An Post - sent mail keeps going AWOL

LuckyMe63

I have returned from some years living in the US and am really disappointed & disgusted with the service from An Post. And they're so expensive.

So far this year I have sent 4 packages that have all gone missing. 1 to UK, 2 to US and 1 to Cayman Islands. Each of these contained a gift.
Not only is it a pain that they've been robbed along the way, but I also had to email the recipient and ask if they'd received it.

Another letter I sent via registered mail to the US - so I paid almost EUR6 to track it & get a signature on delivery - it too has gone missing.

Each time it has happened, I have completed a form online and let An Post know. They haven't found any of the missing mail but if we don't tell them there's a problem, they won't know! They sent me some stamps as compensation!!

When I lived in the US, if a letter/package from Ireland didn't arrive in c.10 working days, it never showed up. I never had this problem with mail from anywhere else in the world.

Anyone else having similar problems?

ongarite

How can you pin all the blame on An Post? Once the letters left Ireland they are handed over to the country of sender postal service.

Did you track the registered letter to see if it got to Portlaoise or Ireland?

LuckyMe63

I don't think the mail is leaving Ireland!!

As regards the registered letter, when I check the tracking it shows:

ITEM DESPATCHED FROM DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE DUBLIN 12 03-Mar-11

tallaghtoutlaws

LuckyMe63 wrote: »

I don't think the mail is leaving Ireland!!

As regards the registered letter, when I check the tracking it shows:

ITEM DESPATCHED FROM DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE DUBLIN 12 03-Mar-11

Anything going to the US from AnPost will go with USPS once withint the US. If you have AnPost tracking numbers go to USPS.com and enter it there and you will see the time and date it entered the US. This will either prove or disprove your theory of whether mail left the country.

With the UK and Caymen Islands I wouldn't be to sure who carries them but if they are their local postal service have you tried loading their websites also and entering the tracking details for AnPost?

maglite

Mail simply does not stay in the mail centers..


How can you be sure that AnPost are loosing it?
Have you chosen right option to track the mail? , some of the cheaper tracking is only domestic

foggy_lad

maglite wrote: »

Mail simply does not stay in the mail centers..


How can you be sure that AnPost are loosing it?
Have you chosen right option to track the mail? , some of the cheaper tracking is only domestic

The sorting machines eat a lot of mail! And there is a lot of theft especially now as the machines can now be blamed for slicing envelopes open.

pow wow

foggy_lad wrote: »

The sorting machines eat a lot of mail! And there is a lot of theft especially now as the machines can now be blamed for slicing envelopes open.

Yeah but a lot of the mail that's eaten can also be salvaged out and forwarded (in tatters!) to the intended recipient.

As others have said An Post are only responsible for the mail until it reaches the US. I know that seems very convenient for An Post but unless all of your parcels are registered no-one can really say at what point they go missing.

If you think they're bad, two words for you - Royal Mail! An Post is one of the things I love about the Republic!

Supraman

foggy_lad wrote: »

The sorting machines eat a lot of mail! And there is a lot of theft especially now as the machines can now be blamed for slicing envelopes open.

"There is a lot of theft" .

That's a very specific statement to make with as far as I can see absolutely no evidence to back it up.

As above how do you know it is An Posts fault for the mail not getting to the destination ? There are various channels for them to travel through to get to required destination.

Rodin

pow wow wrote: »

Yeah but a lot of the mail that's eaten can also be salvaged out and forwarded (in tatters!) to the intended recipient.

As others have said An Post are only responsible for the mail until it reaches the US. I know that seems very convenient for An Post but unless all of your parcels are registered no-one can really say at what point they go missing.

If you think they're bad, two words for you - Royal Mail! An Post is one of the things I love about the Republic!

Are ye having a laugh? I went to post something from cork to dublin by 'quickest method available'. Yer man said 'swiftpost will take two days'. I replied 'NORMAL post at home takes one!'
Home is N.Ireland
A letter posted in London will arrive in N.ireland the next day.
But Cork to Dublin, Swiftpost takes TWO?
And Royal Mail delivers on Saturdays.

