# post!



## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

well its now been a fortnight ie 14 days that I sent three postcards back to Britain using the post office at Torrox, the woman weighed them and charged me E1.15 each, I saw her put the stamps on myself and the letters then just disappeared into the Ether that is the Spanish postal system, all three correctly addressed as I send to these addresses regularly, i'am not going back as I know I would be wasting time/petrol/wear and tear on the bike etc, one maybe, two a bit careless but all three, come on!! They must be somewhere!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

banana plant said:


> well its now been a fortnight ie 14 days that I sent three postcards back to Britain using the post office at Torrox, the woman weighed them and charged me E1.15 each, I saw her put the stamps on myself and the letters then just disappeared into the Ether that is the Spanish postal system, all three correctly addressed as I send to these addresses regularly, i'am not going back as I know I would be wasting time/petrol/wear and tear on the bike etc, one maybe, two a bit careless but all three, come on!! They must be somewhere!


Maybe they're in the ether of the UK postal system.


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

banana plant said:


> well its now been a fortnight ie 14 days that I sent three postcards back to Britain using the post office at Torrox, the woman weighed them and charged me E1.15 each, I saw her put the stamps on myself and the letters then just disappeared into the Ether that is the Spanish postal system, all three correctly addressed as I send to these addresses regularly, i'am not going back as I know I would be wasting time/petrol/wear and tear on the bike etc, one maybe, two a bit careless but all three, come on!! They must be somewhere!


incidentally the stamp she put on was a smallish red/purple stamp if that means anything to anybody reading this, i'am sure they used to be 'franked' when sent from a post office.


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Maybe they're in the ether of the UK postal system.


Oh! that's the Royal Mail you talking about, there are no flies on her Majesties postal system I can tell you,,,,,, a comment like that on St Georges day as well bah!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

banana plant said:


> incidentally the stamp she put on was a smallish red/purple stamp if that means anything to anybody reading this, i'am sure they used to be 'franked' when sent from a post office.


The last 2 things I've sent have been given a white label


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

We've only had a problem once in 10 years with mail here, when our mail suddenly stopped being delivered here in Spain. After no mail had arrived for almost 3 weeks my husband made an official complaint to Correos in Madrid (by telephone, they took the details in English). After a few days, the postman stopped us in town whilst we were out shopping and handed us a bundle of mail, then a letter from Correos arrived, apologising for the inconvenience and hoping that it had now been satisfactorily resolved. We never did find out what had happened, but it hasn't reoccurred. The lady who delivers our mail now is an absolute star.

Everything I send to the UK gets there within 3 days or so (just normal mail) but things seem to take longer coming the other way from the UK to here, I don't know why.

I always buy my stamps from the tobacconist as I can't be bothered to queue in the Post Office. The lady there always weighs the envelopes and sticks the stamps on, a very good service.


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

I have on a regular basis have other peoples mail put into my mail box, I have my name/number/street clearly marked on the front but they must think it's some type of dead letter drop, I just put them to one side (safe) and sometimes they just sit there until they end up on the ground being walked on etc, some of them look quite serious.


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## el romeral (May 8, 2012)

I feel your pain banana plant

The mail system in my part of rural Spain is a shambles and has been so the 16 years I have lived there.


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

el romeral said:


> I feel your pain banana plant
> 
> The mail system in my part of rural Spain is a shambles and has been so the 16 years I have lived there.


I can understand post being a problem out in the sticks or on the campos but this is a proper house on a old urb of about 30 properties, I made the mistake of offering to sign for a letter for next door once, the postie wanted to see my NIE,RESIDENCY CARD, and because I was a 'foreigner' my PASSPORT, I was about 2 seconds away from telling him to put it back in his bag as I wanted to go back sunbathing, but it was for my neighbour so I just did as asked.



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## Justina (Jan 25, 2013)

*Postal system*



Pesky Wesky said:


> Maybe they're in the ether of the UK postal system.


Indeed. I phoned the pensions in Newcastle on Friday for another s1 form and when I asked how long it would take to arrive I was told three to four weeks!!!


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

banana plant said:


> I can understand post being a problem out in the sticks or on the campos but this is a proper house on a old urb of about 30 properties, I made the mistake of offering to sign for a letter for next door once, the postie wanted to see my NIE,RESIDENCY CARD, and because I was a 'foreigner' my PASSPORT, I was about 2 seconds away from telling him to put it back in his bag as I wanted to go back sunbathing, but it was for my neighbour so I just did as asked.
> 


I have a story about accepting mail for neighbors - not mail from correos but from a delivery company - but there's a lesson to be learned nevertheless.

