AddressPal & Lockers - An Post's Parcel Service SEE MOD WARNING FIRST POST

pleasant Co.

Got it too, guess lots of people have trouble figuring out how to format that ridiculous addresspal address

Kamili

Both Parcel Wizard and Parcel Motel customers have received the same mails, so its not limited to Address Pal.

pleasant Co.

Kamili wrote: »

Both Parcel Wizard and Parcel Motel customers have received the same mails, so its not limited to Address Pal.

Didn't get one from PM myself.

FanadMan

Seems they've changed part of the address from

Air Business
Unit 5, The Merlin Centre

to

Air Business AP,
4 The Merlin Centre,

CHATTERATI

I started using this service recently and was happy with it and used it regularly for parcels from the UK. Then I fell foul of the oversize parcel rule and couldn't just have the parcel returned as i really needed it. I had a parcel that was MARGINALLY bigger on one side (so the length and width of the box were well below the max allowed but the depth measurement was over). the weight was 6kg and you're allowed 20kg so that was ok too. i got hit with a 25 euro penalty which i was instructed had to be paid in cash as they had no card machine. I was asked to sign a form that showed the amount paid which they kept and there was no receipt given. when i asked for a receipt they said they didn't issue receipts and i could have a copy of the form I signed instead so i took that.
Really An Post this is not OK. Get a card machine and put in place a proper process for taking cash payments and issuing receipts.
Needless to say i won't be using AddressPal for any future deliveries and have redirected my orders through other couriers. Its a shame really as the service quite suited me but my suppliers don't always give the dimensions of the box so its not worth the risk of the huge penalty.

Dan Jaman

CHATTERATI wrote: »

I started using this service recently and was happy with it and used it regularly for parcels from the UK. Then I fell foul of the oversize parcel rule and couldn't just have the parcel returned as i really needed it. I had a parcel that was MARGINALLY bigger on one side (so the length and width of the box were well below the max allowed but the depth measurement was over). the weight was 6kg and you're allowed 20kg so that was ok too. i got hit with a 25 euro penalty which i was instructed had to be paid in cash as they had no card machine. I was asked to sign a form that showed the amount paid which they kept and there was no receipt given. when i asked for a receipt they said they didn't issue receipts and i could have a copy of the form I signed instead so i took that.
Really An Post this is not OK. Get a card machine and put in place a proper process for taking cash payments and issuing receipts.
Needless to say i won't be using AddressPal for any future deliveries and have redirected my orders through other couriers. Its a shame really as the service quite suited me but my suppliers don't always give the dimensions of the box so its not worth the risk of the huge penalty.

Yep; it's an indication of the bone-headedness of some in the AP service that they utterly failed in this. Other carriers I've used have a size limit, but it often mentions a cubic quantity or a multiplier of size x weight in some fashion, so that you have some idea what is likely to be carried or not, or cost you a lot in extra charges.
The sudden, and abitrary, change to being penalised a swingeing extra €20 for something over which you have no control is just wrong-headed and idiotic.
The brain-dead 16-digit customer number is a doozie, and always has been. There is no sign of them changing it, so I suspect that somebody in AP has dug their heels in over this, or is in an unmoveable position.
The total failure to foresee theft as a factor in some of the feeder courier companies on the UK side of the operation is more understandable, but bespeaks a total naivete on the part of the planning on this side.

Outlaw Pete

Spocker wrote: »

Looks like Address Pal is becoming a problem for Amazon, just got this mail:

It's farcical.....

I have a parcel missing for almost a month now and I have been asked a dozen times via email and on the phone if I put the full AddressPal address and no matter how many times I tell them that I did, they keep on asking me am I sure..... insinuating that I am lying to them.

So what I did was I screencapped the 'Dispatched Email' from Ebay which includes the full shipping address and so now they have at least stopped asking me about it.

That's Ebay of course but I imagine it's the same story with Amazon and An Post have got on to them telling them that they need to email us and make it clear to us that we need to use the full address.............. thereby assuming that we don't. Saves them having to take responsibility for the lost items themselves you see..... much easier to blame the customers for not letting sellers and business know the full AP address that accept that they have an internal problem.

Not that I don't think the number is cumbersome and is being left off parcels.... it sure is, but that's not our fault.

They have two issues: 1) the number is too damn long and 2) when parcels are showing up without the full number, some of them are going awol and they can't trace them.

