Courier companies ill-prepared for workload
(CNS): Delays, missing packages, undelivered medicines and mounting complaints about poor service by courier companies since COVID-19 struck are largely due to a lack of resources and poor preparation for the crisis over the last few months, customs has said. But importers themselves need to give the right information to agents and couriers, given the growth in imports and the fact that Christmas is coming, a senior official told CNS.
While some parcels are currently stuck at Customs and Border Control, CBC Deputy Director Kevin Walton told CNS that there is no benefit to them to hold imports, not least because they cannot collect the duty until the packages are released. He said that if any courier service blames CBS for a hold-up, the customer should ask for a declaration number.
“If they can’t give you one, the hold-up is not at customs,” he said.
Following concerns raised by readers and indications that the problem is with the courier services, CNS attempted to contact two of the international companies based in Cayman that had been the subject of most of the complaints. After efforts to get someone on the phone or via email locally failed, CNS made contact with their regional offices and managed to get some brief responses.
Although neither UPS nor DHL gave full explanations for the catalogue of problems with deliveries here in Cayman, they both committed to improve their service in the face of an “immense increase” in volumes.
Pam Duque Rai, from DHL’s communications department based in Florida, said the company was investing in international network infrastructure and technology systems to provide customers with what she said were the excellent service levels that they have come to expect.
“Although our industry has not been immune to the challenges of delivering within the COVID-19 environment, we have implemented new health measures to keep our employees and customers safe while following our business continuity plan to manage the immense increase in shipment volumes through our network. Any specific shipment delays are addressed directly with our customers,” she stated.
Meanwhile, Alida Velez, from UPS Americas, told us via email that they had experienced some challenges over deliveries.
“While the vast majority of our services continue with the same time commitments our customers have come to expect, we are addressing some delays with deliveries in the Cayman Islands,” she said. “To allow for additional time to make deliveries because of the pandemic, UPS temporarily modified the UPS Service Guarantee effective March 26. For customers waiting for their packages, we are working hard to deliver their shipments during this challenging time.”
But a lack of preparation for the significant increase in smaller imports as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic combined with new importers who are not familiar with the paperwork, as well as UPS’ financial issues, have created the current troubles.
Walton said the pandemic, the change in technology at CBC, the online shopping spree fuelled by the lockdown, the flow of pension cash and the end of weekend trips to Miami, were all part of this perfect storm for clogging up the system. In August alone there were more almost 23,000 individual imports, he revealed.
While CBC activated its continuity plan in the face of the health crisis, this has not been the case for all stakeholders. Walton told CNS that there were challenges with courier companies that have not invested the necessary resources or adapted their business models to suit the new environment.
But there are things that importers can do to get their parcels quicker. “Around 40% of all packages coming via courier don’t have the right paperwork,” Walton said, noting that people shopping online should have all the paperwork and know which courier service will be delivering their packages.
“Shoppers have the invoices, not the courier,” he said, adding that importers must also tell their courier or shipping agent if the goods are perishable or critical items such as medicines. He said the onus is on the shopper to contact the courier service ahead of delivery to give them all these details. However, he accepted that calling and emailing at present was a problem and that the only solution might be to attend the offices in person, despite the long queues.
Walton said it is really important that courier companies, the agents and private importers all do what they can to get things right. Imports are still growing significantly and we are now just three months away from Christmas, which “could be a nightmare this year” if everyone in the chain is not fully prepared, he warned.
CBC is using sophisticated tracking technology and intelligence-led analysis to understand what is coming across our borders and from where, allowing management to direct staff to where they are needed most. But the system needs everyone to buy in for it to work smoothly.
Walton said that although the CBC has been in communication with and assisted merchant importers for more than two years about the technology it now uses, some of them have still not got things right. He said many merchants have still not invested in the technology they need to make importing efficient, which clogs up the system. But he said CBC continues to do all it can to assist private and larger importers, working with them to clear the blocks in the system and get people’s goods to them as quickly as possible.
