Mail returned by An Post

Ri_Nollaig · 14-05-2009 03:13PM

minidazzler wrote: »

True, but An Post were being Smart, what happens if it was sent off to America, and they decided that another language couldn't be read so Binned it? Then the OP would be complaining about that.

TBH, it is all the OP's fault for just being illogical.

If they where really been smart you would imagine they could put a sticker on it saying "United States of America"

Karoma · 14-05-2009 03:13PM

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Re-send it except this time write it in klingon.

That's going to hurt some people's ego when that gets it there, but not Irish.

minidazzler · 14-05-2009 03:15PM

Ri_Nollaig wrote: »

If they where really been smart you would imagine they could put a sticker on it saying "United States of America"

That's not their responsibility.

topper75 · 14-05-2009 03:24PM

minidazzler wrote: »

TBH, it is all the OP's fault for just being illogical.

Illogical? -

Yeah we can talk about that.

Parcels sent from France would have Les Etats Unis, in French.
Parcels sent from Spain would have Los Estados Unidos, in Spanish.
Parcels sent from Ireland would have Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, in ... oh wait....must apply logic here!

IvyTheTerrible · 14-05-2009 03:28PM

topper75 wrote: »

Illogical? - Yeah we can talk about that.

Parcels sent from France would have Les Etats Unis, in French.
Parcels sent from Spain would have Los Estados Unidos, in Spanish.
Parcels sent from Ireland would have Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, in ... oh wait....must apply logic here!

60 million people speak french as a first language
Hundreds of millions of people speak spanish.

How many people speak Irish as a first language?

el_tiddlero · 14-05-2009 03:31PM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

60 million people speak french as a first language
Hundreds of millions of people speak spanish.

How many people speak Irish as a first language?

42

anplaya · 14-05-2009 03:38PM

a girl i know said to me her family or herself wouldnt use the word ireland if they were sending a letter /parcel from her own country ,they would use their own word, and it gets here everytime she expects something and shes not from exactly a huge global spoken language country.she said basically the mailmen there send it to the countries destination and whoever is in charge of post in that country sorts it out there.

so ye,theyre just ****ing you about.

Cathaoirleach · 14-05-2009 03:43PM

I've just been on to An Post customer service for the past 20 mins and they are saying the complete opposite to all the comments here.

All internal and external mail in Ireland must be processed in Irish or English. My packet was returned by An Post in error - it never left Ireland.

It's up to An Post to send the mail to the country as indicated on the letter, be it in Irish or English. Once it reaches that country, the local postal service just processes the local address, ignoring the country.

So, had An Post sent my packet to USA, the U.S. Postal Service would only process the local address, eg. California, and ignore "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá".

The problem was An Post. I have to bring my returned packet to the local post office and they will ensure that it is processed with no extra charge.

I also got a PM there - the Official Languages Act 2003 hammers down heavy on government agencies that do not provide services in Irish, so maybe that's why An Post were so eager to help me.

Anyway, now you know. You can write the country name in Irish and it must be processed by An Post.

topper75 wrote: »

You are definitely entitled to a refund.

pab_lowe wrote: »

are any of you actually reading the OPs post.

Thanks guys, the only two comments of support.

topper75 · 14-05-2009 03:50PM

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

60 million people speak french as a first language
Hundreds of millions of people speak spanish.

How many people speak Irish as a first language?

No numbers for you - nowhere near the volume of people who speak French and Spanish of course. Does that invalidate the Irish language for you in some way?

Maybe he should have gone with Mandarin characters?

I thought the problem you guys had was that the American mailman speaks English alone and none of the 3 languages above, and therefore there is some kind of imagined or unwritten obligation to write the countryname in English?

OP sent parcel from Ireland with the country name written in Irish - An Post have no reason for not being able to get it to the states.

dsmythy · 14-05-2009 03:53PM

People make mistakes. Get over it.

anplaya · 14-05-2009 03:54PM

Thanks guys, the only two comments of support.[/quote]

check above yer last comment;)

Ri_Nollaig · 14-05-2009 04:02PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

I've just been on to An Post customer service for the past 20 mins and they are saying the complete opposite to all the comments here.

writing it in English might have saved some time :pac:

topper75 · 14-05-2009 04:18PM

Bloody awkward this Gaeilge chaps - just refuses to die!

Credit due to An Post for their admission. Professional credibility and patriotic credentials fully restored. I am by no means mistake-free myself.

Mr.Lizard · 14-05-2009 04:29PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

Sorry, I have no idea which forum this message belongs to.