My advice to anyone using the service is sceencap any emails you get from Amazon or Ebay with shipping address just in case they try and blame you for either the parcel not showing up or the seller / business not using the full address.

degsie

Didn't realise that addresspal now includes USA deliveries 'from' €15.99.

Edit: AND now do home deliveries.

rubadub

https://addresspal.anpost.ie/faq

How are AddressPal USA items dealt with for Customs purposes
All AddressPal items received into our USA hub will need to be prepared with the appropriate customs information for carriage
We will complete the relevant forms for you based on the information on the invoice with your item
If there is no invoice available, we will contact you asking for confirmation of what the item is and its value
We will apply the relevant customs form to your item before it leaves the USA
Upon arrival in Ireland, AddressPal items are, like all inbound international items, subject to Customs checks
If Customs apply a customs charge on your item, An Post?s normal custom collection procedure will apply

Dan Jaman

rubadub wrote: »

https://addresspal.anpost.ie/faq

Excellent stuff.
I see they've got rid of the stupid-long number on the Home Delivery service and the lower rates are very attractive for a lot of smaller stuff that sellers just won't send overseas or charge stupid rates to do so.

Looks like the smarter ones in AP won out in the end

rubadub

The US thing is not clear to me at all, they need to give examples of typical things.

e.g. it seems if customs are due they are going to do it the usual an post way, so that would mean an additional ?7 admin fee on top. Maybe this is not the case though.

Also is the valuation by customs here going to include the addresspal fees, if it does the items are more likely to be caught, and then have VAT on that fee too.

When I first heard of the US thing I was hoping they would have some clever way to avoid this.

15.99 is not cheap, but many places with "free postage" in the US have ludicrous international fees.

Outlaw Pete

Been a month now since they signed for a lost my parcel (a Samsung S6 Edge which was consistently the most valuable item I have used them for).

Hadn't heard from them in a week and so asked them today what is happening with regards to the investigation the said was in process and they just replied back:

Good afternoon,

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Unfortunately, it is taking so long because my colleagues had to process a lot of claims and our Irish team still needs to do some paperwork

"A lot of claims" they say and subtlety suggest the Irish team are dragging their feet but yet when I phone An Post they say that it is St Alban's that they are struggling to communicate with.

Discodog

I collected a parcel & it had a big AnPost sticker saying that the item didn't have my complete name & AP account number & that I should ensure that items were correctly addressed.

The sender had missed out my first name & just put the initial - perfectly normal. They also just put Pal instead of Address Pal. But my surname, account number & the rest of the address were fine.:cool:

Spocker

degsie wrote: »

Didn't realise that addresspal now includes USA deliveries 'from' €15.99.

Edit: AND now do home deliveries.

Hmm, but the catch seems to be that you *have* to sign up for the Home Delivery product to be able to avail of the US service, and this activates Home Delivery for UK parcels too, with a new minimum cost of €5.99

Dan Jaman

Spocker wrote: »

Hmm, but the catch seems to be that you *have* to sign up for the Home Delivery product to be able to avail of the US service, and this activates Home Delivery for UK parcels too, with a new minimum cost of ?5.99

Only if you want it. I still have the option of PO local office pick-up.

Spocker

Dan Jaman wrote: »

Only if you want it. I still have the option of PO local office pick-up.

Yep, me too, but only for UK deliveries. If you want to get both, then you have to switch for Home Delivery, for the higher price

Dan Jaman

Not sure what you mean. I still have the option of the local pick-up for the old price, with none of the weight categories.
Still €3.75 for local PO pick-up by me.
https://addresspal.anpost.ie/pricing-sizing

joujoujou

Spocker wrote: »

[...] If you want to get both, [...]

...set yourself up another AP account. :cool:

blade1

What I don't get is, why would anyone go for home delivery for 5.99 when DPD will do it and do it quicker,for 3.85?
I know I know an actual English address, but I have never had a problem with the DPD Antrim address.

I would have been very interested if they kept the price the same.

Dan Jaman

blade1 wrote: »

What I don't get is, why would anyone go for home delivery for 5.99 when DPD will do it and do it quicker,for 3.85?
I know I know an actual English address, but I have never had a problem with the DPD Antrim address.

I would have been very interested if they kept the price the same.