Walton explained that the next step for CBC is to set up a dedicated customer service section, which will be largely for importers, to help people understand and use the system properly. Currently, customs officers deal with customer service queries and complaints, and when they are doing that, they are not able to process the imports, he said.
Category: Business, Local News
✅ Make another short amendment to the Customs and Border Control Law!
🛑Amnesty to all the residents of Cayman and give them ALL their packages!!!! 🛑
• A short amendment to the Customs and Border Control Law that was passed by the Legislative Assembly …. paves the way for an amnesty for those who find themselves in breach of immigration rules because of border closures.
• Over 3,000 vehicle owners have taken advantage of the Department of Vehicle and Drivers’ Licensing (DVDL) back fees amnesty…
• Amnesty for Pet Parrot Owners on Cayman Islands to have their birds registered with the Department of Environment (DoE) before February 29th, 2020…
• Cayman Islands offers amnesty for illegal residents. The amnesty started on Wednesday morning [August 2018]and will remain in effect until the end of August…
• 2018 RCIPS gun amnesty
Hope it will be announced today. There’s no other way to clear the mess.
A CBC amnesty? I would order so, SO much medical-grade weed. They would never.
Priority needs to be given to commercial importers, perishables and medication.
Any business importing duty free goods should be able to get delivery immediately to help clear out the backlog.
I have been waiting for duty free goods for my complany since July all with proper paperwork and import number from CBPO.
Couriers need to add more agents and expand their front counters to handle the load.
These delays are hurting our economic health far worse than the lock down.
But what about the statistics? We need to know the statistics. Without statistics we only have numbers….
Government bureaucracy destroying a beautiful country, in plain sight. And for no good reason at all (at least none they can explain to me).
I love a good chicken Karama
Well one of these Courier services had the gull to let go two hard working Caymanians that were working with the company for 15-20 years collectively and hire a work permit holder from their own country. Karama is good really good !!!!
The gull? Sure it wasn’t the ching-ching?
‘Twas the Karama!
Was it FedEx ?
their work permit employees are completely useless other than they try hard but are clearly unqualified for the job!
At least those customs officers working for thier money now instead of milking government and not wanting to lift a finger…
Fedex – received my parcel the day it landed on island. Excellent service.
DHL – my parcel was on island for 18 days before I got hold of it. After 3 trips to the sorting office, multiple unanswered phone calls and emails. Hours of my life wasted.
Goverment postal service – 7 months and still counting..
Why is it we have a national airline again?
DHL has had more than 5 of my packages (and the authorization form and invoices) for over two months. No response to multiple emails, calls, or pleas from the sender….
How are they still in business?
Walton needs to go and they need to bring in somebody who will get rid of this ridiculous “new system” that is utterly pointless. All it has done is cause massive problems and a backlog that the current staff cannot cope with. Walton refuses to acknowledge his department’s and system failures and instead prefers to blame everybody and everything else. If we the customer have our invoices and ID then the courier companies should be allowed to deliver our goods to us. Stop it with this nonsense. If this BS system wasn’t implemented I guarantee you that we wouldn’t be having issues with any of the courier companies!! Hire more staff and release our goods!!!!
I was wondering when CNS would investigate this issue. My package was sent from Jamaica via DHL on 14th August and arrived on 17th. I received it in my hands on August 31.
I opted to pick it up after paying online—bad decision. I had to wait an hour and forty minutes outside DHL offices. A security guard then cane out at about twenty minutes before 12 noon (?). It was literally almost afternoon. I gave him my “express” number and he brought out my package along with several others within about 15 minutes.
So it took about two hours for me to get a package that was paid for and which just needed to be picked up and handed to me.
Where was Security all morning? Why was this gentleman not doing the rounds so a whole queue of people, several of whom had paid online, could be put out of their misery?
