An Post - Delay and refusal to return to sender

Hello,

Unusual one here.

I purchased a valuable item online, it wasn’t perfect when it arrived, the seller has sold it ‘as is’ but was a real gent and accepted the return, once it was received in 10 days, as he has to resell it.

I’ve sent it back, but it’s now stuck in A Post’s sorting office for 6 days now, not moving. It’s going abroad, I’m starting to get reminders from the seller.

I went to the post office to request the package back, I wanted to resend with an express courier and take the hit on the money. They refused, sent me to the depot to chance my arm, I went with ID, receipts, proof of address as it’s all on the very distinct and large package.

They refused, saying they can’t ’legally’ return the mail to sender even through its 2km away in their effing warehouse not moving, this is what they quoted as the law;


Again, I see companies quoting laws that don’t make sense, the above act is clearly to regulate levers of power (police/govt) from intercepting mail. (Makes sense)

But it doesn’t anywhere mention a sender wanting to take a package back. They’re not interpreting the law correctly here.

I’m at risk of losing money here and it’s very frustrating and frankly keeping me up at night.

Has anyone any experience trying to get them to give your mail back at all?

Any help is appreciated.

vincentgav said:

Again, I see companies quoting laws that don’t make sense, the above act is clearly to regulate levers of power (police/govt) from intercepting mail. (Makes sense)

But it doesn’t anywhere mention a sender wanting to take a package back. They’re not interpreting the law correctly here.

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Seems pretty clear to me. Nobody, not even the sender, can intercept an item once posted (emphasis is mine):

“interception” means—
	(a) an act—
	(i) that consists of the opening or attempted opening of a postal packet addressed to any person or the delaying or detaining of any such postal packet or the doing of anything to prevent its due delivery or the authorising, suffering or permitting of another person (who is not the person to whom the postal packet is addressed) to do so, and
	(ii) that, if done otherwise than in pursuance of a direction under section 110 of the Act of 1983, constitutes an offence under section 84 of that Act,

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