Supraman

Express post is next day delivery.

http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/Business+Customers/Sending+Mail/Speed/Express+Post.htm

maglite

foggy_lad wrote: »

The sorting machines eat a lot of mail! And there is a lot of theft especially now as the machines can now be blamed for slicing envelopes open.

You work in either AMC CMC PMC or DMC then?

The machines don't eat mail, They tear some but that usually results in about a 1 day delay. Those machines are hovered out every day. I might accept a letter every day or 2, Now realize that with 1/4million letters~ sorted on a nightly basis in each mail ctr

While there is some theft, its rather targeted, they don't really care for ordinary looking mail

Solair

Rodin wrote: »

Are ye having a laugh? I went to post something from cork to dublin by 'quickest method available'. Yer man said 'swiftpost will take two days'. I replied 'NORMAL post at home takes one!'
Home is N.Ireland
A letter posted in London will arrive in N.ireland the next day.
But Cork to Dublin, Swiftpost takes TWO?
And Royal Mail delivers on Saturdays.

I regularly post items between Cork and Dublin by Swiftpost and regular post. It's *never* taken more than 24 hours (assuming you catch the collection on the day you're sending it).

I regularly post items (by standard post) at 5pm that arrive in Dublin the following morning.

Swiftpost / ExpressPost is *always* next day delivery. It's usually no major advantage over regular post though which usually takes 24 hours max anyway. Only plus point is that you can track it.

LuckyMe63

So today, I go into the PO and send a letter (with gift card) to the UK.
As I sent it registered to try & get some delivery confirmation. It cost EUR5.17 and was told there would be signed delivery confirmation.
So I asked how I would know when it was delivered, she said that I could track it at the www.anpost.ie website - OK, that's fine but what about when it gets into the Royal Mail system.... she didn't know. "You'll have to check with the sender if it arrived" - so why am I paying 5 times the normal rate????

RIP OFF REPUBLIC IS STILL ALIVE & WELL

ongarite

You track registered post that heading to another country changing the last digits on the tracking number.
So for your registered letter to the UK, log onto the Royal Mail website and enter the An Post tracking number but change the "IE" at the end to "GB".
For USA, change the "IE" to "US" and track it on the USPS website.

You could have looked this up, but a nice rant is easier..

tallaghtoutlaws

ongarite wrote: »

You track registered post that heading to another country changing the last digits on the tracking number.
So for your registered letter to the UK, log onto the Royal Mail website and enter the An Post tracking number but change the "IE" at the end to "GB".
For USA, change the "IE" to "US" and track it on the USPS website.

You could have looked this up, but a nice rant is easier..

Its funny I already advised the OP of this in post 4 and the OP still rants on about it. For the US you don't even need to change the IE to US anymore as their system recognises the full AnPost tracking number now which is dead handy.

Solair

LuckyMe63 wrote: »

So today, I go into the PO and send a letter (with gift card) to the UK.
As I sent it registered to try & get some delivery confirmation. It cost EUR5.17 and was told there would be signed delivery confirmation.
So I asked how I would know when it was delivered, she said that I could track it at the www.anpost.ie website - OK, that's fine but what about when it gets into the Royal Mail system.... she didn't know. "You'll have to check with the sender if it arrived" - so why am I paying 5 times the normal rate????

RIP OFF REPUBLIC IS STILL ALIVE & WELL

The postal systems need to integrate their tracking systems but you can enter any tracking number on any post office website. You can also phone An Post Customer Service and they'll get information on it for you.

It's typical of semistate bureaucracies that they can't manage to get their systems connected together. It's the same with all of them, not just An Post.

The country code, for example IE for An Post Ireland, ES for Correos spain, GB for the Royal Mail, US for USPS, etc etc is included in every tracking code. Just go to the destination country's postal service website and enter the An Post code and you'll get the full trace.