And what was the hold up? I got the notice on my phone from DHL when the package arrived but the system indicated an “exception” had occurred.
Telephoning was useless. No one answered.
I took myself down to DHL to ask what the problem was. A guy looking like a manager came out and I gave him my number. He said he would check but never returned.
I finally made it to the counter and the very helpful attendant (doing her best to handle several customers at a time) asked me if I had filled out a customs form. No I hadn’t. No one had communicated that. So I guess I am in the category of importers who really don’t know all the red tape involved.
Then that form required an invoice. I procured it and turned it in. (By the way, when I received the package it had an invoice from the company in the documentation taped on the Outside of the box. When I opened the package there was another invoice on the inside.
Two invoices accompanied the package!!
On turning in the required documents I had to wait another week to get a notice that the package was cleared by Customs and could I please pay.
That was over the weekend. On Monday August 31 I joined a line of persons who were being admitted painfully slowly, one by one, into the already crowded office.
There has got to be a more efficient way. Too much Unnecessary red tape, slow service, and poor communication all round.
Welcome…..to third world.
Don’t insult third world countries.
Unreal!🤬
When you enter long immigration lines in the US you have immigration personnel walking around asking questions about documentation and assisting.
Where are the managers of these businesses? Put a person on the floor and in the lines — Are you picking up? Paid? Package numbers? Checking on an “exception”? Completed a customs form? Here it is. Have your invoice? Sending a package? Here is the form. Etc etc.
Then have someone to tend to the phone who is also technology savvy and can answer questions quickly and initiative electronic responses.
In the notification of package arrival sent to people’s phone with the link to info include a quick 1,2,3 steps to getting the package.
This “exception has occurred” tells customers nothing. Build the info into your system so customers can respond. Electronically is better than people coming into tie offices or tying up your phones.
Let us get into the modern world with the utilization of technology. This packing up into a mini size office and meandering lines outside into the heat is just unacceptable.
Certainly, this is not a unique idea, but I will repeat it and perhaps the Premier will see this well-meaning suggestion:
CIG recently provided amnesty to all of the scofflaws and lawbreakers who did not pay traffic fines or annual vehicle fees.
Perhaps CIG should give amnesty to all the residents of Cayman and give them their packages. After all, customers have paid their shipping, warehouse, taxes, fees and other costs already. Get the mess cleaned up and out. THEN fight with the courier companies. Make them pay up, or toss them off the island.
Thank you saying that again. My exact comment is at the bottom…not everyone reads all comments.
Great minds think alike!
Also glad that my warnings about bio buttons have reached CIG. I guess someone reads CNS comments.
I have dealt with customs on the island for over 30 years and I can categorically state that the problems I had with a courier shipment was not customs fault.
Package sent from Japan took 3 days to get to Cayman.
One week after arrival and no word from the courier enquirers were made. Courier then asked for a agent authorization form, although we had already given them one for previous shipments. Why wait until we made the enquirers before asking for the paperwork. Week and a half went by still no package, enquiries elicited a request for proof of payment. This was proof that we had paid what the invoice they already had stated. First time ever we have had to provide that. Another week and I actually questioned the the manager at the customs building where he told me that customs had to inspect the package…a lie easily proved since when we got the package there was no customers tape on it. A visit to customs and they helped me by telling me to get a declaration number went back to the courier to be told that the wrong invoice number had been put on the declaration(the couriers fault). We finally had to pick up the package ourselves on Monday morning as according to them they had tried to deliver it on Saturday evening, long after our office had closed.
So the package sat on the island for over 4 weeks, we were continually misled or lied to, and we still had to pay the couriers handling fees this end (shipping was prepaid). What a farce!
And dont try to call the office or the owner, the former never answers the phone and the latter has incoming calls blocked. And believe or not the regional office dealing with the Caribbean in Miami does not have a telephone number only a fax number(the office here does not fall under the USA corporate office)!
