mail delivery

mail delivery

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I'm getting the impression from things I've read that mail delivery isn't reliable in Mexico. Could I get more information on that issue. Thanks.

Sheryl, Maryland

johnv

Oct 14, 2004, 5:48 PM

Post #2 of 35 (2775 views)

Re: [SherylKay] mail delivery

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I sent and received mail for four years in the 80's and for the past three years using the Mexican Post Office. Every last piece of mail arrived at its destination in those seven years. The records for time on packages are as follows: 3 months on an Audi water pump in the 80's and just recently my father mailed me a memory stick for my computer in a padded envelope from Pennsylvania and it arrived in 48 hours with postage of US$1.25. Letters have averaged from 7 days to 7 weeks, however the current average is about 10 days.

Don

Oct 14, 2004, 5:50 PM

Post #3 of 35 (2773 views)

Re: [SherylKay] mail delivery

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I have been living in Mexico for over 5 years. The mail is delivered directly to our home. Our postman is excellent and will even flag us down, if he has mail for us and sees us in another part of town. Takes approximately 2 weeks or less for mail in the US to reach us, longer over the year end holidays. I do all my banking over the internet, so the time I receive a letter is not important. When my bank mails me new credit or ATM cards, I always receive them. If I have an important letter to send or want a letter to be delivered to me within 7 days after it was mailed, I use Mexico Express to send to the U.S. or within Mexico or have the person in the U.S. send it to me by Mexico Express. A little expensive, but well worth the service. I have no problems with the regular mail service and don't even consider it a concern for me.

Adrian

Oct 15, 2004, 5:13 AM

Post #4 of 35 (2737 views)

Re: [SherylKay] mail delivery

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It's probably the case that the Correos has variable reliability over the whole country.

Generally, here in Tampico, and in my experience over the last 14 months, the service is poor. Many letters from overseas arrive in DF at the airmail hub quite promptly and take 1-2 weeks to get from there to Tampico. However, it seems that much mail then sits at the Correos sorting office for 2+ weeks before they consent to deliver it.

I know of this delay because Correos helpfully franks the incoming mail with its arrival date at their office in Tampico!

If it's urgent, we tend to use DHL.

Adrian

Oct 15, 2004, 11:48 AM

Post #5 of 35 (2684 views)

Re: [SherylKay] mail delivery

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The delivery to the mailbox seems pretty reliable. Problem is: one mailbox services 20 apartments, so anything that looks important has already been opened by the time I get to it.
Alex

SherylKay

Oct 19, 2004, 5:02 PM

Post #6 of 35 (2599 views)

Re: [alex .] mail delivery

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Alex, Are you serious? Important mail addressed to you has already been opened when you get it?!? What about getting a PO Box. Are they reasonably priced?
Sheryl

Oct 20, 2004, 7:40 AM

Post #7 of 35 (2563 views)

Re: [SherylKay] yes

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Its common to arrive at the mailbox to see various envelopes and their contents scattered on the ground. All the water and CFE bills are delivered without envelopes for all the world to see. Obviously, we do not use the box for outgoing mail. When my wife first immigrated to the US something curious happened: I put mail into the box at the street and put the flag up. When I came home from work the mail was on the kitchen counter. I though Iwas losing my mind, put it back out the next day, it showed up on the counter again. Hmm.."Whats this?" I asked my wife. "I brought the mail in for you." She had no experience using a residential box for outgoing mail.
Yes, PO boxes are available, I don't know the cost, I can ask.
Alex

(This post was edited by alex . on Oct 20, 2004, 7:41 AM)

esperanza

Oct 20, 2004, 10:44 AM

Post #8 of 35 (2531 views)

Re: [alex .] yes

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Please bear in mind that Alex is talking about a situation that may be unique to his former place of residence. All mail delivery in Mexico is not done as he describes.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

jennifer rose

Oct 20, 2004, 11:09 AM

Post #9 of 35 (2525 views)

Re: [Don] mail delivery

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I'm in my 8th year of full-time residency here in Morelia, having received mail at this address since 1989, and I'll have to admit that my Mexican mail experience has been a satisfactory one. I've found the staff at the PO to be courteous and as efficient as they could be under crowded circumstances, the mailmen pleasant and efficient, and my mail delivery good. Not perfect, but then what mail delivery is perfect? Sure, it's a tad slower than it was in the US, but in time, you simply get used to it. Even though I have a mail box inside the gate with a slot outside, the postman always rings twice, because I usually have more mail than the slot will accomodate. This morning, he delivered the ABA Journal, two New Yorkers, the New York Review of Books, too many bills and even junk mail. All of my paychecks are delivered through the Mexican mail service, by ordinary mail, and they generally arrive anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks after the US postmark. I really can't complain.

