Postal / Shipping Issues

Greetings one and all, I hope this is the correct location for this thread.
I have Ordered several Lasers from O-Like,
first order placed: Thursday 15 July, 2010 Shipped on: July 19, 2010
------------------------------------------------------
1 x 200mW blu-ray torch/adjustable/focusable (OL-405-200-T) = $117.21CND
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $117.21
Per Item (Best Way): $4.42
Total: $121.64CND

Second Order Placed) Tuesday 20 July, 2010 Shipped on: July 25, 2010.
------------------------------------------------------
1 x New cute pocket Green laser 150mW /adjustable (OLCGL150) = $99.99CND
1 x New Gatlin Green laser 100mW/waterproof/adjustable (OLGA-100) = $96.99CND
------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total: $196.98CND
Per Item (Best Way): $8.00CND
Total: $204.98CND

(placed as 2 orders because I came into some unexpected money and just thought the 2 green lasers were way too cool)

so far O-Like has been great shipped out promptly...
then everything came to a halt with a resounding THUD!

My first Order is apparently sitting somewhere in the Gateway Postal Sorting Station in Mississauga Ontario, Canada.
It cleared custom on July 22, 2010, and has been sitting on a shelf somewhere ever since.

taken from the Canada Post Tracking page:
Track Status
Date Time Location Description Retail Location Signatory Name
2010/07/23 18:59 MISSISSAUGA Item processed at postal facility
Track History
Date Time Location Description Retail Location Signatory Name
2010/07/23 18:59 MISSISSAUGA Item processed at postal facility
2010/07/22 17:17 MISSISSAUGA International item arrived in Canada and will be reviewed by Customs

The second package that shipped on July 25, 2010, is sitting on a shelf in Hong Kong Post's Sorting Center...

Outward Registered Letter
Destination - Canada
The item (RT0xxxxx352HK) is being processed for departure from Hong Kong as of 29-Jul-2010.
To make further enquiry of this item, please complete the Online Enquiry Form or send the item number; the details of sender; addressee and contact information by fax to Mail Tracing Office. Our fax no. is (852) 2868 4723. You can also email or call our Mail Tracing Office at (852) 2921 2211 during office hours.
Online tracking information on the delivery status of registered mail/parcels sent overseas is available for selective destinations. You can connect to the mail tracking website of the destinations below directly. For destinations not on the list, tracking information is only available up to departure from Hong Kong.

So there you have it folks;
International Postal Services;
Moving at the speed of Bureaucracy!

So fast you can time them with a calendar.

And Canada Post claims that the "SENDER" is the one that needs to start the investigation at their end in Hong Kong!!!

I could Drive to Mississauga in about an hour and pick the blasted thing up myself... but nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
that would make too much sense. GEE!? :thanks: :scowl::banghead::banghead::banghead:

It could be a mis-sort. I worked in a mail sorting facility for a while and it happens all the time. Basically the sorters might accidentally(or intentionally) throw your package into the wrong mail bag or whatever and then it gets shipped off to the wrong location. It then needs to be sent back and overall delays your package by a week or two.

OR it could have fallen to the floor and been kicked under a pallet or something.

They'll probably both still get to you. Just because something's been sitting in customs for a few days doesn't mean it's being seized. US, Canada, I've dealt with both - they're just slow, and it's mostly the fact that things are "running at the speed of government."

Your second package also probably *will* ship out. I remember one of my o-Like orders taking forever in Hong Kong but it did eventually get here without a problem.

o-Like probably would be willing to investigate/call them to see whats going on though, Susie may just want you to wait a few more days to see what happens.

Your lasers will still probably get to you.

aryntha said:

They'll probably both still get to you. Just because something's been sitting in customs for a few days doesn't mean it's being seized. US, Canada, I've dealt with both - they're just slow, and it's mostly the fact that things are "running at the speed of government."

Your second package also probably *will* ship out. I remember one of my o-Like orders taking forever in Hong Kong but it did eventually get here without a problem.

o-Like probably would be willing to investigate/call them to see whats going on though, Susie may just want you to wait a few more days to see what happens.

Your lasers will still probably get to you.

Click to expand...

but there's the odd part,
the first order has passed through custom with out issue.
it's the Postal Sorting location that has dropped the ball.
go fig!

and I emailed O-Like, included all the relevant links, screen captures and all that jazz...

I actually have no worries about them arriving;
I just find it insulting and frustrating that we pay and pay and pay for services, and in the end, the bigger the entity the less they care about serving the contract.
and a shipping agreement is a contract.

Bell breached their contract with me for phone internet and Satellite TV, 85 times, before I finally canceled the contract; and they still insist that I owe them money, wont take me to court though, because I'd win and they would loose more money paying their legal department than they would loose if they just write off the account. guess they wouldn't want the bad press either.

Similar issues with Rogers; their wireless service around my area is terrible!
so I canceled the contract as they could not fulfill their obligations;
in Canada you can do that at any time in the first year of any contract.
but it's still on my credit report....:undecided:

if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.

No kidding. Just this last week, FedEx dropped the (fragile!) HeCd laser I had ordered on my front porch, which shattered the tube. By the time I got to the door, they were already half way down the road and gone.

I don't understand why shipping companies (or government entities) can't just *not break stuff*, or *not misdeliver stuff*. The process should be pretty straightforward: It goes where it's labeled, and don't drop it or throw it.

There are some awesome lasers I would have, if it weren't for UPS/USPS/FedEx/DHL.

Not sure if it could be something like this with these shipping couriers ..but a few years ago i learned that "customs " aint always an actual place ...its virtual paperwork !

The courier , in this case TNT is allowed to take the package to final delivery depot , to smooth their efficiency , but there are not allowed to release the actual package until customs have assessed the papaerwork for fees.

I stand to be corrected ........

but customs pull only a very small percentage of packages for physical check / X ray etc all the rest of packages are allowed to go through couriers own systems normally and are normally "customs caged " at couriers depot ......... they then wait on approval of paperwork ...if customs want to see a package they ship it back to customs warehouse ......... the packge can be released from cage when the approval come electronically from customs ......... ll it takes is the lady in depot to be off sick or on holiday or customs slow in approval and days are lost in the shipping mechanism.

With the amount of packages people like royal mail EMS and USPS deals with it aint hard for backlogs to build .......guys like TNT and UPS have stonger contingecy plans as they charge more and customers get refunded if they dont met their deadlines

PAUL

well I shocked!
my first package from O-Like arrived today.
go fig!

now I've just got to find my blasted multy meter!
nothing is ever easy!