Some months ago I had to send back a feather jacket to a manufacturer as I was not so happy with its color. I took the original box put in the jacket, seal it and went to the post office. Arriving at the counter with it the officer told me that I have to cover it with paper, seal/strengthen it with a rope and write all addresses on it. I asked whether they have anything readymade for this purpose (just thought I am not the only alien trying to do this). They answered NO (not surprised yet) but they were kind enough to indicate a stationary shop within a 100 meters reach where I might find some helpful people. I went there and they were really helpful. For about RON 5 (€1.2) I got it packed, sealed and written. I went back and I was asked to fill in a form. It took me about 10 minutes to do the job (I hate writing on forms as I always make mistakes). I handed it to the officer and then she returned it to me saying that for parcels insured for more than RON 500 (€120, mine was RON 600) the parcel has to be covered in cloth and not in paper and be sewed at all junctions. That was the moment I started to get really nervous. But having no choice, the time investment has been made already, I wrote another form (this time quicker than 10 minutes) where I declared value of 500 only. It all went well after that. I paid the total dues around RON7.

Now let’s look at the situation:

I found no such regulations about the criteria they told me on the carrier website. How should a normal person know about it?

The total service (which includes al lot of manual paper work as Posta Romana still operates with handwriting in most handling processes, transportation to railway station, then by train, then to the receiving post office then informing the receiver, storing and delivering the parcel) had cost just a little more than the packaging. If this would be true why not try to make a decent buck by simply providing some standard sealable packages which would increase the profit of the operation and, especially customer satisfaction.

Even if true that I should have used cloth for more expensive delivery why I was not being informed upfront? It would have saved a lot of time (I would have declared from the beginning 500), nerves of me, the officer and other customers queuing right behind me.

Why in this century have they packaging expectations similar to those when the institution has been created probably two centuries ago? People do not have now time to go and buy a piece of cloth then take the scissors and needle and sew it! There are now materials and manipulation means that make this practice obsolete.

 Should I need to send a parcel again, I’ll use TNT at all costs. They just lost a client. It may be not too much as I believe they did not make real profit after me anyway but I am not alone here and many would turn to the small suppliers of the same service leaving the state-owned monster to die.

 

 

Filed under: A Client in the World, My Corporation by admin