I sent a packet to the USA recently.

Instead of putting "United States of America" on the address, I put "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá" - (USA in Irish)

It was returned to my address a few days later - they ovbiously didn't understand the Irish bit.

Should I complain to An Post or just resend the letter in English? It's just that it cost me 5 euro (it's a packet) and now I have to pay another 5 euro to re-send it. :rolleyes:

Can I get a refund? I thought An Post were supposed to send and receive mail in Irish and English.

No offence but that was a really stupid thing to do. If you were writing a love letter to Barack Obama would you address it something along the lines of "An Teach Buí, 1600 Pensylvania Av"? As a rule of thumb address the letter the way the recipient indicates ie not "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá" .

iMax · 14-05-2009 04:42PM

topper75 wrote: »

Bloody awkward this Gaeilge chaps - just refuses to die!

Sooner it dies the better. Bloody useless language. If the OP HAD written the address in klingon, there'd be more people able to read it than speak Irish as a first language...

ShooterSF · 14-05-2009 04:42PM

I don't speak Irish. Hated the language in school but what I hate more are posters who move their goalposts when their point is proved wrong because deep down their point was only there in the first place because of some bigotry.

How many of you sending International post use the recieving countries language for the whole address? Do you find post doesn't quite leave the country for 中國 (China)? How many of you would put the whole address in English regardless of the countries language. The OP's approach was actually the right way to do it, other than the fact that Ireland uses both languages (at least officially).

Lollipops23 · 14-05-2009 04:44PM

OP while i'm glad you got a refund and the problem got sorted, i think it was silly to put the USA as Gaeilge on the envelope. why bother?unless your own everyday language is Irish, even then it just seems you did just becuase you could.

Cathaoirleach · 14-05-2009 04:45PM

Mr.Lizard wrote: »

No offence but that was a really stupid thing to do. If you were writing a love letter to Barack Obama would you address it something along the lines of "An Teach Buí, 1600 Pensylvania Av"? As a rule of thumb address the letter the way the recipient indicates ie not "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá" .

The Yellow House? Why would I write the local address in Irish? I simply wrote the COUNTRY name in Irish, which An Post, as an Irish government body, should be able to process and send to that country. Once it reaches the States, they only look for the local address, not "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá".

As much as you hate me for writing the country name in Irish, I still have a right to do so, and An Post were in the wrong, not me. Hence the refund :rolleyes:. Get over it.

anplaya wrote: »

so ye,theyre just ****ing you about.

Thanks anplaya, missed that post.

Lollipops23 · 14-05-2009 04:50PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

The Yellow House?

yep it's one of those weird things, it transaltes wrong. but that's the term we were taught in school too.

ShooterSF · 14-05-2009 04:54PM

Lollipops23 wrote: »

OP while i'm glad you got a refund and the problem got sorted, i think it was silly to put the USA as Gaeilge on the envelope. why bother?unless your own everyday language is Irish, even then it just seems you did just becuase you could.

Until we stop using it and officially announce it dead, stop wasting kid's time in school by forcing them to learn it and paying teachers good money to teach it why shouldn't the OP?

Mr.Lizard · 14-05-2009 05:05PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

The Yellow House? Why would I write the local address in Irish? I simply wrote the COUNTRY name in Irish, which An Post, as an Irish government body, should be able to process and send to that country. Once it reaches the States, they only look for the local address, not "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá".

As much as you hate me for writing the country name in Irish, I still have a right to do so, and An Post were in the wrong, not me. Hence the refund :rolleyes:. Get over it.

Sorry. An Teach Bán then if it makes you feel any better. I don't hate you for writing the address in Irish I just think the most sensible thing to do is to write the adress in whatever way makes it most likely to reach it's destination. An Post as a collective body are already useless enough at their job that they don't need you throwing extra challenges into the mix. The fact that you wrote the entire address bar the country name in English shows that you already knew this yourself but were just trying to take the mick and see what would happen. But well done all the same for discovering one of ways that doesn't work.

Cathaoirleach · 14-05-2009 05:13PM

The fact of the matter here is that An Post were in error, not me.

I understand that writing "USA" would have been 'easier' than writing "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá", but that's not the point. An Post failed to process my mail in Irish. That is in breach of the OLA 2003, hence why they were so eager to sort it out and refund me.

I will be sending all mail to America with "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá", and if it bounces back, I will just lodge a complaint with An Coimisinéir Teanga.

Mezcita · 14-05-2009 05:15PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

The fact of the matter here is that An Post were in error, not me.

