If Czech Post works the same way as German Post, on your Registration Receipt there should be a code for the letter destination (in Germany the ISO code, AU for Australia or AT for Austria). If they do, you can check if the clerk made a mistake or if it happened at a later stage.
A common reason for these far-off missents is that the large sorting machines for international mail some countries (like Germany) use have the boxes not sorted by alphabet or by the area in the world but by expected number of mail - the high-number destinations get the places easiest to access, to speed up the process. So if a card drops accidentally in the next box from the intended one, that can be a destination totally off from the one intended.
I’ve got cards with a PostNL-sticker (removable, thanks!) delivered quite often this year. around 10-15 I think.
These are ‘herstel’ (Recover) stickers for when a mail carrier finds a card that is not for his area in his bag. They manually put on the ‘herstel’ sticker and it gets posted again to be delivered in the right neighbourhood.
This is only done for rerouting within the Netherlands I guess, but still, it annoys me, because my address is almost always written right on the card.
They sold me these stamps when I was visiting London years ago! I always wondered why it took months for my card sent to myself by me to arrive! I think I still might have one of these somewhere here. What a surprise to get an answer now all of sudden.
Unfortuantely, they didn’t work like that. There is no code of destination unless written address by sender. I found out that at home, after post closed down (as I was going there not much time before closing), so I could do literally nothing and just hope it will be delivered/returned to me. I would complain if it was returned to me, because the mistake of the post.
@Petre: I would love to see a scan (or photo) of such a herstel sticker! It seems PostNL has a problem with their sorting machines if that happens so frequently, they seem to put cards into the wrong box.
In Germany, misrouted cards sometimes get a large removabe sticker with the corrected address, though most times the incorrect postal code is just struck through and the correct one written with pen. It has been years since I got such a sticker, so no idea where it currently is for scanning.
A bit off topic but did anyone send a postcard via another country on purpose? Or receive it this way? I’m looking into my options and trying to figure out if international post work this way, before I drop my question onto overworked customer service Ireland still has suspended mail to many countries.
I know few Postcrossers who send via another country, either for saving money or because the postal system in their own country is not as effective. So far that I know, they usually make a deal with another Postcrosser or friend living in the country they want to send from, buy stamps from the online shop (some deliver also abroad), and then send their written and stamped cards in envelope to their contact person who drops them off into the mail. I haven’t really asked what the deal is exactly, so I don’t know the details.
Also I think Åland has this service that if you buy stamps from them you can send your stamped and prepared mail back to them (in envelope) and they will deliver it. Some people here use it. Another popular one is Germany because of the fast delivery and cheaper postage, but I assume for that you need to find a contact person.
I have so far received cards sent like this from Austria (Czech member), Germany (Finnish member) and USA (Brazilian member) so it does work at least.
Maybe, when the sacks to Germany are full, rest of cards and letters are put in any another sacks- doesn’t matter where, just away from that post office.
I think that is not a nice way to treat others addresses, since there is that it shouldn’t be shared with anyone. Also, to me, seems a little complicated, to order the stamps, and then send the cards to someone. How much saving is there eventually. Maybe they could rather send a few less card and treat others addresses like they should
The label has a scratch just partly over the country and the country code before the postal code. Looks like it was interpreted as Poland, then, somehow they understood it’s Finland? Only my name is totally visible. Even the street name has 4 letter missing, so whoever resolved it’s to Finland, has done a remarkable job
I posted earlier about a postcard to myself from New Zealand being delayed in Brunei.
I thought it was postmarked in Brunei with the reason for delay, I dug the card out to have a look, turns out Brunei post just placed it into a clear envelope with this sticker and forwarded it on to the UK.
A (not even that) theoretical question: if a fellow postcrosser working for postal service should catch a missent card for you, for example from Italy to Australia detouring via Austria, would you want them to leave a note?
Actually, in these situations, I don’t dare to do anything, and think I even could be fired, but I am interested what you would think about such an (inofficial*) note.
*sadly, we don’t have an official missent stamp in my office
I’m quite sure this card wasn’t missent.
Many private postal services in New Zealand forward mail via Brunei because the postage is cheaper there, but this often results in delays in delivery.
As the postcard was mailed with DXmail, it seems like this card was also forwarded via Brunei, but not missent.
I’ve spend the last few years on & off looking for these stamps on NZ Post website.
Only just noticed the DXMail logo.
Stamp was purchased from a convience store and the cashier said they would add it to the outgoing mail. I didn’t see the stamp at the time just paid the $2.
Ireland still has suspended mail to many countries.
