delphiandomine: Is it a word of any postal authority, apart from maybe the Swiss and German systems? Certainly with Royal Mail - they're about as unprofessional and unefficient as a company can be.
Royal Mail has many flaws, but Poczta Polska is by far the worst I have ever experienced. I can safely say I have never had any lost parcels, let alone stolen items, sending or receiving via Royal Mail. Poczta Polska on the other hand has an inferiority complex whenever they are given constructive criticism. How unprofessional is that? It’s not just lack of professionalism and efficiency. We’re also talking about theft. That is even worse, it's criminal.
delphiandomine: It happens with international shipping. It's why insurance and very expensive courier options exist. I knew a guy who once had to send one (small) piece of oil related machinery to a client. Did he post it? No. Did he use a courier company? No. He personally flew and hand delivered the item - because it was needed *now* and he couldn't take the risk of anyone else messing up the delivery. And this was the Chief Executive of a fairly well known oil supply firm!
You have to be joking. You can’t seriously expect me to fly out from the UK to Warsaw to deliver a parcel containing high street goods that were meant as a gift for a loved one. I don’t have the money to spend on ‘very expensive courier options’ simply because of someone else’s incompetencies? I said it was an expensive parcel, but not THAT expensive. Maybe I should have been more precise about the cost. But just because it doesn't cost as much as a piece of machinery doesn't mean it’s alright to lose it. I paid for it to be delivered, and therefore on that basis alone I expect it to be delivered. Needless to say, I will nevertheless use someone like DHL in future.
delphiandomine: What about cases where money has been shamelessly stolen from letters and the letter resealed? This goes on all the time with the Royal Mail - in fact, what about the way that the Royal Mail have had huge problems with posties dumping mail? We could go on...
Trust me if they steal medication that is of no use to them, then they will almost certainly steal money too. Just because it hasn't happened to me, doesn't mean that doesn't happen with Poczta Polska too.
delphiandomine: Ever had a complaint successfully resolved by Royal Mail recently? Their attitude is very much "oh well, claim on the insurance" - they won't bother to actually try and find out what happened. In fact, Royal Mail have been getting a bad rep recently for messing up Special Delivery - what's that all about?!
With Poczta Polska I wouldn't be surprised if you can't even claim compensation.
delphiandomine: You do realise that you'll get as far as a Polish national complaining to the Royal Mail would get - ie, nowhere?
It looks like that is exactly where I have gotten with Poczta Polska - nowhere. You're probably right, it may be the same the other way round. I haven't tried.
delphiandomine: Then you need to reevaluate your shipping arrangements. Personally, I wouldn't trust *any* national postal system (apart from the aforementioned Swiss and German ones) with anything that was important. Why do you think many large UK retailers don't use the Royal Mail anymore, and private couriers in Poland are very common?
Yes, I understand, but it's nevertheless because of their incompetencies that I need to do that. Hence, this is why I’m so frustrated. I will certainly reconsider my shipping options. No doubt about that. I definitely agree with Harry on both points though.
Harry: Poles use private couriers not because they are cheaper (they aren't) but because they actually deliver things instead of stealing them.
Far too many parcels are being lost or stolen via Poczta Polska. Even my polish friends use the courier for that very reason as I eventually found out. It's sad that we have to use more expensive couriers to add to our costs just because the national postal service over there is such a disgrace.
Harry: To Poland there are very few parcel companies which don't use Poczta Polska. Even your beloved Deutsche Post lost about a quarter of the parcels I have sent from Germany (because they are stupid enough to use PP in Poland).
Also something that I’m worried about. Some of the other methods may still eventually have to rely on Poczta Polska or at least the local post office in the region. Neither that I trust anymore.
delphiandomine: The problem is that you're not a Polish national. There is a very large inbuilt defence mechanism that many Poles have - which is that they're simply not going to take criticism from anyone else that isn't Polish. Just as a complaint from a Polish national to the Royal Mail would end up in the bin, the same applies here.
