Good morning (as I’m composing this message). Actually, this message doesn’t concern postcards I sent as a part of Postcrossing.
Anyway, I mailed a bunch of postcards on December 2 from a post office in Paris. Most of them have arrived at their destination. However, I haven’t gotten any word whether friends based in Germany and the U.K. have gotten their postcards yet. They’re normally good at letting me know a.s.a.p. when postcards arrive.
Has anyone experienced any crazy delays regarding sending postcards from Paris to anywhere else in Western Europe? I don’t think I miswrote the addresses. But of course, there’s no way of finding that out.
I can’t say for Germany, but it was leaked recently that in the UK, parcels are prioritised over letters (which includes postcards).
Oftentimes there won’t be mail for days, then one big batch comes, which is why there may be a delay in your UK friends getting them.
It’s the same here in Germany. Parcels are prioritised and many of us only getting mail one or two days in the week. If the Postman/-women is ill it can be that letters and postcards aren’t delivered over a week (my experience).
I’m in Australia so sending anywhere takes longer but lately my postcards have been falling off the ‘expired’ cliff at 60 days for no apparent reason. Cards to Germany, Canada and elsewhere that usually take much less than 30 days to arrive (often around 20) are taking well over 50, with 3 expired this week and another 2 due to in the next few days.
I don’t recall this happening before previous Christmases but have certainly wondered about the reason for the delay
Maybe the delay is related to Christmas. But two postcards I sent to Japanese friends from the same post office in Paris that day have arrived at their destination. I know that’s also the case for a friend living in Florida.
I sent my friend in Bremen a postcard from Japan on October 17. It may have arrived on October 31. She told me she saw the postcard that day but she had just returned from a short trip. So it could have arrived earlier.
Thanks! The weird thing was earlier this year … I dropped off a postcard in a mailbox in Reykjavík on May 19 and it didn’t arrive at its UK destination until June 24 (I’m just going by when my friend told me she got the postcard. I don’t know when it was postmarked).
But I sent a postcard on October 17 - postmarked the same day - from Japan that reached her on October 25.
Well the news was only recently reported on, but who’s to say this prioritising of parcels haven’t been going on longer, dating back to before this investigation?
Couple that with the seasonal increase in parcels (Christmas gifts and all), one should see a larger delay than usual times.
yes, I can confirm.
I talked to my postman on a Saturday aftrnoon ten days ago, complaining that he did not stop at our house though I knew that the daily paper is delivered by him (and I got the Saturday-issue on Monday or Tuesday the weeks before our talk). He told me that after two a clock he is only allowed to deliver parcels and therefore has no authority to stop and deliver my newspaper and postcards.
I was not happy. He asked me to complain to the postal authorities as he was not happy either (have done so).
My step-dad’s a postman, he’s been saying for months that royal mail is desperate to try and compete against Amazon and other parcel delivery companies
Basically parcel delivery is worth more money, so they get prioritised, and letters have taken the back seat.
This will only get worse in if royal mail decides to stop delivering letters on Saturdays - possibly to save the company money
FWIW, they cannot “decide” to stop Saturday deliveries, the Government has to approve it. Royal Mail keep asking the Government for this, who in turn keep saying no…
It’s crazy what’s going on with the British and German postal services.
Although regarding the U.K. … this may be a dumb question, but are regions other the south-east of England being hit hard by delays? It seems to be most affected location from what I’ve gathered. My friend lives in Stockport, by the way.
I’ve been very lucky compared to many postcrossers in the UK. I live in a small town south of London (so in the southeast) and so far, I haven’t had any of these sorts of delays that others have experienced. I get letter and postcard deliveries on 6 days a week still. And have done for the 4 years I’ve been a member of Postcrossing.
To respond to your question @7beachbum , I don’t know if it’s a regional thing. It could be that my town is lucky but other towns around me are experiencing the sorts of delays you mention. I just don’t know.
While I am too affected by the delay and chaos of Deutsche Post I must admit that all of my recent cards from France reached me between a week and 10-12 days. Some of them were sent from Paris, too, some from very rural areas. Even a card with very illegible adress (it was re-enquired by Deutsche Post) made it in proper time.
Though in total (Postcrossing and others) I had only around 10 items from France since November, so maybe it’s not significant.
