GLS charges sent packing;
For the last few years there has been a steady flow of complaints to public representatives, consumer groups, radio talk shows and newspaper editors about package deliveries from America to this country and many other European destinations handled by GLS, a Royal Mail subsidiary, operating out of a central depot in Germany.
This situation arose after An Post, and many other European state-run post offices, lost its handling contracts to GLS. Air mail packages from America to Ireland can now spend an inordinate amount of time sitting in a German sorting warehouse where every package is scrutinised to see if it was liable to a Vat or duty charge and only then dispatched to the recipient with a cash-on-delivery demand for the amount payable.
What most people didn’t know was that GLS was also slapping on a great big handling charge. It wasn’t unusual to find that these extra charges exceeded the value of the parcel but, if you refused to pay, that was the end of your Christmas parcel or the long-awaited Christening gift for the new baby.
The good news is that the public barrage of letters and protests, beefed up by some behind-the-scenes diplomatic and Revenue pressure has paid off and An Post has been awarded the contract again by the US postal service from January 1 next.
Who says consumer pressure doesn’t work?
