope you get it sorted - it can be so infuriating. We'd a postperson who stole mail (not my local one thank goodness). It went on for months as I can recall, mail hoarded in their house.

I had a bit of a problem with An Post before Christmas. I'd ordered a package at the start of December. It was shipped here within 2/3 days. It spent 2 weeks in customs (I knew that would happen so no worries there) and another few days in the depot (again I knew the Christmas rush ) so of course the ONE day I took the morning off because I wasn't feeling well was when the package was delivered to my work place.

I'd put my office on the docket so I can only presume that the postman went there and there was no one around so they left. Now my office is usually busy but with my luck everyone could have been out. Grand. It went back to the depot cos I owed customs charge (which I knew I would but I'd have appreciated it An Post tracking had a way of putting the price up online & a method of paying it online). I'd to make my way out to the depot (luckily a good friend drove me out - cheers).

Ok so my rant is that I had no idea where my package was - it said online that it was back in the depot but I hadn't received a failed delivery notice. I rang up & was told that it was in my local Post Office (it wasn't). Now this was less than a week before Christmas so it took me AGES to get through on the phone. I was eventually told that it was in the depot. Now I checked the office/reception for the docket. My building has a special delivery room for all post coming through so that all mail is meant to go through there - An Post knows this (I didn't at the time). They have a method of taking our money & keeping it in the safe and giving it to the Postman when he comes. They checked & double checked but he never went there and told me it was highly unlikely that he would have gone to my office directly.

Anyway I was annoyed at the Shambles. Low and behold almost last week a LETTER came through from me (now not sure how long it was in reception but it wasn't there before Christmas) - opened it to find the missing docket from the 18th of Dec! It was in an envelope with a stamp! Now it's not stamped so I don't know if it was posted or if it was dropped into some random room that managed to find it's way to me but then why put a stamp on it? I thought An Post had to leave a failed delivery docket.

Sorry I apologise for taking over.

limklad

I know from experience that there are two types of Postal deliveries. One for small parcels/letters (normal mail postman) and the second for large parcels or large collection deliveries usually with a van. That may give you a clue from the type of package to which postman was responsible for leaving the leaflet.

Usually when I do not receive any deliveries, I email the seller about non-delivery and they send another or refund my payments.

I don't expect a postman to remember all deliveries or miss deliveries on any given day or calls they make. That itself would be a super-human feat.

Thoie

limklad wrote: »

I don't expect a postman to remember all deliveries or miss deliveries on any given day or calls they make. That itself would be a super-human feat.

No, but it is expected that they keep them safe and don't lose them. It's also expected that as they're paid to deliver parcels to your door that they actually bring them with them to deliver, rather than pre-writing "we missed you" slips while having a cup of tea somewhere (that's the only explanation for the tea-stained slip I once got).


According to An Post's FAQs:

Why did the postperson not knock on the door?

The driver should always knock, is it possible you didn’t hear him? In fact it is easier for our drivers to deliver an item rather than bring it back to the depot.

So far they have failed to add my suggestion of "and it's easier still to feck it in a corner and not be arsed attempting delivery at all."

I suggest contacting the board and the executives at the same time as customer service every time something goes missing.

Judgement Day

foggy_lad wrote: »

they are being robbed from the postal depots either by staff or outside contractors who can usually walk in and wander around while waiting for their bags of post!

Who are these outside contractors and who are they working for? I have been dealing with An Post for donkeys years and have precious little trouble with them and I think the picture being painted here of theft being rife is absolute nonsense. If you think with the advent of liberalisation things are going to be wonderful I think you're dreaming. As it is I get some things delivered by courier - not my choice - and in the most recent case a small packet was just left outside the shop door on a main street pavement because they arrived before opening time. From my experience courier services are far more unreliable not to mention expensive.

foggy_lad

Who are these outside contractors and who are they working for?

i would think they are couriers contracted by an post to collect post from mailboxes and also to deliver post between depots, i have seen white blue and brown vans collecting post from postboxes on different occasions and none had any an post markings and the drivers were scruffy looking characters who did not wear any an post uniforn.

MunsterCycling

Judgement Day wrote: »

Who are these outside contractors and who are they working for? I have been dealing with An Post for donkeys years and have precious little trouble with them and I think the picture being painted here of theft being rife is absolute nonsense. If you think with the advent of liberalisation things are going to be wonderful I think you're dreaming. As it is I get some things delivered by courier - not my choice - and in the most recent case a small packet was just left outside the shop door on a main street pavement because they arrived before opening time. From my experience courier services are far more unreliable not to mention expensive.

Well I can tell you that theft is defo a serious issue in the postal service and that no amount of rose tinted glasses will change that, have had many packages go missing including ones sent to me by boards.ie members that an post just say tough they're gone.

Poor poor service in general but at least where we live now we know the postman and he knows us by name and almost everything arrives and if we're away they deliver to our friends so the items that don't arrive clearly go missing upstream in the system at the sorting office etc. :mad:

ttm

foggy_lad wrote: »

i would think they are couriers contracted by an post to collect post from mailboxes and also to deliver post between depots, i have seen white blue and brown vans collecting post from postboxes on different occasions and none had any an post markings and the drivers were scruffy looking characters who did not wear any an post uniforn.

When vans go in for a service or have accidents they hire vans which suprisingly enough don't have any An Post markings.

btw I Googled An Post and parcel theft and came up with this.....

http://news.parcel2go.com/ParcelDeliveryNews/post-office-worker-on-trial-over-theft-19585773.aspx

better link about same case here...

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/courts/post-office-mans-trial-over-theft-of-836425000-2036304.html

and before anyone else comments the guy wasn't stealing parcels.

foggy_lad

the drivers were not wearing any an post uniform and also one had a passenger, a teenage boy in the passenger seat. it is not normal or usual for an post vans to carry passengers?

Lenny

Just to post to this too, I had ordered a camera off pixmania which was sent by an post an had collect it, this went in for nearly a month that they said they ring back etc.
Anyway we got a gardi form for lost or stolen property to bring down the po to sign an stamp an guess what thy said they tracked it down an had it!

rosscullen

I know your pain all too well. I sent two parcels for registered mail in the Postoffice in Newcastle, Galway recently. One for Spain and UK. One was a macbook and the other a iphone (ebay sales).

When I looked at the receipt, the macbook to the UK was the only one registered. Low and behold, the iphone never arrived in Spain, costing me €600+.

Wrote to anpost via a form on their website and got back a posted Generic letter saying they were looking for it and apologies.

I asked in the post office recently did they know anything and they told me not to lose hope. At the same time i was posting a cd to my brother and joked "i hope this doesnt get lost"... jynx!

My brother recieved the envelope... with no cd. Looks like letter was tampered with. Letter enclosed saying that the contents or something came loose... b*llsh*t, it was well sealed.

What to do :-(

whiterebel

I heard last week that someone in the Cork Sorting office in Little Island was arrested due to the amount of theft going on through the depot.