Package stuck in customs

[Mark&Fatima 14]

Back on October 1st I sent a package from Portland, Oregon USA to my wife in Montalban, Rizal, PI. I sent it using USPS and was told it would reach her in 6-10 business days. Well...here is it 47 days later and according to USPS, the package reached customs in Manila on November 4th. It's almost been 2 weeks since and I still haven't heard anything from USPS or customs.

Any ideas who I can call or what I have to do? Believe it or not, USPS said they didn't have a number I could call in the Philippines to get more information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

(By the way...never again will I use USPS to send packages to PI!)

Edited November 17, 2011 by Mark&Fatima

[Markieboy 104]

Back on October 1st I sent a package from Portland, Oregon USA to my wife in Montalban, Rizal, PI. I sent it using USPS and was told it would reach her in 6-10 business days. Well...here is it 47 days later and according to USPS, the package reached customs in Manila on November 4th. It's almost been 2 weeks since and I still haven't heard anything from USPS or customs.

Any ideas who I can call or what I have to do? Believe it or not, USPS said they didn't have a number I could call in the Philippines to get more information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

(By the way...never again will I use USPS to send packages to PI!)

Been there, done that. I completely understand your frustration. However, you should be upset at Philippine postal service and NOT USPS.

When I sent packages before, using USPS Express Mail, I tracked the packages from U.S. to Philippines. They arrived in the Philippines within days. But from Manila to the respective provincial city/town, it literally take weeks...if not months, to arrive. Who is to blame? Definitely not USPS. USPS is an American federal office. They provide service to the destination country. Then the local postal service is supposed to deliver the package within the specified time period.

From experience, it is less stressful sending via FedEx or DHL. Packages will be delivered on time...not on Philippine time!

I sure hope you didn't send anything valuable. Customs will find any possible way to charge a tax on it.

Here's some contact information for you:

EXPRESS MAIL SERVICE OFFICE

Central Mail Exchange Center, Philippine Postal Corporation

Domestic Road, 1300 Pasay City

Metro Manila, Philippines

T +63 2 854 3580

F +63 2 854 4621

Email: ems.cs@philpost.gov.ph

ph.ems.cs@gmail.com

emso.philpost@gmail.com

Good luck with tracking it! And keep us posted!

[TeapotGirl 66]

Back on October 1st I sent a package from Portland, Oregon USA to my wife in Montalban, Rizal, PI. I sent it using USPS and was told it would reach her in 6-10 business days. Well...here is it 47 days later and according to USPS, the package reached customs in Manila on November 4th. It's almost been 2 weeks since and I still haven't heard anything from USPS or customs.

Any ideas who I can call or what I have to do? Believe it or not, USPS said they didn't have a number I could call in the Philippines to get more information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

(By the way...never again will I use USPS to send packages to PI!)

My fiance sent me tons of beannie babies though USPS. It will reach here in 3 weeks and even a month. But mine is always post office pick up (I am not sure maybe because I am not always around when it's delivered) in the nearest post office and I have to pay another P35 to receive them.

Edited November 18, 2011 by teapotgurl1983

[TeapotGirl 66]

If you are going to use FedEx, dhl, the recipient will be charged ridiculously to receive what you sent. My fiance asked his brother to send him his charger and medicine, he paid $85 to get it and depends on what's the value of what you sent.

[charlize56 4]

my fiance always using usps for sending me parcels here in philippines,i live in laguna and i didnt encounter any problem about it,the post office here in my city [calamba]sending me text message so that i can pick it up there,he also sent me 2 new cellphones and my engagement ring and i received all of it!walang labis walang kulang

[TeapotGirl 66]

Definitely not USPS. USPS is an American federal office. They provide service to the destination country. Then the local postal service is supposed to deliver the package within the specified time period.

I'm so sorry that our mailman uses water buffalo to deliver parcels. Gas is just too high.

Just wait..It will get there in the post office for her to pick up.

[Mark&Fatima 14]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I will call them soon and hopefully she will get the package before I go back there in January! BTW, I sent her my old notebook computer, chocolates, pictures, and toys for the kids...total value around $350. I will reply again when I find out something.

[Mark&Fatima 14]

Also, I knew that USPS would only deliver the package to Manila and then local mail would do the rest. The reason I'm upset with USPS is their lack of knowing who to call (the lady actually told me "I'm sorry sir, we don't have their number") and it seems they don't really understand the process of how things work in other countries (which they should know even a little about since it's their business).

[VanessaTony 3,567]

Thank you everyone for the replies. I will call them soon and hopefully she will get the package before I go back there in January! BTW, I sent her my old notebook computer, chocolates, pictures, and toys for the kids...total value around $350. I will reply again when I find out something.

