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Calling Mail Experts!

My mail forwarder in the USA made a mistake and chose USPS instead of DHL to send my package of mail to Medellin. Their email to me follows at the bottom.

Is there a USPS entry point in Medellin? If so, can I go there and pick this package up? I don't think they will deliver to my building like DHL does. It may take 6 weeks for the package to be returned.

Has anyone ever had this happen and what do you think my chances are of receiving the package?

Along with monthly mail, my new debit card that I told you I lost a few weeks ago is in this package.......causing me some real problems as I'd like to stock up on pesos now that the dollar is strong.

Any advice? thanks in advance.
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"The above-mentioned shipment was sent using USPS Priority Mail international by error.

The operator that prepared your shipment did not follow procedure and selected the incorrect carrier.

We apologize for this incontinence. We know that the postal service in Colombia is not very good and truly hope your shipment gets delivered or returned to us in which case we will ship it at no extra charge using DHL.

We have issued a credit to your account for the monthly fee of $35.00

Once again, please accept our apologies for this inconvenience and let us know if you receive the package."

By gringoloid (Trustee board) on Aug 19, 2008, 09:18 in Friendly Talkzone.

gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 09:18:

bump

from 'kalder gets a clue' movie..''you piece of shit,, i never said Germany and the USA were secret allies''''i knew you were a pussy because you believe everything anybody tells you.'' ....GL does not suffer fools gladly.

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 19, 2008, 09:32:

quote -- "We apologize for this incontinence."

LOL, that's the second time I've seen someone write that recently.

Spell checker?

Loid, it may take several weeks, but the odds are it will probably reach you. Make sure the porteria knows you're expecting it, and that the doorman recognises it's you when he sees the name on the envelope.

"this may seem a strange post but it is not...when in colombia men need to be aware that colombia women may try to be seductive and entice a travelling gringo to have sex with them..to be forewarned is to be forearmed..." -- pow wow

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lpdiver says on Aug 19, 2008, 09:34:

You will never see the package. Is it insured?

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 09:58:

the package is not insured and my new debit card is in there. it's not yet verified so i think it will be ok, .......do you think?

or should i cancel this debit card and get another?

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lpdiver says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:16:

I would imagine that you could cancel it and get the other one delivered via DHL faster. How important is time?

ts

Remember what the monkey says, "Fuck money it's free"

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miamimike says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:23:

G'loid--too bad you don't live in Miami--there are a couple good mail forwarding services here in North Miami and I use a Colombian owned Mail/shipping service right by my condo. Last package I sent with Dental supplies cost me $17 and it arrived in 3 days with door to door service, guarenteed. This Business is located 3 miles west of that Bal Harbor Bar you were at your last trip to Miami on 123 st by Biscayne blvd..

George W. Bush says "Never argue with an idiot. It will bring you down to his level and he’ll win because of experience." Avatar Legend: Angela Merkel,Chancellor of Germany, recoiling in Horror as GW Bush attempts to give her an Unsolicited Backrub

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:26:

By gringoloid on Aug 19 (today):

Is there a USPS entry point in Medellin? If so, can I go there and pick this package up?
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No, USPS is done with the delivery as soon as it leaves the US. Once it enters Colombia, usually Bogotá, the Colombian Postal Service takes care of the delivery. They will either deliver it to you address in Medellín, or call you so you can pick it up at their office.

what do you think my chances are of receiving the package?
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I think you have a good chance of getting it. Depending on how big it was. I've only lost 1 small package in the last 15 years or so. All others have been delivered in a few weeks. If the package is huge, it'll take about 3 months. If it's an ok size, let's say like a shoebox, it will probably take about 3-4 weeks.

Diana

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:30:

mike, my forwarder IS in miami..........nw 66th st..........it's called www.usabox.com

i may have to change although that would be an enormous hassel............

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miamimike says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:36:

G'loid--the Mail forwarding service by my house(and a very reliable one I may add) is right by 125 st and Biscayne blvd only 2 blocks from the other business I use to ship my packages. I also use Servientrega but lately I use the other service as they are actually cheaper then Servi and just as reliable. Last Serivices I would use is Fed-X and DHL, just too high for my budget.

G'loid--that USAMailbox you use sounded like a a Hialeah Address and after Googling it, found out it almost is, its right on the line inside of Medley(another west miami suburb) You are dealing with Cubans in all probability so I'm not surprised by the screw-up! LOL The Mail Service in my area is owned and operated by two american women and very reliable honest ones at that. I beleive there are a few more around here but I don't know much of there background to recommend them. I would also imagine on South Beach there are several forwarding services bt their prices are probably higher.

G'loid--Letters/Documents I mail with this service by my Condo usually incurs a store Minimum rate of $15, which by today's Prices for 3-4 days service, door to door guarenteed, is pretty reasonable.

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 10:46:

Monoke says: No, USPS is done with the delivery as soon as it leaves the US. Once it enters Colombia, usually Bogotá, the Colombian Postal Service takes care of the delivery. They will either deliver it to you address in Medellín, or call you so you can pick it up at their office.""
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.When you say, ´Colombian Postal Service´, ........do you know their medellin address?

are you talking about depris? i use them all the time.

