Frequently asked questions.

Who is the service aimed at?

Answer

ePostbox will undoubtedly appeal to a wide variety of customers, but will be predominately aimed at English speaking expats around the world, frequent travellers, multiple home owners, students and customers who are away from home for extended periods of time. It will benefit people who want a fixed permanent address for life regardless how many times they move and for those who want to access their post mail the same way as their email. The service is discreet and confidential allowing customers to have mail sent to their ePostbox they do not wish to receive at home.

How can I register for this service?

Answer

Registering for this service can only be completed through the online registration process on this website.

What happens if I use two different first names on correspondence?

Answer

If you have correspondence addressed to you in different first names, e.g. your birth certificate is Michael David Smith, but you use both Michael and David as first names you must enter both names in the forenames field on the registration page.

What is a coupon code?

Answer

A coupon code identifies a special offer for discounts on ePostbox. If you've received a special offer for discounted ePostbox services, enter that code whilst completing your registration.

Why must I provide identification when registering for this service?

Answer

In order to fulfil our customer due diligence requirements we have an obligation to undertake verification checks for both your identity and your residential address. We will also undertake intermittent checks throughout the lifetime of your relationship with us, if you change your residential address and if you change your name.

How long will it take to open my account?

Answer

Initial registration is completed online, after this you will receive an email requesting you to verify your email address. Once this stage is completed you will be required to send verified copies of your proof of identity (add link to proof of identity page on website) for approval, you have a maximum of 60 days to complete this stage.  As soon as your proof of identity is approved you will be notified that your account is available for login and use.

What is the minimum subscription period?

Answer

There is a minimum subscription of 1 month.  By registering you are subscribing to a price package, which will be charged to your designated payment card each month until you terminate your subscription.

Can I cancel at anytime and is there a cancellation fee?

Answer

We require one month's notice to cancel the service. Termination will only become final once the account holders identity and their written authorisation of termination has been confirmed. There is no cancellation fee, after termination you will no longer incur charges in respect to your account. However there is a requirement after termination for ePostbox customers to pay any past due fees or past charges. In the event of a customer wishing to re-open an account after termination a new account will be opened with the subscription charges for the service applicable at the time being charged.

How do I arrange to have my mail sent to my ePostbox address?

Answer

With ePostbox you can either give your new ePostbox address to selective contacts or you can arrange to redirect all your mail to your ePostbox address.

A redirection should be arranged with the post office in the country your mail is currently delivered to.

Do I have to have all letters redirected to the new address?

Answer

You can choose exactly which senders' mail you wish to receive in the ePostbox. If you did not want to redirect all your mail, you can notify your ePostbox address only to those selected senders

How can I set up a re-direction to my ePostbox address?

Answer

If you want all your mail to be redirected to your ePostbox account you will need to set up a mail redirection service from your domicile address to your ePostbox address.  This may be undertaken through your national postal operator.

Do I have to reside in the Isle of Man to use this service?

Answer

No, this service is available to individuals worldwide.

Why do I have to pay again to have items forwarded? After all, the sender has already paid the postage?

Answer

By using ePostbox you receive the letters to the new digital address, for this service the sender pays the postage. The intention of using ePostbox is to receive the letters only in digital form. A charge of £1 plus postage is made for each new shipment to the address of your choice. (Please note you are unable to chose your home address if you have a redirection in place.) A regular postage is charged for a new reshipment to an address of your choice.

What are the operating hours of the service?

Answer

Items are scanned in at the secure processing centre Monday to Friday during office hours (8.30 - 5pm GMT). Final action acceptance for a mail item to be shipped the same day is 4.30pm (GMT), action requests after this time will be processed the next working day.

What happens if a parcel is delivered to ePostbox? Do I have to pay again to have these items forwarded?

Answer

The service is intended for letters.

If you receive a parcel at this address, we will endeavour to scan the outside of the package/parcel. Due to size and weight restrictions we may be unable to scan all items. If the parcel is too large or heavy to scan a £25 handling charge may be levied.

Our Customer Services team will contact you upon receipt of a parcel to ask which address you would like us to forward it on to.

Is it possible for you to hold my letters securely over a longer period of time so that I can have them sent to my address all together?

Answer

Yes, however this is only possible if you do NOT action the request during the period you wish us to hold the mail for.
When you want your mail sending to you, action all of the requests at the same time and using the bulk shipment option, all the letters will be sent to you together to the address of your choice.

Mail is held free of charge for the first 30 days, thereafter a charge of 20p per item per month is made.

Can I use more than one address to have my requested items forwarded to, and if so, what does this cost?

Answer

Yes you are able to add an unlimited number of addresses. When you request your item to be forwarded you can select the address you wish the item to be sent to. The price is calculated at £1 per item plus postage charge (determined by the location of this address, i.e. UK, Europe or Rest of World). For postage charges, please visit our website www.iompost.com/prices

Can I choose not to have advertising scanned in at the same time as the content?