Did you include insurance? I do for anything like that. I once sent my family in Aus a package for Halloween. Sent it before halloween, arrived just after Thanksgiving. Normally it's 7-10 days. I had reported the loss but they didn't have the forms so I went back a week later and just happened to call mum that day and what do you know, it arrived that day! Oh and it was USPS, not Australia. It was just candy (a gummy head in a jar, a gummy brain and gummy bats) so nothing to stress about.

Also, I knew that USPS would only deliver the package to Manila and then local mail would do the rest. The reason I'm upset with USPS is their lack of knowing who to call (the lady actually told me "I'm sorry sir, we don't have their number") and it seems they don't really understand the process of how things work in other countries (which they should know even a little about since it's their business).

Not really. I'm sorry but I disagree here. There are MANY different countries and asking all USPS staff to keep up with the changes of other countries (as well as here) is a little ridiculous. Their business was to get it out of the country, which they did. The receiving country does the rest. USPS takes liability though which is interesting.

[Wally G! 58]

Hi Mark

PI Customs will spank you now with the same or if not more than the value of the items and for customs fees.

Here is a webpage that will help you calculate what you will pay to customs. You package is probably being held at customs in Pasay. They will not notify you. Only USPS will notify you that it has arrived in Philippines that it!.

http://triviasofsubstance.blogspot.com/2010/08/philippines-customs-tax-calculator.html

I just wrote a reply on this same subject. Never send any thing of value to Philippines unless absolutely necessary or emergency and if your willing to pay those crazy customs fees. Send money via Westernunion, LBC or money wire transfer and have the person purchase the items there or order the item online from a Philippines website and have it delivered locally (Flowers Candy etc..)

Good Luck and God Bless

Wally Greene

Edited November 18, 2011 by Wally Greene

[Leatherneck 693]

I hope you have a decent outcome with this situation. Philppine customs is well known for holding packages hostage until you offer up your first born child as ransome. And if you declared you have a laptop inside, well, good luck with that package even making it to your fiancee. I've sent birthday and greeting cards that arrived weeks later, opened, someone was looking for cash.

Using the USPS is safe, its roll-the-dice after they hand it off to their Philippine counterpart.

[trutolife27 0]

i work for usps. you have 100% promise it will get to the Philippines after that its the country reasonability to deliver it. Customs has Val tax and the will sometimes want the person to come to open it to check and see if the same items are what you put on the declaration page. Philippines customs is very bad. just not worth sending anything if you don't have too. you think you save money here, but with cost to mail and customs its just more headache.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Back on October 1st I sent a package from Portland, Oregon USA to my wife in Montalban, Rizal, PI. I sent it using USPS and was told it would reach her in 6-10 business days. Well...here is it 47 days later and according to USPS, the package reached customs in Manila on November 4th. It's almost been 2 weeks since and I still haven't heard anything from USPS or customs.

Any ideas who I can call or what I have to do? Believe it or not, USPS said they didn't have a number I could call in the Philippines to get more information.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

(By the way...never again will I use USPS to send packages to PI!)

I made thread about USPS before. It was frustrating because I used the service to send birthday gifts to my fiance in Guam that I bought online. It means, the package sent to locally area not to another country like yours and another VJ'ers.

I had asked tracking numbers and on the website that I bought the gift says estimated time the package would be arrived. The package FINALLY arrived almost 5 days later than the original date.This is my thread.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

my fiance always using usps for sending me parcels here in philippines,i live in laguna and i didnt encounter any problem about it,the post office here in my city [calamba]sending me text message so that i can pick it up there,he also sent me 2 new cellphones and my engagement ring and i received all of it!walang labis walang kulang

You are lucky have some far better post office service there. In my country, some post office employees are really sucks. I remember my friend from Aussie sent iPhone to her daughter in Indonesia. The employee had stolen the cellphone and nobody knew it until the mother came up to newspaper and complained the service. The employee got fired eventually but I know there are a lot people like this and never going get caught.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Girl from Celebes

[Mark&Fatima 14]

Did you include insurance? I do for anything like that. I once sent my family in Aus a package for Halloween. Sent it before halloween, arrived just after Thanksgiving. Normally it's 7-10 days. I had reported the loss but they didn't have the forms so I went back a week later and just happened to call mum that day and what do you know, it arrived that day! Oh and it was USPS, not Australia. It was just candy (a gummy head in a jar, a gummy brain and gummy bats) so nothing to stress about.

Not really. I'm sorry but I disagree here. There are MANY different countries and asking all USPS staff to keep up with the changes of other countries (as well as here) is a little ridiculous. Their business was to get it out of the country, which they did. The receiving country does the rest. USPS takes liability though which is interesting.

I don't expect them to know everything...but how about at least a contact number I could call? That's not being ridiculous at all in my opinion. When I used FedEx a couple of years ago, they had a number I could call to deal with customs.

Edited November 18, 2011 by Mark&Fatima