Hi all,

I live in Jalon, Costa Blanca and have always had a post box inside the post office since I’ve been here, however…I resent the fact that I have to pay over sixty euros a year for a box I can only get limited access to because of the post office being hardly open!

My question is this, until I find an external PO box(outside of the Correos building) can I give up my box and simply go in and just collect my mail. Sounds like a daft question I know, but someone told me that my mail would be returned to sender as I would then have no postal address which I find non-sensical!!!

Your replies would be very much appreciated.

I am at a loss to understand why you don’t have your own post-box (buz?n) where you live, and have your post delivered there.

Post-offices rarely stay open 24 hours a day, but I assume the post office opens the usual business hours.

The place to enquire about collecting your mail (having given up your box) is at the actual post office counter.  Give that a try.

I’m surprised that you are surprised that we haven’t our own mail box! Very few properties here in the campo surrounding Jalon have their own and I took it for granted when speaking to friends in surrounding towns and villages that this was the norm!

Of course there are buzon stations (for want of a better description) at the entrances to certain areas and urbanizations but unfortunately those that are nearest to us are all claimed, hence why I am looking for an opportunity to grab one!

I agree that talking directly to the post office would seem to be the most logical course of action but having done so once already and receiving no decisive answer doesn’t fill me with a great deal of hope!

Hence why my question is…what do the Correos do with mail addressed to houses that they refuse to deliver to that do not have a PO box either at a buzon station or in the post office itself?

a.)Do they hold it at the post office to be picked up by the recipient or,
b.)Do they return it to sender?

Well, you did not say in your first post that you lived out in the country.

Here is the link to the Correos website (and on the page you will see “solicitud de informaci?n” and “formular reclamaci?n”. 
Do give it a go and I think you will get results. 

Another option would be to have your mail received at the “Lista de Correos” (poste restante).  In other words people sending you mail would address the envelope with your name(s), then “Lista de Correos”, the name of the post office, the area and postal code.  You would go to the post office during business hours, with I.D. and pick up your post.

Best wishes
Patricia

Patricia…you have provided the answers I have been looking for.
Thank you very much in deed.

kindest regards
Danny

You are welcome!!

The link did not come out for some reason
Here goes:

http://www.correos.es/contenido/08-AtencionCliente/0800-AtencionCliente_nuevo.asp

Just out of interest -

OK so if this is an option - why does anyone pay the 60? for a buzon?

Hi Rob,
my guess is that it avoids having to wait in any queues to ask if you have mail or not, which I can imagine could be frustrating if the queue is particularly long and you find out at the end of a lengthy wait that you haven’t any mail!

Danny

Hi Danny - OK got it, in which case it’s probably worth paying!

Fortunately we have an excellent service with frequent deliveries and a good postman who will give me my books (I buy online) when he sees me in the street.

Quite so, Dan.  The queue can be quite long, so having the buz?n is another option.  A large number of people do use the buz?n service at a Post Office.  When I first came to Spain, (a long long time ago lol) I found the “Lista de Correos” service most useful.  The chap at the counter would see me back in the queue, and he would get out my letters and hand them out to me by a side door!  Must have been my winning and sweet Irish ways, and…the little tip I would give him now and then.  lol.