That's the thing, though; occasionally I come across a seller who won't send to NI, either through sheer bloody-mindedness (which does happen) or their postage/ courier deal won't allow it at a reasonable price. If it's something I must have, the AP option is handy, and I get the feeling of getting one over on the bloody-minded ones

ED E

blade1 wrote: »

What I don't get is, why would anyone go for home delivery for 5.99 when DPD will do it and do it quicker,for 3.85?
I know I know an actual English address, but I have never had a problem with the DPD Antrim address.

I would have been very interested if they kept the price the same.

All couriers have some crap drivers. If your route has a right knob you might opt for a different company.

Other than that, no reason to.

blade1

Dan Jaman wrote: »

That's the thing, though; occasionally I come across a seller who won't send to NI, either through sheer bloody-mindedness (which does happen) or their postage/ courier deal won't allow it at a reasonable price. If it's something I must have, the AP option is handy, and I get the feeling of getting one over on the bloody-minded ones

As I said I never had a problem and I have deliveries 3 or 4 times a week.
If a seller won't ship to N.Ireland, just buy it from a different seller.
If it's a one off item, I'd use it but that would be an extremely rare case for me so at a guess 99.9% of my business will be going to DPD.

Btw, DPD used to be, along with DHL,imo the worst couriers for me.
DPD have been great lately.
Hope they keep it up.
Never had an issue with Address pal and would have no problem using the pick up at p.o. method, but getting it delivered to my house for now is handier for me but I won't be paying 5.99.

The_Conductor

Dan Jaman wrote: »

That's the thing, though; occasionally I come across a seller who won't send to NI, either through sheer bloody-mindedness (which does happen) or their postage/ courier deal won't allow it at a reasonable price. If it's something I must have, the AP option is handy, and I get the feeling of getting one over on the bloody-minded ones

Ditto- 'mainland UK only' - no channel islands, isle of man, NI or elsewhere........
Its more common than most people realise.:(

blade1

The_Conductor wrote: »

Ditto- 'mainland UK only' - no channel islands, isle of man, NI or elsewhere........
Its more common than most people realise.:(

If most people don't realise it, it's because it's not an issue for them

marklazarcovic

offering uk to your home address now ,instead of your chosen post office, and usa to your chosen address, you get a us address same as st albans formatt, no option of usa to local post office,same sizes as before,same weight, 15.99 from usa 0-2 kg 2-5kg is 20.99 , to your door . not sure if thats a good deal, but for stuff that does not usually ship out of the usa i guess its good.

Depp

marklazarcovic wrote: »

offering uk to your home address now ,instead of your chosen post office, and usa to your chosen address, you get a us address same as st albans formatt, no option of usa to local post office,same sizes as before,same weight, 15.99 from usa 0-2 kg 2-5kg is 20.99 , to your door . not sure if thats a good deal, but for stuff that does not usually ship out of the usa i guess its good.

where is there more info about the usa option? that would be a game-changer for me!

McLoughlin

Depp wrote: »

marklazarcovic wrote: »

offering uk to your home address now ,instead of your chosen post office, and usa to your chosen address, you get a us address same as st albans formatt, no option of usa to local post office,same sizes as before,same weight, 15.99 from usa 0-2 kg 2-5kg is 20.99 , to your door . not sure if thats a good deal, but for stuff that does not usually ship out of the usa i guess its good.

where is there more info about the usa option? that would be a game-changer for me!

It's all on the addresspal website now all details about new usa service

Depp

McLoughlin wrote: »

It's all on the addresspal website now all details about new usa service

How do I get my usa address cant seem to find an option for it!

Edit: just realised I need to update my account with card details, will be using this later in the week will let yee know how I get on!

marklazarcovic

Got a letter today telling me about it,so I added my card details for future payments ,then got a email telling me I've another adp card on the way to me,will be my 3rd card for same account,bit silly

MyLove_J

I've been using addresspal for over a year now but not very often. There is no parcel motel located near to me. The nearest is in the city. On the rare occasion I used I always found it difficult to organise time to get in. So I find addresspal very handy. It cuts out a lot of stress. I ordered something last week from the UK on the Monday. The site I used had a comment section about your order so I used that to say that I'm using a parcel forwarding service onto Ireland and it's very important to include the digit beginning with AP in the address. No problems whatsoever. So that was on Monday afternoon. On Thursday, I got an email to tell me my parcel was in the local post office. I was delighted.

I have a few more bits ordered this week through addresspal. I doubt I will be so lucky to get them before the end of the week this time around but we'll see.

dt find addresspal is very and handy.