# post boxes



## susie mandrake (Aug 18, 2013)

New rules have been instituted by Spanish post office Correos. Now every single person receiving mail in an apartado (post box in the post office) has to have registered and paid extra. In our local post office they did not notify us of this change when we renewed in January nor when they started to get really strict in March. Mail addressed to Mr and Mrs is sent back without notice if she, for instance, is not inscribed. Letters addressed to you in any form other than what was on your documentation is also returned (i.e. Dick for Richard, Bob for Robert etc as staff think this is a different person!). This lost mail has caused much suffering and I have started a campaign - but the only people joining seem to be from our local post office here in Mojacar. Question - while the rules extend to the whole of Spain is ours the only one not to issue warnings - or now to behave so intransigently??? Are people throughout Spain getting the same unfair treatment? Please help and tell me your experiences. Thank you.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

susie mandrake said:


> New rules have been instituted by Spanish post office Correos. Now every single person receiving mail in an apartado (post box in the post office) has to have registered and paid extra. In our local post office they did not notify us of this change when we renewed in January nor when they started to get really strict in March. Mail addressed to Mr and Mrs is sent back without notice if she, for instance, is not inscribed. Letters addressed to you in any form other than what was on your documentation is also returned (i.e. Dick for Richard, Bob for Robert etc as staff think this is a different person!). This lost mail has caused much suffering and I have started a campaign - but the only people joining seem to be from our local post office here in Mojacar. Question - while the rules extend to the whole of Spain is ours the only one not to issue warnings - or now to behave so intransigently??? Are people throughout Spain getting the same unfair treatment? Please help and tell me your experiences. Thank you.


:welcome:

sounds like a nightmare!

I don't use one, but I'm going to share this locally to see if anyone in my area has had the same treatment


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> :welcome:
> 
> sounds like a nightmare!
> 
> I don't use one, but I'm going to share this locally to see if anyone in my area has had the same treatment


Think these rules have been in place for a while, it's just that they're now starting to apply them,presumably as a money making exercise.

http://www.correos.es/ss/Satellite/...talle_servicio-sidioma=en_GB#tarifas-producto


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

CapnBilly said:


> Think these rules have been in place for a while, it's just that they're now starting to apply them,presumably as a money making exercise.
> 
> Apartado Postal - Correos


yes, I'd heard about the rules - I just hadn't heard of them being applied so strictly!


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Yes, our Correos started rejecting mail if it wasn't addressed exactly or if it was addressed to our son, for instance. They told us we would have to pay for three names, that is three times the annual fee if we wanted mail addressed to three different family members with the same surname. We left. Our mail now goes to my parents home (in Nerja) and as it is their own box outside the house we have no problems anymore and it is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> yes, I'd heard about the rules - I just hadn't heard of them being applied so strictly!


I've seen it posted on 2/3 other forums in the last few months.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

CapnBilly said:


> I've seen it posted on 2/3 other forums in the last few months.


I don't have time to visit other forums!!


I've asked locally on FB & someone has PMd me to say that they get post to their box in the post office in her name & her husband's - various combinations of the names - also they sometimes get post for some friends of theirs whose name isn't on the form they completed - & also for a club they are involved with!


so it seems that in our area they aren't so strict, at least...


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## CapnBilly (Jun 7, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> I don't have time to visit other forums!!
> 
> 
> I've asked locally on FB & someone has PMd me to say that they get post to their box in the post office in her name & her husband's - various combinations of the names - also they sometimes get post for some friends of theirs whose name isn't on the form they completed - & also for a club they are involved with!
> ...


Yet !


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

CapnBilly said:


> Yet !


you took that right out of my mouth!!


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

The UK is not bad in the bureaucracy stakes either, when a good friend died unexpectedly aged 53 I helped sort out his affairs, this included organising a small widows pension for his 45 year old widow from his contracted out benefits. She remarried a few years later and her husband told me that she had paid tax on this pension since inception when she never earned up to the tax-free allowance, I told him to send all of her year end statements to the revenue, but didn't expect them to ask her to prove that she hadn't been drawing a state pension since she had been widowed. She was 45 years of age for god's sake, but she still had to contact the Pensions Office for corroboration of the obvious fact that she could not draw a state pension at age 45.

I reckon that this betters the Spanish Post Office.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

susie mandrake said:


> New rules have been instituted by Spanish post office Correos. Now every single person receiving mail in an apartado (post box in the post office) has to have registered and paid extra. In our local post office they did not notify us of this change when we renewed in January nor when they started to get really strict in March. Mail addressed to Mr and Mrs is sent back without notice if she, for instance, is not inscribed. Letters addressed to you in any form other than what was on your documentation is also returned (i.e. Dick for Richard, Bob for Robert etc as staff think this is a different person!). This lost mail has caused much suffering and I have started a campaign - but the only people joining seem to be from our local post office here in Mojacar. Question - while the rules extend to the whole of Spain is ours the only one not to issue warnings - or now to behave so intransigently??? Are people throughout Spain getting the same unfair treatment? Please help and tell me your experiences. Thank you.


