POSTAL SERVICES

POSTAL SERVICES

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Thanks for the answers about the weather, now here is another

Question: I understand the postal system in Mexico, is rather unreliable. How unreliable or reliable is it REALLY. Also are PO boxes regularly available or is there a long waiting list.? In Alaska I had to give up an eyeball and wait for months to get a box...Will this be a similar experience? (I hope not cause I really need the one eye I have left ) smiles !!!Your responses are all so great. It makes me feel so connected to things. when I log on and read......... I am still somewhat lost but its fun to adventure through the site.

Rolly

Apr 23, 2006, 3:23 PM

Post #2 of 26 (4999 views)

Re: [sweetrubye] POSTAL SERVICES

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The answer to your questions is -- It all depends... The postal service is slow but dependable in some places and not dependable in others, like where I live. Some offices have boxes available, many do not.

My own experiences with the postal service to my house has been really bad; but on the other side of town at my friend's house, it is fine. Explain that one.

Rolly Pirate

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Apr 23, 2006, 4:22 PM

Post #3 of 26 (4995 views)

Re: [Rolly] POSTAL SERVICES

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My own experiences with the postal service to my house has been really bad; but on the other side of town at my friend's house, it is fine. Explain that one.

Probably your postmans work ethic.
Getting older and still not down here.

(This post was edited by Ron Pickering W3FJW on Apr 23, 2006, 4:24 PM)

Apr 24, 2006, 6:14 AM

Post #4 of 26 (4966 views)

Re: [Ron Pickering W3FJW] POSTAL SERVICES

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Having just paid Mail Boxes $1,800 pesos for six months of mule train service and refused to pay them $20 pesos per letter for outbound mail, I have been thinking of Mexican postal service. My recollection is that when we first came to Ajijic, I stopped in every day for a couple of weeks trying to get a post office box. Usually, the person who I had to see was not in. When he was, he just laughed and said try again. They sent me to Chapala and I found the same result. Several employees, but the man I had to see never in.

I know there is house to house service in the village, but I think none in the outlying areas. I read that there is one regular employer at the post office and he has to do everything including make the deliveries.

If that is correct and still the case, I guess, I'm stuck with Mail Boxes, or is it worthwhile in terms of availability and service to consider Mexican mail.

caldwelld

Apr 24, 2006, 7:06 AM

Post #5 of 26 (4964 views)

Re: [sweetrubye] POSTAL SERVICES

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I have used the Mx postal service for almost two years with generally positive results. I started out with a "general delivery" address and have slowly moved my correspondents to my residence address once I got established. I should say that I do not subscribe to any magazines or try to import any products thru the post. But for regular letters and bill statements I have to say that it seems to work just fine if a bit slow. I find the tarrifs charged by these folks that transfer mail from US to places in Mx to be outrageous and since I do not use that much mail service I am content to put up with the local service.

Ron Pickering W3FJW

Apr 24, 2006, 12:27 PM

Post #6 of 26 (4941 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] POSTAL SERVICES

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You might look at this site for mail forwarding. And have your mail forwarded via UPS or Fedex which I believe have outlets in Mexico.

http://www.americas-mailbox.com/
Getting older and still not down here.

sweetrubye

Apr 25, 2006, 8:36 PM

Post #7 of 26 (4912 views)

Re: [Ron Pickering W3FJW] POSTAL SERVICES

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WoW !! This site has everything imaginable. That America's mailbox is great for people on the move. Thanks for the website. I am still trying to find out if it's possible to just get a post office box in MAZATLAN for several months until I get settled. I'm not expecting to receive a large amount of mail but, I would like to know I have a secure place to receive mail just in case. I suppose I could contact the office and ask, but if anyone has a box already or knows the availability of one it would be great.
Well you all have been a major pipeline for me and now its almost time to make my move and I am really looking forward to enjoying Mexico for a long time. I'll probably be back with more questions soon. Thanks loads!

Marlene

Apr 26, 2006, 2:29 PM

Post #8 of 26 (4889 views)

Re: [sweetrubye] POSTAL SERVICES

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I believe you can use General Delivery service until a box comes available for you.

Apr 27, 2006, 6:45 AM

Post #9 of 26 (4869 views)

Re: [Marlene] POSTAL SERVICES

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Can anyone verify that this is the case in Ajijic and that mail won't get lost going to general delivery? I sure do hate Mail Boxes, etc.

caldwelld

Apr 27, 2006, 7:17 AM

Post #10 of 26 (4863 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] POSTAL SERVICES

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General delivery is available at any Mx post office. As indicated earlier I have used it with generally positive results for over a year in SMA.

