EU to UK. Arrived in the destination country...days ago!

[jo52]

Hi, my daughter lives in Budapest, last Wednesday (1st February) she sent me a letter and some photo's of my Grandchildren for my Birthday by Registered International Priority Mail.
Here is a copy of the current tracking information from Magyar Posta in Hungary:

2012.02.01 18:41 - Dunakeszi 1 posta - Küldemény felvéve / Item accepted

2012.02.02 02:22 - Budapest 1005 - Indító kicserélő hivatalba beérkezett / Item in office of exchange

2012.02.02 02:22 - Budapest 1005 - Célországba elküldve / Item sent abroad

2012.02.06 17:59 - GBLALA(UNITED KINGDO - Célországba megérkezett / Arrived in the destination country

I usually consider myself to be a fairly patient person, however I cannot understand how it can be sent from Hungary and arrive in the UK in 3 working days, and I'm still waiting for it to be delivered 5 days after it arrived in the UK with no status update to the tracking. I understand that my daughter must wait 20 days before filing a claim, but it just seems a bit barmy to me that it's taking so long to travel that last hundred miles or so. Does this seem at all unusual to anyone here or am I just being paranoid? I know that it should be exempt from entering Customs as Hungary is an EU country, besides it's not a parcel, they were sent in an A5 Jiffy bag envelope. I just want my Photos!

Thanks

Jo

[SpacePhoenix]

Has the tracking number been tried on RM's site?

Not all countries get their registered items tracked in the UK, it depends on if RM has an agreement with whatever country

[jo52]

I've tried the number on RM's site but it's not accepted, I'm unsure what to do other than to wait a few more days and see what happens. The Post Office in Budapest told my daughter that it would take 4-5 working days from posting to be delivered. That's why I was anticipating it arriving before or on my birthday, which was last Thursday. I don't want to seem impatient, but when I saw that it had arrived in the UK on Monday afternoon, I thought that it would be with me by now.

[andy2007]

It is unusual for it to take so long after entering the RM system. But it's not unheard of. Does anyone know if there's a backlog on the International Mail at the moment?

[Carp]

Are you sure the correct destination address is on it,and alsoyour return address is on it,if no then it could have arrived at the office and a postman/woman has endorsed it and has been sent too Belfast

[jo52]

Well I thought I'd come back here to say that my package has been delivered. Postie called at about 8:30 and was having trouble with his signature machine, so just gave it to me without a signature. All in all I'm a bit disappointed at how long it has taken to get here. My address was written on the package by my daughter very visibly, and her return address was marked on the back. Obviously the Hungarian Postal service does not have a Tracking relationship with Royal Mail, I feel that it would have been rather more stress-free and definitely less 'tenterhooks' if they had.

But in truth, I should be grateful to Royal Mail, at least it didn't end up on some trash heap of lost parcels in Belfast.

[jjoeking1975]

it takes up to 45 days to clear gblala , its hm revenue and customs and they have a back log , so be prepared to wait ,

[David119]

I have a holiday home on a small Greek Island and have experienced a similar problem.
Ordinary post and parcels usually arrive within a week and my brilliant Greek postman delivers packages directly to my door, mail goes in my private letter box located in a group of letter boxes elsewhere in the village. The Greek Post Office are brilliant !

But some idiot in Royal Mail management has decided that it would be a good idea to use a private delivery company for "signed for" parcels. Predictably the absolutely worst delivery company (GLS/ACS) was chosen and they just sat on my parcel for a few weeks and then sent it back to Athens ! I am fairly easy to contact and ACS have my mobile on file but they made absolutely no effort to contact me. They could have just sent a card through the post if all else failed, but they just didn't bother.

I of course assumed that a Royal Mail parcel would be handled by the Greek Post Office and I was chasing them. Worse the Royal Mail tracking system gives no indication of the courier involved. It took 3 emails to Royal Mail to get that information.

The parcel was sent over a month ago and as I said ordinary mail is with me in a week. If it hadn't been for strenuous activity on my part, the parcel would have eventually been sent back to England.

Royal Mail used to be the very best Postal Service in the whole of Europe but successive governments have failed it and it is now a ghost of it's former self. I feel so sorry for the hard working ordinary workers and customers who have been failed by management and politicians.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

But some idiot in Royal Mail management has decided that it would be a good idea to use a private delivery company for "signed for" parcels. Predictably the absolutely worst delivery company (GLS/ACS) was chosen

The relationship between RM and GLS is actually a bit incestuous as GLS is part of the Royal Mail Group, but is a separate company from Royal Mail Letters/Royaal Mail International.