Blog - Canada Post bouncing frenzy
Canada Post bouncing frenzy
I'm quite disappointed of Canada Post. Since a few weeks ago they seem to be bouncing my packages to Canada because of "no sender name in English or French", or in other words not written in alphabet.
I've always sent packages from here with a return address in Japanese except for the country name, since that's more helpful to the Japanese postal service in the event that the package is returned.
Canada seems to have been getting always stricter lately when it comes to mail. Last year my local post office was telling me to write the exact number of articles on the air mail customs declaration form (detail which isn't required for other countries), and they also require fine precision regarding contents such as explained by Japan Post here (there has been no such notice for any other country).
Anyway I've been doing an effort to always comply to their silly caprices, but this is the first time that something actually bounces, and I'm quite pissed off about the waste of time and money...
Posted on April 5, 2005 at 23:21 | Tweet
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Damn Canadians!
Posted by Roy on April 6, 2005 at 00:44
For once I will agree! :)
♪ Blame Canada!
Posted by Patrick on April 6, 2005 at 01:56
i've heard they have started to return mail that doesn't have a return address written on the front of the envelope(in europe it's common to write the return address on the back of an envelope), but don't know anyone that has happened to personally. these sort of things seem rather silly though.
Posted by william on April 6, 2005 at 02:20
Canada has definitely gotten stricter for us shipping from the U.S. Every time I send something there I have to fill out the longer customs form. Plus, I've heard if you don't put the addressee's full name they'll send it back to you as well.
It can be quite a hassle.
Posted by Jon on April 6, 2005 at 03:19
It seems like rather than doing anything against terrorism, these silly requests are only to maybe make life easier to their staff or something.
Going as far as bouncing back a package from another country for such stupid reasons seems to me like nothing but pure exageration.
Posted by Patrick on April 6, 2005 at 10:39
just wondering ...
are Japanese post offices really run by gossipy old women and do a lot of people actually have PO boxes that they store large sums of money in?
Posted by Nik on April 6, 2005 at 10:51
Japanese post offices do have a lot of gossipy old women, but I thought it was like that everywhere? :)
Never heard of large sums of money in PO boxes.
Posted by Patrick on April 6, 2005 at 10:54
I Germany we write the sender on the back side of the letter or parcel. If I write it on the top side I sometimes get my parcels back. This is because the sender address is used as the recipients address by the automatic parcel sorting machines. Seems it gets harder and harder to send and get parcels ;-)
Posted by Markus Kreisel on April 6, 2005 at 21:25
Maybe you can't send anything to Canada then. :)
Posted by Patrick on April 6, 2005 at 22:53
I remember sending stuff to my friend in Taiwan, she never got it. I received an empty enveloppe a month later (stolen). Another friend wrote her address, i sent a letter to her address. It was returned saying the address was incorrect.
I guess Canada isn't that bad but then again, it's always fun to blame them.
Posted by Martin on April 7, 2005 at 01:56
"I guess Canada isn't that bad but then again, it's always fun to blame them."
Only if you're Canadian yourself.
Posted by Roy on April 7, 2005 at 10:08
Martin, it doesn't sound to me like your trouble was because of Canada Post.
They sure are slow (I heard rumors that the Canadian government uses USPS to send their important international mail because of that!), but as far as my experience goes mail doesn't get lost/stolen.
Posted by Patrick on April 7, 2005 at 10:15
FYI I'm pretty sure there's a requirement in the Universal Postal Union treaty or agreement or whatever that was drawn up by the British I think 130 or so years ago and signed by everyone with a functioning postal service . One part of it says once it leaves the country of origin international mail has to use Roman characters. I guess the original point was to get countries to deliver eachother's mail rather than play games with it.
So I'd chalk that up to there being a genuine regulation that Canada Post just now has the recent urge to get stuck up about.
And be sure to itemize each grilled eel you send.
Posted by ndkent on April 11, 2005 at 18:03
Interesting point! Still I find it excessive to be so picky, especially on the sender's address.
Now you've made me hungry for unagi-don. :)
Posted by Patrick on April 12, 2005 at 10:34
If you are sending important articles, it's worth the money to spend on DHL or other courier service, instead of relying on Canada Post. However, in regard to your case... I think it's better to write the address in English, then put a Japanese address and label it "Japanese version". That way you satisfied the requirement and makes it easier for Japan Post.
Posted by Kazuki on January 11, 2006 at 08:34
Thanks for the suggestion! I hadn't thought of putting the address in both languages, though that would mean more work for me. :)
Posted by Patrick on January 11, 2006 at 09:39