What's Happening To My Mail?

[monsieurhappy]

Another letter from my brother in the UK seems to have gone missing. He posted it about 3 weeks ago. I posted one to him about 3 days later and when I rang him 4 days after he had already received my letter but still no sign of his. It's such a hit or miss service! The letter he sent to me previously which only contained blank bank forms and was sent "paper rate" arrived in 4 days. A while back, after losing 4 out of 6 six letters I got my wife to type up my address in Thai with just Thailand spelt in English. I sent my brother these labels and "Hey presto" the first one arrives - no problem. Now we're back to square one with almost every other letter going missing. Does anybody with links to the Post Office, either English or Thai know where all these letters are going? I know there have been instances in the UK where heaps of mail have been found dumped or in someones garage but how many more people are losing their letters? What makes things even worse is that the other day the phone bill arrived where they had put the wrong address on it and someone had corrected it! Maybe my brother will have to put "Bill" on the envelope to make sure I get his letter. They always manage to deliver bills!

[johng]

The address in Thai certainly helps..but even then things still go astray ( postie can't be botherd to find your address )

so for anything remotely valuable get it sent by registered or recorded delivery.

Then, if it doesn't turn up you can go to the post office with the tracking number and ask where the heck its gone to

[CGW]

I tip the postman 20 baht on occasion, and tell him what an ace hand he is, doing such a fine job, think it helps? little less likely to sling mail away. Probably makes no difference!

Edited June 10, 2006 by CGW

[libya 115]

The first line of the address is the most important: for example 45/45 M7 Soi Lucky.

If that is in English it is O.K.

Second: Hand written envelopes might go missing more often than printed labels.

In over five years, I have only had one piece of mail go missing (to my knowledge) a birthday card: perhaps 'they' thought there was money inside.

Ask people who send greetings cards to you to tuck in the flap.

Aerogrammes are also unlikely to go missing.

If you suspect your mail is being 'dumped' regardless of value: report it at your serving post office in a calm manner.

Make an effort to meet your postman and tip him for good service. Don't begrudge him the odd fifty baht.

[icecubes]

Then, if it doesn't turn up you can go to the post office with the tracking number and ask where the heck its gone to

If the post office you are talking about is in Thailand, what do you think they will do?

[Mighty Mouse]

Your letters are probably arriving but they are being opened in the expectation that they may contain money.

I had similar problems. Only about 40% of my mail would get through.

Libya 115 suggestion about using aerogrammes is a good solution.

[george]

Always use registered letter or EMS from abroad.

[Noel]

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago.

In the end I found out what the problem was: the postman was leaving the mail hanging out of the slot.

The letters, although of zero value to anyone but me, were being stolen.

I bought a larger post box and also had a word with the postman.

No problems since then...

[eugengeri]

Always use registered letter or EMS from abroad.

That's True!

And where I lived before, all registered or important letters was holding back in the condo office first - not throw or put it in the box. Never had problems.

From Pattaya I've heard too much from this problem (story).

[Chang_paarp]

Maybe my brother will have to put "Bill" on the envelope to make sure I get his letter. They always manage to deliver bills!

Just ask him to use "window" envelopes that the bills come in. With your label on a DL size sheet of paper with some other red writing on it.

You might want to try getting someone to send one of those "You might have won $$$$" letters. See if that arrives. If the folk who intersept it are smart, they will fill in the form with their own name, send it back and learn the joys of getting their own mail.

[johng]

If the post office you are talking about is in Thailand, what do you think they will do?

They'll go out the back and have a look in the wire "cages" that they keep undelivered letters in and hopefully find it

[britmaveric]

Getting nicked I'm afraid.

[mike100]

At my address in Buriram everything gets through, however at my Pattaya address I’ve given up any hope of receiving mail from overseas now.

After a change in postman a couple of years ago, he told my wife that it gets stolen or dumped mostly, and for the next few months received more or less everything that I was expecting. Then he moved to a different area, and the mail stopped again. Wife complained to local office, but nothing has changed.

Even had a TNT parcel that failed to arrive, although it made it back to the UK sender saying my address did not exist, LOL.

[Mobi]

Strange.

I've been living out at Pong, near Mabprachan for about 7 months now.

I don't get a lot of mail, but to the best of my knowledge it all gets to me with no problems. Local bills, stuff from Bangkok, letters, birthdays cards, Christmas cards etc from all over the world - UK, South Africa, USA; businesss mail from Jersey, magazines from Bkk, UK and so on and so on. Much of it has been hand written in English, and none of it has been sent by registered or any other kind of special delivery.

Maybe, as I'm out in the "sticks", I escape the avaricious postal workers of 'urban' Pattaya.

I've never seen my postman, and have certainly never given him a tip.

PS. I never had any problems with my mail in BKK either.

PPS If your mail is not getting through, why don't you rent a postbox at the post office?

[monsieurhappy]

Strange.

I've been living out at Pong, near Mabprachan for about 7 months now.