I once signed for a small package for my next door neighbor who wasn't home, and then was left with the task of having to check every half an hour all day long to see if they were in or not. After many hours of this when I went to ring the bell I found the gate to their front patio open although no one came to the door when I rang. I figured they were out walking their dog, so I went into the patio and left the package directly on the door-step, and then pulled the gate to but not shut. Job done - or so I thought.

The next day my bell rang and I opened the door to find an irate woman at my gate, screaming at me about her phone. Where's my phone? What have you done with my phone? She was a neighbor I didn't know from the beginning of my street. It turns out that the package from the day before (containing a mobile phone) had been improperly addressed with the digits of the house number reversed, so it read 92 instead of 29. Which meant that they had delivered it to the wrong house. No, _I_ had delivered it to the wrong house. The woman had seen on the internet that the package had been delivered, but of course she hadn't received it, so she got in touch with the delivery company and they told her that someone named _my name_ living at _my address_ had signed for and taken the package. 

I told the woman that I had left the package on the next-door neighbor's door-step, and off she went to talk to the next-door neighbor. A moment later she was back, saying that they knew nothing about a package and that I was responsible for it since I had signed for it. I realized I was in trouble! It appears that my next-door neighbors had come back from walking their dog and found a new mobile phone on their door-step and thought it was a gift from god or something and decided to keep it. The woman told me to get the phone back from my next-door neighbor or she would report me to the police for stealing her phone.

I suppose I should add here that we don't have a very good relationship with our next-door neighbors, not that we've ever fought but they aren't at all friendly and don't even say _buenos días_ if they see us (or anyone). So it wasn't surprising that when I rang their bell (and rang and rang...) they didn't open their door. 

I lost a lot of sleep over this in the next couple of weeks, but it never went any further than this. After days of trying to talk to my next-door neighbors and never getting them to open the door I gave up, and I never ended up hearing a thing from the police. I suppose the woman who had ordered the mobile phone took the matter up with the delivery company for messing up the delivery address. 

The moral of the story is that accepting mail or packages for neighbors may seem like a small favor, but in fact it is a huge responsibly. It is not my job to be a delivery person, and I will never again sign for anything if it is not for me or my family.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

We pick up our mail from a central point a ten minute walk away. I have no idea why aswe live in a 'normal' street of houses where each property has its own mailbox.
The Correos person shoves letters into boxes irrespective of address. It's over a year since we had a water or electricity bill.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

We only get mail delivered 3 or 4 times a month. I have asked at our post office about why it is so infrequent, and they say they only have enough staff to deliver the mail that needs to be signed for and little else. They encouraged me to write a letter of complaint because they are so overworked.

We live in a busy neighborhood in a suburb of Seville, by the way, not out in the middle of the countryside.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

kalohi said:


> We only get mail delivered 3 or 4 times a month. I have asked at our post office about why it is so infrequent, and they say they only have enough staff to deliver the mail that needs to be signed for and little else. They encouraged me to write a letter of complaint because they are so overworked.
> 
> We live in a busy neighborhood in a suburb of Seville, by the way, not out in the middle of the countryside.


... and when would that get delivered, if ever ! 


We regularly get mail to our address in town for people who have never lived there. The mail is mainly from the town hall or fines from DGT etc. In the early days we kept sending them back marked (in Spanish) "not known at this address". 

We've also complained directly to correos and to the town hall. Now we just throw them in the bin - what else can we do?


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

when I first moved into my present house I noticed that the house opposite had the same house number as mine, my number was correct as it was in sequence with the other houses, I had a word with the guy opposite about it and the reply was ''its the number of my house in Norway (expat) and I like the number its lucky so I have this number for my house here''!! I said ok just put any mail that you get for me in my post box and vice versa. I then sent a few 'test' letters addressed to myself, a couple of days later I could see my letters in his post box, so I waited to see what happens, guess what?,,,,,,, that's right he just took them out and put them in some other random post boxes not my box, well apparently two can play at his game and i can assure you all he missed out on a hell of a lot of letters himself,,, unreal.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

There is a Royal Decree that sets out certain numbers and population density for an area based on padron registrations and if your area doesn't have enough people living in it then they have the right to take your mail service away. Problem is the after crunching the numbers this would rule out most Urbs or areas where there are mainly detatched properties as the size of the plots kills the density numbers.