Everywhere else in the world it works like that
1. consumer pays for goods ( unless it is a gift or personal items) and shipping cost
2. If goods are subject to a custom fee, a customs declaration prepared by a sender or a shipping company that states the value of goods based on the invoice
3.the goods are shipped
4. The goods arrive to the destination country
5. The receiver of the package is notified that package has arrived by the country’s post office. Usually he already knows that via online tracking
6. The receiver goes to a post office, pays duty and takes the package. If package was shipped by ups for example, ups pays the duty and delivers the package to your door.
Can someone please explain how different the process is in the Cayman Islands?
I understood very little from 7:10 comment
To 6:06 am
The point is UPS did not tell us the package was on island.
Never contacted us asking for the “extra paperwork” only when we went to the office did they tell us about the extra paperwork.
Even when they had all the correct paperwork did not clear the package.
Told us the package had to be inspected when it was not.
Could not be contacted by phone so we had to go to the office and queue with a lot of other people only to be told there was no progress on clearing the package.
At the “11th. Hour” gave an excuse that they had entered the wrong invoice number on the declaration.
And I do not believe their story that they tried to deliver the package late on Saturday…no missed delivery slip left.
Finally because the package was sent via UPS we could not clear the package ourselves but HAD to wait until they cleared which took them over 4 weeks. Does that clarify the total Mess they made. All because I believe they lacked the funds to pay the duty!
The point is yes a courier should work that way. Right now what happens is we get to number 4 on your list and then the package enters a maze from which it may never come out. When you wanted not to have to deal with customs or wait for your stuff you would use a courier and the fast, efficient, affordable service you could get from those companies was very important to have available. At present a courier company will get you your package slower for a higher price than a plain old freight forwarder using Cayman Airways Cargo or a ship. That can’t continue; the courier companies need to be organised and on top of everything all the time, and Customs needs to recognise courier customers have paid a lot of money for quick receipt of their items and those items need to be expedited out of Customs hands. This all happened before COVID just fine. I could order something online from the UK via DHL on Tuesday and it would be delivered to my office here in Cayman on Friday. Now, there is no way to get something quickly. No amount of money you can pay, no company you can use. All there is, is waiting, and it’s always worst when you don’t know how long it will be, which is always the case with mail of any type.
Ultimately it is just one part of the sorry picture that Cayman has never been more cut off from the rest of the world in my lifetime. You would have to go back to before 1953 actually, when the original airstrip finished being built, to find Cayman so unable to access the planet it’s on and vice versa.
Got it. Thank you.
FedEx had all the required docs from me pre arrival. Duty pre paid. Numerous emails & unanswered calls to them. messages left on their voicemail. Eventually told package surrendered to customs as unclaimed. WTF
Now using MBE & they are great.
So they replaced 2 hard working Caymanians with one expat?
The Customs Tariff Law runs to 232 pages and the item code numbers top out at 9803 (not including subcategories).
Pure bureaucratic harassment and certainly the most inefficient system of revenue collection that the public sector could have devised.
Of course, now that Govt is “working” from home the cracks in the system are laid bare for all to see.
They were warned about it. The effing ESO wanted statistics. That is why we have it. Nothing to do with revenue, efficiency or facilitating imports. Statistics!
Exactly.
And yet no accountability. Millions and millions of dollars of added expense and lost productivity, unfathomable frustration, and they all keep their jobs and behave like they have no responsibility.
The Governor is happy with the performance though. He seems to have no clue what really goes on and why. It is embarrassing.
Sounds similar to the tax laws of many Western countries. Oh when will governments learn that simplicity would serve everyone, including themselves better?
My understanding for the delays from importers that are keenly aware of the process is the fact that CBC is inspecting every single package?? Ironically, they announced and are supposed to be utilizing an “intelligence based approach” and not inspect every package. Thus, only some packages coming from Amazon, Home depot, Walmart, etc should only be checked randomly. Clearly, the CBC inspection process/policy needs to be revised.
