Post Office problems

[Berlian Biru]

This may be a bit long but please bear with me.

I may be one of the few people left on Planet Earth who still uses the Post Office to send stuff overseas but in the past I have never encountered a problem, either sending mail or indeed receiving mail. In nearly 20 years living here I have found Pos Indonesia to be a reasonably efficient service. This has all changed recently as deliveries from overseas are taking much longer (or not getting through at all), which I think can reasonably be put down to COVID and the worldwide shipping logjam rather than the fault of the Post Office.

However the big problem, the one that frankly has me tearing my hair out in exasperation, is sending stuff. The Post Office has suddenly become ridiculously obtuse about posting stuff overseas, and call me old-fashioned but posting stuff should actually be something the Post Office is quite good at.

The first problem arose with the stoppage of simple mail overseas, by that I mean the process of posting a letter (usually a bit bulky with photos, mail to be forwarded etc but still undeniably a letter rather than a parcel) at the Post Office and having it delivered by the respective postal service overseas. This was put down to COVID but I suspect it was a commercial decision by Pos Indonesia to force everyone to use its EMS courier service (which appears to be connected to DHL).

This is considerably expensive, a basic rate of over Rp 300k, so you can't just post a birthday card anymore, that's out the window. But if you pile a load of stuff up and post it off as a package it used to be reasonable enough and it got there in 10 days.

Now however it's an absolute nightmare. Initially I was told I needed an EORI number (UK tax number) to post to the UK, all to do with Brexit apparently, and ID, fair enough, but this is where it gets bizarre, I needed the ID and EORI number of the recipient! Now how da fuh do I get that? They have relented on the EORI requirement but still need the ID of the recipient, that is absurd. I want to send documents to a solicitor or bank overseas and I need to get their ID? Good luck trying that. In the end I resorted to posting everything to "myself" (using an old driver's licence and my parents' address) and asking them to forward it on, but that seems extraordinary.

Now the last time I tried to post something I enclosed an old paperback I thought my brother would enjoy. BZZZT! No way, I needed the receipt for that, for a three-year-old book? Yup. Frustratingly I opened the envelope and removed the book, resealed it, showed the ID of the "recipient" (me, standing in front of the confused-looking postal clerk) and got the rest (letters, photos, Christmas cards - oh no, did I declare the cards?) sent off for Rp $450k. Tiresome, expensive, time-consuming but job done.

Now I have just received a WA message from Pos Indonesia, with a photo of my package telling me it has been returned to the Post Office from the airport as I need a "bukti transfer" a transfer receipt? For what? I am at my wits' end.

Anyone got any advice, should I just go with FedEx from now on or will they be just as obtuse?

 

[gemima]

This may be a bit long but please bear with me.

I may be one of the few people left on Planet Earth who still uses the Post Office to send stuff overseas but in the past I have never encountered a problem, either sending mail or indeed receiving mail. In nearly 20 years living here I have found Pos Indonesia to be a reasonably efficient service. This has all changed recently as deliveries from overseas are taking much longer (or not getting through at all), which I think can reasonably be put down to COVID and the worldwide shipping logjam rather than the fault of the Post Office.

However the big problem, the one that frankly has me tearing my hair out in exasperation, is sending stuff. The Post Office has suddenly become ridiculously obtuse about posting stuff overseas, and call me old-fashioned but posting stuff should actually be something the Post Office is quite good at.

The first problem arose with the stoppage of simple mail overseas, by that I mean the process of posting a letter (usually a bit bulky with photos, mail to be forwarded etc but still undeniably a letter rather than a parcel) at the Post Office and having it delivered by the respective postal service overseas. This was put down to COVID but I suspect it was a commercial decision by Pos Indonesia to force everyone to use its EMS courier service (which appears to be connected to DHL).

This is considerably expensive, a basic rate of over Rp 300k, so you can't just post a birthday card anymore, that's out the window. But if you pile a load of stuff up and post it off as a package it used to be reasonable enough and it got there in 10 days.