Track and trace sites:

An Post : http://track.anpost.ie/
Royal Mail : http://track.royalmail.com
United States Postal Service : http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm
Australia Post : http://auspost.com.au/track/
Canada Post / Postes Canada : http://www.canadapost.ca/
Correos (España) : http://www.correos.es/comun/Localizador/2010_c1-LocalizadorE.asp (Localizador)
Deutche Post Tracking: http://www.deutschepost.de/dpag?lang=de_EN&xmlFile=1016933
La Poste (France) http://www.laposte.fr/Particulier (Suivi des envois - Numéro de suivi)
TNT Post Netherlands :http://www.tntpost.nl/voorthuis/klantenservice/onefield.aspx?ofq=Track+%26+Trace&btnZoek.x=12&btnZoek.y=19?bnr=HPCM-QL4TrackTrace

Google say : Denmark Post Office Tracking and you will usually find the site no problem. You might have to negotiate a foreign language, but it's usually fairly obvious or you can use google translator to translate the site.

Those are the ones we've used and they all work with An Post labels.

An Post should maintain a directory of those websites on their own website for people sending packages / mail internationally.
They should also issue their post office staff with a memo explaining that items *CAN* be tracked and traced to almost all destinations. If not online, just call the number on your receipt!
There's no excuse for not educating their staff about what's actually available. They shouldn't be working on the basis of 'hear say' when it comes to explaining how products work!

Head The Wall

The thing is they probably know but couldn't be arsed telling people.

Solair

Actually, the Correos (Spanish Post) website automatically gives you a link to the destination postal company's website.

An Post customer care is an oxymoron !

charlemont

Sure An Post always keep a wee bit of mail for themselves....

watna

LuckyMe63 wrote: »

So today, I go into the PO and send a letter (with gift card) to the UK.
As I sent it registered to try & get some delivery confirmation. It cost EUR5.17 and was told there would be signed delivery confirmation.
So I asked how I would know when it was delivered, she said that I could track it at the www.anpost.ie website - OK, that's fine but what about when it gets into the Royal Mail system.... she didn't know. "You'll have to check with the sender if it arrived" - so why am I paying 5 times the normal rate????

RIP OFF REPUBLIC IS STILL ALIVE & WELL

Man, I hate this "rip off republic" stuff that everyone comes out with if something goes wrong or they're annoyed about a service.

I sent something by New Zealand post's track and trace service a few weeks ago - it was my passport going to the Irish Consulate. It also went missing, even though I'd paid three times the price for a track and trace service. The package was not traced once after I brought it to the post office. NZ post couldn't tell me where it had got to and I was getting really worried because my passport was in it. Anyway, it randomly turned up at the consulate one day but was never tracked. The consulate rang me to tell me it had arrived, after I had registered for an enquiry - so I had also paid for an expensive service that I didn't get. They neither tracked nor traced my parcel.

Bad things that cost you lots of money don't only happen in Ireland, you know.

LuckyMe63

ongarite wrote: »

You track registered post that heading to another country changing the last digits on the tracking number.
So for your registered letter to the UK, log onto the Royal Mail website and enter the An Post tracking number but change the "IE" at the end to "GB".
For USA, change the "IE" to "US" and track it on the USPS website.

You could have looked this up, but a nice rant is easier..

Shouldn't the PO clerk know this??
And it still isn't showing up in the Royal Mail system!

LuckyMe63

maglite wrote: »

Mail simply does not stay in the mail centers..


How can you be sure that AnPost are loosing it?
Have you chosen right option to track the mail? , some of the cheaper tracking is only domestic

An Post charges about 5 times as much to track mail - but even then it gets lost. So what are the extra charges for???

Customers shouldn't have to pay exorbitant fees just to track their mail. I accept that some mail can get lost, but I must be keeping the averages up!

tallaghtoutlaws

LuckyMe63 wrote: »

Shouldn't the PO clerk know this??
And it still isn't showing up in the Royal Mail system!

