Dear Peter, You may not detect it but I am an American who has been in Europe for a couple decades now. I have little respect for the USPS. There was a time when it was a proud and effective organisation as seen by the user; today it is an imitation of a private company which combines the worst features of a government organisation and a commercial operation. I sometimes say that if we offered it to a third world country the insult would be so l large diplomatic relations would be broken off. I am sad to say I am not all that impressed by the British Post office these days, though I have heard it looks very good when serving inside the UK. From outside it I am afraid it does not look so hot. I once spent some time in Japan and thought highly of their post office and Germany's is normally good, but what is interesting is service between these two countries. They may be far apart but mail travels in about four days from where it is deposited to the door of the receiver. When I have mailed a post card from London to friends back here, 10 days later after I arrived home the post card was still not here. This has improved in recent years but is no model, especially when you consider it takes only 10 hours to drive, including the ferry crossing. This over 10 day trip was called "Air Mail"! Last year I spent a fair amount of time trying to learn why it took two months for the BPO to return a letter to my bank which had mover across the street. The address was no longer valid so it was sent back, but very slowly. Each phone call to Royal Mail customer service brought a promise of a response after the reason was checked, and each response was none at all. On the next call I learned the file was just closed again and the promise scrapped.
The German post office is more efficient but it cheats! The EU has hit them over the head for refusing to eliminate a subsidy of package post by excessive prices on letter post. Finally enough threats did stop the cheating but only because there is an activist in Brussels. Good luck with your order. (One thing I do from time to time is buy insurance. It gives a handle on tracking a package. There is now a service allowing you to trace the travels of your package for a small fee. The trouble is that I think these are only available for the high priced class of postage and I doubt whether it is worth the bother or cost for a bottle of oil. Also, I can not remember ever loosing a package. It just takes forever from time to time and damage is too frequent for my taste, but most things do arrive.) Bob At 20:33 10.10.02 +0100, you wrote: >On Thu, 10 Oct 2002 11:54:39 +0200, you wrote: > > >Dear Peter, > > > >When I last checked the USPS prices they were a bit over $18.00 for the > >first pound on a package with air even a little cheaper than surface. The > >small packet rate is lower and for a bit of oil maybe first class is the > >best choice. Actually, you probably have little motivation to go for the > >parcel post rate because you probably can get by without insurance. Thus > >you can keep the shipping below the pain threshold! At least if you do not > >loose control (for example, if they routinely used insured methods and you > >don't ask, well, its $18.00+) > > > >There is a rate calculator for USPS on the Internet. I have printed data, > >and they don't always agree, and what happens at the post office is again > >different, but you do get some orientation! > > > >Bob > > > > >Hi Bob, > >USPS pricing structure does seem rather odd. I tend to find myself >having to explain to some Americans which service to ask for or use. >It makes the UK postal system look a model of common sense - >surprising really. > >Peter > > > > >At 01:50 10.10.02 +0100, you wrote: > >>On Wed, 09 Oct 2002 13:32:37 +0200, you wrote: > >> > >> >I discovered you wouild be buying in the USA; I suggest that you try a > >> >local source. There are two good reasons, or more! > >> > > >> >1) You avoid the USPS (United States Postal Service)/Consignia (Former > >> >Royal Mail) customs scandal. Besides the postage for overseas shipment > >> >you can easily be hit with an additional (semi-secret) charge of about 20 > >> >Euro for clearing the package through customs. This comes into play for > >> >goods value exceeding about 45 Euro (and the value can be assessed as the > >> >sum of goods plus postage, as is the case here, in Germany. I don't know > >> >about the UK way of calculating.) Consignia then gets the package to you > >> >using local (to you) contractors who are sometimes terrible, though > in the > >> >UK they may handle the delivery themselves. In fact, the arrangement > >> >seems to cover much of the continent with Consignia as the prime > >> >contractor with whom the USPS deals. In addition, USPS is slow for air > >> >mail (often, though not always) and too slow to believe for surface mail > >> >(2 months is not uncommon and less than a month is rare.) And they > do not > >> >give you bargain rates for the poor service! > >> >2) Payment is easier inside the UK (for you!) > >> > Two companies I know are Shesto and Walsh. Walsh was in London (near > >> >Farringdon Station, the old clockmaking district on Clerkenwell) but at > >> >least part of their operations have been moved. I believe both companies > >> >have WWW sites. You might also look for Cousins. > >> > > >> >Bob > >> > > >>Hi Bob, > >> > >>My understanding is that you only pay duty on items costing more than > >>£19.00. I've bought things from the US under this amount without > >>problems in the past. The oil I've just ordered only comes to a few US > >>dollars. Airmail postage can't be too much as the say they charge only > >>what it costs them. The company takes online orders with a Credit > >>Card. > >> > >>Peter > >> > > >> >Peter Jones wrote: > >> > > >> >> On Wed, 09 Oct 2002 03:59:22 +0100, you wrote: > >> >> > >> >> >Hi. > >> >> > > >> >> >I have a Canon AE1 which has developed the famous Canon Squeak > >> >> >associated with the mirror return. I have the information to fix the > >> >> >problem, but was wondering if any one can suggest a source for the > >> >> >very light oil required ? > >> >> > > >> >> >I should add that I live in London in the UK. > >> >> > > >> >> >Thanks, > >> >> > > >> >> >Peter > >> >> >-- -- > >> >> > > >> >> To answer my own question - I just found this site which seems to have > >> >> just the thing: http://shorinternational.com/WatchOilGrease.htm > >> >> >Peter Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >> >London NW6 > >> >> > > >> >> >_______________________________________________ > >> >> >Cameramakers mailing list > >> >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >> >http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers > >> >> > > >> >> > >> >> -- -- > >> >> > >> >> Peter Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >> London NW6 > >> >> > >> >> _______________________________________________ > >> >> Cameramakers mailing list > >> >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >> http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers > >> > > >> >_______________________________________________ > >> >Cameramakers mailing list > >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> >http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers > >> > > >> > >>-- -- > >> > >>Peter Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>London NW6 > >> > >>_______________________________________________ > >>Cameramakers mailing list > >>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers > > > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Cameramakers mailing list > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers > > > >-- -- > >Peter Jones [EMAIL PROTECTED] >London NW6 > >_______________________________________________ >Cameramakers mailing list >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers _______________________________________________ Cameramakers mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://rmp.opusis.com/mailman/listinfo/cameramakers
