Giving a US Visa is I admit a very sensitive issue and more so since the events of September 11, 2001. Who can blame them for being cautious?
What I find is very maddening (hence madness) is that the criminals and would-be terrorists have no trouble getting into the country while the poor unsuspecting innocent will be subjected to the third degree and then not get a Visa or a refund of the application fee. If that is not madness I don't know what is!
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Smart Choice Madness
There's some serious madness going on at TSTT. Has been for a long time, no news right? But this is a very current form of madness that is quite dangerous if left unchecked and I feel a certain responsibility to alert the population of Trinidad and Tobago so they know what they are up against.
These are just some warnings about Smart Choice...which, it turns out, may not be such a smart choice for some customers.
First, getting on the plan. It's not as simple as calling the 800-DEAL number because you have to then wait much longer than if you had called 824-8788 so please be aware of that. They do tell you, your service will start in a few days, but that's the furthest from the truth...in actuality it is more like 3-4 weeks.
Second, being on the plan. This is for internet customers. If you are not on TSTT internet service, being on Smart Choice will cost you extra because you are billed per-min for your call to the ISP number
Third, be aware that cell calls are not included in the plan. It is only for landlocked phone lines. And I'm sure 900 numbers are also excluded! If you are not on the Gold plan, be sure to check your call times so you don't go over the limit, because then you will be charged for those extra minutes.
These are just some warnings about Smart Choice...which, it turns out, may not be such a smart choice for some customers.
First, getting on the plan. It's not as simple as calling the 800-DEAL number because you have to then wait much longer than if you had called 824-8788 so please be aware of that. They do tell you, your service will start in a few days, but that's the furthest from the truth...in actuality it is more like 3-4 weeks.
Second, being on the plan. This is for internet customers. If you are not on TSTT internet service, being on Smart Choice will cost you extra because you are billed per-min for your call to the ISP number
Third, be aware that cell calls are not included in the plan. It is only for landlocked phone lines. And I'm sure 900 numbers are also excluded! If you are not on the Gold plan, be sure to check your call times so you don't go over the limit, because then you will be charged for those extra minutes.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Skyboxes - to rent or not to rent.....
Here's what you usually get in the standard skybox service:
- Either 1 or 2 addresses. (if 2, 1 more letter-type mail and 1 for packages)
- The pleasure of paying approx $2.5 USD per pound.
- The pleasure of paying whatever duty you are charged even if it is wrong!
- The pleasure of paying an annual fee between $30 - $35 USD or more.
- The choice to pay in advance (Express service) or to pay before delivery.
Now you can get almost all of that minus the annual fee with UPS package forwarding service aka UPXpress.
What you don't get:
- Letter-type mail/magazines. All of it will be returned to sender.
- A choice to pay in advance, everything is C.O.D. apparently and if you don't give them their c.o.d. they will take legal action! LOL No kidding!
The website is : http://www.upxpress.net you can register online but you still have to sign the form and bring to their office for final confirmation of your account. The package shipping rates are similar to the skyboxes.
It remains to be seen whether the speed of delivery will be greater or comparable. So now you know!
- Either 1 or 2 addresses. (if 2, 1 more letter-type mail and 1 for packages)
- The pleasure of paying approx $2.5 USD per pound.
- The pleasure of paying whatever duty you are charged even if it is wrong!
- The pleasure of paying an annual fee between $30 - $35 USD or more.
- The choice to pay in advance (Express service) or to pay before delivery.
Now you can get almost all of that minus the annual fee with UPS package forwarding service aka UPXpress.
What you don't get:
- Letter-type mail/magazines. All of it will be returned to sender.
- A choice to pay in advance, everything is C.O.D. apparently and if you don't give them their c.o.d. they will take legal action! LOL No kidding!
The website is : http://www.upxpress.net you can register online but you still have to sign the form and bring to their office for final confirmation of your account. The package shipping rates are similar to the skyboxes.
It remains to be seen whether the speed of delivery will be greater or comparable. So now you know!
NIS
Don't say you were not warned!! Check your NIS records with the NIB office where you first started paying NIS!! Your records may not be up-to-date which means you will be in trouble when the time comes for you to collect. Don't let it happen to you! Visit your NIB office today and let the clerks know that you intend to seek legal action if your records are not brought up-to-date if they are in fact found to be not current. They 'fraid that phrase "legal action" so they will make a move when they hear it....otherwise you'll be going and coming....trust me!!
