wow! there's just nothign that doesn't have it's red tape...

[winterbadger]

I wen to the post office to mail a parcel to a friend in Scotland. Since I was mailing it to her work address, I wanted to make sure it got there on or before Friday, so she'd have it by Xmas.

Then, the Hell of Red Tape began...

Of course, I'd forgotten that I'd need to fill out a customs form. So I filled one out. (Annoying, because they want an itemized list of what's inside, which is no way to send someone a surprise present.)

I waited in line (45 minutes at quarter of eleven--people apparently drive in from 10-15 miles away to use our post office, judging by the return addresses I saw and conversations I heard).

I got to the window and explained that I wanted the specific service listed on the signboard overhead. "Waaa? You no wan' parcel post?" No, it's going overseas; I want it to arrive by the end of the week, so I want Service X. "Aw, you need Service Y. Here, take this form, fill out." But I don't want Service Y; that says 3-5 days, that's too late. I want Very Expensive Service X, which says 1-2 days. "Either way, you take this form, fill out." *Jan takes new customs form away, fills out new customs form and new address label that says exactly what was on his own address label and the customs form he's already filled out*

OK, here's the forms. "OK, we do you Service Y." No, I want Service X. It says right there on the board what the times and rates are. "Ahh, you maybe canno do that." Why? It's right there; you advertise it! "Uh, you have to fill out different forms. You must be very specif what in dis package." I HAVE been very specific; see, it's listed in detail on these two customs forms you've already had me fill out. "You still have to be more specific. Here, you take dese forms."

*Jan, gets halfway through filling out third set of forms in an hour, with EXACTLY THE SAME INFORMATION that was in the other ones, gives up in disgust.*

Screw the post office; I can do this ten times faster through FedEx online...

(It's hilarious that I have to fill out all the same documents to send a present to someone in the UK that someone trying to export commercial goods to Russia or China does--I deal with these all day, and I recognise them all...)

Comments

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

I shipped my books to the UK via Mailbag. Now, it was a decent service but the staff at the Post Office (the same one you went to, no doubt) had NO IDEA what service I wanted nor what an Mbag was nor what it would cost. I had to keep on taking the paperwork from the website to the PO explaining what Mbags were to show to the PO staff.

My ex shipped a few things to me via Mbag, and I said that I wanted the cheapest service available (I was paying for it). They, of course, charged him the most expensive option available for the books. It was almost three times what it should have been.

I hate the way the Post Office is run and the untrained staff they use.

[pisica.livejournal.com]

I think my dad had to do a bit of explaining about what an M-Bag is, but he lives in rural California. It did eventually work, twice, for which I am grateful.

[hobbitblue.livejournal.com]

Its unamerican to want to send anything to those weird foreign places.. you'll be wanted to ship stuff to Alaska next... where the tentacled aliens live...

(I worry about countries where shipping stuff abroad and even going abroad or getting a passport is tricky.. )

[winterbadger]

What really made no sense to me was that if I just wanted to send it surface freight, I could use the same little green customs label everyone has always used. The big problem was my wanting to send it express.

Well, OK, the other thing that made no sense to me was that all the forms required the EXACT same information, but every time I insisted I wanted to send it faster than they wanted me to, I had to fill out a different form.

[flyingwolf.livejournal.com]

last time I shipped boxes I also had to fill out a different form then the one I started with. They said the one I had (I think the green one) was an old one. One of the boxes got there fine, the other had to be searched for, but was eventually found.

I'm now waiting on an address to ship another box to (and for post office hell week to end since they didn't get the info to me when I asked for it weeks ago). Hope it goes smoothly.

But actually, the people at my local post office seem to have a clue. At least the current staff does. I even trust them now to hold my mail (I didn't 3 years ago). The ones at the downtown branch near work are a PITA. There's always a huge line. I'm shipping a book via media mail. I say all I need to do is drop this off 'cause it weighs over a pound. "It's just a book. it's ready to go and I don't want x, y or z" And they still ask me every question possible. Do I want this. Do I want that. Does it contain x or Y. They claimed they are required to ask. Last time they claimed that for media mail the package couldn't even have a packing slip in it!! I don't go there anymore except to use the auto machine.

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

One time I got package from US that stated clearly the country (Finland), address and all those little details... But the US mail still had managed to make it take a detour through Singapore or some such (can see from the correction stamps and tax stamps). I was quite impressed. And apparently live in Asia.

[winterbadger]

Finland--that's behind the Moon and at the back of the North Wind! :-)

I hope the Christmas card didn't end up in Singapore! (Though maybe my friend Mike's in-laws will get it if it did.)

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

Was there a card for this x-mas? I never got one :(. Must be taking a leisurely tour of Asia and show up for my birthday if it all. Great to know you were thinking of me though! *snuggles the badger*

[winterbadger]

Sadly, I realised I sent it to the same address as last year--that probably won't reach you, right?

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

Summer address was only temporary, so it should be here. *kicks the post office*

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

You will never guess, this is really stupid too. I had a shower and my hair managed to make some of the place flood (don't ask how, I have no idea, maybe I am having a shedding season and waist length hair does add up). So while cleaning up roomie goes like "hey here is an unopened letter" and it was your card (we're using the stack of old newspapers to soak up the water)! And it didn't get wet more than only in one little drop in one corner.

How weird! I wonder if the small flood wouldn't have happened if I didn't know of a card that was missing. o.0 It was apparently lost in all the crap mail and advertisement things we get around x-mas time.

Still. Freaky. Like really freaky.

[cutedeadgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh and the last card... I know it's still somewhere near in my piles of things (must have piles of things, how ever would I store things otherwise), I still keep finding some of the glittery things. *lol* Makes me smile.

[winterbadger]

Heh, I was only sadistic enough to put that stuff in AR's card this year. She didn't say anything about it. :-)

[schizokitty.livejournal.com]

Wow, you must have been discombobulated: you used the wrong "its" in the heading.

ZAP!!!

Unrepentant,
Queen Bitch of Grammar

;-)

[winterbadger]

Indeed, and today has been worse. 45 minutes at work just trying to get a PARKING SPACE.

I will, however, attempt to claim that my error was punctuation, not grammar. ;-) PAZ!!

[schizokitty.livejournal.com]

well, I did say grammar, not vocabulary. >;-)