Irresponsible Service

Ok, time to denounce something that's pissing me off. Worry not, I'll keep it short, so that my liver doesn't explode in anger. It's upset, UPSET! with the Postal Service. As you may know by now, I've been sending out postcards, letters and even a couple of packages since I've got here. It's only normal, since I have penpals and also a large chunk of my friends live in Costa Rica.

Ever since I've got here I've sent these out to the United States, UK, Austria, Belgium, Malaysia, Germany and Costa Rica. I've got feedback from everywhere that they've got their postcards, their letters and even the small parcels I've sent for birthdays and special care-packages. All but those sent to Costa Rica.

Naturally, as precaution I've filled out forms similar to the one shown here for the parcels, because ALLEGEDLY you can track them down, and know at all times where the parcel is. Yeah right. I don't know how it works in other countries, but at least in Costa Rica and in Hungary, they track the package only INSIDE the country. Once it leaves the country, the parcel enters the Twilight Zone. That wouldn't be much of a problem if the package were received, such as it happened with all the other parcels and letters I've sent out, and which - to my amazement - were received in a week or two, which for me counts as "record time". However, this doesn't happen with Costa Rica, where over 10 postcards, 5 letters and a parcel have been sent since February and none have been received. From this lot, it happens that the parcel I sent has a tracking number. The number is RR214810410HU. This package left Hungary on March 5th, and since then the track is lost. From the other side the Costa Rican Postal Service simply pretends the parcel has never arrived to the country.

It's quite interesting because I know for a fact that the parcel was correctly addressed, so it's not possible to imagine that the package was mistakenly sent to Abu-Dabi or any other place. It was addressed to Costa Rica, to an address I know like the back of my hand. Still, the Costa Rican Post Service, Cortel, feings ignorance, though the parcel left to Costa Rica over six weeks ago. Through the Hungarian Postal Service we've sent to Costa Rica a formal request about the destiny of the package, whether it has been delievered, lost or returned, but they have failed to answer so far, something unheard of.

So, you pay EXTRA money to have some SECURITY about the things you send by the Postal Service, and STILL, it's a bogus? Nobody can tell me where the parcel is, and to top it all, there are no actual, real means to shake up the IRRESPONSIBLE counterparts from their comfortable position of not doung their job and still charging for it.

This should be stopped.