How to behave with "Russian Post": secrets that will save your time, money and nerves

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In Russia, the post office is more than just an organization. Russian Post is a legend about which it is either bad or not at all. And yet you can get along with her. Here are some tips to make your email communication easy and enjoyable.

If you believe the Internet, "Russian Post" is a "corporation of evil." Her credo is chaos. Break everything and lose for your money! One compartment - one window. Took a turn? Write your will. So, just in case. “There are many of you, but I am alone” is the most polite thing that you can hear from a postal employee. And why do they still not hang the portrait of "Hamla of the month" in a prominent place?

But maybe not everything is so bad? Not everything is lost?

Shifting responsibility is convenient. But what if we create some of the problems with Russian Post ourselves? What if we just don't know the rules and are pumping non-existent rights?

Calmly! Do not rush to be indignant in the comments: “They do not know the laws! Stand up for Russian Railways! Just read to the end. We will tell you how to interact with Russian Post without unnecessary expenses and hassle.

Learning to distinguish a parcel from a parcel

According to Federal Law No. 176 "On Postal Communication", postal items include:

• letters;
• postcards (postcards);
• Money transfers;
• periodicals;
• small packages;
• parcels post;
• parcels.

In the 21st century, many of them seem irrelevant. We read not newspapers, but news agency feeds. We communicate and build a business by email. And we send money from card to card. But even geeks have to deal with small packages, parcels and parcels. What is it without them?

Small package - international postal item containing small items. The maximum weight is 2 kg. No special packaging required.

Parcel post - a postal item with an attachment in the form of printed publications (books, magazines, newspapers), business papers, manuscripts, photographs. The maximum weight is 2 kg. For parcels consisting exclusively of books - 5 kg.

Package - postal item for sending things. Minimum dimensions: 114 × 162 mm or 110 × 220 mm.

All shipments are divided into simple and registered. Plains are accepted and delivered without any receipts or signatures. I bought a stamped envelope, sent a letter, and the addressee will look into the mailbox and receive it. In the second case, everything is documented: a receipt is issued to the sender, and a notification is issued to the recipient.

Registered postal items are:

1. By registered (letters, postcards, parcels, small packages) - delivered against signature, if you wish, you can order a delivery receipt.
2. Valuable (letters, parcels, parcels) - when sending, the value of the investment is estimated, sometimes an inventory is drawn up.
3. Cash on delivery - postage is charged to the addressee upon receipt.

Why all these details? It's just that the conditions, terms and cost of shipment depend on the type of shipment.

Pechkin knows his business! That's just, as you understand, according to the current rules, you cannot send a poker by parcel post (only written correspondence and documents), and the parcel may weigh less than a kilogram. For example, you decided to send your beloved grandmother a book (500 grams) and a box of chocolates (300 grams) as a gift. Due to the sweet content, the shipment will be considered a parcel: it will be packed in a special plastic bag or cardboard box. And if there were only a book, it would pass for a parcel post.

But sometimes "non-standard" attachments are made out as a parcel post. For example, magnets, cosmetic probes, or seeds. This is done when the investment is not heavy and every minute counts.

First class vs EMS

There are the following methods of forwarding postal items:

1. Ground - letters and parcels are delivered by rail, road and other ground transport.
2. Air - delivery by air.
3. Combined - part of the way, the departure travels on the ground, and part of it flies.
4. Expedited - delivery times are shortened by several days.

In the domestic postal service, air forwarding is almost not practiced. As a result, shipments take a long time. The further, the longer. For example, the time it takes for a simple letter to travel from Ulyanovsk to Moscow is five days. Do you want it faster? No problem! Choose first class.

First class shipments - these are accelerated domestic mailings, delivery times of which are 25-30% lower than usual. In addition, handling and collection of first class items is always a priority and their delivery is not subject to seasonal restrictions. True, they are more expensive.

In other words, first class shipments are delivered quickly and wherever you go. The main deadlines for their shipment are in.

But only letters and parcels are sent first class. Not parcels! And this is where the time comes for exceptions.

Solve the problem. You need to send the seeds of rare plants to your uncle the forester. But in the fall, the road to his taiga village is washed away so that the only available transport is a helicopter. Arrives once a week. Question: how to deliver seeds to my uncle without waiting for winter, when the thaw is over? Solution: ask the post office to arrange the parcel as a first class parcel post. Uncle will receive seeds with the first helicopter.