Check out NIB website at http://www.nibtt.co.tt/
Check out NIB website at http://www.nibtt.co.tt/
Monday, March 07, 2005
Credit you can't afford
It's so difficult to get credit in some places. Some stores say "courts you can..." and mean, "courts you can't" because you will be paying them for so long it will seem like you can't finish! Others are so selective about new people they are not willing to give anyone new a chance so it is standard for them to make the inital approval process a long tedious and drawn out affair. Before you even reach the end, you decide to give up rather than suffer through it. I call those the "too good for you" credit people. Of course that is ironic because credit was designed for the people who couldn't afford to pay cash for items, so for a place that offers credit to adopt such an attitude is laughable.
And in other places, you just can't find what you're looking for, so what's the point?
Then of course there are the ridiculous ones who always promise one thing and deliver the other. Case in point, Your Investments Ltd. a place that sells computers etc. If you call them up today and ask them how long it would take them to build you a system, they will tell you a week for sure. But go in and start the process, and you will find out that it takes more like three weeks and maybe longer if you opt to use their special financing service, which they tell you takes a few days to approve. With only 2-3 days for approval and say, 5 days to build the system, how does 8 days turn into 25 then? This is what happened to someone. Don't say you were not warned!
And in other places, you just can't find what you're looking for, so what's the point?
Then of course there are the ridiculous ones who always promise one thing and deliver the other. Case in point, Your Investments Ltd. a place that sells computers etc. If you call them up today and ask them how long it would take them to build you a system, they will tell you a week for sure. But go in and start the process, and you will find out that it takes more like three weeks and maybe longer if you opt to use their special financing service, which they tell you takes a few days to approve. With only 2-3 days for approval and say, 5 days to build the system, how does 8 days turn into 25 then? This is what happened to someone. Don't say you were not warned!
Saturday, March 05, 2005
Skymail saga
Still not a word from the Skymail or courier ppl. Will have to call them next week. This is ridiculous!
http://www.m80teams.com/?QzoxMTE1OjQzMjg3NQ==
http://www.m80teams.com/?QzoxMTE1OjQzMjg3NQ==
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
De other Skymail story
I don't know if things are like this with other skyboxes because this situation has never come up before.
I recently ordered a DVD from an online merchant. It was taking rather long to arrive so I thought that it perhaps got lost (like another DVD I had ordered) so I wrote to the merchant to ask about it. They said they would send another one. Before the date they said they would ship, I received the item so I emailed to tell them not to send the other DVD. They replied that the shipment could not be stopped at this point but to just mark "return to sender" on the box and all would be fine.
This would have worked well, had I been residing in the US! But of course, it's only my skybox that resides there, so I contacted them to explain the situation, that there was a package that they needed to refuse. The local dept referred me to the Miami dept without actually acting as a liaison (1st wrong thing) and I was told to send them an email. So I sent them an email explaining what I had previously explained to the local dept. They never replied. When I noticed a DVD clearing my account, I sent a reminder email about the package that I did not want delivered. Again no reply. (My mistake, I should have followed up) The first DVD to come after that turned out not to be one that I wanted returned so I got complacent and thought perhaps the package had been stopped after all....I was so wrong.
My next mistake was not thinking to inform my family who are normally at home that there was a DVD I wanted sent back. The DVD came and was opened. So now I am stuck with the DVD that I should have returned and I have to find a way to get it back to the merchant, at minimal cost to me.
I was of course disgusted that my emails had been apparently ignored so I called the local dept and attempted to find out what had happened. The CSRs were as unhelpful as ever so I finally asked to speak with the manager. I was told he was not in but that he could give me a call when he got in. I ended up being the one to call first. The manager listened to the situation and promised to look into it. He asked me to forward the emails I had sent to Miami which I did.
Eventually he got back to me to say that the people in Miami had received the email but they said they had no way to check all the packages to see whether one was the one that I wanted returned.
I countered with "they have to check the packages anyway to see if they are going to Trinidad or wherever, so there is no way it could be that difficult..." I seriously doubt the volume of packages could be so great that on a daily basis it would be so hard to look at the labels to do what I needed them to do.
The manager then agreed to refund me the shipping and customs. He said he needed to find out how that could be done and would call me back the following week.
It has been two/three weeks since he promised to call and I have yet to hear from him.
I recently ordered a DVD from an online merchant. It was taking rather long to arrive so I thought that it perhaps got lost (like another DVD I had ordered) so I wrote to the merchant to ask about it. They said they would send another one. Before the date they said they would ship, I received the item so I emailed to tell them not to send the other DVD. They replied that the shipment could not be stopped at this point but to just mark "return to sender" on the box and all would be fine.