I don't get a lot of mail, but to the best of my knowledge it all gets to me with no problems. Local bills, stuff from Bangkok, letters, birthdays cards, Christmas cards etc from all over the world - UK, South Africa, USA; businesss mail from Jersey, magazines from Bkk, UK and so on and so on. Much of it has been hand written in English, and none of it has been sent by registered or any other kind of special delivery.

Maybe, as I'm out in the "sticks", I escape the avaricious postal workers of 'urban' Pattaya.

I've never seen my postman, and have certainly never given him a tip.

PS. I never had any problems with my mail in BKK either.

PPS If your mail is not getting through, why don't you rent a postbox at the post office?

Hi Mobi,

I don't live very far from you, just the other side of the Fishermans. We may even have the same postman. lol. But my mail has been hit and miss for over 3 years now. We did have a word with postman a while back and he said other people had been complaining about the same thing, lost mail. None of my mail has contained anything valuable, only stuff relavent to my pension etc. My brother did send me my new credit cards a while back. At first I told him to send them separately, ie. my wifes first and then mine. Would you believe it the first one got here but the second one didn't. I cancelled them and when my brother received the new ones he sent them together and no problems. The funny thing is that for 3 years my P60 form has been the one that as always gone missing. I seem to get the letters from people I don't want to hear from and then even when they are badly addressed and hand written! I'm beginning to think the problem may not just be in Thailand as they say millions of letters go missing every year in the UK.

One good thing is I can always tell the people I don't want to hear from that I didn't get their letter.

[monsieurhappy]

Strange.

I've been living out at Pong, near Mabprachan for about 7 months now.

I don't get a lot of mail, but to the best of my knowledge it all gets to me with no problems. Local bills, stuff from Bangkok, letters, birthdays cards, Christmas cards etc from all over the world - UK, South Africa, USA; businesss mail from Jersey, magazines from Bkk, UK and so on and so on. Much of it has been hand written in English, and none of it has been sent by registered or any other kind of special delivery.

Maybe, as I'm out in the "sticks", I escape the avaricious postal workers of 'urban' Pattaya.

I've never seen my postman, and have certainly never given him a tip.

PS. I never had any problems with my mail in BKK either.

PPS If your mail is not getting through, why don't you rent a postbox at the post office?

Hi Mobi,

I don't live very far from you, just the other side of the Fishermans. We may even have the same postman. lol. But my mail has been hit and miss for over 3 years now. We did have a word with postman a while back and he said other people had been complaining about the same thing, lost mail. None of my mail has contained anything valuable, only stuff relavent to my pension etc. My brother did send me my new credit cards a while back. At first I told him to send them separately, ie. my wifes first and then mine. Would you believe it the first one got here but the second one didn't. I cancelled them and when my brother received the new ones he sent them together and no problems. The funny thing is that for 3 years my P60 form has been the one that as always gone missing. I seem to get the letters from people I don't want to hear from and then even when they are badly addressed and hand written! I'm beginning to think the problem may not just be in Thailand as they say millions of letters go missing every year in the UK.

One good thing is I can always tell the people I don't want to hear from that I didn't get their letter.

[suiging]

Anyone know the cost of a PO Box in town. Just an idea but if reasonable, the buggers can hardly say the postman's lost the letter if it never leaves the sorting office. All important mail from the UK could be sent via the box, people you don't like can take their chances with the postman

[eugengeri]

Anyone know the cost of a PO Box in town. Just an idea but if reasonable, the buggers can hardly say the postman's lost the letter if it never leaves the sorting office. All important mail from the UK could be sent via the box, people you don't like can take their chances with the postman

The cost of a PO Box from years ago about 800 with Deposit (key) per year in Soi Post Office, when I can remember. But don't be surprised, sometimes you've from your predecessor post in the box and also many times is the entrance to your box blocks to bags.

Like that it was years ago. Perhaps it has changed now - never was there after.

[jobsworth]

The only safe foreign mail in or out of Thailand is DHL

which at about 1000 Baht per letter is expensive.

I have received nothing for 3 years now.

Anything sent to the UK will not arrive.

I am told that the stealing happens at Don Muang airport in Bangkok.

A friend of mine sent a letter to the UK using EMS,

the Thai registered service which can be tracked on the internet.

It arrived in Bangkok and was never seen again.

[lungbing]

One of the problems is that the Post Office staff cannot go 'airside ' to collect mail bags, they have to rely on airport workers bringing the mail bags through to them. And if a bag gets 'mislaid' and not handed over to the PO until later, when it's resurfaces after being gone through, then who knows how many letters etc addressed to farangs have been removed.

This week I received a packet of crosswords from my father in UK which had 'come open' in the post. I had to go down to the main PO in town and collect it. The padded envelope had been slit open neatly and resealed with tape. The local Po had written on the back that the damage occurred elsewhere. It makes the envelope quite collectable from a postal history point of view. At least the illegitimates put it back into the system after finding out there was no money in it.

[astral]

Write a letter of complaint to:

Customer Service

Head Post Office

New Road

Bangkok 10000

You will get a response and an improvement in service, eventually.

In my case they found the postman had just been dumping the mail

instead of delivering it.