Or should I say their International Speed post service with its fancy internet tracker and everything! We couldn't have got it more wrong. To rely on their service to get our precious books shipped from Shimla to Tallinn was a huge mistake. We paid thousands for their express delivery service and were told that the books would get here in a week. Of course I didn't believe them at the time but neither did I think that one of the boxes would never reach us at all and would get lost in ether. The irony is that the internet tracker that we paid the extra money for does not work and is more a joke than a serious aid. I am furious with the Indian postal service because all attempts to contact them about the missing box have been futile. It has been four months now and we have resigned ourselves to the fact that the books, notes and memories are gone forever. Sigh. I always champion India but some days the failure of essential service gets to me. I have below a sample of the email exchange that I had with their 'man in the job', the speed post manager in Delhi! As you can see the correspondence is mainly one-sided, i.e. largely me emailing them in vain. What does one do in a situation like this - give up hope I guess and learn never to use the service again.
Subject: RE: inquiry about international package
Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 21:35:02 +0530
Dear Sir,
I had replied to your address query a while back and wondered if you have any more news on our books? We would be grateful if you could help us locate our missing box. Thanks.
From:.delhi@indiapost.gov.in
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:16:02 +0500
Subject: Re: inquiry about international package
Sir,
Thanks for your mail.
Kindly give complete address of addressee .
Thanks and Regards
SPC,Delhi
Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 4:56 pm
Subject: inquiry about international package
To: spc.delhi@indiapost.gov.in, ems@indiapost.gov.in
Dear Sir/ Madam,
We had posted 2 boxes of books through your international speed post service (ems) on the 18th of December, 2009 from Shimla GPO to Tallinn University in Estonia in Europe. We were assured that it would reach in 2 weeks time and that we could track the parcels online. However, we have been in Tallinn now for nearly two months and only one of the boxes have reached us. We have tried to track the missing box online but it only tells us that it was booked and bagged in Delhi on 18/12/2009 and nothing afterwards. Please could you find out where the box is and how we could find out where this box might have got delayed? Why were the boxes separated?
>
> Not only did we pay a lot of money for your premier service but also these boxes contain important irreplaceable documents so we would be grateful if you could find it for us. The id number for the box is EE722293680IN.
>
> Thank you.
UPDATE: The books arrived today, June 21st 2010, six months too late but we are very happy to have got them just as we had given up all hope.... nevertheless, a lesson has been learnt, never to use the Indian (non)speed post again.
4 comments:
There's always hope, even with speed-less post
He he, why, what have you heard!:)
I have recently started using the IPS over private courier service. Have been lucky so far; but your post worries me.
It's true some of the essential services departments need to be more responsive and tech-savvy in India.
Good luck, S. I hope you receive your parcel soon. Or at least a helpful response.
Thanks Mala, no more news as of yet, have given up hope more or less. The lack of feedback is the most irritating bit. If only they would confirm that it is lost. Sigh. Its like the information desk don't know how to use email!!! Wish we had known about the courier service.
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