Turkish postal system plagued with problems
As the Turkish postal system tries to implement modern technology and introduce innovative products, notorious delays and lost mail continue to be a major headache to customers, local and foreign alike.
As a state agency, the Postal and Telecommunications General Directorate (PTT) has the monopoly on postal services in Turkey. Many Turks and foreigners consider the PTT unsafe when sending or receiving mail from overseas.
Alternatives to the PTT exist and offer added security. Almost all major international carriers operate in Turkey. DHL, UPS and FedEX are among them. Some national carriers, including MNG, Yurtiçi and Sürat Kargo have a strong presence in local markets, too. They are much more expensive compared to the services offered by the PTT.
Some argue that postal employee morale is very low because the staff is overstretched and is expected to provide a wide variety of services. The PTT, now 168 years old, is tasked with many functions in addition to handling mail, including utility bill payments and ticket sales.
Most customer complaints focus on delayed delivery. At times, packages and letters are lost. Even registered and insured mail is prone to problems in the Turkish postal system. Erdoðan concedes that there may be problems in the system, but denies that this is the fault of the PTT as an enterprise. He says there are some bad apples and blames the problems of lost and damaged mail and parcels on disgruntled and greedy postal workers.
PTT employees are not to blame for all faults, however. Legal regulations forbid sending valuable items via regular post so money or other valuables lost on their way to their destination cannot be refunded or otherwise compensated for.
The PTT is liable to compensate the sender for lost or damaged parcels that were insured beforehand. The PTT administration is responsible for the value declared at the time of mailing. Compensation, up to the insured value and mailing costs, is paid to the sender.
Most private carriers have the same policies on cash and valuable papers. Parcels or letters containing money or valuable papers should be insured. Turkish Telecommunication Workers’ Union (Türkiye Haber-Ýþ) General Secretary Ali Deniz says the PTT service is as good as that offered by private cargo companies, adding that problems with the system are not the fault of the corporation but that of individuals. He also says that a new barcode system is currently being used for packages containing valuables.
As the PTT works to improve its service, learn your rights and don’t underestimate the importance of insuring the items you mail.