Now however it's an absolute nightmare. Initially I was told I needed an EORI number (UK tax number) to post to the UK, all to do with Brexit apparently, and ID, fair enough, but this is where it gets bizarre, I needed the ID and EORI number of the recipient! Now how da fuh do I get that? They have relented on the EORI requirement but still need the ID of the recipient, that is absurd. I want to send documents to a solicitor or bank overseas and I need to get their ID? Good luck trying that. In the end I resorted to posting everything to "myself" (using an old driver's licence and my parents' address) and asking them to forward it on, but that seems extraordinary.

Now the last time I tried to post something I enclosed an old paperback I thought my brother would enjoy. BZZZT! No way, I needed the receipt for that, for a three-year-old book? Yup. Frustratingly I opened the envelope and removed the book, resealed it, showed the ID of the "recipient" (me, standing in front of the confused-looking postal clerk) and got the rest (letters, photos, Christmas cards - oh no, did I declare the cards?) sent off for Rp $450k. Tiresome, expensive, time-consuming but job done.

Now I have just received a WA message from Pos Indonesia, with a photo of my package telling me it has been returned to the Post Office from the airport as I need a "bukti transfer" a transfer receipt? For what? I am at my wits' end.

Anyone got any advice, should I just go with FedEx from now on or will they be just as obtuse?

I hate to be negative - but I think the only answer is to stop sending stuff. I have been here 6 years and have never sent a letter/ gift by courier or post.
I use touchnote to send personalized cards/ postcards to people (https://touchnote.com/)
If i want to send a present I usually buy online from the country the person I'm sending to is in.
If you want to send photos you can upload them online and send the photos using a service like photobox (https://www.photobox.co.uk/)
These methods are less personal but a lot less hassle.

EDIT: my colleagues needed to send me some documents to sign last year when I was abroad and fedex was very straightforward - they just needed my address.. no ID etc.

 

[Berlian Biru]

I hate to be negative - but I think the only answer is to stop sending stuff. I have been here 6 years and have never sent a letter/ gift by courier or post.
I use touchnote to send personalized cards/ postcards to people (https://touchnote.com/)
If i want to send a present I usually buy online from the country the person I'm sending to is in.
If you want to send photos you can upload them online and send the photos using a service like photobox (https://www.photobox.co.uk/)
These methods are less personal but a lot less hassle.

EDIT: my colleagues needed to send me some documents to sign last year when I was abroad and fedex was very straightforward - they just needed my address.. no ID etc.

Thanks for your reply, yes I think it is getting to that point. Very disappointing, I have elderly parents who simply never got the hang of technology so old-fashioned letters, cards, newspaper clippings and photographs have always been the order of the day, and for that the Post Office worked a treat, but now it has simply become a nightmare.

Although I still will need to send financial and legal documents in regard to property, wills, bank accounts and pensions and the like. I presume a proper courier is the only option, but then that is what is so frustrating, the problems have all started since Pos Indonesia stopped being a post office and instead became a branch office of DHL.

 

[gemima]

Thanks for your reply, yes I think it is getting to that point. Very disappointing, I have elderly parents who simply never got the hang of technology so old-fashioned letters, cards, newspaper clippings and photographs have always been the order of the day, and for that the Post Office worked a treat, but now it has simply become a nightmare.

Although I still will need to send financial and legal documents in regard to property, wills, bank accounts and pensions and the like. I presume a proper courier is the only option, but then that is what is so frustrating, the problems have all started since Pos Indonesia stopped being a post office and instead became a branch office of DHL.

For your parents - they probably would appreciate the touchnote cards and postcards. My mum loves them. They sort of make it look like they are handwritten but they are printed out. It's the closest to a hand written note you can probably get. She loves when I send postcards with my own photos - her fridge is covered in them.

And I also send my mum printed out photos with photobox - which she loves.

She is not interested in modern tech - I can't get her to use a smartphone (she only wants a nokia with buttons), she has a tablet that she uses to tell the time and to look up the weather.

