Oh Mr. Postman
When I read the Kompas paper of Saturday 19, 2008, I was interested to a letter criticizing how Indonesian post office failed to deliver Ms Yenny package, which is a watch been sent from Japan. Here is the letter, rough translation by me (sorry):
On March 14 2008, I visited East Depok Post Office at the Jalan Kerinci Raya, Depok, needed to grab my package sent from Japan. Being said, according to post office staff who deliver the package, they have been tried to sent twice to home, since no one showed up, they brought it back.Finally, I grab the package by myself, and opened it while on the way to home. Unfortunately, I was so surprised, the contents of the package which is a Benetton watch brand in a box is actually unavailable.
What bring to my curiosity, the outer envelope is wrapped perfectly. But, after being opened, it looks like the envelop has been opened before, then wrapped again.
I am really sorry to Ms Yenny who had such experience. I am alone have such experiences at least three times.
The first time, it’s when I try to send a package of used handphone to my brother in Malang. I went to local post office at Pasar Minggu, the woman in office told me this, “Please do not use our service. According to our experience, Malang (or East Java in general) has been a bad reputation for lost package for electronic devices.” Wow. I am stoned. I said thanks to her for saying that. It’s quite good she said the fact than give me nothing then I lost the package after while. But, having to know how post office such reputation (told by post office staff itself) is terribly worst.
Then, when I ordered some books from Amazon. The package invitation came at home, and later the afternoon I visited the central post office at Fatmawati (for area in South Jakarta) to pick it up. What came to surprised me, other than the cost I have paid for Internation Priority Mail for Amazon, I should pay additional fee Rp 120.000 for books about US$120. What a pricey (if compared via DHL). When I ordered previous books via DHL, they cost me nothing other than the shipping cost, which I knew it cost more. But, if compared to the total cost I paid for—and the delivery time which is faster via DHL (4 days compared to a month!), it cost more. Although I do not know whether all package delivered to Indonesia need to pay for customs. EDIT: Okay, I think I am wrong if I complained about the tax policy, such thing may exist. Tough my question is, why I can’t pick my package via near post office (Pasar Minggu in my case) instead of to central one. It’s too far. Inefficient. Or, why they don’t use the postman who deliver it as fee collector too? Inefficient.
Then, It was when I tried to send money to our parent using an electronic account service called Shar-e. The electronic acccount itself is quite good. You can send via post office everywhere. Then our parent can retrieve the money via local ATM from many affiliated banks. But, sending money via post office is quite frustrated. See, no quuee line. You must standing beside many customers who would pay for everything post office payment developing for, like: credit cards payments, motor credits, loan service, retirement payments, etc. Woa, and it’s not a sort of few people. You can count at least 20 or 30 people in one locket desk line, and they are not any quee separation, no entry ticket, no staff to arrange the quee, and so on. Even better, if you visited the office at the first time, you need to ask at lest one in first floor to know where to send a money, and at the second floor, you need to know where is the locket services for that. No sign or whatever! Only crowds of people.
Lessson learned. But, it seems I still have some love-hate business with post office in the next time. Keep your service good Mr Postman, or you’ll die by your own cancers and be replaced by other private services.
ak, 29/04/08 07:12 AM:
Actually, 120k IDR is around 12 USD ;)
Arif Widianto, 29/04/08 09:52 AM:
@ak yup, that’s correct. and, assuming you got 10% tax. but, my previous package sent via DHL need not to pay additional cost named as customs. that’s weird to mee… although the previous order was more expensive than the new one, approximately US$200
yul, 29/04/08 01:58 PM:
Using kantor post services hundreds times (just a keychain, die-casts, t-shirts, books, even laptop…), such thing never happens to me ..
Mr. Postman delivered things directly to my office, cost me only Rp.3000 each (i always give him Rp.5000)
so, really sorry for Ms. Yenny for the lost.
or maybe coz i’m using different post office? (Lapangan Banteng, Central Jakarta)