Complaints on Mail Service

[sin-n-dex]

I realize that I'm complaining about services in Canada, but I imagine sellers in USA have similar complaints.

Why is it that when it's important, it gets lost in the mail somehow?

First it was the $300 package of tokens going to a dealer who was sampling a few expensive items to see if I was a good supplier. After the package went from my city to Stoney Creek and back two or three times, and his Xpress shipment was delivered 5 days late, I never heard from him again.

Then there's the piece of computer equipment that the developer needed which ended up in a post office 2000 miles away from where he lives. He needed it in two days, I bought one day deliver, then met him in person on his way to the US to give him a replacement item when his disappeared. (He kindly stopped by our office to return it when he got word that the new one he ordered was delivered safely. I sell obsolete computer equipment, maybe I'll hear from him again.

Then there was the $20K a month contract my company got and we needed to courier items to Ukraine. (We used Priority Express on this one, the trackable one). It disappeared after Jamaica, NY, and since I live in Canada they wouldn't send me claim forms for the $100 of insurance I purchased with my shipping. BTW, this package was worth $900.

Then there was the Registered letter going to Poland (trackable from Canada to the door in Poland), worth $220. The letter along with five others was stolen from a mail bag at Pearson Airport on it's way to Poland. Canada Post paid me pronto on that one, but I only got $55 which covers the $29 in shipping I paid.

Let's not forget the DHL Mail items I was sold by my courier company... one to India, one to Malaysia, one to Oman. I was promised tracking to the door for $13 on each item. The Malaysian bidder was honest and told me he got it. The Indian bidder put in a Paypal claim and I lost $295. The Omani one was confinscated because it wasn't addressed properly (I was told to use a street address when I brought it in, they told me later it was supposed to go to his PO Box). That was $150. I threatened suit on my courier and settled pre small claims case for $200 CAD for my out of pocket losses, plus the postage they charged me.

Now my income tax stuff with the original receipts (I have copies, but this type of receipt I need to send in an original with the return), is lost in the  mail on it's way to Prince Edward Island... I mailed it over a week ago and no tracking online since March 29. I'll be past the deadline by the time I find out it was not received (in case they forgot to scan).

And the only thing I've ever lost worth less than $100 that wasn't a scam claim... is a $5 DVD to a nut who wouldn't accept a brand new drop ship replacement.

Cheers, C.

[city*satins]

Why is it that when it's important, it gets lost in the mail somehow?

Postal services in all countries have special recruitment tests to identify psycho psychics.  These special people are like drug sniffing dogs, except these folks can sense urgency on the part of the senders and set out to thwart them at every turn.

Seriously I dunno. It probably just seems like that. We tend to notice things that go wrong more than we notice things that go right.

[sin-n-dex]

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@city*satinswrote:

Why is it that when it's important, it gets lost in the mail somehow?

Postal services in all countries have special recruitment tests to identify psycho psychics.  These special people are like drug sniffing dogs, except these folks can sense urgency on the part of the senders and set out to thwart them at every turn.

Seriously I dunno. It probably just seems like that. We tend to notice things that go wrong more than we notice things that go right.

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This is true (about noticing). I just seem to think of a percentage of losses in the mail, almost all of them are the most expensive things I ship. And no one has any knowledge of the value of what I'm shipping. I do ship a number of really expensive things that do safely arrive though. Since I started the cross border courier drill to send a box of items to Niagara NY I have noticed a significant decrease in mail related issues.

But Canada Post losing my tax forms and receipts that will net me a three grand refund is kind of upsetting me a whole lot right now.

Cheers, C.

[ed8108]

Please tell us you have experienced very good mail service on thousands of other mail shipments.

[city*satins]

But Canada Post losing my tax forms and receipts that will net me a three grand refund is kind of upsetting me a whole lot right now.

Imagine how I feel every year doing my Canadian income tax from here in the USA.  I can't do it online so I have to mail it in to a 'special' address and no matter when I submit it, it usually takes until the middle of December to receive my refund.

By the way - here's a fun fact about filing a Canadian tax return as a non resident.  You know how when you've finished the federal part of determining your tax payable - you then turn to the Province part and take a percentage of the Federal, depending on what province you live in and that's the Provincial tax payable?

Well if you don't live in Canada, i.e. If you don't live in any province - your percentage is 50% 

Ain't that great?  That's my favorite part every year.

[sin-n-dex]

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@ed8108wrote:

Please tell us you have experienced very good mail service on thousands of other mail shipments.

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I experience excellent mail service on anything that's either not important, or not valuable.

I find it almost comical that of 30 shipments to the Ukraine, the one that gets lost is on a very valuable contract with parts that are difficult to replace. (We lived with the expense, but we lost valuable time on the project).

I also find it comical that on all these expensive things, it's not the buyers who are scammers, it's clearly a lost mail type of incident. Ironically most scams are for items less than $50, because so many sellers just issue refunds no questions asked. It sets a bad precedent.

Cheers, C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@city*satinswrote:

But Canada Post losing my tax forms and receipts that will net me a three grand refund is kind of upsetting me a whole lot right now.

Imagine how I feel every year doing my Canadian income tax from here in the USA.  I can't do it online so I have to mail it in to a 'special' address and no matter when I submit it, it usually takes until the middle of December to receive my refund.

By the way - here's a fun fact about filing a Canadian tax return as a non resident.  You know how when you've finished the federal part of determining your tax payable - you then turn to the Province part and take a percentage of the Federal, depending on what province you live in and that's the Provincial tax payable?

Well if you don't live in Canada, i.e. If you don't live in any province - your percentage is 50% 

Ain't that great?  That's my favorite part every year.

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I sympathize with both the December refund and the 50% non-Fed tax. What I'm not getting (because I didn't go to business school or study accounting), is why a non-resident (USA resident I assume?) would need to file Canadian taxes at all. Or do you live in the US and work in Canada, thus have to pay taxes from salary withholdings?

I learn something new every day. I file my own taxes (because it's not too difficult), but my account knowledge is just limited to a part time bookkeeping job. We let the accountant deal with the taxes and all the fun year end adjustments.

Cheers, C.