Need some advice on sending X-mas presents

[dale7]

Before this post is deleted for not searching the archives. I have searched numerous ones. The dilema is: I am sending my son over 250US of X-mas presents and because of weight and size of package, needing to be insured, etc both UPS and Fed Ex want to charge around 200US. The box is about 24"x18"x12" and weighs close to 15 lbs. I am scared to send the package out by Priority Mail and I haven't checked rates on that but know it will be substancially less expensive. Any suggestions out there. A service I don't know about. I am from Michigan and open to suggestions. I know my chances aren't that great to have it arrive due to the size and contents by Priority Mail(GPS) but I will have it insured and will take the chance by Saturday if I can't find any other option. Thanks.
dale7(Howard)

 

[PJT]

"Please forget about using the postal service. You are setting yourself up for disaster." I'm speaking from experience and suggest you pay the extra for UPS or FedEx. You can track your package movements and be assured it will be delivered in good shape and on time with them. Regards, PJT



P.S. ship soon

 

[Criss Colon]

Should have sent the money! We have all the toys and clothes you can buy there,he

I shop,JCPennys ON Line.Right from my office in Santo Domingo! It is sent to my EPS address in Miami,and they ship it here.Costs abouy 4 dollars a pound now.Very seldom have to pay any "Customs"! I do several hunded dollars a month.
CC

 

[JanH]

Chris - excuse ignorance - but the shipping rates for your Penny's stuff: You pay the normal s/h to Miami address and then does it cost you $4/# in addition?

I was trying to get a feel for shipping cost thru EPS for a coffee table from Penney's.

 

[dale7]

I have decided to follow my instincts/advice of others because I know how the mail system is down there and by lightening up the packaging, removing boxes items are in, etc. Just shipped out for 176US using FedEx. Was supposed to be able to go to the DR around Thanksgiving and was going to bring gifts with me but I can't get there until next year because of my job so I was stuck with x-mas presents and hey, the satisfaction of knowing it got there will be worth it. Next year, I will make sure I have vacation planned out near holiday so I can bring things myself.
dale7(Howard)

 

[PJT]

Hint? You should request your son to set up an EPS account. Regards, PJT

 

[kingofdice]

don't send U.S. Priority Mail

Dale, no matter how cheap - DO NOT SEND by U.S. MAIL. Yes, it is Priority in the USA, but once it hits the DR - forget about it. It took me several mailings to realize, that (1) it took the recipient nearly 3 months each time to get the package (2) the Dominican postal service would not deliver many times and the recepient would have to go to the Dominican post office themselves (3) the packages would be tampered with and items missing.

If you have spent $250 on Christmas items and send by US priority mail trying to get the package delivered through the Dominican correos system, there will be a very good chance it will never get delivered to the recipient. These words may sound very discouraging, but it is hard truth. The D.R. has an extremely poor, underfunded and corrupt mail service. If the Dominican mail courier suspects anything of value in your package, it will be ransacked. Do not hope for the best, because you will regret it later, when months go by and your package has not been delivered or when it does arrive to the recipient, anything of value other than toothpase has been stripped from the package.

Repeat, do not send your package through the U.S. mail system.
PRIORITY means nothing, once your package hits Dominican soil.

 

[skippys]

waiting for a FedEx..

delivery of two vcrs and some kids spanish videos. sent FedEx Intl PRIORITY - OCTOBER 22, 2003 AND STILL waiting for the DR customs BUFFOONS to finish whatever they do to get their piece of the pie before I get it. I never quibbled with their US$300 assessment and STILL no delivery.......so needless to say but even very reliable FedEx has no control over their reputation of timely deliveries HERE, pray my vcrs arrive before Christmas.

 

[PJT]

Skippys, may I recommend you or whoever sent your goods send FedEx a written notification of delay (claim) via registered mail if in the U.S., ASAP to protect yourself. Keep it simple, say you are filing because of non-delivery, you think the shipment is lost or has been been damaged, a reasonable time has passed since an acceptable delivery date (date their service tariff says package should have been delivered). Indicate in the notification customer service has been no help in resolving the matter. You need to provide the airway bill number, service type requested, date shipped, shipper, receiver, no of packages, contents, weight, value, and amount of claim (cost of goods + FedEx charges). Although FedEx in their service info indicate you must file a claim within 21 days of delivery, don't let that deter you, File Now, then follow-up with a phone call telling them you have filed a claim, and light a fire under their arrssssessss. Good Luck and Regards, PJT

P.S. Don't be surprised if you find out that Dominican Customs is not the cause of the "delay", only the scapegoat.


