USVI-On-Line

That is very confusing. Because at first when I read it, I thought it meant that as long as you sent it to VIVA, that was OK, but if you had them pick it up elsewhere, they would charge you.

But when I re-read it, I took it to mean if it's delivered to our office or our PO Box, we're charging you $100.

That's really weird to me. I understand a nominal charge, but it's really not putting them out any.

Hey everyone,
You can ship your packages to The Mail Center. They are located at The Market Place in town. Easy parking for pick up, and you can also get your groceries, rent a movie, something to eat, wine and cheese shop, and a coffee shop. They charge $5.00 for small boxes and $10.00 for large boxes. They can receive Fed-X, UPS, and DHL. Boxes should be addressed:
your name
C/O The Mail Center
5000 Estate Enighed
St. John, USVI 00830
You should call them before shipping. Parcel Post can take up to two months, and a lot of people were upset when their packages arrived after they had left. Phone # is 340-714-7250.

We used Carefree Getaways and they were great. We shipped a package ahead and they didn't flinch or charge us for it. It was no problem. I didn't see them advertise this service on their site or anything, but when I asked, it was no problem.

In fact they went above and beyond for us. Our daughter did us a "favor" when we asked her to bring our package to the Post Office. She shipped it parcel post instead of priority mail because it was cheaper. Needless to say, our package arrived a couple of weeks after we left. Cindy and Mo and the gang at Carefree were great. They let us know when the package finally arrived. We sent them a check for the postage and they sent it back.

I learned two things from my experience. Parcel Post is the original "snail mail" and Little Debbie's Fudge Rounds don't survive the tropical postal routes very well.

To answer your question...$100 is outrageous!

[quote="mailcentervi"]
You should call them before shipping. Parcel Post can take up to two months, and a lot of people were upset when their packages arrived after they had left. [quote]

I had to laugh. They posted while I was writing....lolz.

mailcentervi - what are your hours? The problem I have with Connections is they close early on Saturdays and I'd have to wait for my package until they open Sunday morning. I don't like to wait! We don't arrive on St John until about 4:00 on Saturday.

The Mail Center closes at noon until October first, then @ 1:00. If you call them they might be able to make arrangements to get your package to you. 340-714-7250.

Another option is for the rental agent to politely decline your request (citing they are not equipped or whatever) but offer you good alternatives. With the changing airline rules for what you can bring, how much it can weigh, and charging for a 1st or 2nd bag, I can see this becoming a more and more important issue.

Don't charge me $100 to accept a box if that is not the business you want to be in, say "We don't provide that service but here are three co's that do..." and give the contact info for Connections, Christy's and the Mail Center and the little entrepenuer on his bike.

If a rental agent responded to me in this way, I'd be grateful and go about making my arrangements. Charging me an outrageous fee with no real reason or justification just annoys me and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. With so many agencies to choose from, that's not very good business.

Common sense should prevail.

That said Christy's charges $25 and they confirmed with me via email the minute they got my box, held it for a few weeks until I arrived, and met me at Conrad Sutton's and loaded it in my jeep for me while I was filling out paperwork. That is service and it was worth every penny!

When I e-mailed our villa agent, I didn't expect her to say "Mail it to me, and I'll just add $10 to your bill and the greeter will bring it when they pick you up." I asked her if she happened to have a recommendation on whom to use and their contact information. I don't expect rental agencies to hold packages, but it's nice if they can provide that service at a low cost, especially with all the luggage regulations these days.

I received a call from VIVA today. I know they are advertisers on this Board and apparently like to keep up on what folks are saying and how they can improve their business.

Obviously they were concerned by my post and of course the subsequent reactions by posters on this board about what I view (and apparently I am not alone on this) to be an outrageous fee to accept a small box in advance of my arrival.

The rep was very nice and was calling to provide me some additional information about why they charge $100. Apparently this is not a service that they want to encourage but will do it, hence the price. They said that typically they do provide info on Connections and the Mail Center when folks ask, but failed to do so in this case. They also stated that this info is on their web site as well.

The reason, however, that I was asking in the first place was because we are arriving on island on SUNDAY and NEITHER of these operations are open. Obviously someone from VIVA would have to be meeting us and it seemed like a relatively simple request (at least form my point of view) and I was willing to tip someone a $20 just for helping me out.

They said that it is not the post office hassel at issue but that they have to pay someone to pick it up and the contract greeter would have to bring it with them. I didn't get into the arrangements or their procedures for checking on villas, organizing greeter schedules etc.

While I told her that I understood their position, I reiterated that I am a regular visitor and know what my options are (generally) but a newbie might not and think that this was their only option or that this was the going rate for this kind of service.

But unless I was mailing solid GOLD in a box -- $100 just doesn't justify their price for what I would consider a pretty basic service, especially in light of a competitive rental market.

I can't help but think that if they just said, "no problem" that they would have made me an incredibly loyal VIVA lover for life and I would be raving about their high level of service right now instead of explaining my conversation with them earlier today and why they couldn't accomodate my request at a more reasonable price.

To be fair, I want to reiterate -- for the record -- that while I am not happy with the fact that they are unable to help me out on this matter -- that I have been very happy with their level of service and attention to detail thus far in our rental of two of their properties (one for this December and one for next June). In other words they are getting a nice chunk of business from me over the next 9 months and I don't have any intention of changing my plans to rent through them.

