The Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) is an essential process in the Department of Posts, also known as India Post or Indian Postal Services, which ensures that complaints and grievances of customers are addressed in a timely and effective manner. Here are some detailed guidelines on how to lodge a complaint and get it resolved.
Customers are advised to file complaints within 60 days of the transaction or after availing a service. However, if you have complaints related to claims or if you have customer requests for Post Office Savings Bank, Savings Certificate, Postal Life Insurance, and Rural Postal Life Insurance, you must file your complaint after the prescribed service standard number of days has passed.
Where to Lodge Complaints of India Post
You can file a complaint about any postal service including postal payment banks or delivery/logistics services at any post office. To make a service-related complaint or suggestion for improvement, you can use the Complaints and Suggestion Book available at all post offices. The book will be provided to you upon request.
As a customer, you can also file a complaint online at www.indiapost.gov.in or pgportal.gov.in/, by calling the India Post Call Centre by customer care number (18002666868), tweeting @indiapostoffice, sending an email to plipg.dte@indiapost.gov.in, or by submitting a written complaint in person or by post at the Post Office where the transaction occurred or the Office of Senior Superintendent of Post Offices/ Superintendent of Posts Offices.
For complaints related to Value Payable articles, you should lodge them at the booking office. In case of complaints about PLI/RPLI, you can submit them in person or by post to the Deputy Divisional Manager (PLI/RPLI) stationed at each Circle Office headquarters or the Development Officer (PLI).
How to File a Complaint Online to India Post?
When you submit a complaint online, you will need to fill out a form with all the relevant details. This includes complete information about the transaction, the service failure, and proof of the transaction. Providing all the necessary information is important to ensure that your complaint is resolved in a timely and effective manner.
1. Filing a Complaint
To file a complaint with India Post online, please follow these detailed steps:
- Firstly, visit the official India Post website and navigate to the “Complaint Registration” page. You can find this page on the homepage under the “Help & Support” section of the menu.
- Once you reach the Complaint Registration page, fill in all the mandatory fields on the complaint form which includes details such as the category and type of service, article number, transaction number, booking office details, and a detailed description of the complaint.
- After providing the above details, please fill in your personal information, including your full name, complete address, valid email address, and contact number. Make sure to double-check your contact details to avoid any delays in resolving your complaint.
- If applicable, you can upload any supporting documents in the accepted formats (.pdf, .png, .jpg, .jpeg) with a maximum size of up to 500 KB. Uploading supporting documents may help the concerned authorities in resolving your complaint faster.
- Once you have filled in all the necessary fields and uploaded any supporting documents, click on the “Submit” button. You will receive a reference number after submission, which you can use to track the status of your complaint.
If you require more detailed guidelines or need to escalate your complaint, please refer to the Guidelines on Complaints page or read the citizen charter on the India Post website. These pages provide detailed information about the complaint resolution process and how to escalate the matter if needed.
2. Acknowledgement
Upon submitting a complaint, India Post will promptly respond with an acknowledgement to confirm that they have received your complaint. If you lodge a complaint on the website, you will receive an immediate acknowledgement to let you know that India Post has received your complaint.
If you visit the Customer Care Centre or post office in person to complain, the designated officers will acknowledge your complaint at the time of lodging to ensure that you know that your concerns have been registered. For all other cases, India Post will send you an acknowledgement on the same day that they receive your complaint to ensure that you are aware of the status of your complaint.
3. Time for Redress
If you have a complaint that requires an investigation, it may take up to 90 days for you to receive an interim reply. For all other complaints, India Post will try to resolve the issue within 60 days. If the officials anticipate any delay, they will send you an interim reply within 60 days, explaining the reason for the delay and the additional time required to resolve the issue.
To track your submitted complaint, click here.
If the issue remains unresolved, you may contact the Circle Public Grievances Nodal Officers or the Directorate of Postal Grievances. They will help you in resolving your complaint as soon as possible.
Here are some details about the delivery times and other aspects of each service of India Post.
