In short: Ukrposhta doesn’t deliver! ;)
Seriously, though. Yesterday a small farce happened to me involving this organization, and it reminded me of how it works.
On 21 March I got a notice that books from Andrei Sapunov were waiting for me at the post office and that I had to come urgently. When I showed up on the morning of the 22nd, the valiant staff of Ukrposhta, the state postal service, started demanding UAH 20 for storing the parcel (worth UAH 196). Supposedly it had been lying there since 15 March.
When I refused to pay for storage, they grumbled something but didn’t take the money. I think they didn’t take it because… well, he didn’t fall for it, why argue, the next one will pay: the typical shameful scrounging of officials in Ukraine.
So why shouldn’t you use Ukrposhta, and what should you do if you have to?
Ukrposhta isn’t cheap. If you need to send a parcel cash on delivery, which is when the recipient pays for the goods together with the shipping, Ukrposhta will charge you 4.6% of the amount (if the cash-on-delivery amount is under UAH 500).
Cash on delivery with Nova Poshta, a private courier company, costs 2% + UAH 11 regardless of the amount, and with Autolux even less.
Ukrposhta loses parcels. The internets are full of this. Just google it.
An $80 order from the online store iherb.com has been on its way to me since October last year…
Ukrposhta staff try to charge you illegally for storing your parcel. I described this case above, and besides, I’ve heard the same more than once from customers of our online store.
Ukrposhta branches mean queues and rudeness. Nothing to comment on here. Practically everyone has run into it.
Yes, Nova Poshta has queues too, but since last year they’ve opened so many branches across Ukraine that you can almost always find a half-empty one. Especially if you don’t come at the time when parcels are being sent off in the afternoon (around 14:00–16:00).
If you still have to send a parcel or a letter, I recommend first checking whether there’s a branch nearby of one of the civilized transport companies: Nova Poshta, Intime, Autolux, Gunsel and the like.
Yes, people complain about their service too, but not on such a systemic scale. If we support them with our money, fair competition (instead of a state monopoly) will automatically raise the quality of these postal and transport services.