Seasons greetings.

Has anyone else had problems with deliveries over Christmas?

Several family members sent parcels and packages before the Royal Mail deadline which did not arrive on time. A parcel from daughter, posted on Dec 15th arrived today as did several cards dated from 10th -14th.

We are still missing several parcels and can't decide if the fault lies with Royal Mail or La Poste. How can one find out?

The problem was not made easier when our postie fainted on our doorstep on the 24th. ( not through weight of deliveries I may add) He admitted to suffering from frequent vertigo attacks - he shouldn't be driving.

We asked up at La Poste yesterday and she was rather enigmatic - there have, she said, been some problems from the UK. Not to though because all our stuff seems to have arrived in record time.

Last year we had loads of cards including birthday cards go missing not to mention a parcel that looked like it had been driven over a couple of times but La poste tend to hire a lot of temps over noel.

Hi, I rather suspect that parcels which haven't been sent "contre signature" and/or without a bar code for tracing them, tend to take second place in the delivery race.
For some time now, my UK family and I have another system for exchanging presents, which doesn't involve Postman Pats at either end.

Oddly enough it was those which did require a signature that have been delayed. Still waiting for two from Amazon France which have been "en rouute" since 15th and 16th December

Ooops, sorry, I thought you meant parcels coming from the UK.
Hope your Amazon parcels arrive soon - you can mention the delay on their Evaluation page, esp. if they specified a latest date for delivery, and they might take it up with La Poste (or they might not....)

Please share!

I've een waiting for some post forwarded from Belgium to Poste Restante 'Hendaye Plage'. On my third visit I became quite insistent. The clerk in the PO in 'Plage' was very helpful , knowing that I had passed by three times in the past week to find my mail. She called the office in 'Ville' and called me back within an hour to let me know my mail was there. But it was too late to get to collect it before the holiday :-(.

One missing letter was my new car insurance certificate (the old one expires tonight), I had to call the company get them to send me an e-copy and then put it on a USB and take it to my tennis club and ask the secretary there to print it out.

Dah!!!!

I dis answer yesterday, but my post was delayed somehow GB. Perhaps the problem is wider. Or fat finger.
I am still waiting for a parcel from Amazon UK to France, due on the 21st. And a parcel from Amazon France to London has comnpletely disappeared.
But I always expect that sort of stuff over Christmas.
Happy New Year everyone b(u)y the way.
(Sorry, don't know why I woke up in such a punny mood)

The saga continues many small annoyances but the main one was an Amazon France order which was to be delivered by Chronoposte before Christmas day.

Even well into the New Year no sign. On checking it was reported to have been delivered at 5.00pm on the 24th.

It had not been signed for. Eventually got through to Chronoposte yesterday who said, it had been delivered to BL. Meaning the letter box. We were in all Christmas Eve and no-one rang the bell and there was nothing in the letterbox.

It is perfectly apparent to us, and now Amazon, that said delivery person had had no intention of delivering it on that day and it is probably in a ditch, or possibly their garage.

Chronoposte have refused to accept responsibilty but Amazon have offered a full refund. Our facteur says that ' especially in rural areas CP are useless, their drivered are jobsworths and it is usually better not to trust them.

Chronopost are called Chronic post around here. They are absolutely diabolical.
Every single business I order from I ask not to use them, but as most seem to sub contract it does no good.

With good reason!

How odd, never had a single problem with Chronoposte......maybe it's regional?

I don't think it is so much regional but where you live. In a town or city, with precise addresses, ie numbers street, names then the deliverer can find it on their electronic device.

However like us and so many many others in rural France we live in a hameau with no street names or house numbers and not even on a GPS. The local post office knows where everyone is but no-one else seems to be bothered about finding out.

Right now I am waiting in for a parcel that was supposed to be delivered yesterday but, according to the courier we don't exsist. It doesn't help that there is no. or very poor mobile signal around here and drivered or the sender refuse to use a fixed phone number to contact us, even though these days we never give a mobile number when ordering.

When Chronopost deliver here they use a Transit sized van. All th parcels are pilded wherever.
When they take a corner, which they invariably do at speed, everything goes flying.
We had a delivery over Christmas from the UK of some outdoor lights. They were just left inside the gate. Two are in smithereens.
This is very far from the first time.

I was highly amused to read about the US Hellfire missile which was shipped from France to Cuba in error.

I assume they used Chronopost??