Kim: I would also like to know the answer to the questions asked by celestia (post # 440). Especially regarding the time it takes for parcels to arrive. So many times I have been given "it has to do with US Customs and Homeland Security" as the reason for the delay. My packages also often take well over 2 weeks to arrive to US destinations, and are being sent via AIR. When I try to explain this to my American customers, they get very angry (and I lose face), because they are able to receive shipments from Australia, Japan, or any other country in less than one week. If the problem was with US Customs, shouldn't all incoming foreign shipments not be processed the same way? Something here just does not add up. Why are we paying such a high rate, but receiving 3rd-world service? Can you please explain exactly what happens to our US-bound Air shipments, and why it takes so long, compared to similar shipments coming from other countries ???
Another problem I share with celestia is that this summer, I have had more than my fair share of parcels that were either delivered late (the ones that had guaranteed delivery times), or that went missing altogether. Why is this? Is there some correlation between summertime (and perhaps regular postal workers being on holiday, and temporary part-timers taking their place) and the success rate of deliveries? The process for making a claim is simply ridiculous. For each late or missing package, it takes several hours of my time which hardly makes the process worthwhile at all. I concur with celestia that the CP reps on the phone are kurt, condescending, and less than helpful. Some do not even know their own jobs (recently I was denied a claim for an Expedited (domestic) parcel that was delivered a week late, as I was rudely told by the CP rep handling the trace that "Expedited has no guaranteed delivery time, and that if I wanted a guarantee I should have chosen ExpressPost." (We all know that domestic Expedited service does come with an on-time guarantee.) This claim has now been closed by that rep, and she is no longer returning my phone calls. When I try to speak to another rep, he/she tells me they cannot do anything because the file has already been closed. Why does CP have customer service reps that do not even know about the services and standards that exist?
P.S. How do I apply for a job there? I will be needing one come September 19.