PO Box

[BOERBOEL]

Had a call from my son today (he is in UK) to say that he had sent birthday cards but that a new law was now in place saying that Recorded delivery mail is no longer allowed to PO Boxes. Has anyone else heard of this? It will mean lots of problems for us in TRNC who have to use PO boxes, we have lived here over 5 years and have never received a birthday card yet unless sent by recorded delivery. How will we get anything sent to us now and be sure of receiving it if this is the case, particularly something like Bank cards, Driving licences etc. He did not say if Registered post came under the same ruling but he was not offered this as an alternative. Do not know if it is a Government ruling or just something that the good old PO has thought up themselves.

Before anyone says you can always use Ecards or Skype instead of a 'proper' card, this is true although I am sure I am not alone in liking to receive cards. My main concern is post of importance that will be a big problem.

[Marions]

I think you have two different areas of mail. Birthday cards is one and other material is another. As to birthday cards we sometimes get them and sometimes not - same with Christmas cards, but in the main they do all arrive sent normal mail.
As to the other stuff, don't kow about any new law but of course where a signature is required they do need a person. We have our credit cards etc sent out mainly by DHL, so maybe that is the way to go. Great business for DHL and an assurance that you will get it this end. I believe they need a phone number as they contact you on arrival.
Having said that, we have never used Registered Post as such, and will certainly be interested in hearing the experience of others.

[Marions]

Just anolther thought. Maybe BRS know something. Mama China are you reading this? Can you answer this query as from BRS?

[Deniz1]

New law at the U K end or here?

[Bert]

I have used PO boxes for 30 odd years and never used recorded delivery for anything included Bank cards etc. is that actually necessary??

[BOERBOEL]

Deniz1 - He just said not to any PO Box so assume UK

Bert - We never get any of our post here unless it is recorded, there is of course one exception - the tax man letters always manage to arrive

[Deniz1]

I tell everyone to put mail in a brown envelope then it always seems to arrive here.

[cyprusishome]

Never used a PO box but up until a couple of years ago when a bit of **** stirring took place with the British end of the postal system things improved immeasurably.

It is correct, even from the Royal Mail survey thay "personal mail" was more likely to go missing than "official mail" in brown envelopes.

If mail is correctly addressed with Mersin 10, Turkey and no reference to Cyprus it is usually delivered correctly.

To the original poster, do you check your local mail drop point on a regular basis. Ours does routine clear out ie if not collected in a couple of weeks it will be returned to Central Post Office.

As for recorded delivery it should be signed for to confirm receipt, otherwise who knows where it has ended up. Should be easily resolved by doing same as UK, a note in PO box to collect package at Post Office.

[BOERBOEL]

Hi Cyprusishome

We do check our PO Box but usually only when we know we are expecting post ie. Birthday or Christmas cards or something we have had to order on-line in UK and one of our children has sent it on. We have had a PO Box at Girne since we came to Cyprus as at the time were living in the old Turkish quarter, we have now lived in Alsancak for 5 years but kept our original box. There would not be a hope in hell of getting post if we had to have it delivered to us at home as our road name has changed four times and our house number twice even though the property hasn't moved
On the subject of Recorded delivery, my daughter recently sent a package (22nd Oct) which I went to Girne to collect after the last Bayram. It wasn't there, the reason being my daughter had forgotten to put Girne in the address which meant that it had gone to Lefkosa which I assume would be the main post office for TRNC. The PO man rang Lefkosa and asked them to send it to Girne which they did and I collected it today. If it had not been a Recorded delivery letter no record of it would have been held and it would have disappeared never to be seen again. I have always had to sign for any package which is logged in a book so they know that the right person has collected it, but on this occasion I didn't as they were probably so fed up with seeing me and they knew I was the name on the envelope. So hats off to Girne PO for sorting out although I did have my doubts on it being a happy ending.

[stellasstar1]

Well I picked up a parcel today from Lapta Post Office that I had to sign for(note left in my P.O. Box to go in to Post Office) so everything as normal at the moment. Maybe message 1's son had a Jobsworth in his Post Office.

[cyprusishome]

boerboel,
It is not you PO box I am saying to check. What you should check is the central location where mail is dropped for your area quoted on you in coming mail. ie Girne, Catalkoy, Lapta or wherever. I think central Lapta has a delivery system but nobody else I know of.