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 19, 2008, 11:02:

No, it's not Deprisa since it's not a private mail service. It's the regular postal service, like the USPS. I believe it's called Adpostal but I can't remember.

Deprisa is operated by Avianca, so they wouldn't have it.

Diana

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vicshere says on Aug 19, 2008, 11:33:

Adpostal uses Deprisa as its carrier

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 19, 2008, 13:13:

vicshere says on Aug 19 (today)
Adpostal uses Deprisa as its carrier
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Does Deprisa deliver regular mail?

All I know is that I always used the USPS whenever I sent something to my husband in Tuluá or my mom in Medellín. Once it arrived they would call them to pick it up at their office, not Deprisa by the way. Or they would knock on the door and deliver it.

Diana

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sloopskipper says on Aug 19, 2008, 13:50:

I use Airbox http://www.aeropost.com/main.htm They are in Miami and they send my mail & packages, by air, themselves (no USPS or DHL) to Panamá and deliver to my apartment.

They deal with customs, when needed, and I can pre-notify them with tracking numbers from FedEx, etc., which speeds the process. Letters first go to a POB address in Miami, but they also provide a street address in Doral, for packages, or stuff needing signature.

This gives me a U.S. address, and along with a Skype-In number in Pennsylvania, makes life a lot easier. Everyone who sends me mail thinks I live in Florida.

I have been quite satisfied.

They also have service in Colombia.

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Medellin Traveler says on Aug 19, 2008, 14:00:

I mailed a birthday card via USPS from Chicago to a friend in Medellin, sent it to her place of work with the company phone number below the address in case they could not find the location. The letter arrived in about 30 days.

gringoloid,
Who knows, by the time the package arrives with your new ATM card, the peso may be at 2000, now 1.00 USD = 1,897.50 COP

Discover Medellin, Antioquia - Colombia www.medellintraveler.com

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sloopskipper says on Aug 19, 2008, 14:04:

I just opened mail I received today, with USPS postmarks of August 7 & 8.

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paulr says on Aug 19, 2008, 14:08:

Jeeze, i´m waiting on a debit card arriving too, i really hope it doesn´t take long otherwise i´ll be on the streets. Anyone got a couple of million pesos for a man who is down on his luck?

"paulr threatens me with death !" pobrecito

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vicshere says on Aug 19, 2008, 14:08:

when ever you use Adpostal in colombia Deprisa does the delivery...Adpostal doesnt have a mail system per say so they use Deprisa..thats why mail is so expensive

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miamimike says on Aug 19, 2008, 14:31:

SS--that's pretty fast service, marked on the 7-8 and you received it today. Thats is great. I'm wondering if the owners/managers of that Service you use aren't Colombians owned or managed as there are a Lot of Colombians living in Doral where that Service is located? Next time I'm in that area I'll check it out!

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lawyer CO says on Aug 19, 2008, 15:23:

now adpostal is different owned by a private operator...i think it is avianca...the new name is 1,2,3 something like that.

WHEN THE PACKAGE IS TOO BIG, they mail you a small receipt to asking you to pick it up in downtown.

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 15:32:

jajajaja..........big texas..............i told the same story to a friend of mine today...........even though i'm agnostic.............i said god is trying to save my life by keeping that damn debit card out of my hands so i won't go to the cash machine every day for 6 weeks saving up for a new car and keeping stacks of money in my apartment y entonces getting myself robbed and killed.

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 19, 2008, 16:32:

Med Traveller.............these days, i'll take whatever i can get on the peso............and it looks pretty good right now...............but we'll see,....i'm going to sleep on all this good advice i received here and make my decision in the morning.

unfortunately, there is not a usable tracking number from USPS...........so what i might do is take a ride over to this adpostal or deprisa and ask them about the problem.

btw, rubito goes into second place today and i moved into first in the peso contest.........but it's way, way too early to make any judgements as pedro pointed out.

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sloopskipper says on Aug 19, 2008, 17:11:

miamimike says on Aug 19 (today): flag

"SS--that's pretty fast service, marked on the 7-8 and you received it today. Thats is great. I'm wondering if the owners/managers of that Service you use aren't Colombians owned or managed as there are a Lot of Colombians living in Doral where that Service is located? Next time I'm in that area I'll check it out!"

That's entirely possible, Mike. The street address is 7979 NW 21st Street, Doral, FL 33122, but I don't know if that is an office, or simply a receiving depot.

Their Colombian base is in Bogotá, but they told me they deliver in Cartagena, so I sure they would also in Medellin.

They list service to maybe, 20 or 30 countries. It sure works for me, especially since they interact with customs, at least here.

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Medellin Traveler says on Aug 19, 2008, 17:19:

gringoloid says. "....... i'm agnostic."

Suerte hombre vos es mi hermano....

