Yesterday I recieved a postcard my friend sent me while she was in Rome. Three and a half months ago. It was postmarked July 30th. (I’m in the states)
Is this normal for Italian -> overseas mail, or just a fluke? Is it like this for all European countries? What’s the domestic mail system like? Am I just a spoiled American? I can’t say I’ve had much experience with overseas mail, except for a few letters sent back and forth to the UK, and I didn’t quite pay attention to how fast they arrived. But I definately think I’d hate to be an Italian with friends and relatives overseas… sheesh.
My guess is that it was held up a while in August owing to the generally unhurried nature of Italian public sector institutions. (Sad fact - countries with great food have lousy institutions, and vice-versa.). Then, it was probably caught up with all the 9-11 business - flights cancelled, etc. And then maybe the anthrax scare. It doesn’t sound typical - I had a PC from Rome recently, and it took a week.
when I went to Italy, I was told not to necessarily expect anything I sent or that was sent to me while I was in Italy, the postal system is notoriously unreliable…FWIW, I sent a few postcards and everyone received them within a reasonable time period…
I’m having the same problem with postcards from Spain - I sent out 32 of 'em at the same time; a couple showed up a week later and some still haven’t arrived.
The trouble is almost certainly at the Italian end. Over the past 3.5 years, I’ve sold perhaps a dozen items on ebay to Italy. Not big, clunky parcels, but small old WW2 cloth insignia, etc., stuff that fits fine in lettersize card mailers.
Almost every time, it has taken more two or three months to get airmail payment from Italy, and about the same for my customers to receive the goods. They seem quite phlegmatic about it, and say that this is just the way the Italian Post Office runs. I’ve had airmail letters from the UK and Germany in as little as 4 days (although 7-10 days is more usual) to here on the west coast of Canada.
Incidentally, you may not believe this, but after 1600+ sales on ebay (about 75% to the USA), I have to say that the USPS is actually very, very good. You have 6 day delivery, you have that great $3.00 Priority envelope that you can stuff with sheet lead if you wish, and it still goes anywhere in the Lower 48 for $3.00!!!
Canada Post has improved over the last 5 years or so, but nowhere near as fast and efficient as the USPS is (generally speaking, of course).
The Italians are generally known for having terrible beaurocracies. Or so my dad says.
When I travelled there a few years ago I saw one thing (unrelated to the Post Office) that backs up this generality:
We at a train station on line to get tickets. There were several windows open, with a long line for each. Well at 12:00 sharp two of the windows were abruptly closed. No warning, not a word. Lunch time, we’re closed. Buon giorno.
Come to think of it, their bus and train systems had lots of strange aspects that wasted lots of time. You buy a ticket, then have to get it “validated” and crap like that. The buses had hardly any seats…
So I wouldn’t be surprised to know their post office has problems too.
BTW: I’m Italian, my brother-in-law is an Italian citizen, and I loved Italy. So don’t accuse me of being bigoted.
Not according to the woman who just helped me 4 days ago in a USPS office. She said anything over 2 pounds in a Priority Mail envelope was subject to higher postage. I assume you were referring to the P.M. envelopes, right?
I’ve no clue about air travel, but since the previous poster was refering to “public transportation”, I would say that though the Italian train system used to have a dreadful reputation say, 15-20 years ago, it has widely improved and appears very efficient to me. Trains serve quite every possible destination, they run on time, and are cheap. So, personnally, I can’t see any reason to criticize it.
By the way, the “validating” thing is pretty common in Europe and makes a lot of sense to me. You can use your ticket whenever you want, so this system insure that you won’t use it several times (or travel and then ask for a refund, pretending you didn’t). And wasting a lot of time? Come on! It takes roughly 3 seconds, the time needed to punch your ticket in a machine…
BTW : I’m not Italian, my brother-in-law isn’t an Italian citizen either (but I love italy too). So don’t accuse me of being patriotic.
I have never used the trains in Italy but I can tell you from personal experience Alitalia Sucks big time and their hub, Milan airport, was recently declared the worst in Europe for delays, etc.
Cardinal, I willingly bow to your better knowledge of the USPS; I had read on some ebay discussion boards that it was a flat $3.00, but the author of that message may have been mistaken, or not fully explaining the situation.
Yes, Alitalia left me in the Rome airport once, with $4.00 to my name. Bastards.
Let’s face it, Mediterranean countries may be good places to eat good food but they’re pretty incompetent when it comes to making things work.
I have just read in the news Italy has sent some soldiers to Afghanistan. They must love playing the clowns because their soldiers are a standing joke in Europe, including their own country. During the Gulf war they gave Saddam Hussein one of the few satisfactions when they captured “Maurizio Cocciolone, piloto di aviazione”. He became a joke for a long time.
Spain had a similar incident with two corvettes in the Gulf. Some American naval captain was wishing those ships were on the enemy’s side so he could shoot them out of his way.
When these people say, “let us help you by sending our soldiers” is like when you are re-assembling a VCR and your 5 year old says “Daddy, let me do it for you”. You hate to hurt their feelings but you still have to say “nahh, you go play outside and I’ll finish it on my own”.