Currently hating the mail system...

Is there anything I can do? I didn't track it because it's useless once it leaves Ireland.

I'd like to know the answer to this too.  My package (sent 10 Dec to Colorado) and card (sent early Jan to Colorado) are both missing. 

Is there nothing we can do in situations like this?

I sent a massive package about 2 years ago now.  It cost about $150 to send and included some of my journals from my rtw.  I sent it with a tracking number and they lost all of it.  When I called I was told that if I had wanted to receive my items I shouldn't have mailed them!

I mailed myself 2 identical large packages from the US last Monday.  My dad mailed me a small padded envelope yesterday (because I'm a doofus and left my hat in my car).  The 3-way race is ON! 

We have a winner!  Big shocker.  Small padded envelope arrived yesterday -- mailed from RI on Jan 28, delivered on 3 Feb.  6 days -- not too shabby.  Now to see if my identical large packages arrive together or not.  If they ever arrive...

I sent 3 packages to upstate NY from Newcastle on December 17.  One arrived about 2 weeks ago.  One arrived last week.  The other just arrived yesterday!!! 

Ok having read everything, I will have to stand up for the royal mail as i am a postie , dont know what the standard is like in London and the rest of the country ,but here in Bradford i deliver and recieve a good service. Just had the worst december weather ever and trudging around in a foot of snow is not my idea of fun ,especially as the recipients of packets and parcels are out and so posting p739 cards (sorry you were out) through the door . what is annoying though is the people who get these cards ask for the packet to be redelivered only for them to be out again (or not up) on attempting a redilivery .
Right rant over  .

Ok having read everything, I will have to stand up for the royal mail as i am a postie , dont know what the standard is like in London and the rest of the country ,but here in Bradford i deliver and recieve a good service. Just had the worst december weather ever and trudging around in a foot of snow is not my idea of fun ,especially as the recipients of packets and parcels are out and so posting p739 cards (sorry you were out) through the door . what is annoying though is the people who get these cards ask for the packet to be redelivered only for them to be out again (or not up) on attempting a redilivery .
Right rant over  .

Cool that you kept to your routes in Bradford, but here in Derbyshire Royal Mail did not deliver for 2 weeks (from the day after Thanksgiving through mid December). I've also been home and had one of those P739 cards come through my letter slot (I'm a Stay at home mum so I'm here ALL THE TIME) and chased my postie down the hall of our building with it in my hand because he couldn't be bothered to get the parcel out of the truck and bring it up to the 6th floor (this has happened on more than one occaision so he's learned now and knows better than to pull that me now).

Cool you're a good postie, but in my experience there aren't any (or just not on my route) in Derbyshire.

actually it wasn't cool it was freezing cold minus 10 on some days if i remember

Nice to see you again, whiteknight!

Maybe you can answer this question - if a postie doesn't deliver on a certain day due to weather, is that his/her decision? Or does Royal Mail decide?

I've lived in Wales and Cornwall over the past seven years and have always had fabulous posties. It's a tough job and I'm very grateful for the hard work they put in.

hello again chary ,to answer your question it mostly depends on the postie and the advice from his or her line manager .If they say its too slippery or too dangerous to go up to a house (eg dangerous dog out ) then we have to bring the mail back for redelivery the next day or until the problem has been solved ,eg salt on the path or the dog tied up or taken indoors .

I have been very pleased with our postie-- no complaints at all. The problems here started when they closed our local sorting office not long before Christmas. The combination between that and the weather just caused everything to go crazy. Up until this year the service has been wonderful.

Of course many of the local people who are moaning about the horrible service are the same ones who complained when the postal workers went on strike to try to stop the closing of the local the sorting office.

I do appreciate my local postie and thank him regularly.  I've got no complaints with him at all.  The problems I've had with the mail system occur AFTER it's out of his hands.

Meanwhile I'm hoping the 8x10 photo of Jean I sent Mom & Dad gets there eventually!

Mom called this afternoon to say it arrived yesterday - sent it 13th of December!

I like our local postie - he's great!  But there is nothing I can do about this package...I was told by RM that I need to ask the USPS about it - well, they sent it and it left the shores on Dec 3...after that it can't be tracked.  So my Christmas and birthday pressies were lost or stolen.  It's been over 2 months so I've given up.  And will ask my parents to NEVER send anything again around Christmas as it's a lost cause.  I do understand how weather could effect items, but 2 months for a package that still hasn't arrived is crazy.

Don't give up hope! I just had a parcel arrive from England to the US after about 2 months!

It was nearly two months for one large padded envelope to get from the UK to Florida, don't give up yet!