Envelope Addressing Error Affects NTOU Score Report Delivery; Chunghwa Post to Review Procedures

(CNA, Taipei, June 6, by reporter Huang Li-wen) Some admission test score reports mailed by National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) were mistakenly sealed and returned to the Keelung Post Office. Chunghwa Post explained that the sender's failure to use the standard address format affected machine readability. Although manual checks are used as a supplement, it is difficult to identify all such cases. The company will review its procedures. Most of the delayed mail has now been delivered.

On June 3, National Taiwan Ocean University announced on its website that it had sent out the Phase 2 designated item test score reports for the 115th academic year university applications via registered mail on May 29. However, it was discovered that some letters failed to be delivered and were returned. The university reminded candidates who had not received their paper score reports to check their scores and admission status on the application system.

Regarding public complaints about the delivery delay, Chunghwa Post Vice President Tsai Wen-ching told the media that the sender wrote both the recipient's and sender's addresses in the middle of the envelope. He explained, 'The main issue was that NTOU wrote the sender's information in the recipient's location.'

Tsai noted that Chunghwa Post regularly promotes the standard way of writing addresses on envelopes but emphasized that the university could not be blamed for this incident.

When asked if this incident occurred at the Northern Taiwan Mail Operation Center in Guishan District, Taoyuan City (A7), which had experienced several mail delays shortly after its recent launch, Tsai stated, 'In principle, all letter mail is sent to the A7 center, but this specific issue is not directly related to A7.'

Tsai explained that the sorting machines operate based on a standard format. When mail does not conform to this standard, it affects the machine's ability to read it. Although operational units supplement this with manual checks, it is practically impossible to catch every single one. The company will review its procedures and strengthen controls.

Tsai revealed that he had asked the Keelung Post Office to communicate directly with NTOU, and the university was generally understanding.

After NTOU sent the score reports by registered mail on May 29, the post office was supposed to deliver them by June 3. It is estimated that this batch contained about 1,773 items, with around 400 to 500 being affected.

Chunghwa Post apologized for the inconvenience caused to candidates and their parents by the operational error. Considering that June 5 was the deadline for candidates to select their university preferences, the company ordered all delivery offices across Taiwan to complete deliveries by June 4. The delayed mail was sent out via the fastest possible methods, with multiple delivery runs. They also used data provided by NTOU to confirm receipt with each candidate. By the afternoon of June 5, most items had been delivered or candidates had been notified to pick them up at the post office, with fewer than 100 recipients remaining uncontactable. (Editor: Chang Ming-kun) 1150606