Mail fail: Postcard left untouched in post box for 2 months

[Scouse Twoccer]

I would never dream of using a postbox, many are not collected on a regular basis. Much better to take to a post office and know it is on it's way.

Most post boxes are emptied on a regular basis.

[jamesbrock]

"...but with the failure rate of Thai mail..."

What "failure rate"? The one that you invented?

Ah, look, the apologist!

The failure rate that I speak of is the one commonly acknowledged outside apologist circles, and one I have personally experienced at multiple addresses across Thailand. It is also is backed up by this:

If any mail "gets through" in our village it's a monumentous occasion. It's not only that much of our mail isn't delivered but other Thai residents have not received - some very important - mail either. Complaints have been made but.... in Lack of Sanctions (LOS) nothing credible happens insuring the taking of job/personal responsibility. Seems like it's all one big game.

and this:

That is what I expected. To lazy to walk two blood meters to a a trash can, but through it in a letter box. The need some lesson of basic behavior and how to do their jobs professional.

Further, 3 out of 10 post sending I did never receive.

and this:

In my village, normal mail (including bills) is rarely if ever delivered, ems etc is aways delivered in a timely manner. My only bills here are TOT and i have to ring the office every month to get them to send email copies of the bills. Normal mail i always direct to my BKK address and collect every 2 pr 3 weeks. Post office explanation is that they can rarely hire someone who is willing to do the job. Ems is delivered by senior staff.

among others.

So, either there is a large failure rate with the Thai postal service - of a bunch of unrelated expats independently decided to lie in order to bash the postal service that even you say only does their job most of the time. Obviously there are people who are fortunate enough to be serviced by a regular mailman who knows his run, but there are many others who live in an area that cannot recruit, nor keep competent employees.

[Blue Muton]

If any mail "gets through" in our village it's a monumentous occasion. It's not only that much of our mail isn't delivered but other Thai residents have not received - some very important - mail either. Complaints have been made but.... in Lack of Sanctions (LOS) nothing credible happens insuring the taking of job/personal responsibility. Seems like it's all one big game.

Same, but with the addressing conventions in Thailand it's a miracle any mail makes it around rural Thailand at all!

Getting it sorted down to the Tambon level would be easy enough, even Muban level, but after that the poor mailman is pretty much on his own.

In a regular country, the mailman (or anyone, for that matter) would get to the village, find the street and travel down that street following the logical numerical sequence of houses - knowing that number 16 is going to be between 14 & 18 and pretty much across the road from 15.

In rural Thailand, street names are not used, and there is no logical nor numerical sequence to the houses. Each village is divided into numbered plots - numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur; each of these numbered plots may (or may not) contain multiple houses - with each house, again, numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur. My wife's house in her village is numbered 7/13 Moo3, whereas the house next door is numbered 121/2 Moo3.

I'm sure a regular mailman would soon get to know his run, and for new mailmen Thailand Post has maps available showing the location of each house on each plot in each village - but with the failure rate of Thai mail it would seem they're only used some of the time.

When our house was finished and we went to register it we were given a choice of numbers! Having said that we've never had any problem receiving mail either from within Thailand or from England.

[JAG]

Yet, all my monthly bills never fail to arrive on time, month after month without fail.....

My bills always seem to make it through, albeit usually after the due payment date. No-one seems bothered at all when I pay them late......

Two letters from my foreign bank posted a month apart both took 5 months to arrive. Two birthday cards posted a couple of days apart took 7 days each.

My UK bank has a habit of despatching letters in a second class postage paid window envelope, not marked for airmail. They usually get here, after several months, presumably on a slow boat to China.

[selftaopath]

If any mail "gets through" in our village it's a monumentous occasion. It's not only that much of our mail isn't delivered but other Thai residents have not received - some very important - mail either. Complaints have been made but.... in Lack of Sanctions (LOS) nothing credible happens insuring the taking of job/personal responsibility. Seems like it's all one big game.

Same, but with the addressing conventions in Thailand it's a miracle any mail makes it around rural Thailand at all!

Getting it sorted down to the Tambon level would be easy enough, even Muban level, but after that the poor mailman is pretty much on his own.

In a regular country, the mailman (or anyone, for that matter) would get to the village, find the street and travel down that street following the logical numerical sequence of houses - knowing that number 16 is going to be between 14 & 18 and pretty much across the road from 15.

In rural Thailand, street names are not used, and there is no logical nor numerical sequence to the houses. Each village is divided into numbered plots - numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur; each of these numbered plots may (or may not) contain multiple houses - with each house, again, numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur. My wife's house in her village is numbered 7/13 Moo3, whereas the house next door is numbered 121/2 Moo3.

I'm sure a regular mailman would soon get to know his run, and for new mailmen Thailand Post has maps available showing the location of each house on each plot in each village - but with the failure rate of Thai mail it would seem they're only used some of the time.

There are a/b ???100 family dwellings in our village. The postal delivery guy was born/raised here. His wife who's also a postal worker only cooks/sells food outside the postal building. She's salaried but.....

He knows - honestly - all residents, but just can't seem to "get around" to doing his job. Has a nice truck/mc/house and son going to "college" however. Humnnnnnnn...

His inaction has cause much disruption to many lives here - mine included. What can be done???? Thais have this crap from cradle to grave...

[kevc]

We once never got mail for a long time then we received it all together dating back three months.

