Committed to deliver? (2)

Further to the complaints by Mr Edward Bijl (The Sunday Times, June 11) and Ms Sonja Kralj (June 18) on Maltapost's service, I would like to add mine.

On May 29, I posted a letter containing a cheque to a Sliema address.  When after a week the letter did not arrive at its destination we made enquiries both at the Paola branch and at the Sliema branch. We also phoned Maltapost Customer Care, who were very helpful. All to no avail, as the letter was not traced.  No wonder the postal service is called 'snail mail', but I never imagined snails moved so slowly.

Ten days later, when the letter was still not traced, I was advised to issue a stop payment of the cheque, which I did. Then it was agreed that I send the letter and cheque by hand. Naturally this one arrived and the recipient immediately sent me a receipt by post. Surprise, surprise, this was received the next day.

Is it not strange that a letter containing a cheque did not arrive at the time of writing (June 18) while the receipt was received the day after? Like Mr Bijl, I see the post persons carrying and delivering a lot of advertising material. Are they leaving the letters behind so that they can carry the advertising material?  Who decides what they should deliver first? If Maltapost employees are negligent in their work, they should be reprimanded.

On the other hand, I do not wish the postal service to be nationalised.  But it surely needs a good reorganisation.