 

[centurion]

kirim barang, kiriman brang ke luar negeri, ekspor, paket

Terhitung mulai tanggal 1 Januari 2021, sesuai dengan aturan yang ditetapkan oleh Universal Postal Union (UPU) Article 08-002, 17-107 and 17-216 of the conventin Regulations, bahwa pertukaran data/ electronic advance data (EAD) Bersifat Mandatory terhitung mulai tgl 1 januari 2021 all inbound...

www.posindonesia.co.id

 

[Bad_azz]

Thanks for your reply, yes I think it is getting to that point. Very disappointing, I have elderly parents who simply never got the hang of technology so old-fashioned letters, cards, newspaper clippings and photographs have always been the order of the day, and for that the Post Office worked a treat, but now it has simply become a nightmare.

Although I still will need to send financial and legal documents in regard to property, wills, bank accounts and pensions and the like. I presume a proper courier is the only option, but then that is what is so frustrating, the problems have all started since Pos Indonesia stopped being a post office and instead became a branch office of DHL.

Yes, sending anything is a pain in the arse nowadays not just with the PO, it is all round.
tax numbers/ID cards etc. etc.
Re your parents- perhaps try with something such as Interflora, they do gifts too, not just flowers and usually use a local company close to the recipient so it does help to support smaller local business too.

Christmas Hampers UK | Gift Hampers Delivered | Interflora

Shop Christmas hampers UK-wide, filled with luxury wines, shortbread and festive treats. Christmas hamper gifts delivered by courier, ordered by 23rd Dec.

www.interflora.co.uk

 

[Vulgarian]

I ran into this a few months ago when I had to send some documents to the UK and the kantor pos told me I needed an EORI number. Never having heard of this, I googled it and found it's something businesses need to import/export to/from the EU.

I said that I was not a business and posting documents is not the same as importing goods, but they weren't having it. I assume they were erring on the side of caution due to confusion about what Brexit would mean (this was January 2021).

So I have an EORI number now. Shrug.

 

[Helpful Herbert]

I used to order books via Amazon UK during lockdown, at the beginning they would come within about 2 months (normal post delivered by POS).
However now in 2021 it is much longer. I just received some in October 2021 that I had ordered in around January. At least they arrived eventually, even if I had forgotten that I ordered them.

 

[fastpitch17]

Delivery isn't any better if in an area that is not a major metropolitan area. I have been waiting months for an envelope. Had to contact sender a number of times to inform them of this non delivery. I have never received anything at my current address. An old address I did but only by being informed by POS delivery guy to go and pick up.

POS office upon visiting them finally informed me that foreign mail is not delivered to homes. They need to pick anything up personally. How would anyone know if anything arrived? They have to check. I did that and the next day they called and said to come in and pick up an envelope. I am waiting for government checks. This particular one is the third attempt to get in one year. Finally received Nov 3. Mailed June 10. Unfortunantly, this check was voided and I am waiting for one dated Aug 20.

Soon I will have to again deal with the IRS and out of 8 people so far, 2 women have been complete bitches basically telling me they didn't care what my concerns are, do I want to cancel and resend again? I also get timed out after 2 hours of waiting in the que and then talking only to be put on hold again for some time. The IRS has my direct deposit information but tell me they set this up to be mailed and they can not change that. Crazy.

Doesn't much matter what government you have to deal with.

 

[Balifrog]

Had a letter posted to HKG last month, no problem. But I gave it to the Miss to do it.
Receive regularly mail from France and HKG without problems.
Bali, Sanur.

 

[centurion]

So, it looks that Pos Indonesia abolished in most cases the Registered International Post (the good old regular letter that you send abroad for a couple of $$ that comes in 2 weeks, I used it before). There is the full list:

https://booking.posindonesia.co.id/posint/

Still available, according to this list for sending registered international posts (Registered LN) are: Hongkong, Japan, S. Korea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and the USA.

 

[fastpitch17]

I walked into the POS office a couple months ago to send a standard sized envelope just with normal mail to the US. Rp500,000 is what I was told. I didn't mail it.