US Postal service stinks !!

[Evan]

I send a birthday present to my girlfriend in Lima this week. I sent it on Monday via International Express mail from the US Postal Service, they said it would get there in 2 to 3 days no problem. Well, today is Saturday, it still has not arrived there yet. Any of you guys use this service to send packages ? I can send a letter just regulat mail and it will get there in less than a week. For this Express Sevice I had to pay $36.00, I don`t mind paying this if it get there when they promise. Any thoughts ?

[Georgina]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

It will get there for sure but late. My husband used to send me stuff (gift, etc). It took time for me to get them but I always got them. Most of the time I had to go to the customs office and I would have to pay a fee to get them. If this happens to your girlfriend tell her to negotiate the prize of the stuff with the workers. Many times I had to bargain with them because they wanted to rip me off. I said nicely sorry but I dont have that amount of money and it is a gift I am not going to sell it and get a profit of it. I never told my hubby that I had to pay a fee to get his gifts. If she has to go to customs to get it, they will open the box in front of her, tell her how much it is the fee and she will have to go to the bank around the corner to pay it and then go back to the Postal Office to show them she paid and get her mail. Other times, they will just send it to her house.

[Jeff S]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

I ship a considerable amount of fairly valuable stuff all over the US. 80% of the time, with only first class postage, it arrives overnight - even coast to coast, and the longest it takes is only three days. Whenever I send anything to LA, even express mail takes three or four weeks. I'll bet the USPS gets it into the hands of the Peruvian Postal Service overnight. The delays you're experiencing are from the country you're shipping to, not the US side. The private companies like FedEx and UPS have local employees in the foreign countries who value their well paying jobs. Unlike government hacks, they're working under strict pilferage rules and would be fired in a minute if the company caught them with their hands in the cookie jar. Don't blame our post office, blame the corrupt governments in LA.
-- Jeff S.

[buzzy]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

A few years back when I used U.S. Int'l Postal to a girlfriend in Medellin, the package was never received, and forever lost.  From then on I always used the private Int'l carriers.

[denvermike]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

Hi Evan,

Sorry to hear about your problem but I'm not too surprised.  I doubt if it is not the US postal service that is that problem.  It is a nightmare sending stuff to Peru.  I would bet you that it is sitting in customs at the airport in a big pile of other boxes waiting their turn for processing. My company does work in Peru all the time, and even with the so-called "greased palm" approach with agents at the airport, things can get hung up. When I worked there I had a DHL high priority package that was hung up in customs for nearly six weeks for no real reason. About the time you completely give up on it, it will show up.

I sent a package just as an ordinary mail delivery to Panama at Christmas time last year, and it took only 10 days for her to get it.  

Have patience and learn a valuable lesson.

mike

[pack]

... in response to Re: US Postal service stinks !!, posted by denvermike on May 27, 2001

i was involved with a calena that had a little boy . for his birthday i sent him a complete futbol package( shoes, socks, knee guards, t-shirt, shorts , and of course a ball) he never recieved it !

[TexRob]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

I doubt the US Postal service has very much to do with it.  I send stuff to a friend in Mexico often.  The letters make it but the packages seldom do.  Although last time she did receive the box, empty but at least she got the box.  Good luck.

[Meisme]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

I think that once the package leaves the United States Peru takes over.  I don't think The Postal service in the US has any control over what the Peruvian delivery system does.

However, If there was a gaurantee given by the US Postal service and that time frame was not met, you should have a refund coming. Sorry to say that doesnt help your situation much..

[Ralph]

... in response to US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Evan on May 26, 2001

It might have gotten held up in customs. Any time you ship something internationally that is more than a letter, you can run into complications.

[Evan]

... in response to Re: US Postal service stinks !!, posted by Ralph on May 27, 2001

I hope you are right Ralph. I did fill out all the required custom forms that they wanted.
                          Later, Evan