First class should not be confused with EMS shipping.

EMS (Express Mail Service) is an express delivery service. It is handled by the branch of the Russian Post - the service. Domestic express delivery is carried out throughout the country, and international delivery operates in more than 190 countries around the world.

EMS is door-to-door delivery. The courier will pick up the package directly from your home or office and deliver it anywhere. EMS Russian Post has its own transport network, here they guarantee safety and provide an opportunity to insure the shipment against damage or loss. Express shipping is more expensive than expedited shipping.

How to determine the cost

Shipping costs are influenced by:

1. Type of shipment: letter / parcel post / parcel; registered / valuable / simple / with cash on delivery.
2. Shipment method: regular or expedited.
3. Value.
4. Distance.
5. The weight.

In the case of a customized parcel post, the fee is taken only for the weight, the distance does not affect the cost. The cost of a valuable parcel, as well as other valuable items, depends on the distance, weight and amount of the estimate plus 4%. So, if you estimated the parcel at one hundred rubles, then another four rubles will be added to the tariff for distance and weight.

Passport and other documents are sent only by valuable letters (parcels) with a mandatory list of attachments.

Senders often deliberately underestimate the amount of assessment. If there is no difference, why pay more? But there is still a difference. When the package is lost, the sender will be reimbursed the amount of the estimate, regardless of the actual value of the attachment. One hundred rubles is one hundred rubles.

How much you will have to pay approximately when sending something within the country, you can find out using.

Do not swear if the operator calls a different amount: this is not a whim. The calculator does not take into account the regional specifics of shipping, the cost of packaging and other additional services (more on them below). It is unlikely that you will be "cheated": the calculation of the shipping cost is performed by a computer, where the operator enters all the necessary parameters.

How to send correctly

Step 1. Determine the type of shipment

Parcel or small package? Custom or Valuable? Regular or Expedited Shipping?

It is worth dancing from what you want to send. Be careful: some items are prohibited from being sent by individuals. Here. For example, sending a humidor with Cuban cigars to a friend in a nearby town is no problem. And the same set for a friend abroad is no longer possible.

Step 2. Making out

Parcels sent across Russia without an inventory of attachments can be collected at home - put things in a box, put them in a bubble wrap. They will check everything at the post office, glue the parcel with branded tape and put down the details. If you want to make an inventory, then it's better not to worry about the packaging at all. It is more convenient to collect the parcel directly at the post office: anyway, the operator will carefully check each attachment and enter it into the inventory.

By sending fragile fragile things, you can additionally protect yourself. Ask the employee to put a Warning label on the package. Then, according to the rules, it must be carefully packed and passed from hand to hand, without throwing it away. You will have to pay extra for safety - plus 30%.

It is very important to write the recipient's address correctly. How to fill out the "where / to whom" form, read.

Packing postal items, filling out accompanying forms, such as customs, compiling attachment inventories, writing addresses and written messages - all these are additional services. They are paid separately and are not available in all post offices.

In other words, the operator is not required to write the address for you or fill out a customs declaration. If you cannot do it yourself, they will help you, but you will have to pay extra.

How to track

The movement of registered postal items can be monitored. In the international message there are track codes for this, in the domestic one - a 14-character identifier.

It is on the check issued by the post office. By entering the ID in, you can find out where the package is.

You can also track postal items using the Russian Post application. Yes, they have an app!

The application is very convenient. You can find out at any time where the parcel is, and if its status changes (“Left the sorting center”, “Received by the addressee”), the application will beep. You can also find the nearest post office, check the zip code by address, and even chat with support! There is also a "unique" service for residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg. But more on that later.

Russian Post has another service that few people know about. This is about the arrival of a registered postal item or its delivery. To activate this service, you need to fill out an application by mail, indicating your phone number. The cost of one SMS is 10 rubles. You can pay for the service upon receipt of the parcel. Fly in the ointment is a one-time service.

How to get it right

Step 1. We receive a notification

If a registered mail item arrives at your name and address, you will know. A piece of paper with the good news will be dropped into your mailbox - a notice. From it it will become clear what kind of shipment was sent to you, when, from where, and also how much it weighs.

There are primary and secondary notifications. The primary is written out, as a rule, the next day after the parcel arrives at the department (take this type of shipment for example). That is, if the parcel arrived on the 1st, then the notification will most likely be written out on the 2nd. This is due to the fact that correspondence usually arrives at the offices after lunch and it takes time to process it.

