Appealing to the ombudsman
What you should know before appealing to the ombudsman
The complaint resolution process ensures that Canada Post has every opportunity to resolve your complaint.
You must first contact Canada Post Customer Service before appealing to the ombudsman. A Customer Service agent will attempt to resolve your complaint and provide you with a service ticket number referencing your complaint.
If Canada Post has completed its review of your complaint and you are not satisfied with its response, you may appeal to the ombudsman.
Once your appeal is reviewed and the decision is made to investigate, you will receive a notice of investigation. If your appeal cannot be investigated, you will receive our decision by email.
Important Information
A Canada Post service ticket number is mandatory for all appeals.
The ombudsman cannot investigate an appeal if all the relevant information is not provided.
Submitting your Appeal form
The Adobe Acrobat Reader is required. The Reader is available free of charge from the Adobe website.
You can appeal to the ombudsman online, by mail or by fax by completing our Appeal form. Please ensure that you provide the following information:
- Contact information
- Canada Post service ticket number
- Summary of your postal complaint
- Details on how Canada Post offered to resolve your complaint
- Description of the outcome that you believe would be fair
- Information pertaining to the loss, damage, or delay of an item, if applicable
- Appeals pertaining to the purchase of a Canada Post product or service must include copies of all supporting documents (i.e. form completed at time of purchase, postage receipt, sales receipt demonstrating the value of the lost or damaged item, etc.).
Ready to submit?
Submit your appeal online by using our convenient online form or download our Appeal form (pdf) and submit your appeal by mail or by fax.
You may also have our Appeal form mailed or faxed to you by calling our office at 1-800-204-4198 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (EST), Monday to Friday (holidays excepted).
Important things to note
The ombudsman’s recommendations are based on the available facts and circumstances specific to each appeal. Therefore, it is in the best interest of all parties involved to provide all relevant information.
It is important that you submit your appeal to the ombudsman in a timely manner. Complaints more than 12 months old will not be investigated unless there are extenuating circumstances.
How we process appeals
- Once your appeal is reviewed and the decision is made to investigate, you will receive a notice of investigation.
- If your appeal cannot be investigated, you will receive our decision by email.
- During our investigation we:
- Interview relevant parties, if necessary
- Gather and analyze relevant information
- Develop investigative plans
- Conduct on-site visits (only done in exceptional circumstances)
- Once the investigation has concluded, the ombudsman’s findings will be communicated to you.
Making a difference one case at a time
The ombudsman takes every case seriously, whether it’s a misdelivered letter, a lost parcel, a disappointing retail experience or any other type of service failure.
Read some examples of real-life complaints, investigations and findings »