Answer

We are unable to separate advertising content.

Can the monthly invoice be paid via direct debit?

Answer

Currently ePostbox accepts credit and debit cards. Please contact our Customer Services team to request payment by Direct Debit.

Can I register more than one user for an account?

Answer

Yes. The Extra package gives the opportunity to register up to 5 recipients.

The Extended package allows up to 10 recipients.

All recipients use the same Epostbox address, however each recipient will only receive their own mail.

Does ePostbox also accept registered mail?

Answer

Yes, we will accept any items requiring a signature upon delivery including Special Delivery, Recorded Delivery, Signed For mail, on your behalf. You specifically authorise us to do so by completing and returning the Authorisation Form.

Any registered mail that you receive to your ePostbox address that you request to be deleted without opening the item will be returned to sender.

What happens if I delete mail by mistake?

Answer

We always document every step of the process, and customers will also be able to view this in their account. When you request a mail item to be deleted you are prompted to confirm this request.  This confirmation is the last opportunity you have to amend your action.

Once I make a choice (open & scan contents, forward item, destroy item), how long is it before that order is executed?

Answer

The scanning centre is staffed during office hours. Order are fulfilled within eight hours (excluding weekends and bank holidays.) You can decide by default (in the settings) to automatically open and scan requests, without first receiving an image of the envelope. Those items are processed immediately.

If I only wish to have the ePostbox for a few weeks a year when I'm holiday, can I set up a mailbox for a limited period of time?

Answer

Yes you can set up an ePostbox address, and we will hold securely all mail that you receive unopened free of charge for the first 30 days.

You can chose to action all the mail you have received all together & this will be sent to the address of your choice.

After 30 days mail is charged at 20p per item per month. There is a minimum subscription for this service of one month and until termination, a monthly charge is made even if the account is inactive.

If the number of letters received exceeds the number of scans in my subscription, will additional costs be incurred for each additional scan?

Answer

"Scan" refers to the number of envelopes and individual pages we scan after opening your letter. Once the inclusive number of scans have been used, any further consignments will be billed separately (see Prices for extra scan costs). All scan details will be logged in the transaction history of the account.

If you regularly exceed your inclusive number of scans, you should consider upgrading your account.

How will my ePostbox address look on envelopes?

Answer

To ensure accurate processing of your mail, please make sure all your correspondents address your mail in the following format:

Name
ePostbox account number formatted like this: ePostbox xxxx
Douglas
ISLE OF MAN
IM2 1EP

For example:
Malcolm Smith
ePostbox 1234
Douglas
ISLE OF MAN
IM2 1EP

How long can I archive items for and what amount of data can I store?

Answer

Archiving electronic images is available for an unlimited period. There are currently no limits on the amount of data stored electronically.

However, you are advised to store your electronic images on an external drive for long term storage as Isle of Man Post Office cannot be held responsible should data be unable to be retrieved.

Physical mail items can be stored free of charge for the first 30 days and at an additional cost of 20p per item per month thereafter.

What happens if I have letters addressed in joint names?

Answer

If you wish to receive mail addressed in joint names, you should register for an Extra or Extended tariff package and add your partner as a recipient.

All recipients use the same ePostbox address but receive their mail into their own inbox.  Mail addressed to Mr & Mrs will be delivered to the primary account holder of the ePostbox number quoted on the letter (unless a first name is specified on the item.)

Can I upgrade/downgrade my tariff package?

Answer

Yes - if you wish to upgrade your tariff package, this can be done through the settings section whilst logged into your account.  
If you wish to downgrade your tariff package, please contact Customer Service team on customerservices@epostbox.com
Note: changes to the tariff package will only take effect the beginning of the following month.

Where are the items scanned in?

Answer

The items are scanned in at the Isle of Man Post Office IMS data capture centre in a secure scanning centre.

Can I change my notification email address?

Answer

Yes, you can do this in the settings within the personal data section of your account.

What notifications are available?

Answer

• An e-mail is sent to you when mail is received for your account.
• A notification email will be sent once you have requested an action such as Open & Scan, forward, or delete.
• A confirmation email will be sent if you deactivate you account or reset your password.
• A confirmation email will be sent if you add a recipient to your account (Extra & Extended packages only)

Are the scans emailed to me?

Answer

ePostbox scans the front and back of each mail piece they receive, an encrypted email of the image is sent to you. Further actions can be requested directly through the buttons contained within the notification email or by logging into your ePostbox account online.  Once an item has been opened and scanned, the image can be downloaded as a .pdf file.

How does ePostbox ensure data protection? Can it guarantee security?

Answer

Safeguarding postal privacy is at the heart of everything we do. The only items which will be opened are for customers who have subscribed to the service and have explicitly asked us to open them.

Data traffic is encrypted with the most up-to-date methods. Electronic handling of letters takes place in a highly secure scanning centre in the Isle of Man and we have full ISO/IEC 27001:2005 accreditation - the internationally recognised standard for Information Security.