An Post has explained why some Irish people are experiencing significant delays or not receiving their packages at all.
Over the last few weeks, people have claimed that An Post has been returning thousands of parcels, due to errors on their own end.
Speaking with the Irish Mirror, one customer said: "I've personally had 3 separate packages returned to 3 separate senders who could prove it was not an error on their end. There are hundreds of people who can prove the same thing."
The issue came to a head when a query to the postal service went viral on Twitter.
"Sending a package from US home to family - last update on August 20th that it left Portlaoise and nothing since. Any help would be appreciated," asked one customer
An Post replied to this query by saying: "with the correct customs information (as per the changes introduced on 1st July) once it arrives back in the country of origin. This is beyond our control as customs and excise are a separate entity to An Post."
At this point, another frustrated customer intervened and claimed that An Post's response was an: "Absolute lie, the only thing that changed on the 1st of July was the introduction of IOSS to "HELP" simplify VAT filing between the EU and the UK. The monstrosity of lies and deception, along with complete incompetence from An Post. Everyone can see it, EXCEPT YOU!"
The person who sent the initial query then replied by describing the situation as an: "Absolute joke - perfectly labelled and complete disclosure of all contents. Frustration compounded by the fact that we have not seen family in 2 years and now can’t send them gifts! Simple check sowing refused and no explanation on how to resend
"I've been working with Revenue.ie over the last week, they are transparent, helpful and quick to respond. An Post couldn't care less. Arguably the worst customer service in the world at present."
In response, An Post explained why there have been some frustrations regarding the delivery of mail and packages.
A spokesman said: "Due to stringent new EU Customs rules governing non-EU goods, which came into effect on 1 st July 2021, and due to the impact of Brexit, some customers in Ireland buying from smaller or specialist non-EU retailers and in particular smaller/specialist British retailers, are experiencing significant delays or not receiving their goods at all. Gift parcels being sent by family and friends in Great Britain to Irish addresses are also being impacted.
"This is due to both an EU Customs requirement for additional electronic documentation and more goods being either restricted or prohibited from coming into Ireland from non-EU markets. Many smaller, more specialist British retailers are simply not aware of these requirements and/or have not put in place the necessary online shopping systems for selling to Ireland.
'This is giving rise to Customs delays when these parcels arrive in Ireland and/or the items having to be returned to sender because the necessary electronic data is missing or incomplete, or the contents are restricted or prohibited."
An Post explains that there are no such issues when shopping online in Ireland or other EU countries as no Customs tariffs apply when buying from these locations.
Similarly, no issues arise when shopping with major British or international retailers where smooth online processes have already been developed with An Post.
The statement adds: "An Post is working with Irish Customs, Royal Mail and other non-EU carriers to help them solve these issues and will be providing advice to consumers across multi-channels on how to get the most from shopping online and avoid some of the pitfalls that can lead to delivery delays or non-delivery."
Despite the efforts of An Post to rectify these delays and ensure a smoother process, there have been people who are still waiting for their package to arrive.
In an open address that was made to David McRedmond, CEO An Post, a customer explained their frustrations with items being returned and failing to be delivered.
"I spoke to one of the Revenue.ie staff members today who advised me to write in with a formal complaint in relation to recent shipments being rejected by An Post and in their words because of "Irish Customs".
"Since the 1st of August, we have had 100s of parcels rejected pointlessly by An Post who consistently blame Irish Customs and vice versa. We are not having problems with any other EU member state, this is not a Brexit issue, otherwise, it would be broadly affected across the EU.
"Brexit came into effect a very long time ago and we have worked hard to maintain the correct documentation to ensure quick passage for our shipments, the only change since then was the introduction of IOSS, which has no reflection of why parcels are being rejected.
"This issue is solely caused because of miscommunication/fallout between An Post and Irish Customs.
"We are having no issues with other couriers shipping to Ireland, which has the same commercial documentation as shipments going via An Post.
"I've never seen such a mess in all our years of business with any customs authority, courier or agency and the lack of professionalism from An Post is on an unimaginable scale. 1 hour to speak to customer services, who then don't answer questions, are rude and often just hang up.
After working with Revenue and bypassing the helmets at An Post, we've worked out that the Tariff codes that we've used for the last 30 years didn't match the Taric (EU System). It's worth checking your codes match Tarics database, otherwise, they'll be rejected.," they said.
While An Post state that online shopping delivery is running smoothly - they account for more than 95% of e-commerce parcels coming into Ireland - they have said that they will deliver a Guide to Online Shopping mailing to every address in the country over the coming weeks.
An Post is also developing a range of supports for these smaller, specialist non-EU retailers as well as for family and friends when they are sending goods or parcels to Ireland.
The statement adds: "In the meantime, we advise customers receiving parcels (either online shopping or personal goods) from outside the EU to check with the sender that they are completing the appropriate documentation with any parcels they send.
"Anyone experiencing delays or issues is advised to check anpost.com/customs for further information as this website is being updated daily."
To view Revenue’s list of goods that are prohibited or restricted from entering Ireland, the full list is here. https://www.revenue.ie/en/customs-trade ... index.aspx
The EU guide to buying from UK websites can also be viewed here. https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/s ... tsheet.pdf