An Post returning packages from outside the EU-See 1st post

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976831#Comment_117976831

I emailed them about it, said I saw the tweet and could they give any advice on the situation happening here with An Post, that was the just of it, probally come to nothing but if there's a q and a after it, someone may ask something, gotta hope for some awkwardness for him

Flaccus

Parcel now sorted 20 times in Dublin Mail centre in last 5 weeks. Must be a record. Finally An Post got back to me. Initially on Sort #13 they said customs have it and it is missing an electronic declaration but has a physical one so may get released back to An Post. The 2nd reply said it is still with customs and I should email ecommchargequery with the tracking details and invoice details from ebay uk which I did. Interestingly the invoice has an ioss number and shows import vat was pre-collected. Anyway, ecommchargequery got back to me to say they cannot process my query further without a customs reference number!!! Are these clowns serious. How am I supposed to magically know the customs reference number when no one has contacted me with one. Absolute thick cnuts.

deezell

As a business process it's workflow design is a disaster, but I doubt anyone ever walked through it for anything other than a perfect case. For every other glitch, real or imagined, they just hump your packet into returns. AnPost hiding behind customs, and vice versa. Classic obfuscation ploy, they are literally playing Pass The Parcel. Customers more than willing to engage, provide purchase invoice, etc, it's how it worked before. Give us an interface online, a form we can fill, a scan of the label, let us see this magic electronic data that's incomplete. Its our property, and under century old rules they are obliged to deliver it, even with demand for extortionate charges, the option to accept or return should be ours, not theirs. It's our national postal service plus customs and excise ffs, who in any democracy would mandate two public services to behave like this. Appalling.

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy

So including reposting the parcel that was sent back and fees, paying FedEx totals €116.52

Obviously I chose to but yeah, just sharing.

wassie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976760#Comment_117976760

I love the replies underneath

An Post love recycling. Keep sending all the packages round in circles

and

Maybe he can tell everyone about An Post's contribution to carbon footprint by unnecessarily sending an extraordinary amount of parcels back to senders across the world due to missing customs data.

flashinthepan

What a farce

I think what we need here is to boycott an post

Don't send as much as a Christmas card with them this year useless feckers

A simple wheel bearing that would have been in a fuppin jiffy bag less than a tenner ffs and the wasters sent it back

Hi XXXX

The seller has responded.

Seller’s message: 'Hi Your order was dispatched by us but no sure why but Dublin post have not even tried to deliver and just sent your order back to us. tracking number LG9XXXXXXXX Thanks TWSR Motorsport '

Your purchase is covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee. If your request is not resolved, you can ask us to step in and help.

rf4c

HI EVERYBODY,

SOMEBODY POSTED A TWITTER REGARDING AN POST CEO ATTENDING AND

SPEAKING AT A FORUM IN VIENNA IN THE COMING DAYS.

I’VE SOURCED AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHICH WILL DIRECTLY REACH THE HEAD OF THE UPU

AND HAVE JUST EMAILED HIM.

A LOT OF YOU WILL SEE THIS AS POINTLESS, BUT I’VE GOT TO MANY MANY CEO’S

DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS, AND WITH LITTLE EXCEPTION, I FOUND THAT THE GUY

AT THE TOP HASN’T ANYTHING TO LOSE, AND ALWAYS DESIGNATES SOMEONE TO

LOOK INTO IT, AND WHEN THE TOP GUY ASKS THIS, IT USUALLY GETS SOMEWHERE.

NOW, MY EMAIL WON’T GET ANYWHERE SOON IT’S OWN, BUT IF AS MANY OF YOU AS

POSSIBLE COULD FLOOD THIS MAN WITH EMAILS (FEEL FREE TO COPY AND PASTE MINE (BELOW))

MAYBE THAT WOULD BE THE ADDED PRESSURE THAT’S NEEDED.

MCREDMOND SEEMS TO BE HAPPY IGNORING US ON HIS HOME TURF, BUT MAYBE

EMBARRASSING HIM “IN FRONT OF THE NEIGHBOURS” MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

I THINKS IT’S BETTER THAT SITTING HERE NOT KNOWING WHEN, OR IF IT WILL END.

ANYWAY FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH, HERE’S WHO I’M SENDING IT TO AND WHAT I’M SENDING.

PLEASE GUYS LET’S ALL TOGETHER. IF THIS MAN’S EMAIL BOX IS FLOODED, HE MIGHT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!

bishar.hussein@upu.int

Dear Mr. Hussein,

I recently read the press release from the Universal Postal Union

announcing the World Leaders Forum, associated with the Parcel+Post Expo

due to take place in the coming days.

Clearly the UPU is unaware of the true nature of the state of our postal

system here in Ireland, and for this reason I wish to register my protest

and objection to the appearance of Mr. David McRedmond on the speakers

platform at your forum.

The Union can be forgiven for depending on the Irish Postal Service

to issue their interpretation of the current situation together with their

bio on the CEO of An Post, Mr. David McRedmond, but would not dare

to offer a true perspective on the reality of An Post’s performance

and behaviour in recent months.

Clearly, the rules of transit for packages from outside the EU

were affected by the arrival of Brexit and protection mechanisms

were required along with levies on various categories of goods.

While the Customs and Excise Authorities are the expected authority

to administer the new regime, An Post work in cooperation with them

to ensure transit of goods in a smooth and timely manner.