Blaming everyone else for the mess you made. Way to go Walton. The Cayman Islands Civil Service. Where incompetence is a prerequisite for getting to the top.
The only place where ‘Failure IS an option’.
Bingo. Imagine a system where getting things shipped on the barge is faster than the airlines, and faster than the carriers.
Insanity.
Only three weeks?? You win the game!
Courier deliveries were well screwed up before Covid-19, and I think the main problem is the new *cough* “system” rolled out by Customs. Couriers can’t release without Customs release, and Customs wants documentation from the couriers that is usually provided TO Customs from the customer ordering the goods! How did they ever expect this to work???
If they can’t fix the system, they need to roll it back to the previous generation. At least that sorta kinda worked. I just got a package that I’d written off — it has been stuck somewhere here since January. Incredibly inefficient. Thank God it was just clothes and not something I needed badly, like medicine.
Remember all was almost well until the implementation of new customs system a few months ago. More categories. Invoice, proof of payments needed from Ebay, Amazon..etc. Invoice for gifts. More red tape more time wasting. More lines. We welcome simplicity in this computer age.
And they won’t accept a commercial invoice which is the gold standard of international shipping invoices…you can’t make this stuff up!
If you want to get robbed in broad daylight try to ship with NCI. Their rates and hidden fees should be illegal and their customer service is atrocious.
The only right thing to do now is to RELEASE all packages to all recipients.
It is not carriers or recipients fault if as much as 40%, according to CBC, don’t know what they’re doing. It is the system CBC created.
What Walton should have said is he bullshitting the public ONCE AGAIN! They want “WE” the public to believe that every single courier company on the Island is incompetent and before the dumb system they implemented courier goods were flowing and complaints were down. What they should say is that these companies have to input a consolidated shipment one by one ( meaning if 100 people import on a single shipment) the company has to create 100 different entries and then wait for an officer to review and don’t talk bout the suspensions. Wanna hear some of the suspensions?
Please provide rate of exchange from XE. Com for usd to CI when the usd rate HAS NEVER CHANGED and I am 63
Please provide proforma invoice to verify value( but customs does not accept proforma) or how about
Inspection of Amazon items because they ship multiple packages and they don’t believe what you declare
Listen don’t make this XXXX tell us NO BS. They are the damn problem and I won’t comment on Chucky cause he lost. Alden only put him Deh keep up the brotherhood so he send Walton to Mislead the people.
CUSTOMS is the MAIN PROBLEM….
I have been asked to provide the Custom Agency Appointment document at least 10 times for the same courier company, as it seems it’s always missing from the Custom’s files…
Customs is getting anal even for small amount of duty: not only they want an invoice, but also proof of payment, all of which further delays clearing…
The excuse is that Customs suspects every invoice to be false and could care less if the delivery of the goods is delayed by their over zealousness…
I would apportion the blame 80% to Customs and 20% to the courier companies, but must say that Mr Walton has been helpful more than once in getting urgent medicines cleared for me, thank you Mr. Walton…
A streamlining of the process is urgently needed with a clear set of rules, so as not to leave the practical interpretation of Customs Laws to the whims or personal views of each Custom officer…
Also, more Custom staff is required since with more volume comes increased revenue and the ability to hire personal…
8 days from China to Grand Cayman, 3 weeks later I’m still waiting
20/08/2020 10:58 A.M. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Destination Scan
20/08/2020 10:58 A.M. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Import Scan
19/08/2020 4:19 P.M. Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands Arrived at Facility
19/08/2020 9:58 A.M. Miami, FL, United States Departed from Facility
19/08/2020 9:38 A.M. Miami, FL, United States Departed from Facility
18/08/2020 6:37 A.M. Miami, FL, United States Arrived at Facility
18/08/2020 4:11 A.M. Louisville, KY, United States Departed from Facility
17/08/2020 11:10 A.M. Louisville, KY, United States Arrived at Facility
17/08/2020 1:43 A.M. Anchorage, AK, United States Departed from Facility
16/08/2020 11:30 P.M. Anchorage, AK, United States Arrived at Facility
17/08/2020 9:04 A.M. Osaka, Japan Departed from Facility
17/08/2020 7:54 A.M. Osaka, Japan Arrived at Facility
17/08/2020 3:24 A.M. Shenzhen, China Departed from Facility
16/08/2020 9:32 A.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery. / The package will be forwarded to a UPS facility in the destination city.
