Postal

Complaints

• Complaints about universal postal services provided by An Post
• Complaints about other postal services
• Seeking Compensation
• Complaints and Dispute Resolution Code of Practice

 

 Complaints about universal postal services provided by An Post

Contact An Post’s dedicated customer service team, outline the complaint and ask for it to be resolved.

Phone: 1850 57 58 59
Letter:  Customer Service, GPO, FREEPOST, Dublin 1
Fax:  (01) 809 0900
Email: customer.services@anpost.ie

ComReg will be pleased to assist if you are unhappy with the outcome of An Post’s investigation. We will review your case and tell you if we can take further action for you.
You can contact ComReg in the following ways.

Phone (LoCall): 1890 229 668 (9.00am to 5.30pm) Monday to Friday
Letter: ComReg Consumer Team, Irish Life Centre, Block DEF, Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1
Fax: (01) 804 9671
Email: consumerline@comreg.ie

 

Complaints about other postal services

If your complaint relates to one of the other postal services, provided by either an Authorised Service Provider or An Post, you should contact the relevant provider, outline the complaint and ask for it to be resolved.

Contact details for Authorised Service Providers are available on the Register of authorised providers.

Contact details for An Post as detailed above.

ComReg will be pleased to assist if you are unhappy with the outcome of the provider’s investigation. We will review your case and tell you if we can take further action for you. Contact details for ComReg as detailed above.

If your complaint concerns a monetary claim and relates to one of the other postal services provided either by an Authorised Service Provider or An Post, you may also take action through the Small Claims Court .

 

Seeking Compensation

Whether you can claim compensation depends on the product, service and postal service provider used. You should first check the terms and conditions of the product or service to see if you are entitled to compensation.

 

Complaints and Dispute Resolution Code of Practice

Regulation 15 (1) of S.I. No. 616 of 2002 provides that An Post and any other postal service provider with “an annual turnover of €500,000, exclusive of VAT” must draw up “transparent, simple and inexpensive procedures for dealing with users complaints, particularly in cases involving loss, theft, damage or non-compliance with service quality standards (including procedures for determining where responsibility lies in cases where more than one operator is involved).

These procedures shall enable disputes to be settled fairly and promptly with provision, where warranted, for a system of reimbursement or compensation or both.” These procedures should be drawn up in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Regulator in consultation with the postal service provider.

ComReg has issued legally enforceable guidelines to An Post and all Operators who have indicated that they are providing services within the scope of the universal service.(ComReg Doc 07/105)

The main objective of these legally enforceable guidelines is to assist postal service providers who provide postal services within the scope of the universal service, to draw up transparent, simple and inexpensive procedures for dealing with user[1] complaints and to ensure an appropriate form of redress is available to the user in the event of loss and substantial delay[2], theft, damage or non-compliance with service quality standards.

The guidelines will assist postal service providers when preparing, revising and publishing their respective Code of Practice, in a way that is easily accessible to postal consumers.

Postal consumers will now have an appropriate form of redress, regardless of service provider, and have the further guarantee of an appropriate compensation mechanism. The scheme for compensation in these cases can be in the form of a number of stamps and/or a cash amount, provided that the claim is in proportion to the actual cost of the mailing.

The publication of a “Complaints and Dispute Resolution Code of Practice” by each postal service provider will give confidence to postal consumers that the Irish postal industry maintains consistent complaints and redress standards. ComReg believes this is a welcome development for both Irish postal users and the industry which serves them.


The guidelines clearly outline the requirements which focus on the following:

1. Relevant and appropriate Information on the Complaints and Dispute Resolution Procedures;

2. Minimum requirements regarding communication to complainants that include internal and external appeals mechanisms, response times to deal with complaints and maximum times for complaint resolution;

3. Retention of records relating to a complaint until any appeals process is exhausted;

4. Publication of a Code of Practice and ensuring customers are aware of the code by publicising it through the usual communication and advertising mediums;

5. The provision of a compensatory principle in the event of service failure. The scheme for compensation in these cases can be in the form of a number of stamps and/or a cash amount, provided that the claim is in proportion to the cost of the mailing.

All postal service providers providing a service within the scope of the universal service are obliged to implement a Code of Practice.
To view An Post’s Code of Practice, please visit the ‘Getting it Sorted’ section of the An Post website.

Note:

 [1] Any natural or legal person benefiting from universal service provision as a sender or an  addressee.

[2] Substantial delay for domestic mail is defined as any item that has not been received within 7 calendar days and for cross border mail within 10 calendar days.