Discover Medellin, Antioquia - Colombia www.medellintraveler.com

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miamimike says on Aug 19, 2008, 19:25:

SS-I believe its in an Office park Complex. It's close to the Miami Pepsi-Cola Plant and not far from the U-PIK Junkyard I go for my used car parts. Its also just East, a stone's throw from Avianca Air Express east of the Palmetto expressway. They probably send your mail out via Avianca Air Express planes. The 2 Mail Delivery services I use utilize Avianca's cargo planes.

Avianca Air express Hialeah/Doral address:Avianca Airlines-Avianca Express(Main)
(305) 599-9112 2511 NW 72nd Ave
Miami, FL

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Mr. Hollywood says on Aug 19, 2008, 19:29:

The only time I ever received something sent by USPS to Colombia, the package arrived about 2 months late, had been opened by Colombian customs, my things had been taken and replaced by photographs of someone else's quinceñera.

Cancel the card and get a new one.

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Balzac says on Aug 19, 2008, 21:29:

Well, let's see...during by travels to Colombia, I hardly noticed any of the usual mail infrastructure one sees in other countries. I never came across a street side mailbox for depositing mail, never noticed any mail carriers; at my novia's apartment her mailbox only received utility bills deposited by private couriers-never any real postmarked/stamped mail. Funny thing was that the mailbox welded to the inside of the street level entry door served about five apartments and is about the size of a small lunch box, hardly the capacity of mailboxes I have seen in other places for one family, let alone five. Appears that there is little expectation of mail delivery. I more or less concluded that if there is a postal system of any worth in Colombia (Bogotá), then is was not evident in the estrata tres neighborhood I was staying in. From reading posts over several years on this site, it appears that some people do occasionally receive mail via a postal system. My observation is that it is minimally reliable at best and in general look elsewhere for correspondence/parcel delivery. Good options in the above posts by people who know how to get stuff delivered to and within Colombia.

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dwmte7 says on Aug 20, 2008, 04:34:

i have no idea what they call their non-exixtant mail service. it's been a hit/miss situation for 20 years now. i learned early on not to put stamps on envelopes, rather using the machine printed paper stamps. they steal the letters for the stamps...???

my last 2 1/2 years were in llano grande where we got mail outta some office with no name in rionegro. once they sent a guy out to my bar, to tell me i had a package at the office..... duh? he didn't bring the package, i had to go to town. oft times they'll send a taxi out with what ever there is.

soooooo, cross your fingers, it's a not hits situation and tons of errors.

patriarch

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sloopskipper says on Aug 20, 2008, 07:03:

miamimike says on Aug 19, 2008, 19:25: flag

"SS-I believe its in an Office park Complex. It's close to the Miami Pepsi-Cola Plant and not far from the U-PIK Junkyard I go for my used car parts. Its also just East, a stone's throw from Avianca Air Express east of the Palmetto expressway. They probably send your mail out via Avianca Air Express planes. The 2 Mail Delivery services I use utilize Avianca's cargo planes."

Unless Avianca flies MIA - PTY, I would think that they would maybe use Continental or Copa.

Balzac says on Aug 19, 2008, 21:29: flag

"Well, let's see...during by travels to Colombia, I hardly noticed any of the usual mail infrastructure one sees in other countries. I never came across a street side mailbox for depositing mail, never noticed any mail carriers; at my novia's apartment her mailbox only received utility bills deposited by private couriers-never any real postmarked/stamped mail."

In Panamá there are no street number addresses, and no mail delivery, except to a PO Box. The only way to send mail is at the PO, but I have done that several times, and the mail has arrived in the U.S. rather promptly.

Any bills, like electricity or telephone, are hand carried and dumped in the building lobby.

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 20, 2008, 09:26:

I just chatted with a friend of mine in Bogotá and told me that the "regular" mail service no longer exists and that it was bought by a private company. So it's probably what was said earlier and Deprisa is not taking over.

I hope it's a good thing though.

Diana

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 20, 2008, 09:55:

alright, you've all convinced me...........i cancelled my debit card and the new one will be here in about 3 weeks.............thanks for your help..........i appreciate it.

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Aug 20, 2008, 10:27:

Just out of curiosity, please post back and let us know if the original package makes it into your hands.

I would wager that it does.

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 20, 2008, 12:14:

yes, and i'm willing to go and pick it up if they let me know where it is.........there are about 40 letters in that package........all the of the junk was screened.

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Mononoke28 says on Aug 20, 2008, 13:41:

pedro says on Aug 20 (today)
Just out of curiosity, please post back and let us know if the original package makes it into your hands.
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Me too. But the waiting is just sickening.

Diana

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gringoloid (Trustee board) says on Aug 20, 2008, 13:50:

you have to think positive..............panthdave brought up the Capital One money market account that has a debit card with little or no fees...............just like the debit card i lost...............

i opened an account with them an hour ago.

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Lowell says on Aug 21, 2008, 11:57:

A real post office (with P.O. Boxes) opened in Cartago a while ago. I see people get deliveries at their residences.

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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