Have You Tried Claiming Packages at the Post Office?

It all started when I got a registry notice from the Philippine Postal Corporation.

Last June 2, 2011,  I got a registry notice from Philippine Postal Corporation. It's the first time I got one and I have no idea what that thing is about. After reading some vague instructions at the back of the card, I suspected that it was a package. Thing is, I didn't order anything.

Can you understand the writing written under "Claim at Window"?

4 days after, I decided to claim my "package". Problem is, the registry notice card I got was very vague that it wasn't even indicated where to claim it nor where the post office was. There was no address nor a phone number to contact to. In short, I didn't even know if this was the real thing or if this was just a scam.

Back part of the registry notice

What's wrong with our post office?
First, the website.
You cannot find any single contact number in that website other than the phone number to call when you want to have a door to door service from them. I tried calling that number and no one even picked up.Useless.

Phil Post Help Center

Phil Post About Page turned into a Wordpress About page

Phil Post Customer Guide

Phil Post - Inside Phil Post info tab

Second, they should put the location and contact info of all the city post offices in their website. There's none as of the moment and I don't see the sense of them putting all the pricing and packages when people won't know where to go. In fact, by searching Philippine Postal Corporation in Google, I opened the results one by one until I saw another blogger blogging about her experience in claiming her package.

Her blog has more useful information compared to the Phil Post website

Her blog is at http://www.rina-alcantara.com/2010/09/claiming-parcel-at-philippine-postal.html

Third, no instructions in the supposedly useful Philippine Postal Corporation website. Upon seeing her blog, that's the only time I discovered that I had to pick up the package in the post office of the city you are in. Also, the writing in my card was SO readable (please detect sarcasm) that even the person  in the post office cannot read it. (See my registry notice card photo above)

The branch will depend on the shipping address you provided. For example, since I reside in Quezon City, my parcel arrived at the Quezon City Central Post Office.
(Second paragraph of her blog entry)

Thanks to her blog, I saw a photo containing the address of the Quezon City post office. I had an idea it was somewhere near that place but I don't want to waste time and go round and round during working hours and just waste my precious time there.

It took me half a day all in all just to search where to pick up the package. So, I went there to pick it up. Waited for around fifteen minutes in window 15 because (I hope you won't need to wait thirty minutes on window 30 LOL) no one was there and the people there weren't helpful and proactive enough to call the person assigned in window 15. I was still in a good mood that time so I just patiently waited.

Next, Something beyond my logic can comprehend
My mood went from good to bad when I opened the letter that was sent to me. I got a letter from Bank of Commerce.

You know what's in that letter? The letter was dated April 25, 2011. It contains my account details and the amount I have in that account. What ticked me off was what's written in the letter. It said there that when they don't get a frigging reply within ten days, they will assume that everything is correct.

I was like WTF! 10 days and you send letters like this via snail mail? I got the registry notice on June 2. The envelope had a date stamped saying that Paranaque post office sent out the mail on May 23, 2011 and arrived at Quezon City Post Office on May 25, 2011. How intelligent can a bank like Bank of Commerce be? Sending an urgent letter via snail mail? And hey, to make things worst, I got the registry notice on June 2, 2011.

Maybe I missed something here. Can someone please explain?

First, it was such a hassle picking up a non-sense-slash-useless delayed mail during working hours because the post office is a government office and doesn't do overtime. Second, whether the details in that letter asking me to confirm the amount written is right or wrong, I was in a no-choice-scenario because it was already very late and the bank can screw me up if they wanted to and tell me, "oh, you didn't reply within 10 days blah blah.."

Good thing, everything written was correct but that doesn't change the fact that it was such a hassle looking for instructions on what to do with that registry notice, searching information on how to go to the post office and the time spent going there. And you wonder why the post office is not earning? Srsly.

“We are losing P150 million to P200 million a year. It is foregone income.”Philpost, a government-owned and controlled corporation, is an income-generating agency that fully relies on its income to cover its expenditures. -Postmaster General Hector Villanueva (source)

Have you ever thought about why we don't use the post office much anymore? It's because they assume that everyone knows where the post office is. They assume that people know the process in sending and claiming packages when the fact is, we are living in a nation where a lot of public transport drivers cannot even understand road signs with huge drawings and bold letters. In fact, I was thinking of sending some legal letters/ documents a few months back and until now, I haven't sent it because of the lack of information.

I hope that the government revamp their websites and make it really helpful and informative rather than just look good. It's a perfect example of beauty without brains. Only, those websites aren't EVEN good looking. So I guess they're just there to exist without a purpose.

Phil Post Main Page (Index)

And to Bank of Commerce, I know you guys can do better -- Heck, you're owned by San Miguel. Thank you for the half-day hassle. None of my other banks were like you.

Cheftonio
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