This would have worked well, had I been residing in the US! But of course, it's only my skybox that resides there, so I contacted them to explain the situation, that there was a package that they needed to refuse. The local dept referred me to the Miami dept without actually acting as a liaison (1st wrong thing) and I was told to send them an email. So I sent them an email explaining what I had previously explained to the local dept. They never replied. When I noticed a DVD clearing my account, I sent a reminder email about the package that I did not want delivered. Again no reply. (My mistake, I should have followed up) The first DVD to come after that turned out not to be one that I wanted returned so I got complacent and thought perhaps the package had been stopped after all....I was so wrong.
My next mistake was not thinking to inform my family who are normally at home that there was a DVD I wanted sent back. The DVD came and was opened. So now I am stuck with the DVD that I should have returned and I have to find a way to get it back to the merchant, at minimal cost to me.
I was of course disgusted that my emails had been apparently ignored so I called the local dept and attempted to find out what had happened. The CSRs were as unhelpful as ever so I finally asked to speak with the manager. I was told he was not in but that he could give me a call when he got in. I ended up being the one to call first. The manager listened to the situation and promised to look into it. He asked me to forward the emails I had sent to Miami which I did.
Eventually he got back to me to say that the people in Miami had received the email but they said they had no way to check all the packages to see whether one was the one that I wanted returned.
I countered with "they have to check the packages anyway to see if they are going to Trinidad or wherever, so there is no way it could be that difficult..." I seriously doubt the volume of packages could be so great that on a daily basis it would be so hard to look at the labels to do what I needed them to do.
The manager then agreed to refund me the shipping and customs. He said he needed to find out how that could be done and would call me back the following week.
It has been two/three weeks since he promised to call and I have yet to hear from him.
Saturday, February 26, 2005
Computer stories
I take my fas' self and recommend that my friend buy her computer from Your Investments Ltd. They build the systems themselves and give you a decent deal. I told my sister also to buy her pc there. Forgot to mention to my friend that they usually always have delays in delivery even though if you call them at any given time (which I realize later) they will tell you that you can get your pc in a week.
P.S. A week has passed and she has been told, "next week" but not what day next week!
My sister's pc is working ok except for the cdrom so the sytem has to be taken back to be checked because none of the simple things I've tried seem to work.
P.S. A week has passed and she has been told, "next week" but not what day next week!
My sister's pc is working ok except for the cdrom so the sytem has to be taken back to be checked because none of the simple things I've tried seem to work.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Customer service story - duty on imports
Imported a Leapad Learning system. It was classified as a TOY
(WEIGHT: 5 LBS)
I thought the duty fee looked way too high especially since the last item which was in the same class as this was not assessed any duty fees.
I wrote to Skymail (TTPost) via email to query the high duty charge and I was told (via email) to call this number 6262345 which turns out to be ecourier.
First time I called ecourier, pressed 1 for customer service, spoke with female, who did not identify herself. She told me duty on toys: 20% so if they classified it as a toy it would be assessed 20% duty on the value (and I know they add vat)
I called back when I calculated the duty and it still didn't compute with what I was charged.
This time spoke with a guy who when he found out I was a myskymail customer tried to tell me that myskymail was in process of handling my package.
I countered with: I already have my package
ecourier csr: and they told you to call us?
me: they said if I have a query about duty to call this number
So he then asked for the awb and asked if there was anything in the package with the price. I said yes. He took a contact number and said he would call tomorrow. Still didn't offer his name. I asked for his name and then he told me (Nellon in customer service) and repeated that he would call me tomorrow.
So I will tell you more tomorrow! :)
(WEIGHT: 5 LBS)
I thought the duty fee looked way too high especially since the last item which was in the same class as this was not assessed any duty fees.
I wrote to Skymail (TTPost) via email to query the high duty charge and I was told (via email) to call this number 6262345 which turns out to be ecourier.
First time I called ecourier, pressed 1 for customer service, spoke with female, who did not identify herself. She told me duty on toys: 20% so if they classified it as a toy it would be assessed 20% duty on the value (and I know they add vat)
I called back when I calculated the duty and it still didn't compute with what I was charged.
This time spoke with a guy who when he found out I was a myskymail customer tried to tell me that myskymail was in process of handling my package.
I countered with: I already have my package
ecourier csr: and they told you to call us?
me: they said if I have a query about duty to call this number
So he then asked for the awb and asked if there was anything in the package with the price. I said yes. He took a contact number and said he would call tomorrow. Still didn't offer his name. I asked for his name and then he told me (Nellon in customer service) and repeated that he would call me tomorrow.
So I will tell you more tomorrow! :)
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