PhilPost Bogus Attempted Delivery

“Your item was not delivred successfully(REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES PHZONE7) at 2013-08-13 08:34:00,” it says on the Chinese EMS tracking website. An attempted delivery was supposedly made on my package from China. Tracking says that the package’s current location is PHZONE7. According to a Philippine EMS Facebook page, PHZONE7 refers to the local post office. Yet when I checked with the local post office in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, no such package arrived.

When I checked the second time, still no package was there. Two days coming out of my work place, and nothing gained — a complete waste of time. Worse, it has been exactly one week since the “attempted delivery,” the package still nowhere in the local post office. And the mail is supposed to be express mail. What the heck are our postmen doing?

I get the tracking information only from the Philippine Post Office’s Chinese counterpart. The PhilPost’s own tracker is of no use: “No records found,” says the website when I enter the tracking number. When I emailed the address Philpost indicated in their website, there’s no reply.

 

Update: August 20, 2013, for the third time I went back to the local post office, and was greeted with same answer. The package was not there yet. I asked the postmaster to inquire with the regional office for the whereabouts of the package, and I was told that the package did not arrive in Davao yet. The package may still be in Manila, the lady postmaster said; give one more week for the package to arrive. May have been due to the weather, they postulated, what with the storms and all. But I was bothered, because the status of the package, per Chinese EMS website, is already for pickup at the local post office. At length, the postmaster asked for my number, so she could personally inform me when my package arrived.

I did not even reach home when I received a text message, saying that my package was in the local post office all along. The package had in fact passed the Davao post office, contrary to the information the regional employee gave. These high-ranking officials are not exactly on top of things, are they? As to why the bulky package had not been found in the local post office, well, it lay hidden in a sack.

FedEx Philippines: Customer not Available or Business Closed

FedEx attempted, but was unable to complete delivery of the following shipment. Reason Delivery Not Completed: Customer not Available or Business Closed.

I got that message from FedEx on July 22, 2013. I thought, perhaps FedEx needs a new reason to label failed delivery with. Customer not available? That couldn’t have been true for two reasons.

1. I was at home the whole time. I am a home-based entrepreneur. Except for a few minutes out to buy essentials, I am always at home, always available.

The alarming blood-red notification on FedEx website: Customer not Available or Business Closed. Notice how the destination is Hinatuan PH, and the package location is Paranaque PH. The town and city are almost at opposite ends of the Philippines.

2. My package was located in a city hundreds of kilometers away. How could FedEx have “attempted” to deliver the package to my doorstep, when the package was in Paranaque City in the Philippine’s north, and I’m down south in Mindanao. The package was not even in Davao, the city nearest to my town where FedEx keeps an office.

Does it matter if FedEx says they “attempted” to deliver my package, but didn’t?

It does. Because FedEx would only make 3 attempts to deliver a package; after that, they Return the package to Sender. So now, it’s one down for my package; 2 more “attempts” to go.

I’ve contacted FedEx customer service the same day, informing them of the situation. I was glad that my package went through customs quickly, unlike a DHL shipment I’m also expecting; but now, I’m in doubt. And irritated.

 

Update: A FedEx representative called me, telling me that my package is in Butuan. She also told me that my town, Hinatuan, is “not served.” I can have the package delivered right to my residence, but I would have to pay an additional P400. That’s alongside the customs and taxes amounting to P2,700, which is about 40% of the value of my purchase (I expected to pay only P1,800).

Oh, well, I have no choice. But I would have to consider the additional charges the next time I choose a shipping option.

 

Update: Received the package on July 25 and saw that, of the P3,110 I have to pay for customs duties and tax, only P1,690 actually went to Customs, the rest were additional charges made by Fedex for processing the package through customs. That said, I didn’t have to pay documentary stamp tax and import processing fee with Customs, which would have about P500, though still half of what I paid with FedEx.