Sir, – In recent editions, Letters to the Editor has featured several letters on the subject of An Post’s zealous collection of VAT, despite that in certain instances none was due. An Post should of course remit the VAT to Revenue; however, each time An Post collects VAT, it also collect an administration fee which it retains.
Recently I ordered some spare parts from the UK. The seller is registered for and collected Irish VAT. Notwithstanding this, An Post demanded VAT a second time, plus of course its administration fee.
Since I needed the parts, I paid the VAT a second time, plus the administration charge, so that An Post would deliver the parts. I subsequently sent an email to An Post Customer Services requesting a refund. Customer Services passed the buck and told me to contact An Posts Ecomm Charge Query Team, which I did.
The only response was an automated email advising, “it has not been possible to respond within the timeframe we would wish”. No indication was provided regarding what timeframe it would wish or what timeframe it would actually reply in, if ever. That was more than three months ago. I emailed a second time and received only the same automated reply so I escalated the matter to An Post’s Customer Advocate.
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In theory this can be done either through an Online Customer Advocate Contact Form or by post. In practice, the Online Customer Advocate Contact Form requires inputting certain data that can be obtained only from An Post, otherwise the form will not be submitted. Since An Post refuses to engage, I did not have this data. In effect, An Post engineered a Catch-22 situation which made it impossible to use the Online Customer Advocate Contact Form option, so I wrote to the Customer Advocate enclosing all the relevant documentation. Since then I have received no response whatsoever from the Customer Advocate. Customer Services do nothing except pass the buck to another department. The Ecomm Charge Query Team does nothing except email an automated excuse. The Customer Advocate does not reply at all. It is reasonable to ask what are the purposes of having these functions since they do nothing of benefit to anyone except An Post. I considered escalating it to Commission for Communications regulator; however, the ComReg website advises: “ComReg does not have regulatory remit over the behaviour and competence of postal personnel”.
So who do I escalate to in order to get some response?
Answers on the back of a postage stamp please! – Yours, etc,
DAVID JACOBS,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.