However this is not the case in Ireland. While the rest of the EU are

processing their non EU trade in an efficient manner, always

acknowledging that some problems and difficulties will arise,

the situation in Ireland is nothing short than a complete breakdown

in the movement of non EU shipments, affecting thousands of

Irish households and businesses.

The majority of this traffic is being returned to the non EU sender

with no reference to the intended recipient. In some cases, shipments are

simply lost and no trace is possible due to the unwillingness of

An Post to co-operate.

Enquiries to An Post remain largely unanswered and several weeks later ,

if answered. In almost every case, they refuse to offer to the recipient,

any detail of the nature of the problem, or opportunity to correct it.

The message is always the same, which is to blame the Irish Customs Service.

I do not wish to burden you with the forensic details, but please feel free

to have your designate request any information that might assist.

In any event, I am appealing to you to designate an officer of the UPU to

investigate the matter and hopefully initiate a dialogue which will led to

a resolution of this problem.

Very many thanks for taking the time to read this message.

Very best wishes

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy

@rf4c already emailed UPU (mentioned earlier) but to a general one, won't send more til they've had time to reply to that but my hope is well is just to make it awkward for him there

rf4c

Ok, but just so you know I did that too and got no answer.

Just bear in mind the speech is on the 11th Oct.

My fantasy is that he can't go ahead!!!!! (In my dreams!!)

Touch Fuzzy Get Dizzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981374#Comment_117981374

I sent it Monday so Friday is fair enough time to me, still in time before the talk on the 11th. I'll probably draft it Thursday night.

EDit

Interesting development for my package from the UK. Was posted at a PO in London on Saturday, Sept 25 and has not appeared on An Post tracking yet. I assumed this was An Post messing around

Anyway, last night i thought i’d check the RM tracking to see when it came over to Ireland… lo and behold, the thing only left the UK yesterday!

deezell

No mail truck drivers! Or no Diesel. Good luck with phase 2.

chasm

There must be a huge back log at An Post or their customs area. I am waiting on a membership pack from a UK football team. It was dispatched in August, but still no sign of it. The customer service agent has stated that they have been advised of a 42 working day delay at Irish customs!

The club website states that deliveries to Europe are now sent as "Delivery Duty Paid", and that they "collect taxes and charges at the point you place the order. This means you will not be liable for any additional taxes, charges or delays when your order is imported to the EU."

So why are these orders still being held up at customs?

Exclamation Marc

8 week delay?? Christ that's outrageous.

Patser

My DHL package arrived this morning- no request for duty.

Impressive ordered late Friday, here by Wednesday morning. Every step updated on tracker quickly - Malaysia to Singapore to Bahrain to Leipzig to East Midlands to Dublin - spent 90 mins in customs clearance this morning til 07.39 and at my house by 10am

deezell

And it's not Xmas yet. You absolutely have to use a courier now if you want to set eyes on anything from the UK in a reasonable time, or at all.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982673#Comment_117982673

yeah but how much did that service cost you?

Patser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982739#Comment_117982739

US$30

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982746#Comment_117982746

so you got a better service because you paid more for it. if customs had decided that VAT was due you would have had to pay a €14.50 fee to DHL on top of the VAT due.

Patser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982784#Comment_117982784

Yes I got a better service, yes it cost more, but as I said previously in thread, the same item I bought from UK was roughly stg£17, which compared to us€30 isn't that much of a difference - especially given distance involved. And most importantly this one arrived!!! It did not spend 8 days waiting for sorting in An Post and 2 weeks waiting to be returned. My package was assessed for customs in 90 minutes, so An Post's excuse that it's Customs requirements that are leading to delays - as opposed to their processes for dealing with those requirements - seems very weak.

And most importantly and pertinently - I have it!!! No point arguing cost when one doesn't work or is incredibly unreliable. 'Oh yes, I saved a fortune to watch my post bounce around Athlone and back'

whiterebel

Just be prepared for DHL to invoice you afterwards, it's not like them to neglect collecting VAT.

el Fenomeno

I've got my last 2 packages delivered, and then I get a customs docket a few days later asking me to pay or my item will be returned.... despite already having received it.

Dockets go straight in the bin. I'll consider what I'm not paying as reimbursement for the stress caused from the others they sent back.

whiterebel

The odd time DHL ones slip through when they are busy. Usually done in advance though.

flashinthepan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981077#Comment_117981077

Done

EDit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982156#Comment_117982156

… and now its on An Post’s tracking site with a message saying “Customs clearance have identified a problem with the customs declaration accompanying your item. As such, the item must be returned to the sender.” Sigh!

wassie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117982665#Comment_117982665

11 weeks to Christmas! Going to be some disappointed wee'uns this year.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117985632#Comment_117985632

Ffs, why can't they say what the problem is, give the sender and receiver a chance to supply the necessary data. It's free and instant to send an email or fill in an online form and supply the information they're missing. It's neither free or instant to return a packet, yet they chose this very option. They are supposed to engage prior to returning it.

Doge

My package got through with a CN23 form attached! I don't even think I was meant to use a CN23 as it was under the value required. Didn't have to pay fees either.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117986330#Comment_117986330

If it was free or instant we wouldn't have these problems.

You not considering the cost to An Post for a person to inspect the parcel, figure out what the problem is and then manage the resolution of that - all that requires people and time.

You're putting the onus on An Post to sort out customs declarations rather than on the exporter.

Have we found out how much An Post receives to process these?

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117987332#Comment_117987332

Well they won't be receiving anything if people stop ordering the stuff or switch to couriers... then they'll be back to complaining nobody uses the postal service.