That is stupid though. Don't you think? I'm a paying customer and so I have the same right to make a formal complaint. That is irrespective of my nationality. I'm glad you brought that up though. I was actually told by the recipient of the parcel that she is unable to make a complaint. I was bemused when I found out the reason was due to many Polish people taking offence at being criticised by foreign nationals. If they are THAT sensitive in dealing with other nationals then what the hell are they doing joining the EU? The fact of the matter is they're a large company that are in a business where customer relations are of utmost importance. They have a responsibility to paying customers to meet expectations and to deal with formal complaints appropriately. Whether such a complaint comes from Polish citizens or foreign nationals should not be a reason for them to take it as a personal attack. Getting so easily offended over a business and not a personal matter is like a child throwing a tantrum when it’s told off. It’s pathetic when it comes from people that are in a profession where dealing with complaints is a natural part of their jobs. You call that professional behaviour? They steal items out of parcels and when someone makes a formal complaint they are the victims? Am I just supposed to say that's acceptable? Well, they HAVE to take that criticism. They have a responsibility towards their customers. Royal Mail may throw it in the bin, but they're not going to get all sensitive over a formal complaint. In fact, they thank you for making complaints and assure you it will be dealt with appropriately. I’m astounded by your confirmation that it’s actually true they get offended in that sense.
delphiandomine: You have to remeber one thing - there's no guarantee that it wasn't the Royal Mail's fault. Given the utter mess that the Royal Mail is in at the moment - you really cannot assume that they are saintly and Poczta Polska is evil.
I know, that’s what I initially thought, but it’s definitely not Royal Mail. The reason is simple. My parcel was sent to someone at a student hostel that is exclusively for foreign students. That means there are people from all over the world in that hostel. Many of them, irrespective of their nationality, have had similar experiences where parcels were opened and items stolen. Many of those parcels were from family members; others from retailers that use alternative methods of dispatching commercial parcels. So there is no way Royal Mail can be responsible for all the other lost mail. It is also very unlikely that each of the respective national postal services used by families is simultaneously at fault. Not to mention the retailers that all use different shipping methods. The only common link is Poczta Polska. They have opened a package and taken food out of it! That was a parcel not handled in any way by Royal Mail, but a completely different country from another continent. Yet, the way in which the parcel was handled was identical. I’m not attacking them for no reason. Taking food and medication out of parcels is just atrocious. It’s of no use to them whatsoever. That is acting like a third world country.
delphiandomine: All I can suggest is that you use a different shipping option in future - I don't understand why you were relying on national postal organisations to deliver an expensive parcel. By all accounts, Poczta Polska used to be an absolutely dreadful company - but now, they really seem to have bucked up their act. But ultimately, your problem is with the Royal Mail, not Poczta Polska - after all, you had a contract with Royal Mail for your parcel to be delivered, not with Poczta Polska.
As explained, when I said expensive I didn't mean to an extent where the cost of a courier would always justified; yet, expensive enough to really frustrate me when handled in such a way. I have learnt now, and I will probably even send a damn letter using DHL! LOL But not all things can be compensated for by money. For example, I mentioned the time and cost of purchasing the same items again. Then the time and cost of sending them again. Also, the fact that some things have a certain sentimental value too. Especially if it was a surprise that has now been spoilt.
Either you had some very bad experiences with Royal Mail, or some very good ones with Poczta Polska. Either way, the simple truth is that from my experience on BOTH occasions my parcels were either lost or tampered with. So from those accounts Poczta Polska is still an absolutely dreadful company. I do agree though, that my contract is with Royal Mail, and that if I pay for their service, they need to ensure I get what I paid for, which is the safe delivery of my parcel. I am very annoyed with them too over that. But there is no getting away from the fact that it was the polish postal service that lost and tampered with the respective parcels. If the one parcel was genuinely lost then as long as Royal Mail at least compensate the value of the contents, that's something. But opening parcels, taking items that are of no use to them simply because their system won't trace and discipline those doing it, is absolutely unacceptable. My contract is with Royal Mail, but Poczta Polska has stolen my items.
|
top of page