1. First Class Mail Delivery:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| Local | 2 days |
| Metro-Metro | 2-4 days |
| Same State | 2-6 days |
| State Capital to State Capital | 3-5 days |
| Rest of the country | 5-6 days |
2. Speed Post Delivery:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| Local | 1-2 days |
| Metro-Metro | 1-3 days |
| Same State | 1-4 days |
| Rest of the country | 4-5 days |
3. Financial Services:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| Money Order Local and Metro | 2 working days |
| International Money Transfer Service | 10 minutes |
4. Savings Bank Services:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| Account transfer within same Head Post Office | 1 working day |
| Deceased claim settlement with nomination | 1 working day |
| Deceased claim settlement without a nomination | 7 working days |
5. Postal Life Insurance:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| Policy issue | 15 days |
| Maturity claim settlement | 15 days |
| Death claim settlement | 30 days (90 days if investigation needed) |
6. Counter Services:
| Type of postal service | Timeframe (working days) |
|---|---|
| General services | 2-5 minutes |
| Sale of Philatelic stamps | Same day |
Escalation to Chief Postmaster General of Circle
If a customer is not satisfied with the resolution of their complaint, they have the option to escalate it to the Postmaster General of the Region or the Chief Postmaster General of the Circle.
To get the contact details such as phone number, email, and official addresses of the Chief Postmaster General of your circle, click here.
Appeal to Nodal Officers at the HQ Level
In case the complainant is not content with the measures taken to address their concern, they have the option to reach out to specific officers at the Postal Directorate located in Dak Bhavan, New Delhi. Depending on the type of complaint they have, they can approach the designated officers on the provided contact number 110001.
The Department of Posts has designated nodal officers to handle grievances at the HQ level. DDG (PG), Department of Posts, Dak Bhavan, New Delhi. 110001 (other than PLI is responsible for handling complaints other than PLI. You can email the officer at ddgpgq@indiapost.gov.in.
Additionally, customers can lodge a public grievance online to the Nodal Officer of India Post with reference/acknowledgement ID through CPGRAMS (PG Portal), a public grievance portal of the central government.
For other disputes, you may approach these officials:
1. Delivery
For complaints regarding delayed delivery or non-delivery of premium products like Speed Post, Express Parcel, Business Parcel, Logistics Post, non-payment of COD amount, or any other related complaints:
- You can contact the Public Grievance (PG) Division at the Postal Directorate, New Delhi 110001 or call to them at:
- PG Division – +911123036397
- Director(PG) – +911123096151, +91113036814.
For complaints related to non-delivery or delayed delivery of ordinary mail articles, delayed payment or non-payment of money orders or Electronic Money Orders, non-delivery or delayed delivery or non-receipt of acknowledgement of Registered articles, non-delivery or delayed delivery of Insured articles, Parcels, Packets, complaints on the abstraction of contents of mail articles, and complaints on misbehaviour by post office staff or any other complaint, you can contact:
- The Deputy Director General (PG & QA) at Dak Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi – 110001.
- Contact the officials at ddgpgq@indiapost.gov.in (email), +911123096087 or +911123353883(Fax).
2. Postal Life Insurance or Rural Postal Life Insurance
For all types of complaints concerning Postal Life Insurance or Rural Postal Life Insurance, you can contact the Chief General Manager (PLI) at PLI Directorate, Chanakya Puri, New Delhi – 110021. Email them at cgmplidte@gmail.com or call at +911124672461, +911126882838 (Fax). For complaints relating to PLI/RPLI, customers can contact:
- General Manager (Business & Investments), Directorate of Postal Life Insurance, Chanakyapuri Post Office Complex, New Delhi—110023.
- Email: gmo.pli@indiapost.gov.in
3. Gramin Dak Sevaks
For pension matters of postal employees and matters relating to Gramin Dak Sevaks, you can contact the Deputy Director General (Establishment) at Dak Bhavan, Sansad Marg, New Delhi – 110001 or call at +911123096184 and fax to +9111 23096007.
If still not satisfied, you may appeal to the Director General of Public Grievances (DPG) for the grievances related to corruption, misconduct, or misuse of power by the officials or employees of India Post.
Further, you may appeal to the Consumer Commission (National/State/District) for the compensation of monetary losses, if any.