Certainly I appreciate the fact that they watch this board and listen to what folks here have to say and seem to make adjustments accordingly. IMHO it's very wise of them to do so.

BUT I also think that it could have been even wiser of them to say, "Hey, we don't normally do this, but you're renting two villas from us over the next 9 months and since you're arriving on a Sunday we'd be glad to help a new customer like you out."

In which case I would walk through fire for the rest of my life to tell folks how great VIVA is and how they went our of their way for me. Only time will tell.

I think I try to be fair in terms of my comments and reviews on this board. If I have a negative or positive experience with someone -- I share that so that others can benefit from my experience -- or be forewarned.

In some cases I have held back the names of companies who I think really handled things badly because I thought it would negatively impact their business and perhaps I should have in this case as well.

Believe me when I say that I understand the power of recommendations and criticims on this board. As a public relations professional I understand that a single bad review can have a serious impact on a business- especially these days when people are watching their $$$'s more carefully. As a result I try to be careful about what I say.

Nor do I expect that my comments or anyone elses for that matter are completely anonymous. This also makes me think through what I post here.

But that being said I would hope that VIVA and the other rental companies who lurk (not meant in a negative way- it's technical term) start to think more about how they respond to requests like mine and that a simple thing can go a long way to developing a long term relationship with a customer.

Last year Ruth helped me out on something and as a result I would recommend her to ANYONE and I will generally drop at LEAST $100 at her shop every time I'm on island as a result. Her favor to me took very little time (perhaps 10 minutes) but as a result she's got a loyal customer who will spend a lot of money at her place over the coming years. I don't think that she regarded this favor in this light when she offered to help me out, but this is the reward she gets in the long term whether she likes it or not!

In this day and age RELATIONSHIPS are increasingly important. And the fact that someone like me is even ASKING for help on an issue should say something to any business. If I could take care of it I would -- but I wouldn't ASK if I didn't need a little extra help. Otherwise, I would just figure it out on my own and in this case I will (thanks Pia for the kind offer to help me out but I will just mail to Connections East and pick up my package on Monday after arrival).

I certainly don't want anyone to think I'm trying to trash anyone here. That's not my goal. I just want to develop a long term relationship with a Villa co. that know I can count on.

Unfortuately I had a VERY bad experience with our last rental (although they did try to make it right with a partial refund) and I am desperately trying to find someone who I can be loyal to again and not have to worry about. I have to worry about stuff 355 days a year and I only ask for 10 days where I really don't have to worry about stupid stuff. I had rented from the OTHER co 5 times over the past 13 years but will probably not again because of last year's experience. VIVA seems to fit the bill for me so far (even though I'm annoyed about this issue).

Like a good neighbor I promise not to take advantage, but I DO hope that if I need a little help that they will be there for me in the future because it's the right thing to do.

Apologies for the lengthy post.

Peace.

Gromit,

I think you've handled this issue just fine. There is a distinct difference between an honest criticism and slagging someone unmercifully. Although, it can be entertaining to see someone have a "forum meltdown" about getting crappy service. Unfortunately some good folks can get caught in the crossfire....

Peace,

Cid

Like Cid, we also rented through Carefree recently and asked if we could send a package down ahead of our arrival. No problem, and no charge. We actually ended up sending down two packages, including one big, heavy box. They held them until we got there.

Not only that, but they also went to the dock to pick up a bag that was lost by the airline on the way down and didn't get to STT until three days after we arrived. We had listed Carefree's phone number as an alternative, and when the airline couldn't reach us, they called Carefree. After picking up the bag, Carefree brought it to the villa to us. The fee for all this: the $5 they had to pay the delivery service at the dock... Can't say enough good things about Carefree!

For the record, we also rented from Viva a few years ago and had great service. We didn't ship any packages down, though...

Given the outrageous cost thrown out there from this one villa rental agency, the escalating costs of checking bags, and the current economy, I believe this is a new business venture for someone.

In a heartbeat, I'd ship down all of our consumables which are hard to find or more expensive in the USVI (suntan lotions, etc...) and some of our larger items (snorkel gear, my shoes, etc...) which I would then ship back home.

We've done private taxis, catering for the first night at the villa, we've done a lot of things to make our travel days easier/simpler but this would be a no brainer for me.

So, someone can start this business, charge LESS than $100.00 and everyone wins.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks for all the explanation. This forum SHOULD be used to share information. The only time I really get irked at a posting is when people are first time posters and just out and out bash people or businesses. What you posted was completely in the right, and I'm glad you let everyone know about VIVA's policy.

I'm in the P.O. every weekday and I would gladly pick up the box for you and you can pick it up at my house when you get on island. FOR FREE!!! I'm not saying I'm going to start the next mail center or anything, but sheesh! I can do this!

Gromit - I agree with Julie and Cid. We know you are a VIOL regular with lots of STJ experience. I don't feel you were bashing, just informing, which is the point of this board, right? I also am planning on shipping a box down when we go in June, and though we are not renting through VIVA, this thread has still been helpful to me by letting me know the options out there.

Thanks!