Have your correspondence marked: "Lista de Correos" and then the Town or Post office and the zip. You need to check about every ten days or they might return the mail.
dondon

shoe

Apr 27, 2006, 7:19 AM

Post #11 of 26 (4861 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] POSTAL SERVICES

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Look this is easy. Try it and see if you experience good service. I did and had my son send me 10 letters over a two week period. I got two of them in my Ajijic box within the next three months no others. The box was obtained in one visit with a nice tip included to get it. A friend did the same thing (nice tip) and the postmaster walked around to see what boxes were not being used and threw some mail out and gave him that box.

In Melaque the only thing I can get in my house delivery is the telephone bill about 80% of the time. Not much else makes it to me. Monthly zines do not get here more than 10% of the time. I did get a Christmas card in May that was sent from Kentucky in early December. That is the only thing I have had go through in two years here.

IMHO the mail system is almost non-existent. I even tried giving the mailman a large tip on mailman day but that did not help.

shoe

Nothing is intrinsically good or evil, but its manner of usage may make it so.
-St. Thomas Aquinas

Apr 27, 2006, 8:24 AM

Post #12 of 26 (4848 views)

Re: [shoe] POSTAL SERVICES

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And people wonder why we love living in Mexico.

ignacio

Apr 27, 2006, 11:10 AM

Post #13 of 26 (4818 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] POSTAL SERVICES

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Six years ago, when I came to retire in Veracruz, I was able to get a post office box, in the main building, downtown Veracruz.

I had my daughter send me 10 letters with worthless credit card size items in them, such as those you get with junk mail all the time in the USA.

Of the ten letters, NOT A SINGLE ONE arrived..... coincidence ? I doubt it.

On the other hand, a couple of years (maybe 3 or 4) ago I started giving my postman a NICE postman day bonus, and a NICE Christmas bonus, I think $200 pesos each, and now I get everything I get sent from USA (even cheap CDs I buy on Ebay).

I have not tried having someone send the 'credit card' sized item test... for these most valuable Items I bite the bullet and pay the expensive DHL delivery.

(This post was edited by ignacio on Apr 27, 2006, 11:12 AM)

Apr 27, 2006, 12:59 PM

Post #14 of 26 (4800 views)

Re: [sweetrubye] POSTAL SERVICES

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Advice: Just bite the bullet and get yourself one of those ridiculously expensive postal boxes in a MailBox Etc. type establishment. There is a reason these services are able to turn a profit in Mexico, and many of the reasons are listed in this thread. When the bank sends me my credit card, I like to get it. It ain't right, but it's so.

Bubba

Apr 27, 2006, 1:14 PM

Post #15 of 26 (4795 views)

Re: [Gringal] POSTAL SERVICES

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That would be fine advice Gingal if MBE were reliable.

Apr 27, 2006, 2:04 PM

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Re: [Bubba] POSTAL SERVICES

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That goes without saying, Bubba. She hasn't said where she's thinking of moving. Who knows - maybe it's the mule train for her mail. My suggestion was predicated on her moving to one of the more gringoised areas. I know people here in SMA who are too cheap to sign up for one of the mail services, but then they bellyache about the Mexican Postal service. Go figure.

Apr 27, 2006, 2:10 PM

Post #17 of 26 (4780 views)

Re: [Bubba] POSTAL SERVICES

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They're reliable. It's just that they need to invest in some new and younger burros. Recently when returning from CA, I saw the burro toting the urgently needed auto registration papers that were sent to me three weeks previously from Ajijic. He was struggling along somewhere north of Mazatlan.

Georgia

Apr 27, 2006, 5:39 PM

Post #18 of 26 (4746 views)

Re: [shoe] The joy of no mail

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Most of my "business" stuff I do online. The occasional important stuff (not much, to tell the truth) comes by FedEx or UPS. In truth, I kind of like not getting mail on a regular basis. I recall the stress I used to feel at the end of each work day when I'd come home and have to wade through a huge pile of mail: most of it junk mail, catalogs, etc. but wade through it I must, because there may be that one innocuous looking envelope that contains something of importance.

No more. Now I know that it matters if it comes via UPS or Fed Ex and I deal with it without having to look through the huge pile and recycle the remainder.

Actually, the first piece of mail that got through to me was a solicitation for a donation from a college I had attended. I hadn't even supplied them my Mexican address. I was so impressed by their resourcefulness and tenacity that I send a donation.

jennifer rose

Apr 28, 2006, 7:23 AM

Post #19 of 26 (4678 views)

Re: [Gringal] POSTAL SERVICES

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Many, many foreigners live in parts of Mexico not serviced by mail forwarders such as MBE. And they get along, just as they did for years before the invention of MBE and even the Internet, getting their mail delivered in the same manner that millions of Mexicans do -- from the Mexican Postal Service. Do a search of these fora under "Mail to Mexico" or "postal services" for more comments.

