Mail Question

[Iheartbsas]

Hi everyone, despite advice on previous forums, I got my father to send me a package from Australia to BA - normal post - people had mentioned 'interception' with courier services. My father in a moment of forgetfulness forgot both the number of my house (?!) and the postcode (!!!??!) So it has 'Thames and the number of my apartment, Palermo, Buenos Aires' - I know beyond stupid, does anyone know if there is a central post office where I might be able to retrieve this package and/or it has a return address in Australia, what are the chances of Argentinian post sending it back to Australia? Slim to none? Has anyone had a similar situation or got any advice? It would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Take heart! All may not be (quite) lost. A few years ago I sent a Christmas present from England to a friend in Bs As who, unbeknownst to me at the time, had moved. A few months later, it turned up back at the return address - my address in England - marked as undeliverable.

There was also the time that my mother, in England, sent a letter to Bs As on which she had made an unfortunate jumble of part of an old address mixed with part of the new one, both in the same barrio. It arrived, correctly, at the new one. In that instance I guess that local postal staff were so used to seeing mail for recipient 'A' at address 'B' they just knew where to take it.

My own experience is that despite delays I haven't actually lost anything in the post - inwards or outwards - for about four years though there's a packet of books which is currently on the way from England which is running about a month overdue and I'm getting a bit nervous about that.

 

[HowardinBA]

I,ve had a LOT of stuff not turn up when sent by post from the UK.......

 

[Iheartbsas]

Thanks Elhombre. Gives me a little hope. So you don't there is much hope checking out the situation here at a central Correo, if one exists?

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I,ve had a LOT of stuff not turn up when sent by post from the UK.......

Up until the end of 2005-ish I used to reckon on an attrition rate of about 50%. My last major loss was Christmas 2005 and since then everything in each direction has been accounted for. There was a CD-Rom posted from a franchise Correo Argentino - not a main office - which took about eight weeks airmail to England. Interestingly, it had two postmarks from the same office: one on the day it was handed in and the other about a month later. My guess is that it slipped down the back somewhere in the office and was discovered by the cleaner. The jury, of course, is still out on those books I mentioned above. I seldom use certificado because IMO the subtext of certificado is 'Oooh! Look at me! I'm interesting!' but simple always gets there - eventually.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

Thanks Elhombre. Gives me a little hope. So you don't there is much hope checking out the situation here at a central Correo, if one exists?

Oh yes, there's a central correo but it moves millions of pieces of mail every day. Maybe you could do a little research on line or at your local office to find out if Argentina has the equivalent of Royal Mail's 'Dead Letter Office' in which case with a good description of the item you might intercept it there. But it's a long shot.

 

[Iheartbsas]

Fyi - an update on this. Today I went down to my local Correo and asked them what to do and the lady gave me a phone number to call and ask about what to do with my situation. Called the number and told them my parcel number from Oz - amazingly enough they located the package which was at the (central) big international parcels post office near San Martin opposite the major bus terminal. I went there and allowed myself half a day, bringing along the new parcel number which the guy on the telephone gave me, my passport, a bit of cash and I was able to get my package. Turns out the package DID have the correct address on it and they had tried to deliver it twice to my house - without leaving a card. It just shows miracles can happen!