Last year they did this to where we used to live and you then had to go and pick up the ;mail from Correos itself becuase a handful of vocal residents would not agree to chip in for community boxes. We have sinced moved but they are still dicking about and moaning about it, fair enough I guess as it was the town halls decision and they aren't prepared to install or pay for the buzons either.

The same process happened a few years ago in the area we are now but at least there are boxes installed so it is relatively problem free.
Although the post office is only open from 12:30 to 2pm on weekdays so good luck if you work and have to pick a package up or something.
They also shut up shop for holidays for a week or more and all that time they are closed goes to the 14 day holding period before they return your stuff.


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pazcat said:


> Although the post office is only open from 12:30 to 2pm on weekdays so good luck if you work and have to pick a package up or something.
> They also shut up shop for holidays for a week or more and all that time they are closed goes to the 14 day holding period before they return your stuff.


This is why I recommend people use a private service. 

With ours, we are given keys to the main office door so at least we can go in when the office is closed and get our mail from our box.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Yeah I have thought of that but had trouble trying to locate such a place near by. I was looking more for a place courier drivers could drop things off rather than Correos.
So far though it is OK as I can normally make it in at some point during the week although I know there would be people that can't.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I'd just like to point out that the problems people are experiencing in not getting mail delivered to their own homes, restricted Correos opening times, etc. do not apply if you live in an urban area. We get postal deliveries to our door 5 days a week and the Correos office here is open from 9.00 am to 2.30 pm, Monday to Saturday. They certainly never close for a week or more for holidays, only for the usual public holidays.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Not as if we live in the campo though, we have lived and still live in areas which I would describe as an urban area.
Would I call it suburban? Possibly not but even when house hunting in the more suburban areas you still come across community post boxes because once the town hall crunches the numbers they realise they don't actually have to give Correos the money they need.


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## banana plant (Mar 15, 2016)

Lynn R said:


> I'd just like to point out that the problems people are experiencing in not getting mail delivered to their own homes, restricted Correos opening times, etc. do not apply if you live in an urban area. We get postal deliveries to our door 5 days a week and the Correos office here is open from 9.00 am to 2.30 pm, Monday to Saturday. They certainly never close for a week or more for holidays, only for the usual public holidays.


I live in an urban area, everybody except me now ( Norwegian sold up) is Spanish and we all still get lost/misdirected post/random letters that are for streets on the other side of town etc.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

banana plant said:


> I live in an urban area, everybody except me now ( Norwegian sold up) is Spanish and we all still get lost/misdirected post/random letters that are for streets on the other side of town etc.


That occasionally happens here, but it also used to happen to me in the UK, that I would get mail intended for another house in the same street, or parcels left with a neighbour or with me for one of them - although as far as the person delivering them knew we might not be on good terms with them nor trustworthy.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

kalohi said:


> I have a story about accepting mail for neighbors - not mail from correos but from a delivery company - but there's a lesson to be learned nevertheless.
> 
> I once signed for a small package for my next door neighbor who wasn't home, and then was left with the task of having to check every half an hour all day long to see if they were in or not. After many hours of this when I went to ring the bell I found the gate to their front patio open although no one came to the door when I rang. I figured they were out walking their dog, so I went into the patio and left the package directly on the door-step, and then pulled the gate to but not shut. Job done - or so I thought.
> 
> ...


Yes, I think it's wise to be careful about this. I take in mail/ deliveries for my neighbours quite a lot, and I didn't think anything of it until one day, a woman got out of a taxi and asked me to sign for papers for the woman across the road who it's true, I did not get on with. I told her I'd rather not as I didn't have any kind of relationship with her. She then, very indiscreetly, told me that they were some kind of divorce papers, so I'm very glad I didn't agree to take them in. The reason I stayed out of her way was precisely because she seemed to be very bad tempered. Imagine if I'd served her with her divorce papers. She'd have been shouting and screaming at me instead of her husband and kids!
Apart from that is the whole thing of taking in something of value and what happens if the person says they never received it, of if you lose/ break it...


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Justina said:


> Indeed. I phoned the pensions in Newcastle on Friday for another s1 form and when I asked how long it would take to arrive I was told three to four weeks!!!


That's because they use " Maltapost" & yes it goes via there. But at least the DSS know how theres is sent & tell you whereas the Inland revenue have no idea that they use
" globalpost" = 6weeks & if urgent  " Prioritaire" = 3 weeks & 3 days. 
Yet Mid Devon district council I posted a letter from here to them on monday morning & received back on Friday morning confirmation of receipt !