Our mail is left in the Lapta Belidye office and we check weekly if there is anything there. it is filed in pigeon boxes in alpha order.

Maybe you should save some money, ditch the PO Box, put your proper address on incoming mail and you will then collect it at Alsancak Post Office.

[BOERBOEL]

Stellastar1 - My thoughts exactly so have asked my daughter to check again when she goes to PO next.

Cyprusishome - We have always used Girne PO as our address, never our home so all mail goes there. Not sure what would happen if I tried your suggestion as they don't speak much English at Alsancak PO and my Turkish is not good so probably safer to leave as is.

[sophie]

When we've had a Registered/Recorded delivery here in TRNC to our PO box, the postmaster in Karaoglanoglu sticks a piece of paper in our box and we then go into the PO to pick the envelope up.

[BOERBOEL]

This seems to have gone a bit off topic. The problem is not with where we have our post sent as we do have a PO box and when we have recorded delivery mail there is a note in the box for us to go in the PO to sign for it. My original post was that it is no longer allowed for Recorded delivery mail to be sent to a PO box and I wondered if anyone else had heard about this.

[Rambling Rose]

I think there is some confusion here. As indicated by others above you cant have Registered or Recorded mail DELIVERED to a Post Office Box because it has to be signed for. Here if it is ADDRESSED to a PO Box they put form (A slip of paper) in the Box, to advise you to collect it from the PO where you have to sign.

If you use a home address the same system applies. They will put a slip through your letter box (or leave it in your pigeon hole at the Muhtar's in the case of Ozankoy) and you collect and sign at the main Post Office (Girne in the case of Ozankoy)

Some organisations (at one time Inland Revenue, and some financial institutions) will not accept Post Office Boxes for what they call "Security" reasons, and seem unable to realise that their are countries without house delivery services. Before home delivered were introduced here and I had to use a PO Box I put the home address on their form or whatever, but added a large notice (in red capitals) in the margin or on a piece of paper stapled to the relevant form, saying the home address is for info only and mail must be sent to the PO Box or it will not arrive.

On the other hand I have no faith in Royal Mail and maybe they have introduced another silly regulation.

Could it be possibly for BB to ask his son what was the source of his info to avoid alarm and confusion?

[BOERBOEL]

Yes I am now totally confused as I have already said that when Recorded mail is addressed to our PO Box, a slip is put in the box and we go in the PO to sign for it. Address used and PO Box both being Girne Post Office. For us to have mail sent to our home address (Yesiltepe) would I presume us having to have a box at Alsancak PO as they would not know where or what our PO Box number is. Perhaps I should get my son to send me a letter as a test!!
As regards the source of the information it was from the Post Office clerk in the town in the UK that my son lives and I didn't put it on here to cause alarm or confusion just to ask if anyone else had heard of this also

[Rambling Rose]

Sorry BB I haven't heard anything about Royal Mail in UK not sending registered mail to Post Office boxes, I can only speak as to what I know about my own village's arrangements.

I think the arrangements for delivery to home addresses and efficiency thereof vary from place to place so you should check with someone local or perhaps the Muhtar or local PO could help? In Ozankoy we are lucky, we dont have a Post Office and they can't deliver beause they dont have a postman but all mail for private addresses is kept in the Muhtar's office .

For those like me, who have mobility problems, is a great conveniencenot having to make the trip into Girne for ordinary mail. As for security, personally I think it is six of one and half a dozen of the other. Obviously a box to which you hold a key should be safer, but if your mail is put in the wrong box (which can happen due to incorrect address or to PO staff not being familiar with English names) the wrong box may be a "swallow's " and the mistake not discovered for months . If you do have mail delivered to your home you would be advised to have a post box (available from most ironmongers and builders merchants) affixed to your house (where the postman wont be afraid to go if you have dogs!) with the house number clearly marked on or near it.

As for the Royal Mail apparently not sending registered to PO Boxes it seems unlikely as lots of other countries do not have house delivery, but I wonder if someone more computer savvy than I would check their website? Last time I tried to check something on RM site I ended up going round inever decreasing circles and ending up you know where!

[Rambling Rose]

Just a footnote, slightly ot bbut perhpas relevant to Royal Mail's handling of overseas post. I complained to one financal institutaiton that they left insufficient time for overseas customers. to receive documents They said Royal Mail had assured them that ALL mail to overseas addresses was delivered within two weeks, which is patently untrue as no doubt posters here in other countries can testify.