Lapta PO and boxes, prob;ems

[surfmeetseast]

Hi, we rented a PO box at Lapta last January. We had parcels from our family in France and UK no problems for ages. I am awaiting 3 packages from the same people and they are now realistically 2 months overdue. Anyone else having this problem?

[genghis]

Where does the problem lie - here or in Turkey???? There was even a rumour that there were GCs in the London sorting office intercepting mail.
I ordered a £10 spare part for my car. No great value but it was a control rod for the clutch so important to me. After 2 weeks I gave up and reordered but had it posted to the South.
Here in 6 days.
I think anything addressed to a non TC name or 'looks' interesting is at risk of a long delay or loss.

[Agobard]

In my many years of experience, I have found that the only way to receive parcels here in a reasonable time is to ask the sender to make sure that they go 'International Signed For'. I find that signed for stuff normally gets here in 7-10 days.

[surfmeetseast]

Thanks, Agobard, I did not know you had the option to do this to TRNC

[terry2366]

I have also had three letters sent to Lapta po box none arrived that were posted in the UK. However all letters posted in Germany arrived.

[wibow]

Lapta

I don't know how true it is BUT i was told many years ago

any letters or cards that needed to be sent here

is always put them in a BROWN envelope xx

[Leither]

Ref parcels always go to the main PO office in Girne its normally a customs problem,

[surfmeetseast]

Leither, you are correct and it happened to me once, but the PO staff left a note in the box, telling me I had to go there. Just a queue at customs office and got my package, but no notes left recently. They surely need a note for reference?
The keys on the boxes are very flimsy, which worries me, not sure that every key cannot open every single box!!!

[sophie]

I have a PO box elsewhere, but it's just there for show. I can open my box and others for that matter with my thumbnail.

[trueblue]

Agobard is fully right. Had many (small) parcels sent to my P.O.Box in Lapta during the last two years, none went lost, all were sent by "Registered Mail" resp. "Royal Mail Signed For" from England, France and Germany, was also strongly recommended to me by Post Office employees here. Took between 10 and 20 days in the average. Non registered parcels, mainly from Germany, 50 % loss, useless. Also big risk regarding US Mail, even registered. Quite new is that some Post Offices in GB do not accept P.O.Box addresses to Turkey (which also means North Cyprus) any more, so I just added my street address and stated PK No..... instead of P.O.Box... Worked without any problems. When you want to know where most "normal" mail disappears, ask the Post Office, at least they told me what they think......

[jofra]

I sent two letters (identical A4 foolscap envelopes, identical typed address labels to identical address) by Royal Mail International signed for to Mersin 10 (for TRNC) - one arrived OK, the other (according to tracking website) reached Turkey (after delay at Heathrow Sorting Centre), and then was "returned to sender" - VIA BELFAST! - to Manchester - and then returned to source from where I had obtained an enclosed document - NOT TO ME! On submitting a claim, Royal Mail says their system shows it as returned to me - I have submitted screen grabs of their tracking site, proving that they did NOT return it to me - and still they are trying to wriggle out....
Whether they like it or not, they are going to reimburse me for postal charges AND compensation, because this concerned a business transaction...