After criticism from Opposition MPs, the Bermuda Post Office responded by hiring a consultant from New Zealand to help fix the problem of slow mail delivery and renovated the Bermuda Mail Processing Centre in St. George?s.

Yesterday, Postmaster General George Outerbridge held a press conference at BMPC to announce the changes the facility has made including a new mail sorting system. The new system allows mail to be sorted faster by hand and ensures that it goes to the correct postman.

The changes to the facility cost about $220,000 with none of the funds at the expense of the Bermuda taxpayer.

But Mr. Outerbridge said delays in the mail are caused by people who write down inaccurate or incomplete addresses. He said the most common problem was people writing the incorrect postal code or not writing one at all.

And he maintained that 94 percent of mail is delivered within four working days.

Writing the incorrect post code can mean that letters end up with the wrong postman or even at the wrong post office, he said.

?If you put GE02 instead of GE01, it?s going to cost me time because it?s going to go to a different postman,? Mr. Outerbridge explained.

Mr. Outerbridge also described changes including modernisation of equipment the Post Office has made to put them in the 21st century.

?To continue to provide services with in a competitive environment, where technology is playing an ever increasing role, post offices need to modernise. Here at the Bermuda Post Office we are in the process of doing just that.?

Some of the changes the public can expect in the coming months include accepting credit cards at the General Post Office in Hamilton, a track and trace system for EMS, parcel and registered mail, a new point of sale system for retail outlet and a new post box management system.

He said their target delivery rate is four days.

Workers have tested delivery time from the day mail is received at the office until it is delivered. The results are a 94 per cent on time delivery within four working days.

Although 94 percent is high number, Mr. Outerbridge acknowledged that it meant six percent of letters were not meeting the standard.

?This six percent of mail that is still not being delivered within the four day standard each day is still too high and we acknowledge that it is unacceptable,? he said.

?The Bermuda Post Office is going to work hard over the remainder of this year with the users of our postal services to improve the addressing of mail.

?Everyone in Bermuda can help by ensuring that mail is clearly and correctly addressed, make certain the correct postal code is used and immediately provide the Bermuda Post Office with your new address when moving?.

Asked why it takes four days for mail to be delivered throughout the Island, Mr. Outerbridge said it came down to addressing. He said that the various post offices receive mail from all over the world and if it isn?t addressed correctly, it slows down the process.

He added that bulk mailers such as the banks, Belco, Telco and Cable & Wireless send thousands of pieces of mail a month that had to be sorted and put in the correct place.