Was this really a surprise?

Question

The Post Office Spokesperson says that Amazon's decision not to use the SA Postal Service is an unexpected surprise. Is it really? Has the postal system improved? Or is it just PR talk? I mean almost everyone I know has had things go missing in the mail. I remember getting letters and parcels that had been opened and had things missing ... if they arrived at all.

It is a bit embarrassing that we are the only African country to be blacklisted and that the postal service and the customers are under suspicion of crooking the system.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200806180693.html

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=342229&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__national/

Do you send parcels via the post? Have you had a problem with Amazon deliveries? Do you buy anything from Amazon, or any other online retailers?

Answer 1

It just goes from bad to worse at the moment... a bit like the French football team.

Answer 2

We bought the friends dvd box set 3 years ago, postage from amazon.co.uk was 5 pounds (R60 then)!! I was so cheap - now they will ask at least R400 ... they wont get much business here anymore

Answer 3

Heard this chat on 702 this morning - with the CEO of the Post Office denying that anything has gone astray on their side  - isn't that typical of an AA candidate - she probably wanted to say - "it is because of the Past Regime - that the Post Office Staaf are Steeeling - No sorry not steeling but repossessing what was theirs before the great white devil stole it from them...."

Answer 4

This is so annoying!! I'm so angry I'm spitting fire! I'm ready to commit murder. I'm stuck in South Africa where we're already in the middle of nowhere and have b*ggerall left anyway. I'm a reader. I love books. I order stacks of books from overseas. Lots from Amazon too. Now suddenly Amazon seems to be saying they're not going to send to us anymore.

So what am I to do?

I suppose Amazon have had problems delivering to South Africa. Otherwise they wouldn't do this. The funny thing though is that I haven't had any problems with my own deliveries. I've always received everything I've ordered. But then I have taken the precaution of getting a box at a decent post office with decent people working in it. I've had to change my box a few times to do it, but now I've got it right and never lose anything any more.

Now Amazon comes with their cr*p. Yes, I hold them at least partly responsible. OK, we know the SA post office is useless, but why can't Amazon be a bit more considerate than just cutting us right off?

Years ago the world used cultural boycotts and other things to force South Africa into a black democracy. OK, now we've got our black democracy and we're trying to get it to work, but when the situation develops they now suddenly decide they don't like it anyway, so Amazon now in effect slaps the cultural boycott back on us.

That's the trouble when a place becomes as big as Amazon. They become a monopoly and then they do exactly as they like. They look like a good contender for that legislation that the Americans used to break up Microsoft. Anti-trust legislation, or whatever. Let Amazon be knocked about a bit.

Just a simple thing, why couldn't they for example have said they will in future only send things to South Africa at the receiver's risk?

I'm still trying to get the story directly from them to find out what it's all about, but if it as I understand it, then I will actually accuse them of racism. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Of course, it won't help, but it'll make me feel better.

However, when I've finished raving I'll still be left with the problem of how to get books now. It looks to me like a good opportunity for some enterprising person somewhere overseas (perhaps not the UK, because their post also seems pretty vrot) to set up an agency service for us poor South Africans still to get Amazon books. What about it? Anybody interested?

Answer 5

This is embarrassing to say the least. South Africans should be ashamed and let me be brutally honest, this is one of many things in SA that we can be proud of. Viva AFFIRMATIVE ACTION Viva. Governmental organisations are in tatters, service delivery suck and there are many more. I will make use of other services if I buy on-line. Will deff not make use of our postal service at all. Shocking !.

Answer 6

Here in Taiwan they will not insure anything sent to SA. It has to go by regular mail or you have to use a courier service.  My parents hardly send over things as most of the stuff gets stolen. Once my mom sent over those cheap marshmellow Easter eggs and they got stolen!!

Answer 7

No surprise at all what can you expect from new South Africa! miracle's?

Answer 8

My sister and I send parcels to each other all the time. June has a post office box - it does not get delivered to her door. So far, so good! The only time we have had a problem was when Canada Customs refused to let my Aloe Ferox shipment come across. But I get it all the time  usually without problem. Some new customs guy probably.

Answer 9

I agree with Lark. But the bills never go missing. . .

Answer 10

Well I have crossed my fingers and consider myself lucky. I have sent numerous parcels down to South Africa. (Some with money) and they all arrived unopened and in one piece…normal post/regular mail. (From Germany)

(One of the parcels had an expensive headset and camcorder in it!)

Ef Amazon! I will boycott them from now on and spread the word. I have ordered many computer manuals, books and CDs from them. They can go to h**l.

Answer 11

I hardly use the postal service. I only use it when there are no other way. When I do, I keep it to a plain looking envelope, so it's not alluring to thieves.

Also, I never send anything over Christmas time or any other holiday. A while back Leisure Books also had a problem with books going missing when posted to members. Not to mention all the times I've read in newspapers of people having discovered thrown-away post behind a bush. It happened in Strand and Worcester, that I can remember of now. I don't trust the postal service and probably never will.

Funny how our bills never get lost, hey?

Answer 12

Did any rational person really expect otherwise under the current political and economic environment (turmoil) that South Africa finds itself in under the inept and corrupt ANC thugs?

Affirmative Action is little more than an excuse to force partially illiterate and unsuitably qualified African primates into positions that they are not capable of properly full-filling and never will be, no amount of training or education can ever uplift Africans as they were never intended to naturally function on levels reserved exclusively for Caucasians.

The example of the Post Office certainly validates the theory that Africans cannot govern on national level or any level for that matter through proving that they cannot even manage at the micro level, IE companies and business operations.