Lapu – Lapu City Post Office Disappointing Service: EPIC FAIL!

I am not writing this to rant for the sake of ranting. I also don’t like to have negative posts, it gives bad vibes on my blog but this must be done. It’s a way for me to release my frustrations and disappointments with the postal office. There had been tons of times I let the poor service of the Philpost Post Office of Lapu – Lapu City slide despite the insistence of friends to write a post when I encounter bad experience from this institution. There had been lots of such happenings which I just ignored but this afternoon I’ve just had it. 

My uncle came over our house bringing two envelops. He was fuming mad at the postman who unceremoniously put heap of mails in the empty slot where a doorknob should have been, this was on the gate of our neighbor. My uncle got curious as there were lots of mails put on that slot, some were threatening to fall. So my uncle tried to fix all mails to fit them into the makeshift slot.  He saw mails that shouldn’t have been there, that got him angry. From the heap, two were for my family, a mail for me and my sister. For the life of me I could not understand why he left it at the neighbor’s house when the house number on the address of the mails clearly indicates it is the wrong house.

Wake Up Mr Postman!!! Our house is only three houses away from where you placed our mails! There are City provided official number plates on every house in our neighborhood, they are there for a purpose. You should know about them, it is your job to know them. Please read the number plates and do your job right. 

My uncle was really infuriated that he urged me to file a formal complaint. “Pirmi na lang ingon ani”, was what he said.

I am choosing not to file a formal complaint. I figure it will just go to deaf ears anyhow. The better option for me instead is to write about this on this blog. Who knows a lot of people can relate and maybe, just maybe, the post office of Lapu – Lapu City Philpost will have their staff undergo service seminar again to improve their service delivery to the people that they serve – kita mga Oponganons.

PHILPOST DELIVERY DELAYED BY MORE THAN 2 MONTHS

Do you want to know what tops this awful service from Philpost Opon? The mail addressed to me has a date stamped on the envelop, it indicates my mail was received in the Lapu – Lapu City Post Office last November 13, 2012. Yep and today is February 5, 2013. It took the postman assigned in Pajo more than two months to deliver my mail. And he delivered it to the wrong house. Whatda?!

To make matters worst, that mail for me was time sensitive. It’s a very important mail from Google with a special code that I must used before December 31,2012. I got the code in the mail February 2013, wayyy past Google’s deadline of December 31,2012. I can no longer use the code in the mail, a Huge Opportunity Lost for me and I blame postal service in Opon for this.

I also pity all those Oponganons who gather at the back room of the post office every afternoon at around 4 pm, they are trying to follow-up on expected but undelivered mails. Come to think of it, all mails should be delivered to the recipient. The recipients shouldn’t have to come to the Lapu – Lapu City Post Office and beg for their mails. If you don’t believe that this is happening, go to the post office, at the back window during late afternoon, you will see lots of people frustrated, swarming the window asking about their mails.

I felt sorry for that one guy I chanced upon one afternoon when I was also trying to follow-up on my own mail. The maternity benefits mail with check is already there at the post office. He has his wife’s authorization letter, her id as well as his id. The postman did not release the mail despite the guy begging since the wife is sick and can’t get out of bed. They need the money to buy meds as soon as possible.  The postman said have your wife come here.  She can’t come I wanted to butt-in to their conversation, she’s bed-ridden for goodness sake! I wanted to ask the postman ‘why didn’t you deliver the mail in their house in the first place if you really wanted to the wife to personally get the mail???? The poor guy continued to beg until the postman for their area said that he will come to their house tomorrow to deliver the mail.

I have already forgotten the face of the guy as well as the postman but that scene I witnessed, the story stuck on my head. The poor guy was almost in tears. Titus who was also with me that time frustratingly said to me “Grabe talaga post office niyo. Nandyan na pala di pa idineliver.”

I have my share of numerous visits to the post office to follow-up on mails.  There were instances when I myself request to see their pending for delivery mails and I will find my mails from their ‘hoard’. Tsk.

PARCEL No Tracking Number? We Can’t Help You

There was also one instance last year when I was going back and forth to the post office to claim a parcel from the US. I got it after my 4th trip there. The parcel has been sitting there for quiet sometime based on the record list they have on one of their folders. They have a computer but they are not using this to list parcels that came in by recipient name. You have to have the tracking / transaction number so they can find your parcel. What if you did not have the tracking number? If someone sends me a parcel as a gift, heck I don’t go around asking the sender for the transaction number!

Philpost post office employee could help out their customers with no tracking numbers by being better organized. This issue could be easily resolve by creating an Excel file with the parcel details, name of recipient / transaction no / address / date it arrived in the post office / date its claimed /. This would make everyone’s life easier. Creating and maintaining this simple data entry file will also not take a genius. In fact,  even elementary kid knows how to do this kind of file on Excel but I guess the computer they have there at their parcel storage room in Lapu – Lapu City is for other purpose.

Anyhow, two weeks after  I claimed the parcel, our dear area postman delivered the “notice of parcel”  claiming note for the same item that I have already claimed.  Yep. Makes me wonder? why the delay? was the post service personnel waiting for the 60 days storage allowance to lapse?  What for? What do you think?

An appeal to the Lapu – Lapu City Post Office delivery personnel:

Please deliver our mails as soon as you receive them in your office. There are mails which are time sensitive, there are many mails which are very important and needs to be delivered on time.

Right now, I am also expecting another mail from Canada, a personalized birthday card which was sent last November 2012. Until now it has not reach me. I have given up hope on it being delivered.

It maybe wishful thinking but I wish there will come a time when the Philpost postal service of Lapu – Lapu City will get their act together. My experiences with them over the years left so much to be desired. I am definitely sure a lot of Oponganons share my sentiments and have similar bad experience with the post office of Lapu – Lapu City.

Now if you think all I do is complain about services, you may want to check this POST where I was all praise for the GSD team from the Lapu – Lapu City Hall. I acknowledge good service when I see one. It just hasn’t happened to me yet as far as the Postal Office of Opon is concerned.

SO DISAPPOINTING.

UPDATE:  October 10, 2013

I have to update this post to be fair to LLC Post Office.

Today I received a mail from Canada, the sender told me that she posted it the morning of September 27. It only took 14 days for the mail to arrive at our doorstep. I am amazed how fast the delivery this time was!

What I appreciate more is this, the date stamped on the envelope is today 10/10/2013,  I am inclined to believe that this mail got to LLC post office really today and that our postman delivered it right away. Kudos to him!

Moreover, it’s a Friday afternoon and he did not wait for Monday or next week to come before he delivers. I heard him shout out my name when he got to our family compound, lol.

For this time, Thank You LLC Philpost for the quick delivery!

If I experience efficient services the next 2 times I am expecting a mail, I promise to devout a new blog post detailing my would be good experiences about LLC postal service. But for now I am happy that one mail arrived fast. Thank you again.