16/08/2020 9:29 A.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery.
13/08/2020 11:08 P.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery. / The package will be forwarded to a UPS facility in the destination city.
13/08/2020 10:32 P.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery.
12/08/2020 11:40 P.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery. / The package will be forwarded to a UPS facility in the destination city.
12/08/2020 11:11 P.M. Shenzhen, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery.
12/08/2020 5:23 P.M. Shenzhen, China Export Scan
11/08/2020 11:56 P.M. Shenzhen, China Arrived at Facility
11/08/2020 11:45 P.M. Dongguan, China Departed from Facility
11/08/2020 11:23 P.M. Dongguan, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery. / The package will be forwarded to a UPS facility in the destination city.
11/08/2020 11:22 P.M. Dongguan, China Your package is in transit. We’re updating plans to schedule your delivery.
11/08/2020 7:16 P.M. Dongguan, China Export Scan
11/08/2020 7:16 P.M. Dongguan, China Origin Scan
Past Event Shipped 11/08/2020 5:51 P.M. Dongguan, China
Collection Scan
Past Event Label Created 10/08/2020 10:41 A.M. China
Order Processed: Ready for UPS
That’s a UPS issue, not customs… trust me…
Trust me, it is a CDC issue. Under the old system the customer would have paid customs directly and it would never have been ” a UPS issue”
Trust me ups cayman is the worse company I’ve ever dealt with,a bunch of kids who don’t know what’s going on and a incompetent manager,who keeps hiding and lying to his customers.
😲Are they expats or locals? Is UPS corporate office aware of the situation? We need to hear their side of the story. I had nothing but excellent ups service in the US and internationaly.
UPS Americas and the Caribbean
3401 NW 67th Avenue, Bld. 805
Miami, FL 33122
USA
I think the fastest way to get a response is post on Twitter. https://mobile.twitter.com/upshelp?lang=en
Just don’t blame anyone, provide facts and see what they say. I think CNS is doing something like that already. We need to get clear who is at fault.
This was occurring before COVID-19. It seems to me that what “CBC Deputy Director Kevin Walton” should have said was that he and his regime has once again put an unworkable system in place.
Under the old system you received your packages, paid duty and had your items in a day or two. Now courier services are a waste of time into the Cayman Islands. Well done Clifford and Walton, another fine mess you’ve gotten us into.
Excuses,excuses,excuses. It’s what passes for customer service here. The more excuses the more they believe they are giving you their best. America, Canada, The UK, etc. You really get customer service and it doesn’t matter who you are. You can still get mail the next day. Here it is still not clear if mail is getting delivered at all and of course we all heard the latest excuse.
Exactly. Packages and letters delivery is excellent in states. USPS, UPS, FedEx all work very efficiently.
Cayman shot itself in a foot overcomplicating things. Technology is supposed to speed things up, but appears that mail delivered across Atlantic on ships, across deserts, forests and mountains on horses and donkeys was 10 times faster than today in Cayman.
By the way In Bermuda mail delivered to your house, just like everywhere else in the world.
Hopefully the private sector will get its act together soon.
Customer service is totally alien to the Caymanian mentality.
I has an item that was landed in Cayman five weeks ago today. It was shipped by UPS. This delay is totally unacceptable and no one is willing to take the blame. This is a ridiculous state of affairs. It is impossible to get a phone call answered.
UPS…lol.
Once bitten twice shy.
