Travel into Writing

Hi Guys.

Today, it’s a short article about something that just happened to me: the loss of a 16kg package sent from my host-country to my home-country.

Bloggers, travelers, expats, this is for you but also to everyone who decides, one day, to send a package from a country to the other !

I am Belgian, as a few already knew. I lived a year and 3 months abroad (in China). When you live abroad, you definitely buy clothes, house tools and books or whatever else you need while you live in another country. Nothing abnormal here. Then, when it’s time to go back home, you end up with way too much stuff to bring back with you.

First, in the plane back, you have limited luggage’s weight. Obviously, if you need to bring back a house, you need to call upon an international delivery company to handle that. EMS China is the less expensive and a trusted company that delivers slowly but surely your packages no matter what.

I trusted them and obviously I am not unsatisfied by their services. Then, like any other company, the main company calls upon the postal services in the country of destination. In Belgium, I named BPost (#liars #fraud #NoResponsabilitiesTaken). BPost is our national company. The biggest. The only one we can use in international delivery. That Belgian company I trusted faithfully and blindly to bring me back my 16kg package.

Then, the most horrifying thing happened : while I was still in China, my package arrived safely  in Belgium. BPost was at that moment responsible for the delivery. Indeed, EMS took a week and not 3 months to deliver the package in my country, which is amazing. The funny (#NotFunny) thing is that BPost, who’s mailman tried to deliver the package twice at the destination address, sent back, after less than a month, my package back to China !!! You would say that nothing abnormal here yet… Well, here is the big problem: the mailman working for BPost NEVER EVER noticed my mother (living in the destination address) of his passage. He came twice (BPost words) to the address ut NEVER left in the mailbox a notification of his passage and that my package was available at the BPost office of my town. No calls, no notifications, no mail or even a sms. Nothing has been done to say that the package arrived in Belgium and can be collected.

I thought that EMS would take those 3 months (as they said) to deliver the package. God, I was still in China when my package arrived in Belgium. So I never thought of checking where my package was using the tracking system. Which is more than understandable. When I called BPost, they told me that nowadays, they don’t leave any notification anymore as we, clients, must check the tracking system daily to be prepared for the delivery… ARE YOU SERIOUS ?!? Since when the notification of the mailman passage has been canceled? Lies lies lies…

Then, I complained on Twitter which made BPost react instantly. The power of Twitter’s complaints !!! They swear that they would take care of my problem as soon as possible and would contact me ASAP. They did, thank god… To blame me !!! And EMS !!!

The lovely woman on the phone this Monday morning tried to explain to me that :

1. Indeed their mailman came twice and indeed FORGOT to leave a notification of passage in the mailbox BUT they cannot find him as he is the main reason this mess happened.
2. EMS is the company I have to contact as they are, according to BPost, responsible for this mistake (uh, excuse me… Who was in charge of the delivery in Belgium?).
3. Even if BPost mailman is indeed the one to blame, they cannot help me (financially or even administratively) and DON’T WANT TO try to fix this as they have international relations with EMS. She said to me to call them by myself (no number on EMS website for Belgian clients).

I asked that “lovely” woman (damn girl, you got yourself so confused and couldn’t even answer my questions. You should definitely take some lessons of communication as you were totally out of it #shame) to give me a number as they have contact with EMS… She refused !

So, this is my angry reaction towards my beloved country and more specifically its postal/delivery company. And a testimony to warn you guys: when you live abroad and wish to send a package o more back to your home-country, check twice to see if either services are trustworthy or totally sh*t like BPost. Hope and prayers as I haven’t collected my things yet, lost in China where BPost sent it back.

To be followed.. Obviously I won’t stop here!

 

See you soon guys!