# Royal Mail Airsure...



## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

How good/bad/reliable/unreliable is this for mailing stuff to Canada?

Ed sent his paperwork to me on Tuesday afternoon (19 June)... the tracking number that they gave says it's been handed off to Postes Canada, but P.C. website has no record of it. Am not too too worried, but would like to get the paperwork before the end of the month... July 2nd is a federal holiday here in Canada (in observance of Canada Day on July 1st) and we're submitting my application on the 4th.

Are we doomed?


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## mehemlynn (Nov 16, 2011)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> How good/bad/reliable/unreliable is this for mailing stuff to Canada?
> 
> Ed sent his paperwork to me on Tuesday afternoon (19 June)... the tracking number that they gave says it's been handed off to Postes Canada, but P.C. website has no record of it. Am not too too worried, but would like to get the paperwork before the end of the month... July 2nd is a federal holiday here in Canada (in observance of Canada Day on July 1st) and we're submitting my application on the 4th.
> 
> Are we doomed?


The time we had the worst luck with the Royal Mail was when we used the 3 day shipping. Instead of taking the week that it usually takes to get to us, it took two weeks. If it has been handed off to the Canadian post, you should be fine.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

I'm hoping so. I sent a birthday card to my SIL from London to Toronto via 1st class mail along the same sort of time frame (i.e. mailed it on a Tuesday) and it got there on the following Monday. Am hoping that Ed's package will show up here in Vancouver tomorrow or Tuesday, which would allow for the extra distance to travel, given that Vancouver is several thousand kilometers west of Toronto.

I think we've got a good application (Ed earns enough, owns own place and we've met IRL) and we're just so close to getting it in before July 9 that I don't want to have Postes Canada mess it up when I can see the finish line in sight.


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## Fruitpunch (Mar 27, 2012)

I'm just east of Toronto so obviously slightly closer to the uk than Vancouver  but I have nothing but good to say about royal mail airmail and royal mail air sure. Normal Airmail (letters and parcels) have always arrived within a week and I was amazed with the last air sure package that was sent - posted in the uk Saturday and arrived with me on the Tuesday morning. Perhaps one or two more days to Vancouver?

Although the royal mail website did track the package I don't think it was kept too up to date - I assume a few delays between CP and RM. Was still showing as in Toronto on the tuesday evening. Despite having the tracking stickers on I wasn't asked to sign for it but it did show up as being delivered the next day.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Fruitpunch said:


> I'm just east of Toronto so obviously slightly closer to the uk than Vancouver  but I have nothing but good to say about royal mail airmail and royal mail air sure. Normal Airmail (letters and parcels) have always arrived within a week and I was amazed with the last air sure package that was sent - posted in the uk Saturday and arrived with me on the Tuesday morning. Perhaps one or two more days to Vancouver?
> 
> Although the royal mail website did track the package I don't think it was kept too up to date - I assume a few delays between CP and RM. Was still showing as in Toronto on the tuesday evening. Despite having the tracking stickers on I wasn't asked to sign for it but it did show up as being delivered the next day.


This is reassuring... have read mixed reviews on Airsure, so I was starting to have my doubts, especially when Canada Post's system didn't have any record of the tracking number.

I will give it a day or two more... I live in suburban Vancouver (20 min. drive from the airport), so if the package made it to town this past weekend, it should be in tomorrow morning's mail. I don't think I'll start panicking until Thursday or so.

Thanks again to everyone!


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> How good/bad/reliable/unreliable is this for mailing stuff to Canada?
> 
> Ed sent his paperwork to me on Tuesday afternoon (19 June)... the tracking number that they gave says it's been handed off to Postes Canada, but P.C. website has no record of it. Am not too too worried, but would like to get the paperwork before the end of the month... July 2nd is a federal holiday here in Canada (in observance of Canada Day on July 1st) and we're submitting my application on the 4th.
> 
> Are we doomed?


