USPS Express mail international missing?

[LoveLife2 5]

I paid $135 to have the USPS deliver with Tracking a 16"-16"-15" box filled with Christams presents to my Fiance in Zamboanga City Philippines. It was last scanned and stated:

Arrival at Pick-Up PHILIPPINES 12/06/12 6:36am

Point

My Fiance has called the Zamboanga City, Philippines Post office, and the Airport post office as that seems more likely where this last scan came from. But they state that No package has arrived from the USA even though this box was scanned to show it is there. I contacted the USPS to perform an investigation and I really thought something would be done as boxes of this size and fact that is was scanned shows it is located somewhere at delivery point!!!

Instead I recieve this email from USPS:

Date: 12/13/2012

BRADLEY MCCULLOUGH:

In response to your request dated 11/29/2012, we regret to inform you that we were unable to

locate any delivery information in our records regarding your item number XXXX xxxx 806U

S.

If you require additional assistance, please take this receipt to your local Post Office or postal

representative.

Sincerely,

United States Postal Service

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I feel sick knowing all my Christmas gifts for the kids and her is going to someone who stole them. I pray that it just may take a bit more time to show up but am so disgouraged by USPS to have paid $135 to have someone steal my presents and hold no one in the Pilippine postal service accountable.

This box was scanned so there is a trail but no one cares to follow.

Any suggestions, Is it possible that it will take more time or should I try to replace all my gifts and never use USPS again? I really hope its's just going to show up and my Girl is devasted that the toys for the kids are now gone.

I thought paying $135 with USPS Express mail and tracking was as safe as I could go?

I'm so sad right now...

Brad

[KrystelKyle 16]

Sorry to hear that I lived in Manila when I was in the Philippines and all of my hubby's package that he sent and even from his family from different state has arrived with no problem. Give you tracking number to your fiancée and try to check to their post office. In Manila most of these express package arrive in main post office which is way too far from my place. Hope they'll get the package anyways and $135 dollars is not a joke to pay for shipping.

[YourHumboldtBud 2]

Hopefully your package will still arrive, but the moment it touched PI soil it was no longer in the hands of the USPS. Your better off sending a Balikbayan Box and going with a service like LBC. It costs $65 to send to Davao Del Sur and takes 20-30 days on average, so I'm assuming sending to Zamboanga won't be much more if at all.

[Theresa0828 65]

Agree to the above posts. Its not USPS but the Philippine Postal System that is at fault here... the thing is... the place that has more problem is the local Philippine Postal System local office. Hopefully, it will just take awhile since the this is Christmas season.

The Philippine Postal System is so corrupt back home, they either steal packages or they ask you for money "under the table" and this happens most during the holidays.

Follow the above post and scan and sent to your fiancee your receipt and even the tracking receipt. Then she should go to the local post office and tell them about it. Then if in case by miracle it appears, and she will be ask to pay for "taxes", tell her to tell the post office that they are all gifts and not for sale, so there shouldn't be any "taxes" paid. The cost should just be under 100 pesos for processing.

Goodluck!!!

[Theresa0828 65]

You can also avail of this services next time... http://johnnyair.com/

I haven't use them personally but I heard a lot of good reviews of the company...

[Hank_ 9,174]

Wait until it "turns up" and the VAT tax is collected, you will wish you just sent a bunch of money and told her to go shopping for what she wants.

[Caryh 5,206]

Isn't that the truth!!! My wife was charged 6000P customs duties(almost $150 for those that don't know) for immigration documents I sent and it took two weeks to get there. Custom duties my butt, more like they knew it was immigration documents so its their custom to demand money. Documents after that were sent Fedex. Much more expensive up front, but so much faster and cheaper in the long run. Now that she's here, we'll occasionally use USPS for a tiny package with a shirt of something in it for a birthday gift or cards and letters, all other things go via balikbayan box. Costs us $105 from Minnesota, but it needs to get shipped to the coast first.

Wait until it "turns up" and the VAT tax is collected, you will wish you just sent a bunch of money and told her to go shopping for what she wants.

[LoveLife2 5]

Thank you all or your replies and advice. I still have some faith that the christmas box will show up. My Fiance knows someone in the local post office and maybe that is where we get the help we need to locate it. I will use another delivery service for our next package but heard nothing but goods things about using USPS Express mail International with tracking. But now I know, the term tracking isn't accurate.

Thanks again evryone for your advice.

Brad

[kev_n_jena 89]

My family and I sent 3 different letters by USPS to N. Samar 3 different times a few years ago. All 3 were "lost". Some have made it though. We have never lost a balikbayan box.

[LSnBigBear 61]

Brad: Sorry about your bad luck with this. I know now is a little late to help but I never had any luck with USPS when sending items to Cebu when I lived there. I found if it got through Customs cleanly with nothing missing that it sat at the Post Office until I picked it up. Even when I checked one time the Philippine Post Office in Cebu said they had not received my package. I later checked weekly for 5 weeks to only find out my package was somewhere within the City for the past 8 weeks! Yeah I had it with them after one (mentioned) delay package and one letter delayed another time from my sister. I used UPS from that point even though most costly.

Some advice as you send items back to her family when she is hear with you. Use a Balikbayan Service. AVOID USPS to RP. If you find a Filipino Store or Asian Store you can ship using their service a full box unlimited weight for about $100. Or go online and google to find the nearest one in your area. I moved to RP two times on business. My company paid first time and me the second. I sent 5 Boxes fulled loaded for less than $450.

One last item I learned to do as Filipinos love American Chocolates. I saved myself the headache here and just went to the Duty Free Store upon arrival and bought them candy from the states in the Philippines lol... Now I just send cash at Holiday times. I am getting lazier and lazier...

Once again, I know this does not help now. Just for future reference I hope I helped a little.

Take care and Happy Holidays

Shawn

[LSnBigBear 61]

Brad,

Also know that to have your Box arrive by the Holidays to the Philippines you would need to allow more than 8 weeks transit at Xmas time. My friend had an Xams package sent by his mother in Florida just before Thanksgiving one year. He got it in April! No joke.

[Wariza 8]

As stated above, never use USPS and VAT will cost more than gifts sometimes. Send the money or bring with you next visit (pasalubong).

[Tahoma 2,292]

PhilPost "losing" a package???...I'm shocked!!!...shocked I tell you!!!

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Tracking with USPS only works as far as entering the destination country. This happened to me last time I tried tracking. It's pointless. Instead I just put insurance on it "just in case".

$135 is CHEAP! It's ridiculous how much it costs me to send stuff to Aus, and vice versa.

[Kevo 69]

I sent a box through USPS a few months ago...I thoought it was lost too but just took a loooong time to get delivered. It was about 30 days from the point it was last tracked and scanned in the Philippines. Maybe yours is still on the way.