Two kothimodas and a very valuable antique thee may be lost.

Bill Martino

Bill Martino

Joined
Mar 5, 1999
Messages
34,096
Talked with Gelbu last night and a package he shipped 21st of March via UPS express has still not arrived and this will be a very bad loss if the parcel does not show up.

This parcel contained two HI kothimodas and a very valuable antique Tibeten thee along with five jolas which were on order and some standard issue HI stuff. I have warned Gelbu about putting more than one valuable item per parcel and to spread them over several parcels to hedge against loss but like so many of the young he feels old men like me know little or nothing.

I am hoping this parcel will appear soon but UPS express almost never takes more than a week -- ten days at the most -- and this parcel was shipped almost three weeks ago.

No wonder I get heart attacks and ulcers!

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
If it's any consolation, Uncle Bill, I ordered a UPS priority (2-day) package during Christmas, but it got rerouted and ended up coming about a week late. What got me mad was that they didn't refund the US$30 it cost for this "service."
 
They never do. One of my many UPS stories was a couple of knives I sent next day to Dallas -- a visiting British fellow was passing thru the US and wanted a couple of khukuris to take back to the UK. UPS would not accept cash and the fellow had no checking account here, of course, since he had no need for one. The knives were returned to me and I got stuck with next day shipping charges. Here in Reno, a gambling town, cash speaks louder than anything -- but not with UPS. They like checks!

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
Every day I ask God to grant me Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom.

Occasionally He grants me tests, I guess to see if my prayers work. They do, for real. Serenity usually gets bruised, but they work. This sounds like one of those times for you, Uncle Bill
smile.gif



Nick

[This message has been edited by chetchat (edited 04-08-2000).]
 
Sorry to here that Uncle Bill. I have a few UPS horror stories myself.

I have had UPS ship to me from the USA once. UPS charged me about 60 dollars to clear customs and some other UPS fees. The goods were not much more than 60 dollars.

If there is any customs difficulties UPS will usually not contact the sender or receiver here. I know of two shipments that sat at UPS for a few days until the sender inquired about its status.

UPS are extremely rough on shipments. I have seen fairly heavy sheet metal boxes knocked out of square. Damage claims are almost impossible to get.

I will not deal with UPS unless I have too. Amazingly, the US and Canadian postal service are pretty good. Cross border deliveries are as fast or faster, rates are cheaper than UPS.

Will
 
Now I always think that any shipment of goods via postal services is just like a gambling!

In the past the fastest shipment via airmail from Reno to KL was 13 days, once it took 3 months & normally it took about 21 days.

Checking from the date stamp on every parcel, I found out that it only take 7 days from Reno to reach KL - I guess the no of extra days were all the red tape either at the Custom counter or at the local postal counter. Just imagine that ... 7 days to travel thousands of miles BUT multiple of 7 days just to travel in about 50 miles - isn't it rediculous!

One shipment of Khuk & scabbard for maintenance purposes from KL to Kathmandu is still not delivered yet after 2 months (I shipped it on 8/2/2000); ironically the distant from KL to Kathmandu is only about about 1/7 of the distant from KL to Reno!

What's happening in the postal delivery system? Any HI customer from Postal Services?

Anyhow I did remember a story about an old sister in Switzland who only received her letter from a sister in India after more than 50 years time!

Insyaa-Allaah! It seems we always need GOOD LUCK in every of our doing!

Pakcik Bill.
Are the Kamis still doing the Gorkha Blessing before the shipment?

NEPAL HO!
 
Will, it is the same here. We get charged customs and other fees. If this shipment is lost we will never collect anything from UPS. On international shipments it is next to impossible to collect insurance. But, the postal service is even a bigger gamble as Mohd has pointed out. Years ago if we did not pay some bribe money to the postal service our parcels would never even leave Nepal.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
Uncle Bill,
I seem to recall it took a special visit by Pala to help the Nepalese postal service "find" the chandan-handled khukuris which were believed to be lost until he made the postal clerks an offer they couldn't refuse
biggrin.gif
. I think that was when you switched to UPS, which unfortunately has admitted to a severe employee pilferage problem itself here in the US. Maybe you should list the return address as "Kathmandu Compost Co.", with the contents listed as "Manure choppers-used)
wink.gif
. I am really glad now that you brought my kothimoda back yourself - thanks again,
Berk
 
Berk, UPS has helped themselves to a few of our khukuris in the past but never the entire shipment. US Customs also admitted to severe employee pilferage when I complained to them about losses. The world if full of liars, cheats and thieves in all quarters.

I am hoping the tracking number will help us pinpoint where the parcel went astray. We'll see.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ
 
After some calls and emails from both here and Nepal the parcel arrived today! I wonder if it would have got here had we not called, emailed and raised hell in general.

At any rate I'm very happy to see the box of khukuris and the thee.

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Blessings from the computer shack in Reno.

Uncle Bill
Himalayan Imports Website
Khukuri FAQ

[This message has been edited by Bill Martino (edited 04-10-2000).]
 
Must be a lucky day for UPS customers, my new PC & monitor both showed up after I got home from work. I've been chasing the PC around since the middle of last week.
 
:
I always like to come into a thread that has a happy ending!!
Good Karma and persistence sometimes go hand in hand wouldn't ya'll say?

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>>>>---¥vsa---->®

The hardy adventurer just drank from a stream he thought was pure glacier fed water not knowing that upstream was being used by a herd of yaks as a giant bidet.

I said he was hardy, not smart.:-)

Khukuri FAQ
 
Thank the diety of your choice.

Hey, it's definately a "fare thee well"!

biggrin.gif


Jim
 
Heh! Totally self-serving post to follow:

Hey, Uncle Bill, you didn't happen to get a big Sirupati in that box from nepal, did you? If you'll recall, I'm in the market...


wink.gif



Seriously, I'm glad the antique was recovered. Newly minted things, however valuable they are, can be replaced. Nothing can replace an antique. At least to my mind.

Mike


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"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." -Robert Heinlein
 
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