As I understand it, the trick to getting normal (not courier) mail here is to rent a post office box at the office closest to your home or business. Mail actually gets placed, or arranged in them for pickup, from the boxes.
- Thread starter arete92
- Start date
Where Does International Mail Go? (Not FedEx, Carib, BMCargo, etc.)
Mail works well in some places but not in others. I still have a couple of friends in the U.S. that I exchange Christmas cards with. I wouldn't send something valuable, though.
I saw one ~12 years ago. Some guy carrying a batch of letters in my sosua condo building looking for correct unit(s) to deliver to. No uniform, no badge, just street clothes.
I also would receive letters slipped under my unit’s front door when I wasn’t home that were not mine. Correct building, wrong unit.
I have received mail here. Sometimes it is a month late, once it was 4 months late. In the Colonial Zone and now in Villa Duarte. In the Zone the carrier left the mail with a neighbor. Now the carrier knows me and yells up to my apartment. He carries a small bag and wears civilian clothes. Letters I get at home. If it's a package (flea and tick meds for the dogs) I have to walk to the little post office to claim and pay some money for it. There are a few things that got lost but nothing important. I would suggest visiting your local office and introduce yourself so they know you.
My shoe repair man works just outside the local post office.
One day the girl came out of the post office with a few letters and asked me if I knew the person to whom they were addressed.
They were for me !!
Social Security checks totaling a few thousand dollars !!
And - she told me there was another one in Nagua that would come tomorrow !!
I changed my SS to direct deposit.
Now they have found my house (not easy) and stand at the gate calling my name.
The system- like most things Dominican- is odd but seems to work
One day the girl came out of the post office with a few letters and asked me if I knew the person to whom they were addressed.
They were for me !!
Social Security checks totaling a few thousand dollars !!
And - she told me there was another one in Nagua that would come tomorrow !!
I changed my SS to direct deposit.
Now they have found my house (not easy) and stand at the gate calling my name.
The system- like most things Dominican- is odd but seems to work
If you use regular mail here you accept that you might not get all your mail. That's life here in DR. Don't like it then you have to pay for a mail delivery po box.
I have a Dominican acquaintance who was appointed to work in the postal service (as part of the Abinader/Cavoli pity assignments). He has to work one day per month in Nagua and gets 14K, so something must be going on in terms of a service.
They messaged me on WhatsApp Puerto plata postal service... that I have a package to come pick it up.. wow that was about 2.5 weeks... this was def the Public postal service IMPOSDOM I was laughing as I thought it was gone.
Am I lucky or did some branches of gov get some money?
Am I lucky or did some branches of gov get some money?
Stop and buy a lottery ticket while you’re out picking up your package. It’s your lucky day. 😍
Wow that was lucky. And lucky you weren't relying on the money that you could afford for it to be late
200 pesos she asked for a package that was 0.7 lbs. that's cheaper than BM cargo and more than likely she pulled that number from somewhere I could care less about 200 pesos so it's fine and not going to argue with them I was regardless going to give them a 150 tip so I get my packages if that happens again.
in the late eighties I used the mail system all the time. As a Peace Corps volunteer I lived in SFM and used the post office there for mostly letters and some packages. I lost a few chocolate bars and a plane ticket but otherwise I received lots of mail. I stopped a few times a week to ask if I had anything. We also used to send telegrams at the post office to each other if you planned on visiting someone's site or meet up in the capital. I had access to a phone where I rented a room but the vast majority of volunteers used call centers to make phone calls.
About six or so years ago I sent myself a package from SFM to NJ and it arrived with no problem. I took about two weeks.
About six or so years ago I sent myself a package from SFM to NJ and it arrived with no problem. I took about two weeks.
Interesting - so it was at least partially functioning and could have confidence in it.. when and what lead to the degradation of the service? I noticed that when I picked up the package there were 2 people working there ( in the visible office ) I also noticed they relied on Whatsapp for communication to the recipient ( me ) and I also noticed when I got the mail I realized the records were being kept on pen and paper ! a signature was required that represented I had picked up and paid for my package. Honestly; and I know I sound really optimistic here but there is so much opportunity here in bringing up the infrastructure with the right people and technology - I wish I knew who to talk to on the provincial/municipal level with stuff like this.
I think email killed snail-mail.
I cant remember the last time I got a letter that I hadn't already received electronically.
As for packages, lets wait for amazon to arrive and sort things out in the DR.
That assertation is very true in terms of written documents or personal paper mail, but packages and such or rather anything that can't be sent through email is either sent by one of the carriers or something else; having a municipal mail system that functions properly would employ more and keep more money here in circulation.