Probably but not unusual for staff members of different companies not to know the ins and outs of the business they work for.

And did you try leaving the the tracking number as is on the Royal mail website? Or did you use the format Ongarite posted? Both should work.

LuckyMe63 wrote: »

An Post charges about 5 times as much to track mail - but even then it gets lost. So what are the extra charges for???

Customers shouldn't have to pay exorbitant fees just to track their mail. I accept that some mail can get lost, but I must be keeping the averages up!

Compared to who? And I use international mail a lot be it with Courier or An Post and I have lost more with Couriers than I have with An Post. And the couriers provide more detailed tracking. But if you are sending stuff abroad with AnPost it is down to the local postal service of the country you are sending it to, to look after the post. Sure AnPost aren't perfect but it seems you are just trying to find ways to blame them for everything I to be honest I don't believe when you say that amount of mail has gone missing that you suggested. If it has you are extremely unlucky and you would be better off using couriers.

amybabes

3 Christmas Card over Christmas sent from our family in Ireland got opened before we got them, 2 contained money and had the money removed (the 2 sent registered post)

In both cases the sealed envelopes had been opened and then sello-taped back. We firmly believe that this happened before they left the country as we haven't had one problem receiving post within Australia/from any other country and 3 cards sent at a similar time from the same place at home turn up opened and missing money!

We were raging, especially when told that registered post only insures the contents for 35 euros. My partner's mother had put 100 euros in the card and is still trying to get the 35 back from An Post.

I just hoped it was some poor mother or father who desperately needed the money for Christmas but doubt it. They got 250 euros on us anyway!

Solair

I've had that experience with the Royal Mail too. Both An Post and the Royal Mail hire large numbers of temporary staff over the Christmas period and because they do not necessarily want to keep a postal service job for ever or they might be just doing it for a few weeks, they are not necessarily very worried about the Post Office's disciplinary procedures.

The volume of mail goes up exponentially due to the number of Christmas cards sent. This doesn't occur in every country, but it's definitely an issue in most English-speaking countries.

I received mail from British addresses while living in England with missing contents i.e. cheques etc. There was also media coverage of deliberate targeting of credit cards and other valuable items.

There was a huge problem with this in the UK and it is still an issue from what I've experienced :

See this 2008 article : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-564043/One-postal-worker-day-caught-stealing-mail.html

More recent exposé:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-mail/7157364/Lax-security-at-Royal-Mail-with-cash-stolen-from-envelopes-and-customers-branded-liars.html

As far as I am aware, An Post's mail to Australia does not go there directly btw. There are no direct flights from Ireland to Australia. So, it more than likely transits the UK or some other European postal system en route.

Most Post Offices, including An Post, recommend that you do not send cash by post. There are plenty of other alternatives i.e. money orders, cheques and obviously in this day and age, direct online transfers.

While living in Boston, I received a letter from my US bank which should have contained my debit card. This was slit open and the card was missing! Luckily, nobody was able to make transactions on it as the card was not active, but you can see that there was intent!

In France, it's actually illegal to post cash! This law was passed many years ago because, in the days before modern banking systems, envelopes stuffed with cash were used to pay bills etc. These often went missing and postal vehicles were targeted by organised crime etc. So, to reduce the risk they banned cash in the post.

Basically, the postal system (globally) is not very secure unless you are sending something by a method which is appropriately insured and tracked.

I send large numbers of documents (including cheques) by post within Ireland (and Northern Ireland) and I can honestly say that more than 99% of the time they arrive the next day without any issue. Delays are unusual and I could count on one hand the number of items that have ever gone missing.

