CONSUMER FORUM

Another unhappy PostNet customer

LIKE Nick Scholfield (Power Report, April 13), I have always been under the impression that PostNet was a more reliable and efficient service than the Post Office.

When I recently had an important 75th birthday card to send to the UK, I decided to go to PostNet in Benmore Gardens, Johannesburg, to be sure that it would arrive at its destination on time.

Three weeks later, when my card had not reached its destination, I found out that there is no air delivery from PostNet to the UK. Instead, the mail goes to Singapore and is then redirected to the UK.

I would never have used this service if I had known my card would be sent via the Far East. A friend posted her card at the Post Office to the same UK address 10 days later and it arrived after four days. Considering that the rates at PostNet are far more expensive than those of the Post Office, I will in future opt for its cheaper and more reliable service.

My card finally arrived exactly four weeks after I posted it. — Fiona Hutcheon, by e-mail

PostNet managing director Chris Wheeler responds:

PostNet offers two international postal services. The first is through the Post Office, whereby a customer can send a letter or parcel to an international destination. The second is our global mail service. We use two international carriers for this service. The items are collected daily from PostNet stores and taken directly to the hub in Johannesburg and flown to London or Singapore, depending on the store used. The items are then posted into the relevant postal service, for example, the Royal Mail in the UK.

A delivery time on both services is not guaranteed.

If customers are sending an item that is timesensitive or important, they should make use of our international courier service, which has a delivery time guideline.