Now, somewhere on this forum someone complained about bribing the postman. That's really not necessary. But a nice tip on Postman's Day, coming up next month, is appreciated. And if you happen to forget when Postman's Day is, even though it's marked on your mail, giving the mailman a monetary remembrance a few days or weeks late is always a good idea.

Oct 20, 2004, 11:19 AM

Post #10 of 35 (2523 views)

Re: [esperanza] yes

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C'mon Esperanza,

I have noticed that you constantly defend the Mexican mail system. Regardless of the facts presented. How can that be? Now I live NOB and am trying to figure out that if I ever am able to move SOB, what should I do to assure accurate delivery of my mail to me within a reasonable time period?

I am 61 years old, and have spent 4 years of my life in military service, 3 years of that overseas, 1 1/2 years of that in a war zone, and I know of only one piece of mail that I did not receive in all that time, and that was a recent electric bill that I probably overlooked in all the bulk mail I receive.

Now, do you have a Mexican surname? I don't want to seem difficult, but there has to be a reason you receive such excellent service, and so many others don't.

Also, I have never received previously opened envelopes as Alex has. What's that all about?

Thanks, and I appreciate your many other wonderful and enlightening contributions to this forum. Tom.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

esperanza

Oct 20, 2004, 12:00 PM

Post #11 of 35 (2510 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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Defend the Mexican mail system? I simply report my personal experiences, which have been somewhat different from, for example, Bubba's and Alex's. I've lived in Mexico for a long time (and no, I'm not Mexican, nor is my real name Mexican; Esperanza is just my nickname here on MexConnect) and have had a variety of experiences with mail delivery, but none of them has been the same as Alex's or Bubba's. If I'd had bad experiences, I would have reported them as such.

Life in Mexico is not life in Paradise. It's just life. In some ways it's less convenient than life in the USA, and in some ways it's much richer and more fulfilling than life NOB. I choose to look at the richer and more fulfilling parts and shrug off the less convenient parts. I lived that way in the States, too. The glass is half full.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Oct 20, 2004, 12:48 PM

Post #12 of 35 (2503 views)

Re: [esperanza] yes

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Well spoken.

So why are those guys and others such mail idiots and you're not? Or is it just your postal area....which could be the answer...?

This thread is not about the more fulfilling parts of life in Mexico. It's about the postal service and it's possible shortcomings, which from an outsider's POV seem to be huge. It is one of the most consistent problems brought up online about Mexico, so how can it be so unimportant?

I don't know about other countries, but for the US, mail is is sacrosanct, untouchable, a federal offense to even mess with a mail box. Is it less so in Mexico? Doesn't see to matter there.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

jennifer rose

Oct 20, 2004, 12:57 PM

Post #13 of 35 (2501 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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Mexico is not the United States of America. Nor is it Canada. Deal with it.

Oct 20, 2004, 1:26 PM

Post #14 of 35 (2492 views)

Re: [jennifer rose] yes

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My gosh, Jennifer, I'm not even affected by the problems brought up. I'm just doing research and trying to find out how to do things should I ever be able to move SOB. And your constructive answer is to "deal with it", which I would of course do?

You are an icon on this forum, and I guess the moderator, but are you serious?

The point of my post was why can one person never have any mail problems while many seem to have terrible problems with no apparent reason. There is an answer somewhere in between, which I am seeking, and your answer is "deal with it?" Sorry, that's lame.

My question is that if the Mexican postal system is as bad as some posters say, should we seek a different way to receive mail? I'd like to hear answers.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

Uncle Jack

Oct 20, 2004, 1:45 PM

Post #15 of 35 (2482 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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Let me jump in here. We've only been down here about a year and a half. We rented a box in the Ajijic Post Office two months before we moved down. To my knowledge, we have received all of the mail sent to us. That includes CC bills, bank statements, SS statements, and personal mail. My wife occasionally orders fabric and sewing supplies online and as long as it is shipped in envelopes (no boxes) everything is fine. It comes to our box in about 2 weeks-17days. We have lost nothing and have never paid duty.