Link: www.fedex.com/us/services/termsandconditions/international/claims.html

 

[rafael]

I sent a Digital camera, cell phone and t shirt to the DR on september 22nd. It was hung up in fed ex and customs forever.

I flew down last thursday and friday spent 7 hours at customs to get the stuff. Paid almost 100 bucks in customs. The biggest zoo I have ever seen. No lines, rude employees. Pay the customs fees, they send your paper to another office. Wait outside for 1.5 hours while the guy inside is reading a book, he sends to another office. Wait there forever. They say additional 200 pesos, repeat same process. They tell me to go to pick up package. The people there tell me they need the original paperwork. . . . . .more delays.

If I knew it would take that long, I'd have just waited and carried the stuff on the plane with me!

 

[Darlene Wheeler]

I brought a coffee pot with me still in the box ,along with other kitchen items in my carry on, RD customs gave me a hard time. but let me go . He didn't speak English very well & I don't speak Spanish. I always read post on people bringing items with them. What are the rules on what they can charge you, or if they can..Are there any rules they go by?Total item value$100.00 USD(no receipts.)
Thanks
Darlene

 

[skippys]

STILL WAITING!!!!

for my vcrs AND two more packages seemed to have been hijacked by the FedEx/customs DR banditos......keep the faith

 

[suarezn]

Dale: I wish I would have seen your post earlier as I'm going to the DR for christmas (Leaving December 15th) and as you know I live in Michigan too. We probably could have arranged for me to help you out with this. If you plan to do the same thing in the future you may want to try and just ship it through American Airlines cargo. They have a terminal at Detroit metro. I once shipped a whole bunch of stuff in large packages (Large TV, stereo system with big speakers, etc) and it did not cost me much at all. I just picked it up in the DR and had to deal a little bit with custom (a hassle), but ended up spending only about 1000 pesos to get all my packages. I'm pretty sure you can send the stuff on someone else's name (i.e. your son's mother) and she can pick it up down there.

Crisco: I'm also interested in EPS' rates? Do they deliver to your door? Do they a weight limit that they will take?

 

[miguel]

Before this post is deleted for not searching the archives. I have searched numerous ones. The dilema is: I am sending my son over 250US of X-mas presents and because of weight and size of package, needing to be insured, etc both UPS and Fed Ex want to charge around 200US. The box is about 24"x18"x12" and weighs close to 15 lbs. I am scared to send the package out by Priority Mail and I haven't checked rates on that but know it will be substancially less expensive. Any suggestions out there. A service I don't know about. I am from Michigan and open to suggestions. I know my chances aren't that great to have it arrive due to the size and contents by Priority Mail(GPS) but I will have it insured and will take the chance by Saturday if I can't find any other option. Thanks.
dale7(Howard)

DO NOT SEND IT VIA THE POST OFFICE!!!!!! I made the mistake of sending a little box to someone in the capital on September 20 and the package is nowhere to be found. The post office here in Pa WOULD NOT insure it because "95% of packages sent to the dominican republic never get to their destinations". There are some other methods. If you have a dominican friend, he should know of a person that sends boxes over to the dr. The person that I use charges $100.00 and the box is pretty big. And it usually gets there within a month. The box that I sent in Sept was pretty small and I figured, against my friends advices, that it would get there. Well someone at the dominican post office is having a great time with the things i sent. I just hope that they mistake the exlax for real chocolate!!!!!.

 

[skippys]

STILL WAITING!!!!

I need to vent - please indulge me a moment... Finally went to FedEx at Las Americas Airport to ASK what is the holdup ( the operative word here ) with my VCRs and tapes valued per their person at US$300 ( RD$20737 - exchange RD$39.71 ) - understand they are a donation - BUT the customs wizardry have ASSESSED them @ RD$13976.72 plus a exhange fee of RD$2073.70 and expect me, the recipent, to pay RD$16050.42 to receive them - is this not like buying them again or am I missing something here??? please after waiting four hours to see the customs man - somebody enlighten me - please I know I am in the DR but does that also mean the den of robbers?????