FreddyBee

I'm worried about the inadequacy of the Italian mail service. A vital document mailed by the UK government never arrived. A substantial cheque mailed six weeks ago from the USA hasn't arrived. My dog's registration documents, mailed from Catania (40 miles away) two weeks ago haven't arrived. I have my name on the citofono and on a mailbox, but regularly find my mail dropped on the floor by the portone, or on the staircase. Is there an alternative to using the Italian mail for letters and packages? I don't want to send Christmas cards and gifts that just disappear.

modicasa

everything send raccomandata, and receive raccomandata. Get yourself a PEC email address s. From the USA use couriers and not mail.

PSG2014

FreddyBee, what an awful story............Where do these missing products go ? are they being misplaced or delivered somewhere else or...........pilfered?


As always modicasa has hit the nail on the head with raccomandata, but it just shouldn't be like that. Also you can't be sending/receiving everything this way.


From sending typically 50 Christmas cards many years ago, we send ZERO now. WE tend to email, WhatsApp or telephone direct. It seems to work for us.


PSG

philat98

I have been here more than 5 years now and I haven't lost any letters to my knowledge. When I first arrived I didn't receive bank statements from the UK but in the end I found that the bank was not stamping the letters correctly and Royal Mail were throwing them away. Since the overall Italian post service is probably reliable the problem might be with your postman or others in your block. Neighbours can be quite curious here.
You could rent a casella postale at your local post office and see if things improve.

37100

In 40 years, nothing as ever gone astray, but things do take a long time to arrive. As much as three months. Do you have an outside post box? The postman only has to deliver to your buildings main front door. If the post box is inside, he doesn't have to use it. Nor does he have to deliver anything heavier than a small packet, the weight depends on the total weight of his bag.

Serrano

I'm in the same situation as you, philat98 - in fact I would describe the local service as excellent, though I live in a very small town rather than a city. I can, however, believe that it happens as the OP describes, just as it does (albeit more rarely as far as I know) in the UK.

Modicasa's suggestion of sending raccomendata should work, though expensive and you'd have to take everything and queue at the Post Office. For receiving I can't imagine it working (how are you going to persuade the senders to cover the cost?). And PEC, while it will usually be possible for domestic correspondence, won't work outside of Italy.

The casella postale may be the best bet - although use of a P.O. Box in the UK is often viewed with suspicion I don't know if the same applies here. Or, best of all at first, go to the Post Office from where deliveries are sent and complain - loudly. If necessary threaten to raise a denuncia against them. It probably won't help, but is unlikely to do any harm.

Geordieborn

I would guess it’s where you live! This was years ago now, but the job I was employed in entailed contacting bodies throughout Italy and the further South you went the longer it took for a reply, 6 month was nothing for Palermo, especially in summer, yet Milan could be less than 2 weeks (not often mind). At one point it was discovered the guys at the airport for Palermo were selling off full sacks of mail as it arrived! Although I'm sure such does not happen now Does MailBox work in your area? Something like Moonpig might be cheaper for cards.

philat98

I have recently had two tracked Amazon packages go missing with the Poste at Castel San Giovanni. Amazon somehow knew that the parcels would never be delivered and quickly sent replacements. Your workers might have relocated from Palermo to Piacenza.

modicasa

Ah you dont llive in Sicily!
Here the post in the summer is terrible - there is no holiday cover for the postmen so you can go without post for weeks. The post, private post and couriers are universally terrible. My Amazon prime - next day delivery routinely takes 10 days. I have lost count of letters and packages which never reached their destination - not surprising as all mail goes via Naples - even if its a local letter. It is little by little improving.

philat98

With xmas cards you might use DHL. You could put all your cards into one envelope already stamped with Royal Mail online postage or US stamps. Then use the DHL service to send your cards to a friend who will pop them into the post in the UK or USA.

Capo Boi

I had Christmas cards posted in December delivered to me in February. Not too bad.....but, there was an intervening year......14 months late. Everything posted from Italy though, seems to hit the UK a couple of days later.