Airsure is abominable and useless for tracking. Tracking is flawed - their own staff admit this when you (eventually) get a reply from them. My packet sat in New York for two days, then the tracking changed to say it had been returned to London Heathrow (the airport's Langley depot)! You can imagine how I felt about that given we were in a rush against a deadline!

Anyway, that's not meant as an OH NO - WHY DID YOU USE THEM?! It's meant as a "don't worry when tracking goes off the map". My packet hadn't come back to the UK, but was lost somewhere in NY Customs amid heightened security. Airsure DOES deliver, though not in the most immediate way they promise. What you need to do is pick up the tracking of the recipient service in Canada. For the US, the packet enters the mainstream USPS mailing service (not priority - which is maddening given the promises Airsure makes), but USPS did offer tracking and I was able to follow the packet US-side despite Airsure stating that the packet was still sat at Heathrow.


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

mehemlynn said:


> The time we had the worst luck with the Royal Mail was when we used the 3 day shipping. Instead of taking the week that it usually takes to get to us, it took two weeks. If it has been handed off to the Canadian post, you should be fine.


Yes, I can imagine. Airsure is actually a service operated by Royal Fail so it's not too reliable either. If I was ever to do this again for something urgent, I would use a courier like UPS.


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

*Finally, some progress!!*

Well, after spending a week flying the friendly skies between London and Vancouver, _both_ Royal Mail and Postes Canada acknowledged that Ed's envelope surfaced in the Customs office at the airport here in Vancouver yesterday morning (I am shocked that both would be simultaneously giving similar information after a week of nothing from Postes Canada).

After hanging tight for 23 hours, now Postes Canada says that they have received the envelope and are processing it for delivery. (You can't know what horrid things about what could possibly go wrong went through my mind while I waited for it to clear customs)

I expect that it should be in my hot little hands (which are actually ice cold from nervousness at the minute) by this time tomorrow, given that I live less than 20 minutes drive from the airport.

Saturday I will go and get my passport photos done and next Wednesday, Ed and I will submit my application.


Thanks again to everyone who bothered to read this thread and/or gave input!


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Well, after spending a week flying the friendly skies between London and Vancouver, _both_ Royal Mail and Postes Canada acknowledged that Ed's envelope surfaced in the Customs office at the airport here in Vancouver yesterday morning (I am shocked that both would be simultaneously giving similar information after a week of nothing from Postes Canada).
> 
> After hanging tight for 23 hours, now Postes Canada says that they have received the envelope and are processing it for delivery. (You can't know what horrid things about what could possibly go wrong went through my mind while I waited for it to clear customs)
> 
> ...


The most wonderful assurance you can have is that it's now out of Royal Mail's hands. Oh, I'm being mean and we COULD do a lot worse, but I don't trust important mail with the international arm of our postal service. Once my packet was in the US, it whizzed all the way from NY down to Florida within a day.


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## mehemlynn (Nov 16, 2011)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Well, after spending a week flying the friendly skies between London and Vancouver, _both_ Royal Mail and Postes Canada acknowledged that Ed's envelope surfaced in the Customs office at the airport here in Vancouver yesterday morning (I am shocked that both would be simultaneously giving similar information after a week of nothing from Postes Canada).
> 
> After hanging tight for 23 hours, now Postes Canada says that they have received the envelope and are processing it for delivery. (You can't know what horrid things about what could possibly go wrong went through my mind while I waited for it to clear customs)
> 
> ...


My MIL sent our package out as Airsure as well, this morning it said it was in the US, so hopefully tomorrow I'll get mine as well. 

Now for us both to finish up the paperwork and get it in. 

Edit: I just checked our tracking on the Royal Mail and USPS and they aren't even close. So we will be waiting a bit longer.

M


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## 2farapart (Aug 18, 2011)

USPS is more reliable on actually knowing where your packet is. Ignore Airsure's borked tracking. If USPS states that it's waiting to take delivery, it's still in Customs but it will get through.


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