Forex Shipping - POBOX.PH - Balikbayan Boxes

I know this company has been recommended on this forum, and thought I would give an update. I had a lot of items I ordered back in late Dec/early Jan that were to be compiled by POBOX.PH - a division of Forex. I was slow getting my list posted on their site due to power problems/internet problems left over from Sendong (had problems accessing my email account to verify items were shipped, and no power in Tambobo where I spend a lot of time). After posting the list, no items seemed to show up for a long time. Finally I traced each package, confirmed delivery, and sent this info to POBOX.PH.... slowly the items were "found" in their warehouse. I requested that all the items be compiled and sent. It took several weeks, but eventually I got a bill and shipping number.

I tracked my package....seemed to be slow arriving in Manila. I finally asked: "oh, it arrived today. You should have it next week". Two weeks went by, and it was still not shown as having arrived in Bacolod (Vismin Office on their tracking site). I emailed. "Oh, it arrived today. You will have it tomorrow." A week went by. 10 days. I wrote. Well, there was a problem with the Bacolod agent. No new info of a possible delivery. By this point it was 2 months since it was shipped, 3 months since all the items had arrived in their warehouse, and 2 weeks since it arrived in Bacolod. I decided I would drive to Bacolod and fetch it myself. So, Sun. I drove up, and went to get my package at their agent: I knew immediately there was a problem the box was too small. Turns out they only sent the last item that arrived, not all of my stuff. They have now confirmed my items are all still in the LA warehouse, and will get them out to me ASAP.

To their credit, the item I got was the expensive and fragile item (a pedal steel guitar) and not easily replaced. It arrived in fine shape. I am not saying do not use Forex of POBOX.PH, but I am advising caution. You might want to inquire if they have resolved their Bacolod agent issues or you could be waiting a long time while your package sits on the other side of the island.

I am not too worried about speed (you don't ship anything by boat you want fast!). So, if they get the rest of my stuff here in the next two months, undamaged and all accounted for, I will continue to use them. BUT, all a shipping company does is deliver our stuff. They do not make it, buy it, sell it.... We pay them to bring it to us. They have clearly botched this delivery in a number of ways. They now have a chance to redeem themselves (in business, this is called "saving a customer"...when you go out of your way to make up for an earlier problem). I will certainly update how this goes.

Cheers,

Doug

 

Thanks, Doug. I have had very good luck with Forex, but have never tried the PObox.ph. A lot of shippers fall on their face when stuff arrives in Bacolod. I have had similar problems with numerous shippers, and have also had to go to Bacolod myself to retrieve packages after weeks of waiting. They may all be using the same weak Bacolod based delivery agent, as I have seen Forex boxes on trucks delivering boxes shipped to me through Atlas.

Larry

 

This is good to know as I'm getting ready to ship another box thru forex from here in California.. I've always used Forex, never had a problem and nothing's ever been lost or stolen. The only drawback is that it can sometimes take up to 2 Months for the box to arrive on the doorstep in Duma, but I can say on average it makes it within 45. Making it to Manila is no problem, it's just once it gets there it usually ends up getting stuck in the wherehouse in Marakina for another two weeks before they have enough boxes to load up the container going to Bacolod.. And of course, when it arrives to Bacolod it gets stuck there for at least another week until it makes it's final voyage around the island on back of a flatbed.. BTW Ive been using Forex for close to 10 Years now. Another nice thing is that you can track Your boxes whereabouts on their website. Standard size box on this end ( basically, unlimited weight ) to Duma is around $80. The jumbo box I'm sending cost me $90.... Cheers

 

John: Thanks for the info. Your record speaks well of Forex and makes me think they are still the best of the litter, in spite of my problems. As I say, I am not avoiding them....but they do have one strike against them. I'm hoping for at least a base hit on the next "pitch".

Cheers,

Doug

 

Sorry to hear about the problem in Bacolod, I'm frustrated with the 3-week delay when a black box could be here in a day by air or a week by 2GO.

Try the forum at TipidPC.com | US Online Shopping - pobox.ph, johnny air cargo, others where POBox participates, you may need to use Google translate for many posters.

