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POST Office problem

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  • 21-12-2013 3:41am
    #1
    skstretch
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭


    So i wanted to post a letter to the uk asap the other day...
    I handed in the letter addressed to the uk and said I would like that to get their as quickly as possible plz...
    (I presumed that the clerk would have looked at the address) because he said ye no problem youll have to send that express so... i said grand, he gave me a price of 6.24...i said no problem...
    i only had my visa debit to pay, he was wondering did i have 49 cent in cash to pay i said no only my card... he seemed annoyed i had my card, any way after he seemed to redo the stickers etc he then said that i could pay in the machine now.... so i taught that was it, my letter is posted
    i find out today he only charged me for express post in the 26 counties and my letter is stuck in the post office...
    I am very annoyed and would think im in the right as he should have looked at the address? i am correct or shud i have specified it was for the uk?


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    #2
    Miaireland
    Registered Users Posts: 4,065 ✭✭✭Miaireland


    I would have said where I was sending it to.


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    #3
    emeldc
    Registered Users Posts: 2,597 ✭✭✭emeldc


    Miaireland wrote: »
    I would have said where I was sending it to.

    Yea, maybe. But if you are asking for anything other than than regular post, ie. registered or express, the price will vary depending on the destination so she probably should have read the address to calculate the price.


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    #4
    Cabaal
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional South East Moderators Posts: 28,497 Mod ✭✭✭✭Cabaal


    I would have said it was for the UK, but then also in my experience the staff normally ask the destination of a packet or letter you are sending.


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    #5
    DMcL1971
    Registered Users Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭DMcL1971


    skstretch,

    I would say you are completely in the right here.

    If you do not go to the post office and ask them to post an item for you but instead choose to calculate the price yourself, buy the stamps, post the letter and you have got it wrong. Then the item will be rejected and sent back to you marked as insufficient post.

    If instead, you bring any item to the post office and ask to have it posted, then the member of staff needs to tell you the price in order to provide the service you have requested. If you are agreeable to the price, then they charge you, stamp the item and post it. At that point AnPost have accepted responsibility for the item. In order to do this they have to assess at least three minimum criteria and then any extra requirements.

    First of all they need to look at the address to decide what zone it is going to (Zone 1: Irl & NI, Zone 2: Great Britain, Zone 3: Europe, Zone 4: Rest of World).

    Then they look at the physical size of the item, to determine what size classification it goes into (Letter, Large Envelope, Packet, Parcel).

    Then they weigh the item to see what weight classification the item goes into.

    From this they look up the rate matrix and tell you the exact charge for regular postage.

    If you want to avail of further services such as sending the item by registered post or express mail or add additional insurance, all of these things will increase that price. It is up to the staff to calculate the price not you.

    If, as you say they charged you for express post for Zone 1 instead of Zone 2, then that is their fault. You can quite rightly say 'Well I don't know how much express post to the UK costs. If I did, I would have bought the stamps myself. However, I handed it in to the post office and they put the wrong postage on it, not me.' However the best you can probably hope for is that they will say 'Yes you are right, we have made a mistake, please accept our apologies. However it still costs more to send the item to the UK so you will have to pay the extra.'

    One thing that does concern me is that you say you were charged 6.24. However there is no charge of 6.24 anywhere on the AnPost rate matrix (not that I can see). The express charge for a letter to Ireland is 5.75 and to the UK is 9.00 so I don't know where the 6.24 came from.

    http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/PostalRates/


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    #6
    skstretch
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭skstretch


    DMcL1971 wrote: »
    skstretch,

    I would say you are completely in the right here.

    If you do not go to the post office and ask them to post an item for you but instead choose to calculate the price yourself, buy the stamps, post the letter and you have got it wrong. Then the item will be rejected and sent back to you marked as insufficient post.

    If instead, you bring any item to the post office and ask to have it posted, then the member of staff needs to tell you the price in order to provide the service you have requested. If you are agreeable to the price, then they charge you, stamp the item and post it. At that point AnPost have accepted responsibility for the item. In order to do this they have to assess at least three minimum criteria and then any extra requirements.

    First of all they need to look at the address to decide what zone it is going to (Zone 1: Irl & NI, Zone 2: Great Britain, Zone 3: Europe, Zone 4: Rest of World).

    Then they look at the physical size of the item, to determine what size classification it goes into (Letter, Large Envelope, Packet, Parcel).

    Then they weigh the item to see what weight classification the item goes into.

    From this they look up the rate matrix and tell you the exact charge for regular postage.

    If you want to avail of further services such as sending the item by registered post or express mail or add additional insurance, all of these things will increase that price. It is up to the staff to calculate the price not you.

    If, as you say they charged you for express post for Zone 1 instead of Zone 2, then that is their fault. You can quite rightly say 'Well I don't know how much express post to the UK costs. If I did, I would have bought the stamps myself. However, I handed it in to the post office and they put the wrong postage on it, not me.' However the best you can probably hope for is that they will say 'Yes you are right, we have made a mistake, please accept our apologies. However it still costs more to send the item to the UK so you will have to pay the extra.'

    One thing that does concern me is that you say you were charged 6.24. However there is no charge of 6.24 anywhere on the AnPost rate matrix (not that I can see). The express charge for a letter to Ireland is 5.75 and to the UK is 9.00 so I don't know where the 6.24 came from.

    http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/PostalRates/

    That's what I was thinking...
    Just looking at the receipt with tracking....
    I was charged 5.75 for express post
    Then under Neath I was charged 49c for custom stamp what ever that is...
    When I said I didn't have any change the man said that I didn't know how this stuff works!
    Didn't seem happy taking the visa at all


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    #7
    spix
    Registered Users Posts: 2,577 ✭✭✭spix


    It's their fault for not checking the address properly before printing the stamp.

    Since it was express you should have a tracking number, what does it say?

    Also you should only have been charged 5.75, no idea what the custom stamp could be.


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    #8
    skstretch
    Registered Users Posts: 153 ✭✭skstretch


    The tracking says that the item is received...
    down as still in the post office


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    #9
    DMcL1971
    Registered Users Posts: 1,444 ✭✭✭DMcL1971


    It sounds like you were unlucky enough to get a grumpy sod at the post office. Who as well as providing an unfriendly service also managed to make a mistake and provide you with the incorrect service.

    I've never heard of the custom stamp charge of 49c. It sound like they may be charging you for printing a non standard stamp for your letter but this is highly unlikely as nearly all stamps are printed at the post office these days rather than torn from books like the used to be, especially for larger denominations. Is it possible it says customs stamp with an 'S' which would imply they knew the letter was destined for outside Ireland?

    If the letter is still in the post office presumably you will have to go there to sort this out. At that point you can point out to them that they are the ones who stamped the envelope incorrectly, not you. They failed to provide the service you believed you were paying for, they have held up your very important, urgent letter due to their error and now you have been inconvenienced again in that you have had to return to the post office again because of their mistake. They should at least apologise to you and absorb the cost of re-sending the letter. To be decent they should offer you a few stamps as compensation for messing you about.

    There is no doubt this is their fault, not yours.


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