Comments on: Adventures at Poşta Romana

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:22:37 +0000

Hmm. I’m Romanian and was aware that the post employees deliver the packages in other countries. It is an inconvenience to have to stand in line at certain hours (and on specific days too) and that they have to open your mail. But then, I would feel more inconvenienced by the checking of luggage in airports than of having packages I receive checked, and both these are done for the same reason – security. And while I do think our system could be better and I can’t stand bitter employees, I think that in many parts of this you are exaggerating and giving foreigners a worse impression than accurate. Honestly, I’ve never had a post office employee ignore me or be rude to me or anything like that – in fact, they’ve been very helpful and I’ve had quite a bit to do with them (so have some of my relatives). They do close a bit early sometimes and such, but every time I’ve got or sent a package everything went smoothly (well, as much as the length of the line of people come before me allowed). Even today I picked up a package and the man just had me give a couple signatures and open the box for a second (there were lots of stuff there and I don’t think he even really looked). There are two reasons for this. Except security, they do it because there is a tax to receive certain things (such as electronics). I don’t understand why that is so and would definitely like that one changed, but I have never been put in a bad situation because of it before. I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad experience with the post here, but that bit where you describe post office employees as being so creepy and bitter and anti-friendly… aren’t you being a little oversensitive there? I’ve also found that having a respectful attitude can actually help even with the worse employees – or maybe I’ve just been lucky…

By: Romer!can - Dispatches from an American in Romania (was Transylvania)

Romer!can - Dispatches from an American in Romania (was Transylvania) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:58:24 +0000

[...] first surprise will be to learn that the Romanian Post Office does not deliver packages to you. Spoiled western, how dare you expect service. How silly of you to [...]

By: Walter

Walter — Wed, 07 May 2008 09:15:58 +0000

Maybe it’s just me, but I had no real trouble with the postal system in Romania yet. Slight delayes here and there. Maybe it’s because I lived in a small town. And since I moved, I am using private couriers.

Waiting in line and having people try to cut ahead gets me on adrenaline and I’ve been known to smak a guy for doing that (it was at some beerfest and I was desperatly needing beer). Being 6′7 helps intimidating people so I generaly don’t need to do that. And I think it helps with any clerks and such.

By: Georgeta

Georgeta — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:48:36 +0000

Cate scrisori am trimis parintilor si bunicilor de aici din California,cu cate o fotografie de-a copiilor mei,foarte putine au ajuns la destinatie,nenorocire mare cu angajatii de la posta,le desfac ei cred ca sunt banii in ele.
Slava domnului ca sa procurat internetul si in Romania in zilele astea si nu tre mai folosesc posta si telefonul prea des.Hai sanatate la toata lumea si sa ne auzim de bine.

By: Neato blog | Trăim în România şi asta ne ocupă tot timpul

Neato blog | Trăim în România şi asta ne ocupă tot timpul — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:18:55 +0000

[...] Tags: Blog, Personal. Welcome to my country, dude. I enjoyed growing up in yours. Regarding yoir post in the Romanian Post Office… I think their ads are [...]

By: Blog drăguţ | Trăim în România şi asta ne ocupă tot timpul

Blog drăguţ | Trăim în România şi asta ne ocupă tot timpul — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:17:10 +0000

[...] Personal. Bun venit în ţara mea, omule. Mi-a plăcut să cresc în a ta. Referitor la articolul tău despre Poşta Română… eu cred că reclamele lor spun [...]

By: philips

philips — Wed, 09 May 2007 10:58:23 +0000

Wow, such a long story. But what if you got the package right on time… would you’ve been happier than you are now? Definitely not. So you have a reason to celebrate, dude. Get drunk and get laid… with a postal worker. Just jokin’ :-)
There has to be a lot of frustrated people in Brasov because of what’s goin’ on with the ”Posta Romania”.
I myself would smack the old ladies attempting to avoid the line. No sooner had you gotten the right to talk to the worker than a fat hopeless ass farts you back to the end of the line. Sorry for you, though… What on earth took you to Romania and how’s the rest of it?

By: Adrian

Adrian — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:17:15 +0000

Well neighbour, now that you live in Rahova you should take a trip to office 69 at Piata Rahova. I live there for 22 years now and still have nightmares regarding our postal workers. The office used to be inside Romtelecom building next to Bolintineanu Highschool, but now they were forced to move in a close-to-colapsing house a little further. Don’t need to mention that they are the same officiers since my youth. It’s a daily challenge to fit in with an entire neighbourhood, gipsies, crying babies, loud women and other in a 10 square meters space.
Two of the ladies there are the laziest persons i ever met. It takes up to 30 minutes to purchase a stamp. About receiving a package? Three days. They lost my mail so many times i can’t even remember. Last year in December 10th, a most respectable company sent me various things and a diploma (on the envelope was mentioned “do not bend”) and i received them on January 24th, after a huge scandal. Of course the diploma was carefully bended 2 times.
Now i asked a friend who has a small company to receive my mail, in Cotroceni, where the postal workers are much more carefull since the celebrities who live there and the knowledge they always get some money for the trouble

By: ann

ann — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 18:59:59 +0000

It’s been quite awhile since this post. the comment with a thousand books sounds interesting. i cheked it out briefly.

found you on statcounter the other day, by the way. last i knew, you were moving to some other site. nice job on the move, by the way. and…now i have an address.

much happiness!
ann

By: john k

john k — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 16:06:41 +0000

I have been sending boxes of books to Peace Corps volunteers in Romania for almost 3 years. I always had faith that no one would bother with stealing used books. We send so many (7000 pounds to dozens of sites, so far) that I never really bothered keeping track of them. Some PCVs don’t have enough time or interest to send thank-you notes, but it never really bothered me as those who did made up for it.

Lately someone asked about the books he promised to his local library and I sent out a general “Did everybody get the books they expected?” message. It seems 3 or 4 got nothing so far. It’s possible they are delayed, but might be missing. So it seems the lack of tahnk-yous was not always because they were lazy/busy.

We actually use a private shipper in Chicago when we have enough money to make the trip worthwhile. The woman imports Borsec and sends private stuff back in the empty containers. It’s a pain for us to travel that far, but on the receiving end the PCVs get the books directly at their homes or schools, bypassing the vama and the necessity of the expense and trouble of carrying three or four boxes of books on the maxi.

There are certain cities with large Romanian populations that have such companies. The rates aren’t bad compared to the Post Office – surely MUCH better than FedEx or others.

I LOVED the suggestion of tampaxes, I will pass it along.

John
http://www.AThousandBooks.us

P.S. I also had an adventure at the Post Office in Bacau, but yours was SO much more entertaining and better-written than I could hope to do.