International mail's clearly an issue as the tracking system has gaps in it and lines of responsibility are not clear i.e. An Post or Australia Post or whoever sends the letter and it's just dumped into an international postal system in which it may end up handled by 3rd parties who the sending company has no real relationship with. Where as if you send it via say DHL, UPS, TNT, FedEx etc it's handled by one company end-to-end. So the level of control and lines of responsibility are very clear.
I suspect that in the past postal workers took their jobs more seriously i.e. they were basically the backbone of the communications system and they were almost always state employees on lifetime contracts. Where as nowadays the postal system is certainly not the backbone of the communications network and is more about delivering small packages and junk mail for the most part.

However, whatever body coordinates the international postal system should really have end-to-end tracking at this stage. It's not very difficult to do with modern technology and the items are all bar coded with a standard coding system nowadays too.

wandatowell

amybabes wrote: »

3 Christmas Card over Christmas sent from our family in Ireland got opened before we got them, 2 contained money and had the money removed (the 2 sent registered post)

In both cases the sealed envelopes had been opened and then sello-taped back. We firmly believe that this happened before they left the country as we haven't had one problem receiving post within Australia/from any other country and 3 cards sent at a similar time from the same place at home turn up opened and missing money!

We were raging, especially when told that registered post only insures the contents for 35 euros. My partner's mother had put 100 euros in the card and is still trying to get the 35 back from An Post.

I just hoped it was some poor mother or father who desperately needed the money for Christmas but doubt it. They got 250 euros on us anyway!

Ye sent cash through the post???? Sorry but thats just nutz.

Why not send a cheque or transfer funds to a bank account? I know its a bit personnel asking a person for their bank account details but it wouldn't bother me as its the safest method (especially if I was receiving it)

watna

wandatowell wrote: »

Ye sent cash through the post???? Sorry but thats just nutz.

Why not send a cheque or transfer funds to a bank account? I know its a bit personnel asking a person for their bank account details but it wouldn't bother me as its the safest method (especially if I was receiving it)

Definitely - I'd never risk sending cash through the post. My parents do direct internet banking if they're sending xmas or birthday presents rather than sending cash to NZ by post. It''s quite sweet really. In the description my mum puts "love mum xxxx" or if my granny has asked her to transfer money for a present I get "love granny xxx"

I love it because bank statements are usually horrible reading and that makes it much nicer!

My parents lived in the states just after I was born and my mum used to send cash home to my granny and it always went missing. She won't send cash after that and that was over 25 years ago!

amybabes

Well WE were the recipients not the senders and were not expecting money at all so wasn't as if we could make demands about bank transfers unfortunately. I especially hated the thought of them reading our personal notes in the cards it's such an invasion of privacy.
Its only ever happened Christmas gone, to the registered post envelopes. Normal envelopes that are clearly gift cars have always been delivered unopened, it's like registering the cards marked them as containing money/something of value

tallaghtoutlaws

amybabes wrote: »

Well WE were the recipients not the senders and were not expecting money at all so wasn't as if we could make demands about bank transfers unfortunately. I especially hated the thought of them reading our personal notes in the cards it's such an invasion of privacy.
Its only ever happened Christmas gone, to the registered post envelopes. Normal envelopes that are clearly gift cars have always been delivered unopened, it's like registering the cards marked them as containing money/something of value

To be honest I doubt they even bothered reading the cards or notes. Most likely just took the cash and re-sealed the envelope.

redzer44

I have been having the same problem with registered mail to the US going missing. It has happened 4 times in the last 6 months. Each time i have tracked the post using the tracking system but the last entry is alway Dublin Mail Centre. Having spoke to someone in An post I was told that all mail to the US is being sent to another European Country to be scanned and x-rayed by Homeland Security. Can anyone verify this?

5500

redzer44 wrote: »

I have been having the same problem with registered mail to the US going missing. It has happened 4 times in the last 6 months. Each time i have tracked the post using the tracking system but the last entry is alway Dublin Mail Centre. Having spoke to someone in An post I was told that all mail to the US is being sent to another European Country to be scanned and x-rayed by Homeland Security. Can anyone verify this?

Have you checked the details of the usps site? Even at that it should come up on anposts site once arrived or delivered in the country you sent to.