In the UK if you make a redirection for yourself, or have mail sorted to a separate box, then mail addressed to Mr and Mrs has to be returned to sender. You have right to pay for any service for yourself, but you have no right to have your spouses mail treated the same way as yours without them authorising it. The service in the UK, you have always had to pay for it.
In the UK, you cannot withhold the mail for any reason without an authorisation. Papain has differed from the UK in many respects. I get a delivery once a week where I live. That can't happen in the UK. There is much wrong with the oficina de correo in Spain, but they are learning fast.
I understand your concern, but as a delivery office manager in the UK I had to handle complaints and requests just like this over the years


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Mail addressed to Mr and Mrs, please also be aware, if a married couple split up or separate, it is imperative you do not treat the mail as being delivered to a PO Box or have it redirected unless there is authorisation from both parties. If there is no authorisation then you cannot deal with the item. I believe it comes under data protection.


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## extranjero (Nov 16, 2012)

A lot of very important letters will go missing by the sound of it-letters from DWP, pension providers who send you forms to send back stating you are still eligible for pensions.What about birthday, Christmas presents and cards. Even if you write to relevant people and ask them to address mail in a certain way, there are mistakes.
Correos is being pedantic to the extreme. People moan about the Post office in UK, but at least they attempt to deliver post with spelling mistakes, no post codes, wrong addresses.It's not overstating it to say that Correos could ruin someone's life with it's pettiness. They had no problems delivering post addressed in different, but still correct modes, so why now?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Sounds as though it is getting like the USPS where the slightest omission/error results in mail returned to sender. 

In the last year or so every house has had to have installed (if not already in place, either a mail slot in the wall/outer door or a mailbox (buzón), at least that is the case in our village.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

So why do people have post boxes?
Is it because you live so out of the way the post office doesn't deliver?


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> So why do people have post boxes?
> Is it because you live so out of the way the post office doesn't deliver?


That's it exactly. We live in the campo and the Correos simply do not deliver out here. So it's a PO Box or no mail.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Spain's biggest problem is the lack of experienced staff. Staff are not encouraged to make a career in the oficina de correo because each year they get a pay increment. On top of that, outside of a city or lage town, many addresses are ambiguous. In my street alone, several numbers of houses have the same house number. Several urbinizations have similar names and that combined with inexperienced staff is a reason why mail goes astray.
The oficina de correo is Improving slowly. Our sorting office has new frames with individual addresses. People are restricted to where they can go. The PO box system has improved, but they have a long way to go to give a half decent service. I will say this, get the best postman from the UK and put him in a rural sorting office and he would not cope with the system of addresses. Having been a manager in the UK. I do get to help out at times, but even with nearly 30 years experience, even I struggle.


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

On top of what I have said, there is no experienced cover for holidays or sickness. Someone is put in the office and told to do their best. 
Having said that, there are a few dedicated carteros who take pride in their work.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Aron said:


> On top of what I have said, there is no experienced cover for holidays or sickness. Someone is put in the office and told to do their best.
> Having said that, there are a few dedicated carteros who take pride in their work.


We used to have a great cartera who knew her job and was very nice with it, her contract came to an end and she was replaced with a misery. The head honcho is another misery and ignorant with it but I've got him sorted by asking him his name and now I address him as Antonio, I even ask how his holiday was - he is now as nice as pie and co-operative.


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

out of interest how much roughly there about is a mail box???


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## Megsmum (Sep 9, 2012)

cambio said:


> out of interest how much roughly there about is a mail box???


dont worry stupid has found out for herself!!!!! thanks xx


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

cambio said:


> out of interest how much roughly there about is a mail box???


We pay about 80 euros per year for a private mail box (not correos) but I think for new people the price is nearer 120e.



aron said:


> ...
> 
> On top of that, outside of a city or lage town, many addresses are ambiguous. In my street alone, several numbers of houses have the same house number. Several urbinizations have similar names and that combined with inexperienced staff is a reason why mail goes astray.
> 
> ...


In the campo where we live, although it's only 3km outside of town, we don't have a street name. The electric company have one address for us, the water another, telephone company another and then the town hall use the poligono style address. We've tried to standardise this with the utility companies but they aren't interested and simply won't do it.

Because of this, and the lack of a street name even though we are on a good road, it's no wonder that mail would struggle to get to us.

In my opinion, whilst some of the blame is with correos, it's also down to the basic infrastructure managed by the town halls etc.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

snikpoh said:


> we don't have a street name


They probably can't decide whether it should be in Castellano, Valenciano, Aragonese, or...


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