From the moment the initial notification is issued, the countdown begins during which the recipient must pick up the parcel. This is five business days. If for some reason you did not have enough of them and you did not pick up the parcel (left, got sick, there was no time), then a secondary notice will be written in your name. It also happens that a person did not come, because he did not receive the initial notification. After all, it can fall out of the mailbox, it can be stolen, it can go unnoticed, sticking to the wall of the mailbox.

If you come for the parcel on the day of receiving the secondary notification or the next morning, then the storage fee will not be charged. But if you show up only on the 15th or 22nd, you will have to pay 5 rubles for each day of "downtime".

Step 2. We go to the mail

The recipient must fill in the reverse side of the notice, indicating his passport data, surname and putting a number and signature. At the post office you will need to present a notice and passport.

According to the law, the main document proving the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation on the territory of Russia is a passport (birth certificate). A temporary identity card of a citizen of the Russian Federation (Form No. 2-P) has equal legal force. An international passport, driver's license, record book, pension certificate, and the like are not identity documents.

The postal officer will check the correctness of filling in the notification and the correspondence of the passport data. Then he will bring the parcel, weigh it in front of you (the permissible error is 70 grams) and hand it over.

Many people mistakenly believe that they can open the parcel on the spot and, if something is damaged inside, immediately demand compensation for damage. De jure, you can open a parcel at the post office in two cases:

1. Sending with a list of attachments. In this case, the operator, with the consent of the client, must open the box and check that all items are in place.
2. The outer shell is broken. If there are "traces of hacking", you can ask to open the parcel. In this case, the head of the post office is invited and a special act is drawn up. If it turns out that something is missing in the package, an investigation begins.

We write a power of attorney

You can receive a registered postal item in person or through a proxy. But, of course, the parcel will not be returned for no reason at the post office, even if it is your wife / mother / son and even if they come with your passport. You need a power of attorney.

The power of attorney must be in writing. Write: “I, such and such, living there, the data of the passport is such and such, I trust such and such, who lives there, the data of the passport is such and such, to receive registered mail items coming to my name”.

It is better to write exactly “registered mailings”. If you specify a parcel, then a small package or letter will no longer be given and the power of attorney will actually turn out to be one-time.

The power of attorney must be certified. You don't have to go to a notary! You can certify a power of attorney to receive mailings at the place of work or study, the place of treatment. It is important that the document is crowned with the main seal of the institution (organization) and endorsed by the signature of the head with a decryption. A power of attorney with a "stamp for information" and a stroke of some accountant will not work.

Will they bring you home?

People who value their time and hate queues can use such a paid service of Russian Post as home delivery. There are two possibilities.

1. … If the package weighs less than two kilograms, you can call the number indicated in the notification and order delivery. Delivery is made during the working hours of the postman at the address indicated on the shipment. The recipient must present a passport. The cost of the service is 100 rubles.
2. … Remember when we said that residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg who use the Russian Post application have a privilege? So, using the application, they can order a courier (!) Delivery of a parcel. Delivery will be carried out within two days from the date of application (every day from 9:00 to 20:00). The parcel is handed over to the addressee upon presentation of the passport. The cost of the service is 199 rubles.

I will complain

The life hacker has already written about what to do, and. Detailed articles - read, do not be lazy. Today we will tell you how to complain about a postal employee if, for example, he was rude to you (oh horror!) Or provided services in an inappropriate manner.

Method number 1

Each post office has a book of statements and suggestions. You can safely roll the slander right there. According to the rules, this book should be checked daily. When a new record appears, a copy of it is made and sent to the control and reference service of the Russian Post. The person in charge writes an explanatory note on the application.

Method number 2

Contact the Help Desk directly."Russian Post" considers applications from citizens, provides background information, and is engaged in the search for postal items. Phone: 8-800-2005-888. Email: [email protected].

A little advice: before you write a complaint, remember that there is a person on the other side of the barricades with a very unenviable salary. But if your rights are really violated, be sure to defend them!

There is a great joke about the Russian Post. But not everyone gets it.

Russian Post is more than just an organization. Nobody denies that there are problems. Big problems. But before you scold the mail, try to make friends with it. As you can see, the rules are not complicated there. You will master it and you will be able to save time, money and nerves.

Anything to add? Write your comments!