The horrific italian postal service

In the last months, the already bad italian postal service, for some reason, has gone terrible.

I've had, in the last 2 years:
- 2 packages opened, content [among other things, nearly all my original cds, some hundreds, stupidly not copied] stolen
[not insured, because the employe at postal office said to me "better not to insure them, because if you do so,
it will be more likely a theft"]
- 2 ebay purchases never arrived, with the italian postal tracking service saying that they were arrived, and with my signature [!] on receipt.

In the last months:
- 3 shipments returned to the sender because of "incorrect address" [total lie, the addresses were correct]
- countless packages left at the "hall", street level [I live at 3rd floor], if they dont find me at home, so everyone from the street can pick-up them.
- 4 shipments completely lost

Not to speak about the hours spent at phone and at various offices talking to the wind.

I dont know what are the experiences in other countries..
in Italy [Milano] now its really a nightmare.

Sorry to hear.  I'm glad my shipments to you made it okay.  I see many ebay sellers refusing to sell to Italy for this reason.  I have never had the problem, but think of it every time I send something to Italy.  I hope it improves. 

Yes Doug, your RCA gears came here with no problems, and perfectly intact [thanks again for your shock-proof packaging]. 

I must add.. all the above issues nearly always have to do with little packets, and less than around 2 lbs.

I'm seriously considering to ask the sellers to add some weight and put the items in big boxes.
But how to explain it.

Even when I'm shipping a small, light item to overseas buyers, I always use a 7x5x5 plain brown box, and plaster it all over with USPS Priority Mail stickers.

So far, nothing has gotten lost.

yes. be CAREFUL with Posta Italia. I lived in italy for 10 years, and on average, 7 out of 10 international packages didn't make it to me. I had a friend who worked at the airport and saw people tear open packages, take what they want, refill the packages with other junk they didn't want. that's how it works. if you have to mail to italy either use Fedex, or DON'T!

I recieved some packages from italy in the past here in Germany. After getting some letters with transformers I got a real 'small' packet (one book with CD) and surprisingly had to pay 30 Euros shipping cost with normal post service (Posta Italia-DHL Germany)! It was my last Italy postage since now....and yes I avoid Italy as a shipping destination at all now...sorry.

Kind regards,
Martin

Fedex, right, and UPS is fine too.
Never had a loss with both of them.

About the italian postal service.. I usually give some money to the guys bringing the shipments,
hoping at least they will not steal too much, or leave my goods on the street.

But I know, another big problem is at the airport, no way to correct that.
It seemed, on the last 2 years, that the things were improving.. but last months went terrible.

[edit]
@danjpiscina: 7/10 wrong is a bit exaggerated now.. I'm talking about 1/10 losses.
@smallbutfine: yes costs can be awful.. but better than having shipments lost  :-\
[/edit]

i guess it depends where in italy. Sicily.... forget it! northern italy, you might be a bit more lucky.

danjpiscina said:

i guess it depends where in italy. Sicily.... forget it! northern italy, you might be a bit more lucky.

Click to expand...

However, all parcels that I've sent are all arrived soon and they were started all from Sicily, and I've sent a lot of op amps. In Sicily the italian post is better then in North and center Italy.

hoops......... 1954U1 , is my parcel arrived to you?

The problems of Sicily are others and much importants than italian post, for example the "mafia" , fortunally
in these years , italian police and italian military police (called "Carabinieri") have arrested a lot of people, and mafia is been reduced a lot.
   


Pier Paolo

According to my parents (they had a house in southern Italy, and my dad still does), several years ago one of Posta Italia's employees was arrested. He'd been selling mail by the ton, as scrap paper.

Peace,
Paul

pstamler said:

According to my parents (they had a house in southern Italy, and my dad still does), several years ago one of Posta Italia's employees was arrested. He'd been selling mail by the ton, as scrap paper.

Peace,
Paul

Click to expand...

hahahaha. that doesn't surprise me. as an italian, i can understand this. i hate to admit it, but that's the way things work over there.

Yes Pier Paolo, your great op-amps arrived fine 
And yes, for what I know, the nests of the thieves/idiots of the italian postal service are from some years in North and center. 
Just today, another shipment back to the sender because of "wrong address"!!! 
But this time it was the italian branch of GLS, a private courier.
Anyway, thats enough.
I'm more and more convinced that the only way to have things working is to threaten this people.
Will try that from tomorrow.
Curious to see what will happen.

I'd heard a story [ maybe just that, a story ]
about them dumping mail when they had too much
so they didn't have to deliver it

::::::::::ITS OFFICIAL::::::
UK post lost my first package ever....
I sold a Turbo board i did built and never arrived at destination..
around 2 months now!!!

What the heck happens i dont know!!

Haa.. so we italians are not more alone..
Sorry 3nity, its a really bad experience when packages are lost.

okgb, its not only a story.
some years ago, while talking with a friend of a friend, he said me that, on a seasonal job as postman for Poste Italiane,
he was usual to throw away randomly from the van's window some mails, so he can take a sleep instead of doing work after lunch.
Never talked with this individual again.

All bets are off though , if you're going to send
surface or boat it takes so long that it gets harder
to keep track of , and then retrace the steps
months ago [ have to be extra organized ]

I've had 2 packages go missing, out of hundreds.  One into mainland China (duh), the other into Africa.  Canadian post ran over a box with a truck (pair of RCA tube preamps and PSU), and admitted to it, but it still took US post a full year to pay the claim. 

In the mid 90-ties,  I used to work at the International part of the Swedish post. (student job)
An older collegue told me about an incident in Italy in the early 90-ties at Christmas time.
At one post central they got more Christmas cards than they could handle so they put them
in a train cargo waggon and sent it to another city. There they couldn´t handle the situation as well
and sent it on to another city...  Long after Chrismas passed they finally burnt everything... ???

I had my one-and-only-ever shipment to Italy fail to arrive.  The replacement did show, at least.

After some deep investigations, I've got some facts about the current Poste Italiane situation:

1] the most risky are the international shipments of little pakets to Italy, not registered, i.e. without receipt's confirm
(note also that sometimes, randomly, if the packet is little and without clear declared value, it "slips" the custom taxes thing/payment due).

1a] Italy to Italy is sure.
Packet will arrive, probabily with a delay, but it will arrive.

2] the Poste Italiane postmans carrying international little packets, are terrible.
I'm not able to find another word.
They goes from stealing the packets, to throw them away or leave them on the street, to sell them each other.
There is not any kind of control on these packets, so they're free of doing all of that.
I've got more than a proof of that.

3] they use bicycles, with a basket.


So, the only safe way to have something delivered internationally to Italy without using a private courier is either:

- having the packet with high and clearly viewable declared value [say, more than 200$], so its really unlikely that the packet will slip the customs,
with the consequence that, having anticipated the custom taxes, and so needing your money, Poste Italiane will do anything to leave the packet in your hands and being paid.

- use registered mail shipment with receipt's confirm, so Poste Italiane is forced to keep the packet if they dont find the addressee.

- use a packet whose dimensions, weight, shape, make it uncomfortable to carry in a bicycle's basket among others, so Poste Italiane is forced to not use these terrible postmans.