I was lucky enough to go abroad (to Mallorca) for a holiday in October. It was the first time I was able to use the travelling mode on Postcrossing as I joined in the pandemic. I saved 4 slots and my daughter saved 4 slots and we excitedly picked 8 addresses, went and chose cards, wrote the cards (and did a couple of drawings) and asked for stamps in bad Spanish and then put all the cards in the post box at the hotel. 20 days later not one of the cards has been delivered . The hotel is now closed for the winter and I have a horrible feeling our 8 cards are still stuck in that postbox.
Nothing I can do but I knew people on here would understand. I canāt be the only person this has happened to - please feel free to share your stories of when postboxes swallowed your cards.
Oh, how sad is that! But thereās still hope that your cards will get sent along next year when the hotel (hopefully) reopens againā¦
I havenāt experienced anything like that yet, the only story I can contribute is that I one had an expired card to Spain that got registered months later, when the recipient found out that a lot of her mail had been placed into a postbox that belonged to another flat in her building, but nobody lived in that flat so the mail started piling up. That was how she found out that a lot of missing mail for her had actually ended up in that box.
A few years ago in Dublin I handed my postcards to the hotel receptionist upon checkout since I didnāt know whether I would find a mailbox on the way to the airport. The cards were stamped and the person promised to put them in a mailbox for me.
When nothing arrived after a few weeks I actually sent a message to the hotel asking about it and they assured me that everything had been mailed. (But more along the lines of: Well, if you gave it to the person they surely put it in the mail as promised.)
About half a year later the cards actually did start to arrive. I still donāt know what really happened but assume they were lying in a drawer at the hotel reception most of that time.
It happened to a friend of mine. He sent me a postcard from Eivissa, and it arrived some months later, when the hotel reopened. So there is still hope!
Years ago a friend of mine experienced the same story with ā¦ Mallorca.
She travelled to Mallorca during the school holidays, wrote her postcards (no Postcrossing) the last day and left them with a hotel assistant. Cross my heart, he/she was to mail it personally, and put the cards in a drawer.
Two months later my friends asked if I may have forgotten to thank her for her postcard. But I didnāt know about it. I hadnāt received any card.
More months go by and sometime in spring the next year I get a postcard from my friend sent from Mallorca with a very readable date mark from three days earlier.
Now, the fun of the little story is that three days earlier I was together with this very friend in Berlin. Since then I tease her because of her gift of ubiquity.
Well, donāt give up, your postcards will resurface, my best guess at the latest around Eastern 2022.
A postcrosser from Hong Kong visited Bali once and put her cards into the Postbox in front of the Post Office. What she didnt know was that Indonesia Postal doesnt open the Postbox anymore. We have to give it to the clerk staff. The Postbox was a mere decoration. I know that in some country Postbox are widely used and I think it is very efficient. You can send your card 24h, not limited by the Post Office working hour.
Luckily the cards were not official cards so no expiry date on them.
After about 3 months she reached out to me, I tried to ask one of the Post Office staff that I know, long story short, they opened the Postbox (by force since they cannot find the key to the Postbox!), found her cards, processed them and a month later the cards arrived
Is there anyway to contact the hotel? Usually even if the hotel closed there would be someone coming for maintenance once and a while
@postcrossingbali that is an astonishing story. I wonder if the recipients of the cards ever knew what had happened. I think Iāll drop the hotel an email next week to see if someone can find the cards
My last day in London I hastily dropped a handful of postcards in the red pillar mailbox outside my hotel, and headed to the airport. Months passed, and the cards never arrived. Eventually they made it, but they came by way of the Philippinesā because I had unknowingly bought āUniversal Mailā stamps at the tourist shop, instead of Royal Mail stamps!
This is great - does āUniversal Mailā mean that your mail gets to take a trip aroung the globe then? At least it wasnāt to the end of the Universe and backā¦
Good news - I contacted the hotel and they promised me the post box was emptied. Finally I got a hurray message today from Germany. The 1st card has arrived after 37 days! I wonder how long it will take the other 7.
Oh phew! Thatās wonderful news. That is also optimistic for the arrival of the others.
Well, perhaps the post box was not emptied immediately, or maybe it is simply the beginning of Christmas (holiday) mail traffic and everything is slowed down. In any case, I hope your other 7 cards arrive soon. I am sure the recipients will be happy no matter what
. The hotel is now closed for the winter and I have a horrible feeling our 8 cards are still stuck in that postbox.
But thereās still hope that your cards will get sent along next year when the hotel (hopefully) reopens againā¦
at the latest around Eastern 2022.
At least it wasnāt to the end of the Universe and backā¦