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

A woman came to our house this morning bearing a sheaf of post, she lives about ten minutes away, different street, different name and number to mine...but we share the same surname.
So...she gets my mail. Logical, no?
I guess I should be thankful she was actually living at that address and not still in South America as the letters were quite important...


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## Relyat (Sep 29, 2013)

We have Buzons (?) at the bottom of the road, but could never find out who controlled them, or how we would go about getting one so we rent a box in the Correos. Previous to this, our mail was just left in a filing cabinet there along with that for many others and I was never happy with that.
We have friends in an Urb across the valley and they have just been informed that Correos will no longer be delivering to their houses or Buzon, they will also have to collect it.
I find it unpredictable when things will arrive. For instance a parcel from the U.K. took a month, posted first class Royal Mail and yet one from Thailand took eight days. Letters the same, the system cannot be relied upon.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> A woman came to our house this morning bearing a sheaf of post, she lives about ten minutes away, different street, different name and number to mine...but we share the same surname.
> So...she gets my mail. Logical, no?
> I guess I should be thankful she was actually living at that address and not still in South America as the letters were quite important...


Do you ever see your postman/ woman?
If so it might be worth pointing out the differences between you and this other woman (I mean address wise not hair colour and age!!) I found that once I'd met our postman or woman (we've had both) and they could fix a face to a name, they would go above and beyond to get the post to us, one of them actually delivering parcels in his car after his round had finished to make sure we got presents for Christmas.
The best postwoman story we have is that we didn't get post once for over 3 weeks because she got gored by a bull in the local fiestas Of course, no substitute was available


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Do you ever see your postman/ woman?
> If so it might be worth pointing out the differences between you and this other woman (I mean address wise not hair colour and age!!) I found that once I'd met our postman or woman (we've had both) and they could fix a face to a name, they would go above and beyond to get the post to us, one of them actually delivering parcels in his car after his round had finished to make sure we got presents for Christmas.
> The best postwoman story we have is that we didn't get post once for over 3 weeks because she got gored by a bull in the local fiestas Of course, no substitute was available


I'd actually thought of speaking to our postperson but I'd have to lurk about for hours as s/he rarely arrives at the delivery point at the far end of the. road at the same time each day.
I wonder how the aged and infirm pick up their post, especially as in a few years' time I might well be included in their ranks..


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

mrypg9 said:


> I'd actually thought of speaking to our postperson but I'd have to lurk about for hours as s/he rarely arrives at the delivery point at the far end of the. road at the same time each day.
> I wonder how the aged and infirm pick up their post, especially as in a few years' time I might well be included in their ranks..


If you move into the town, as you've said you intend to in a few years' time, I'm sure you wouldn't have that problem as like us the mail would be delivered to your door.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Relyat said:


> We have Buzons (?) at the bottom of the road, but could never find out who controlled them, or how we would go about getting one so we rent a box in the Correos. Previous to this, our mail was just left in a filing cabinet there along with that for many others and I was never happy with that.
> We have friends in an Urb across the valley and they have just been informed that Correos will no longer be delivering to their houses or Buzon, they will also have to collect it.
> I find it unpredictable when things will arrive. For instance a parcel from the U.K. took a month, posted first class Royal Mail and yet one from Thailand took eight days. Letters the same, the system cannot be relied upon.


The Town Hall own ours and we went in and asked for one and paid for it no problem and then they just said "see ya".
It seems they were shocked that we expected a key or a number for the box, they certainly didn't anticipate that.
It took over 3 months for them to get a key to us and all of that time we had no mail at all.

To be fair Correos has been reasonably good since, despite their opening hours.
The town hall less so.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Lynn R said:


> If you move into the town, as you've said you intend to in a few years' time, I'm sure you wouldn't have that problem as like us the mail would be delivered to your door.


We have a mailbox at our gate ....like the other houses in the area. So no idea why we don't get mail delivered there.
Yes, at some point we'll move into town but only yesterday OH stretched out contentedly on a lounger on our south facing upstairs terrace and peering out on a sea of greenery and the blue sea in the near distance announced there were no short or medium term removal plans.
Suits me....


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## pablo1 (May 9, 2016)

Wow! A lot of people with postage service issues. We are just outside of Estella and I only see the postman with his car once or twice a MONTH!

All post has to be tracked otherwise it does not reach us  I'm not sure why either.

If items are sent via courier we often see them a few times a week but Correos delivery service is really bad here.


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