May the 14th, 2020 - You might have read numerous articles (and we've published some ourselves) about Croatian Post and its new facilities and steps forward in doing business. Modernisation appears to be a company goal and with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continuing to create uncertain situations and delays across not only Croatia but the whole world, the decision to further modernise business operations can only be praised.
With all of the progress Croatian Post has made, the endless emails and posts from people who have never received their mail, who received it bashed in, broken and in a poor condition, and those who simply watched postmen not even bother to ring on their doorbells and instead just wander off, leaving a note pretending he tried haven't lessened. One does need to ask the question of just why it is such an issue to do what should be a very simple job - deliver mail to people who ordered items.
Coronavirus can only be blamed for so much, but this issue with Croatian Post and the Magical Missing Mail (not quite a Harry Potter book title, but close enough), has been going on for donkey's years.
As stated, many, if not all of us, have heard the stories about postcards and letters taking half a century to arrive to their destinations, but this occurred mostly in the times when mail travelled slowly, with horses and carriages, slow trains and planes that could only travel for a short range carrying them.
Above all, this occurred way back in those now distant-feeling times when there was no internet.
In the meanwhile, man has invented tracking so anybody who owns a mobile phone can follow and be totally updated on the journey of the parcel they are eagerly waiting for and have paid in full for.
This doesn't seem to be quite the case with Croatian Post however. Here is a case that took place in Zagreb about two weeks ago, when we sent an enquiry to the official e-mail address of Croatian Post, to which there has been no reaction or answer to this very moment.
Our reader who inspired us for this article was expecting two deliveries, one in a bigger envelope, and a mere 6,00 kg parcel, respectively.
In his words, he was sitting on his balcony and saw the postman entering and leaving the building. Some hours later, he found the notice of undelivered parcel in his mailbox. Obviously left by the mailman who, obviously, did not even bother to ring the doorbell. Not without justified irritation, he contacted the post office.
He was told that - first and foremost, he was obviously either not at home (!) or did not answer the door. When he told the Croatian Post ''customer service'' helper that he had seen the postman with his own eyes, and that sitting on the terrace clearly means that he was at home and fully conscious, he was informed that in these times of the coronavirus pandemic, the postmen are entitled to their own discretion of choosing where to deliver or not.
Apparently Croatian Post deems it fit to instil the power of epidemiologists into their employees. It is really not a statement, but rather an insult to common sense.
The very next day there was another notice of undelivered parcel in this man's mailbox.
Good news, it means that his other order has arrived, for him an important one. Yet, how is it that he did not hear the door bell once again? He, who has spent almost two months in voluntary self-isolation, leaving just occasionally to get some food from the shop across the street. Then it dawned on him: he was fully asleep as one without commitments can be at 07:30 in the morning, when he thought he had heard his doorbell ring for less than half a second. Sleepily realising that it was only 07:30, he thought he either hallucinated or somebody had pressed the bell by mistake. After a minute, his phone rang. As it was from a ‘No ID caller’, he did not bother to answer.
Another phone call to the post office was then on the cards, he is offered a repeated delivery that should occur within two working days. Six days pass by. Nothing. Another call to Croatian Post is made.
''Yes, the parcel is ready for pick up at the post office.''
''How about the repeated delivery that I was provided with?''
''Sorry, Sir, I cannot help you because I can't see it from my computer.''
''But your colleague made the request, can’t you track it down?''
''Sorry, Sir, I don't know from which office it was sent.''
''Is there a phone number of that particular post office?''
''I'm afraid not, Sir.''
More calls take place in the following days, each of them as useless and as much of a waste of time as the last, more windmills, more ''I'm sorry, Sir’'. Hopeless.
Running the risk of the expiration of that delivery, he went to the designated post office to pick the parcel up in person. It meant driving, looking for somewhere to park, queueing for 45 minutes and - to be told he had to pay 24,00 kuna for storage for a parcel for which the delivery fee been paid, for the false confirmation that it would be delivered after two more working days, after a number of calls and, finally, after personal physical engagement with a Croatian Post employee who had all the warmth of an arctic breeze.
After having paid (again) for this complete and utter lack of professionalism and even basic service, the box was damaged, had holes in, and was in a poor condition.
Again, the delivery to the address was paid for by the sender. The service was not done. And then you have to pay for the storage because Croatian Post just decides not to deliver it, And if they do, it will occur at 07:30 in the morning. Followed by calls from private numbers.
The motivation to follow this case came not only from the fact that our reader who asked for help is a serious, trustworthy person, but because it fits in well among the numerous complaints of people whose parcels were lost or never delivered by Croatian Post. Furthermore, as we at TCN attempted to make contact with Croatian Post ourselves to shed some light on this matter, we were ignored.
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