I always call my vendors and insist on NOT UPS.
Horrific.
Other countries can still do good customer service in this Trying time, Cayman never could and it just got worse. Anyone with a brain knows why. If it has to go through a Government agency to get to you(Customs, Post Office, etc.)It will take time just because it has to go through voters. Just saying.
Such a joke. If I could fly off island to shop…
Maybe one day! But when things return to normal and not as much is shipped in, I know which freight forwarders to continue to use and which ones not to.
With MBE we pre-alert air and sea packages online paired with both tracking info and description digital invoices for duty. This is done weeks before arrival at CBC and it still takes another 4 weeks to clear their time-sink. This blame game is just political deflection. Just like after Hurricane Ivan, if you have the right surname your stuff gets priority and cleared first. I can imagine that the special line-jumping antics would degrade efficiency and overwhelm CBC doing their normal job.
While I agree with some of the problems, it is not ALWAYS the fault of the customer. We always have a invoices and send them in ahead of time so that DHL / FedEx can work out what is needed. Yet still, we have waited over 8 weeks for a simple package. When asking what the hold up is (or was) we were told the hold up is customs, we call customs, we were told it is the courier company. Then to add insult to injury, they charge the CLIENT storage fees. Huh!!! WhAT! You are charging me fees to storage a package that i have all the invoices for, all the duties paid just because neither of you can get your act together. PRICELESS!!!
Must be all those evil foreign incompetent courier companies moving millions of parcels every day to all corners of the earth messing up the very competent and organized local CBC…
If “Around 40% of all packages coming via courier don’t have the right paperwork”, that might simply mean the “right” paperwork isn’t right after all. They deliver around the world with no issues, that means the usual and customary paperwork is sufficient everywhere else, but Cayman.
Does CBC require additional paperwork that is not usual and customary?
Why complicate things to such a degree? courier companies, the agents and private importers are NOT stupid. They know what they’re doing. And if they can’t “do what they can to get things right” that means what CBC requires for them to do is specific to Cayman only. Why is the question.
Otherwise CBC implies everyone, but them are stupid.
You should have spoken with Mailboxes Etc. – they have provided excellent service with easy technology to upload invoices and I can pay online. I have everything delivered to their Miami address and I get it in 7-10 days no fuss.
A pro operation for sure.
Thought the virus is on packages. I guess only poor peoples letters!
It’s all good here in the US. I guess Cayman is not high on the “to do” list. Probably to do with it being a speck in the ocean with little to no air service.
All one has to do is look at exactly who is incharge in the upper level management spending all their time trying to undermining others instead of improving services. a clusterF&%&# in the police and not much has change over at customs What a Surprise???
Just release all packages to the recipients, they have already paid shipping charges. Some sort of amnesty. There’s no other way to clear this mess.
What a mess on 2×2 rock, population 60,000. Nothing seem to work here.
Direct rule now. Nothing works here anymore.
Government – how about you employ some of the unemployed people you are paying to sit at home to do nothing! WTF are all the staff of the Protocol Office and DOT doing every day? What about the thousands of unemployed tourism workers? For Christ’s sake! From what we are being told you could not even dream up the levels of incompetence and mismanagement involved!
They would further mess things up so the packages would simply disappear never to be found.
Private school students would sort this out in a week.
It’s the system that is truly at fault. CIG bureaucracy at it’s finest.
Well we went to CBC yesterday to get approval to clear 5 boxes imported from USA and that arrived by boat just last Saturday and they were nothing short of helpful, friendly and efficient to be honest.
What’s your last name?
That just confirms what I suspected: The barge has become the fastest way to get goods here. What a travesty.
Totally agree as I do the paperwork for my boss who brings things in by ship. CBC & the Port do an excellent job, if only they could teach other government departments. Our ship can arrive on Saturday night and we have the goods by Tuesday sometimes Monday. — Speak to your couriers, oh you cant you have to call america!