That said, I've received my mail in Morelia for a decade now in Mexico without using a mail forwarder -- and my mother did so before me for a decade before that. And we're survived. The mail is definitely slower, but eventually it arrives, delivered to the house and neatly tied up in a bundle.

Jerry@Ajijic

Apr 28, 2006, 7:41 AM

Post #20 of 26 (4667 views)

Re: [dlyman6500] POSTAL SERVICES

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We have had good service from the Ajijic P.O. but it is very slow. Also I do not think if we ever get a tax refund I would want it sent by Mexican mail. These checks and envelopes are very noticable and do tend to get "lost" in the mail. In fact we had a problem with them NOB. Many would get "lost" and cashed by someone other than the payee. The bank then had to refund the money to IRS and suffer a loss. We finally started requiring a person cashing a put his or her fingerprint on the check. This really cut down on the lost checks as far as the bank was concerned.

Apr 28, 2006, 1:58 PM

Post #21 of 26 (4626 views)

Re: [jennifer rose] POSTAL SERVICES

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What you say re being able to get along without having a U.S. address with a mail forwarding service is true, up to a point. It depends entirely on your needs. For that matter, who "needs" the internet or cable TV? The list could go on. Some foreigners choose to forego many modern conveniences; some want all they can get.

If your profession or avocation requires items which can only be ordered from the U.S., and if these suppliers refuse to ship anything to Mexico, then you are in "catch 22" and need the forwarding service. This does not avoid paying duty, which is collected at the delivery point.

In SMA, we have several companies offering mail forwarding service at various prices. Some even offer "pay by the piece" for those who don't need it often.

jennifer rose

Apr 28, 2006, 2:39 PM

Post #22 of 26 (4615 views)

Re: [Gringal] POSTAL SERVICES

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If you don't live where there is a mail forwarding service, and you don't have a US address, there is no alternative but to live with the Mexican mail service. I receive royalty checks, other payments which cannot be direct-deposited, tax refunds, and all of my mail that way.

When it comes to mail order from the US, I either try to find a substitute in this country, arrange the order to coincide with a visit north, or have it sent to friends who are visiting. Or learn to do without. After a while, it's not that difficult.

Several friends in Morelia have used the several mail forwarding services in SMA, paying a year ahead and instructing the firm to send the mail to Morelia by Mexipost. Each friend had a separate account, so there was no commingling of accounts. Yet, the mail forwarding service sent one person's mail to another, figuring, I guess, that all foreigners living in Morelia knew one another. And on another occasion, the mail forwarder returned the mail to the sender, marked "addressee unknown" or "account closed" -- even though the recipient was still paid ahead for nine month -- resulting in great expense and inconvenience to the recipient.

Apr 28, 2006, 3:58 PM

Post #23 of 26 (4599 views)

Re: [jennifer rose] POSTAL SERVICES

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"When it comes to mail order from the US, I either try to find a substitute in this country, arrange the order to coincide with a visit north, or have it sent to friends who are visiting. Or learn to do without. After a while, it's not that difficult. "
__________________________________________________________________

I've already stated why we, in particular, need a forwarding service with a U.S. address, so I won't repeat it. I will add that there is no opportunity to use friends or personally travel frequently enough to serve the purpose. There are no subsitutes, and "doing without" would nullify our purpose in moving here. One size does not fit all.

I would like to make the point that, in choosing where to settle in Mexico, people would be wise to consider the services a community has to offer. Where only the Mexican Postal service is available, some options are closed. We made a point of considering this in our criteria. We would be sorry souls if we hadn't.

(This post was edited by Gringal on Apr 28, 2006, 5:03 PM)

Apr 29, 2006, 4:46 AM

Post #24 of 26 (4538 views)

Re: [jennifer rose] POSTAL SERVICES

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Yesterday a friend told me that someone had asked him to share his MBE postal box. It was a virtual stranger. They just met, had an extra key made, the other person gave him half of the fee and they went on their merry way. The good part of this is it cuts the cost of the box in half.

I can see lots and lots of bad parts - mail stolen by the other person (but unlikely if the other is a friend).

I doubt if MBE would look too favorably on such an arrangement if they found out about it. If it weren't for that, I would consider sharing with a friend.

jennifer rose

Apr 29, 2006, 9:20 AM

Post #25 of 26 (4502 views)