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

Got a small parcel from UK yesterday.

It was sent by standard mail, no c22/c23 or any paperwork on the outside of parcel.

That's what I'm thinking too but with no tracking and no insurance if it doesn't turn up is a gamble.

I ordered 4 screws for a TV stand from an ebay UK seller. Got a notification that there was customs due on it and I paid it. Total rip off, ended up costing more than the item + postage because of An Post's flat fee.

I paid the customs on the 24th of September and the package still hasn't been delivered. I called An Post last week and after waiting 20 minutes on hold they just said "Yes, customs are very slow, nothing we can do".

The whole thing is a bad joke.

If it's anything like that flyer they apparently sent to every household in the country then it's a waste of time. They need to publish common root causes, pictures, examples, specific precise guidelines not generalities.

It pains me to do this but I'm conducting my own experiment and routing a couple of packages from smaller suppliers in Asia who just couldn't guarantee they could comply with An Post's standards through AP's address pal service in America as presumably they'll sort out the customs themselves. It's costly, timely, not environmentally friendly and worst of all financially benefits AP but it's the only cast iron way I can think of to receive said packages. It is utterly insane that this seems to be the only logical course of action.

It's all very well and good but they are still putting us in the position where we have to make a specific delivery request regarding the labelling to a seller, a request that apparently no other country requires. It's always going to be a gamble ordering outside of the EU for us now, and the days of receiving surprise gifts from family in the UK/US have pretty much been killed by this too. Try explaining a 6/10 digit CN22 code to your nana who wants to send a jumper over as a present.

It's all damage control for An Post so make themselves look blameless for what is surely going to be a disastrous Christmas period due to returned, late and lost post.

I ordered a DVD for the little one the other day. Was dispatched and sold by Amazon. But was to be delivered by An Post.

Just received a notification of a refund and it says I returned it. The tracking number never even worked on An Post. Said "We haven't received your package yet".

I thought it was safe shopping with Amazon. Is this happening with then now too? Might just order it again. No issues with getting refunds with Amazon.

In order to convince the general public that the crisis is over, or even better, that there is no crisis at all, it would be nice to have an advertisement campaign to convey the following messages to the general public:

- "An Post did not make this up" - yes, they did. The result of what they did could be described as "too wrong" followed by "too little, too late";

- "It was the 1st in Europe successful implementation of EU rules" - brutal lie, we would barely notice this, if it was a success;

- "Don't buy anything outside EU" - An Post is a service meant to deliver post. Let me to decide where I want to spend my money;

- "We are working hard and we are here to help" - my sympathy goes to An Post front line staff, they are indeed working hard. However the best help would be to deliver the post, not to return it;

And probably the most cynical thing is that all this nonsense would be paid from the taxpayer's pocket.

No but unfortunately some others do, going by some responses.

An post keep peddling this line about buying from 'their partners', like they have everything covered. They have 4. Amazon, M&S, Boots and River Island. I must give River Island a shout, see if they have that obscure chainsaw part I'm looking for.

All I can say to folks is good luck getting any compensation from An Post, we've about 50 parcels lost or miss-delivered since 2019 that we're still waiting for them to resolve. They used to be reasonable with this and took about 2 or 3 months to either pay out or demand more information, now, zilch.

McRedmond is flat out lying now on Twitter, blaming Revenue for enforcing the new system put in place by An Post. The rules have changed, but he's blaming Revenue for An Posts shortcomings.

I've tagged him in a couple of tweets this morning where people have paid for VAT for the package to be returned to sender, just to soften his cough.

One thing for sure, if only AnPost is presenting a 'Very Complex' postal requirement to International senders, then Ireland will dissappear from the mailing destinations of International suppliers. The idea that thousands of business or private traders worldwide are going to eventually learn a 'Complex' system just for one little market is absurd. We will become and remain pariahs. The pompous audacity of AnPost to think they can dictate this. I've been watching my (returned to) suppliers other deliveries (by just incrementing my tracking no. a digit at a time). It's despairing to see the same goods enter the US and elsewhere, and be delivered within a day.

Funny, he went quiet at the same time as the An Post account there. It's clear as day that back and forth with him are pointless. His arrogance is pretty much everything I expected. And less.