Tom

O-|

 

Which of any of these shipping companies actually uses its own office and receiver team with its own transfer trucks to ports and then on to its own ships and airlines,all throughout the course of thier service? Chances are if you go direct/more expensive to DHL,fed ex and UPS.....All the rest are brokers of empty space in cargo holds of world transport fleets....i used forex few years ago to Ph. from USA and had no problems and it was slower by a month than was told me when i dropped boxes off in USA..i learned in Ph that it was good service by average standards....when shipping out of philippines;i used SHIP NEX and paid 3 times more shipping back to USA but this time it took 1 week by air line instead of ship...forex shipped to me with Matson shipping stickers on my box, ship nex shipped for me with philippine airline stickers and air new zealand stickers on my box even though it was DHL that picked up at my house and DHL voucher that was my shipping voucher and tracking ID....philippines airlines shipped 2 boxes straight to me in 4 days and the last box box took a month because philippines airlines mis routed to Tahiti and then they had to sort the mess and so month later airnewzealand brought my cargo in full and in tact to me,,i consider it good service and not unusual that the philippines leg of the transfer is what slowed down and mis routed(can they even be sure to read the label in english to not confuse hawaii with tahiti or whatever the real problem was ,who knows.......So to say that it was forex or shipnex responsible for the mix ups is by proxy,where in fact they cant control the outcome once they broker space on philippines airlines or even the (did i mention)the rickety old multi cab that DHL in bacolod hired for the day to come up to the mountain and pick up my boxes.....long chain of independant companies involved in making the trip across the world.......

 

Update On POBOX.PH - I received the last box today with the stuff I ordered in December and early January: 6 months door to door. Wow! And, alas, one of my packages still did not make the box! They are suppose to take all your packages and compile them. Well, either one was stolen in route, or it never got packed...I am waiting for a reply. I figure shipping companies do not MAKE anything, or SELL anything; all they do is provide a service: to get us our stuff without damage in a reasonable time frame. POBOX.PH has utterly failed on both accounts. I paid a LOT of money to get my stuff sent to me, yet they are clearly incapable of doing so. I have asked if they could try to find my package, and if so, forward it to me via air freight at THEIR expense, since they have screwed this shipment up at least three times. I am waiting to hear back. If they will not do that, I will ask that they ship via regular International Priority US mail to my mate in Oz, and he can bring it when he comes next month (the missing item is not very large, so can go flat rate).

At this point, there is no way I could recommend using POBOX.PH. Yes, some people have had good luck with them. Some people have also played Russian roulette and lived to tell about it, but I choose not to on both accounts. POBOX can still save me as a customer, but they now have to go ABOVE AND BEYOND the normal to make up for their blunders. If they do, I will post it here, but if you see no further info.... caveat emptor! And rest assured if you see no positive update, I will not avail myself of their dubious services going forward!

Cheers,

Doug

 

Appears some are luckier than others..http://www.dumagueteinfo.com/board/images/smili

We received our 23th box from POBox last night, departed Los Angeles May 18 and only 17 days after unloading in Cainta Rizal, a new record! We've tested them with packing a wide variety of supermarket and electronic items and they've done damned well - so far.

If there is some other service to compare it to we'd try it, any suggestions? There are things we like not available here at any price.

 

daanlungsod, do you have them compile you packages for you, or do you get it all from one location or have a friend box it and ship it? I have not had a problem with the boxes once they get shipped: not speedy, but that does not matter so long as it is reasonable. But, it is the compiling that is the problem.... I have the list of all my stuff online, they say they have received it all, but when I ask them to send it, items seem to be left out. Well, in Feb. EVERYTHING was left out except the last item to arrive!!! That is the whole deal with POBOX, they will compile your stuff....but they seem incapable of doing so for me. Maybe I just have bad shipping karma, I don't know, but I will get a friend to compile it all in the future and deal with one shipper, one item: maybe Forex, maybe LBC, I don't know. But when 6 months have past and I still have not received all my stuff, it is frustrating!

 

I used a guy in AZ who packed and shipped a Jumbo to Dgte for $100. It took two months to get here.

He is a Moderator on a popular Cebu forum.

No problems.