[dunroaming]

We send mail to Thailand on a regular basis. It is always goes recorded delivery and is sent to the manager of the local post office who is a cousin of my wife. Success rate is about 75%.

[timendres]

Yet, all my monthly bills never fail to arrive on time, month after month without fail.....

Ergo, this story isn't true? Or they're not incompetent?

The photo shows mail left at the bottom of a post box. Clearly the postman was not able/willing to dig down.

Bills, on the other hand, are delivered directly to the post office, in bulk, pre-sorted. (for companies posting large quantities each month, that is)

[timendres]

That's a very odd photo.

The post box is obviously used, judging by the other items in there, but his postcards that have allegedly been in there for 2 months are so immaculate compared to the other dirty letters that they could have been put there yesterday.

His cards have magically landed in the perfect position for a photo on top of the others, the right way around. And in 2 months nothing else has been posted in the box since his?

How did he get his hand and phone into the box in order to take the pictures, post box slots are designed to stop people from accessing them and nicking stuff.

I have to agree 100%. That photo does not feel genuine to me.

Not saying the problem does not exist. Maybe he had the postman open the box, saw other neglected items, placed his postcards and shot the photo to make a point. But this photo is not right.

[dcnx]

Brakes failed on the postal truck, couldn't stop to pick up the mail.

[jamesbrock]

If any mail "gets through" in our village it's a monumentous occasion. It's not only that much of our mail isn't delivered but other Thai residents have not received - some very important - mail either. Complaints have been made but.... in Lack of Sanctions (LOS) nothing credible happens insuring the taking of job/personal responsibility. Seems like it's all one big game.

Same, but with the addressing conventions in Thailand it's a miracle any mail makes it around rural Thailand at all!

Getting it sorted down to the Tambon level would be easy enough, even Muban level, but after that the poor mailman is pretty much on his own.

In a regular country, the mailman (or anyone, for that matter) would get to the village, find the street and travel down that street following the logical numerical sequence of houses - knowing that number 16 is going to be between 14 & 18 and pretty much across the road from 15.

In rural Thailand, street names are not used, and there is no logical nor numerical sequence to the houses. Each village is divided into numbered plots - numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur; each of these numbered plots may (or may not) contain multiple houses - with each house, again, numbered in the order they were originally registered at the Amphur. My wife's house in her village is numbered 7/13 Moo3, whereas the house next door is numbered 121/2 Moo3.

I'm sure a regular mailman would soon get to know his run, and for new mailmen Thailand Post has maps available showing the location of each house on each plot in each village - but with the failure rate of Thai mail it would seem they're only used some of the time.

There are a/b ???100 family dwellings in our village. The postal delivery guy was born/raised here. His wife who's also a postal worker only cooks/sells food outside the postal building. She's salaried but.....

He knows - honestly - all residents, but just can't seem to "get around" to doing his job. Has a nice truck/mc/house and son going to "college" however. Humnnnnnnn...

His inaction has cause much disruption to many lives here - mine included. What can be done???? Thais have this crap from cradle to grave...

Yes, obviously the confusing addressing conventions here are only part of the issue a lot of people experience with Thailand Post; the laziness you describe here—and as reported by this story—is another factor altogether.

That being said, that kind of laziness is not exclusive to Thailand - the note in this picture was pulled from a mate's mailbox last year, the photo is of the mailbox and his car (which had not moved, he catches a train to work)...

I don't know what aggravates me about this more:

• that the postie thought my mate's car was blocking the mailbox, but not the two neighbours' cars (they received mail); or
• that the postie took the time to pull out this note, write that he couldn't get to the mailbox, and then place the note in the mailbox!

We send mail to Thailand on a regular basis. It is always goes recorded delivery and is sent to the manager of the local post office who is a cousin of my wife. Success rate is about 75%.

It's worrying that, even though your mail is sent to the manager of the local post office who is a cousin of your wife, your failure rate is still around 25%!

[bheard]

Sent a letter from Australia to my woman in Korat - it arrived 4 weeks later (after the birthday) but it was delivered to her sister's house a small distance away.

The address was written in Thai language (and correct) except for the word "Thailand" (to get it out of Australia).

At least it arrived I guess.

[Strangebrew]

Sent my taxes via post office keep receipt 2 months later get hit failure to file sent copy showing I sent via mail still haven't got my tax forms ended up emailing them.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Strangebrew

[Strangebrew]

But best thing is Western Union tell this Thai chick from Korat that I'm going to Phucket she calls her 'boyfriend from Oz" families water buffalo died and she is going to Bangkok to get work he panics send her something like 5,000 AUD. she calls me and asks me if I want company I said sure she comes to Bangkok and pays hotel and food for 2 weeks in Phucket bought me gold chain plus tap that stuff for 2 weeks for free. So you Aussie's keep paying your "women".

[thedemon]

But best thing is Western Union tell this Thai chick from Korat that I'm going to Phucket she calls her 'boyfriend from Oz" families water buffalo died and she is going to Bangkok to get work he panics send her something like 5,000 AUD. she calls me and asks me if I want company I said sure she comes to Bangkok and pays hotel and food for 2 weeks in Phucket bought me gold chain plus tap that stuff for 2 weeks for free. So you Aussie's keep paying your "women".

Gosh that's impressive!

A gold chain plus tap. Not bad.