Why anyone else is having trouble with the Ajijic Post Office is a mystery to me. Maybe it's karma!

uj

Oct 20, 2004, 1:54 PM

Post #16 of 35 (2477 views)

Re: [Uncle Jack] yes

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Thanks, UJ, I appreciate your reply.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

jennifer rose

Oct 20, 2004, 2:02 PM

Post #17 of 35 (2475 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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I apologize if my reply appeared curt. But the point is that there are solutions and workarounds for every problem. Don's explained his system of priorities for handling the mail, and if you move here, you'll going to have to create your own. The mail's more efficient in some parts of the country than in others. Mail forwarding companies such as Mailboxes, Etc. don't operate everywhere, and those companies aren't everyone's solution. There is no single cookie-cutter solution which fits everyone's needs. Some folks have greater tolerance levels than others, some learn to deal with the deck that's handed to them, and some just don't understand (and never will) why the Mexican postal system isn't the USPS.

In some areas, you won't see daily delivery. You might see alternate-day delivery, or you might even see twice-weekly delivery. In time, you'll get used to it. The Mexican postal system doesn't hire extra help at Christmas, which is a heavy mailing time, and delays are to be expected during that time of year.

You would be surprised to learn how many people don't have the first clue about correctly and legibly addressing an envelope, a skill which I'd assumed was taught in 2nd grade. You'd be surprised at how many people don't have a mail receptacle at their residence, which leaves the mailman with the option of simply tossing it through the gate.

Oct 20, 2004, 2:20 PM

Post #18 of 35 (2470 views)

Re: [jennifer rose] yes

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Thank you for your kind reply,

I really appreciate it. Your original reply seemed curt, but some of my posts do also...we're all humans! Thank you for all your continual help..you don't have to do this. You and people like you, too many to mention, help us newbies find our Mexico legs so we can survive. God bless you. Tom.
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

Bubba

Oct 20, 2004, 2:49 PM

Post #19 of 35 (2462 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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We have lived in Mexico for over three years. We are enamored of the country and accept its proclivities without hesitation. Someday, we will be carried from here feet first and we would not even consider living in that hellhole north of here again. However, the Ajijic post office is staffed by surly, thieving buffoons. I wouldn't mail a used toothpick to Ajijic. Otherwise, I have no opinion.

Oct 21, 2004, 7:14 AM

Post #20 of 35 (2392 views)

Re: [esperanza] let me clear something up

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The mail ARRIVES just fine. Its the other residents and misc vagrants that rifle thru the mail.
Alex

Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): ri·fled; ri·fling /-f(&-)li[ng]/
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French rifler to scratch, file, plunder, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German riffilOn to saw, obsolete Dutch rijffelen to scrape
transitive senses
1 : to ransack especially with the intent to steal
2 : to steal and carry away
intransitive senses : to engage in ransacking and stealing
- ri·fler /-f(&-)l&r/ noun

(This post was edited by alex . on Oct 21, 2004, 7:20 AM)

esperanza

Oct 21, 2004, 7:16 AM

Post #21 of 35 (2390 views)

Re: [alex .] let me clear something up

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AHA! That's a horse of an entirely different color. We all thought you were talking about the postal service!

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Oct 21, 2004, 7:17 AM

Post #22 of 35 (2391 views)

Re: [Bubba] yes

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Bubba, welcome back.

I have missed you. And I am sure the Ajijic Post Office has also.

There must be a matched pair of epees or dragoons on the inside wall there for when you enter!
Tom Williams
Georgetown, Texas
Texwheel@aol.com

Oct 21, 2004, 7:31 AM

Post #23 of 35 (2382 views)

Re: [esperanza] different colored horse

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Yes, but we can tie together the various responses: the system is different, the mail is not considered untouchable once its delivered, and we deal with it.
Shoot, if thats the toughest problem to solve then we are in good shape.
Alex

pathall

Oct 21, 2004, 8:09 AM

Post #24 of 35 (2367 views)

Re: [Texwheel] yes

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I live in Canada and my sister lives in San Miguel de Allende. I visit San Miguel every winter and am quite familiar with the area. I mail things to my sister from Canada and it gets to her specific street address within two weeks every time. Thein the past seven years ever been lost. I don't find that unacceptable. I lived in Mexico some 30 years ago and that's when the mail was horrific -- things stolen, never arriving, taking months to arrive, etc. Maybe people are talking about Mexican mail as it USED to be.
Pat

lbc

Oct 21, 2004, 8:42 AM

Post #25 of 35 (2355 views)