I understand that writing "USA" would have been 'easier' than writing "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá", but that's not the point. An Post failed to process my mail in Irish. That is in breach of the OLA 2003, hence why they were so eager to sort it out and refund me.

I will be sending all mail to America with "Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá", and if it bounces back, I will just lodge a complaint with An Coimisinéir Teanga.

Shows how much free time you have on your hands.

Mr.Lizard · 14-05-2009 05:17PM

Yes, well done. You've found the near infalible An Post in error. Be sure to keep a journal of this unique day and then keep up the good fight!

Cathaoirleach · 14-05-2009 05:19PM

Mr.Lizard wrote: »

Sorry. An Teach Bán then if it makes you feel any better. .

Cool, man. I know where you coming from.

It's just that An Post are 'supposed' to be honouring mail addresses in Irish, and I guess I'm testing that. Obviously they have failed. It doesn't bug me that much, but I will not pay another €5 to resend a packet that was technically addressed correctly.

Cathaoirleach · 14-05-2009 05:19PM

Mr.Lizard wrote: »

Yes, well done. You've found the near infalible An Post in error. Be sure to keep a journal of this unique day and then keep up the good fight!

Will do!

Mr.Lizard · 14-05-2009 05:27PM

Cathaoirleach wrote: »

Cool, man. I know where you coming from.

It's just that An Post are 'supposed' to be honouring mail addresses in Irish, and I guess I'm testing that. Obviously they have failed. It doesn't bug me that much, but I will not pay another €5 to resend a packet that was technically addressed correctly.

Let's look at problem symbolically. The Letter goes into letterbox. The letterbox is one of those left behind by the British, only now with a lick of green paint on it. The letterbox is typically Irish at first glance but as you examine it further it is still just a leftover from colonization (much like our language).

You should consider An Post to be an extension of that letterbox and treat it accordingly.

Thirdfox · 14-05-2009 05:45PM

ShooterSF wrote: »

I don't speak Irish. Hated the language in school but what I hate more are posters who move their goalposts when their point is proved wrong because deep down their point was only there in the first place because of some bigotry.

How many of you sending International post use the recieving countries language for the whole address? Do you find post doesn't quite leave the country for 中國 (China)? How many of you would put the whole address in English regardless of the countries language. The OP's approach was actually the right way to do it, other than the fact that Ireland uses both languages (at least officially).

That's not China...at least not in Chinese Chinese

- 中国 is what you're looking for.

My post to China would be sent written all in Chinese except for country being 中国 (China) at the very bottom. So OP didn't do anything necessarily wrong - but lots of people don't speak Irish so if the letter was urgent then I would definitely use the safest method of ensuring it got delivered properly.

And in the Asian countries addresses are written in reverse order to what we have here, random fact for you.

Terri26 · 14-05-2009 05:48PM

Mr.Lizard wrote: »

Sorry. An Teach Bán then if it makes you feel any better. I don't hate you for writing the address in Irish I just think the most sensible thing to do is to write the adress in whatever way makes it most likely to reach it's destination. An Post as a collective body are already useless enough at their job that they don't need you throwing extra challenges into the mix. The fact that you wrote the entire address bar the country name in English shows that you already knew this yourself but were just trying to take the mick and see what would happen. But well done all the same for discovering one of ways that doesn't work.

again you seem to be missing the point. a few of the previos posters have said when sending mail from countires with different lanuages you write the destination country in your own language (so for us Irish or English) but you write the rest of the address in the language that is used in tge country it is been sent.
example - when I write to my friend in germany - I write Germany at the end (in big letters!!!!!) and the rest of the address in ........... German!!!

Terri26 · 14-05-2009 05:49PM

Mr.Lizard wrote: »

Sorry. An Teach Bán then if it makes you feel any better. I don't hate you for writing the address in Irish I just think the most sensible thing to do is to write the adress in whatever way makes it most likely to reach it's destination. An Post as a collective body are already useless enough at their job that they don't need you throwing extra challenges into the mix. The fact that you wrote the entire address bar the country name in English shows that you already knew this yourself but were just trying to take the mick and see what would happen. But well done all the same for discovering one of ways that doesn't work.

Again you seem to be missing the point. A few of the previoUus posters have said when sending mail from countires with different lanuages you write the destination country in your own language (so for us Irish or English) but you write the rest of the address in the language that is used in the country it is been sent to.
example - when I write to my friend in Germany - I write Germany at the end (in big letters!!!!!) and the rest of the address in ........... German!!!

Mail returned by An Post

Comments