I talked a lady by the name or Rachelle at Laywine’s Pens & Organizers, and was informed that they just act as an agent for David Armstrong and that she was the one that looked after that. So I just packed up all four pens to send there, and am hoping for the best. Actually hoping isn't the right word - I'm expecting the best. David certainly has a good reputation.
Mail can take a week (because of weekends) each way across Canada, so it'll probably be three weeks before I see the pens back here. But for sure, I'm really excited!
INeedAFinancialAdvisor (July 14th, 2020), penwash (July 14th, 2020)
Congrats! pics when you get them back pls!
btw, i don't know when the last time you mailed something with Canada post was... but a month or so ago they took over 3 weeks to go 200km on a package of mine. I could actually, LITERALLY have walked it faster than that! The next time i bought from that seller, i just drove the 200km (each way) to pick it up myself, far faster and far less aggravating, for only a slightly higher cost, and only because i have a thirsty V6. YMMV
Good luck!
Yes, I'll post pictures.
As for Canada Post, I've actually used them a lot in the last three or four months. From Toronto to Vancouver to Coalmont took a week a few days ago and was the same last month. From Vancouver (two weeks ago) took three days! I know the say to expect delays, and they're probably working their butts off to do it, but I've had great service. So ... I think something went wrong with your package, which I think is unusual. I don't think BC gets priority.
Anyway, I'm sure my luck will hold. We'll find out.
I've bought from 200km away, (I'm in Ontario, WAY east of Toronto) and from Regina, and from BC in the last few months. I'll say this: the minute it hits Ontario, and needs to go east of Toronto... don't hold your breath. Speeds from anywhere west, TO Toronto have been acceptable. But then it stalls. Frankly, BC has some of the quickest Canada Post service i've seen lately.
Good luck. Looking forward to the pics!
You must be a neighbour. I am in a rural location east or Toronto. One time I received a pen from Japan in 3 days. Most of the rest of the time my mail is routed around the country before getting to me. If I mail a letter to a neighbour it has to travel hundreds of kilometers and takes up to 2 weeks to get to the other side of the highway.
I can sympathize, the ways of CanadaPost are mysterious (and slow) indeed! Something that cannot be said of the US Postal Service in my experience.
American's who think USPS is bad, try CanadaPost, you will BEG for USPS to be back in your life.
I am about 5-5.5 hrs east of Toronto. I'm much closer to Mun-tree-all than to Tronno.
You should be getting three day, or even next day service when you're that close. Though it's not so much the distance, but the logistics of sorting centers which determine the time. It sounds like you have a very different Canada Post over there. Or maybe you feel you have an ax to grind? From what I hear in this thread, British Colombians must be privileged - which is fine by me, but I doubt it's the case. Also, I've had excellent service from USPS in past years, but since the Covid thing, I've experienced delays.
PS: I live in a place with only one grocery store, and only a few suppliers of other goods. The nearest market town is a 4hr return trip. A major part of my shopping involves the post.
If i have an axe to grind it’s from over forty years of Canada post falling to live up to its promises.
You pay for two day service, it takes five.
I got burned by that enough times i EVENTUALLY learned that i may as well just send it regular parcel post since paying extra To get it there faster was just wasting my money
I have noticed that packages from the states, even during covid are very fast. That is, Until they hit the border.
Example: (this is not all the updates, just major ones)
Item bought on eBay on 5 jun from long beach California
5 June long beach
5 June los Angeles
6 June Cincinnati
7 June Erlanger Kentucky. Pitney bowes for “ebay international money grab and shipping delay program “
15 June FINALLY leaves Erlanger
16 June customs cleared
NOTHING FOR SIXTEEN DAYS. Not a single update.
2 July Mississauga
9 July “note left” (no That just means they put a card in my box at the post office)
10 July finally delivered (went to the post office to get it)
Long beach to Erlanger is 3500km and usps did it in TWO days (avg 73km/hr)
It took 8 days to go from Toronto to just east of Ottawa... 460km It’s a 5-6 hour drive! (Avg 2.4km/hr)
Not to mention the sixteen days where after Canada post was handed it, it vanished!
So yeah. Canada post sucks
This is ONE example. I have MANY. usps ROUTINELY outperforms canada post
The BEST Canada post has managed was Regina to Ottawa 2700km in 13 days ... and there were NO tracking updates between leaving Regina and delivery. None. (Avg 8.65km/hr)
Again. Canada post sucks. Too bad i can’t get purchases shipped any other way. Ebay sellers are addicted to the international shipping money grab, it doubles shipping costs just to delay it 5-7 days in Erlanger! As a consequence, i don’t generally shop from us sellers.
And yes. It does appear that BC has reasonably good postal service. Ontario’s is a very unfunny joke. I’ve lived in various places in Ontario my whole life and the postal service has always been a joke.
And if i have an axe to grind, it would seem Scrawler and i can share the work since we have the same axe to grind.
In short; it’s not an “axe to grind”, it’s experience and dissatisfaction with the service over an extended period of time
So i do believe BC does in fact have better postal service than Ontario does.
If this is coming across as angry, it’s because i am. Not at you, so please don’t take it personally. But I am very angry at Canada post. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone.
Last edited by INeedAFinancialAdvisor; July 16th, 2020 at 10:21 PM.
Ole Juul (July 17th, 2020)
USPS is great in some areas. NYC is not one of them. Lately the Brooklyn sorting center has been sending stuff to the wrong post office. If happens often enough to make me suspect it’s deliberate.
Here’s the tracking on a parcel one been waiting for:
17 June — mailed from Warsaw suburbs
21 June — arrives JFK
28 June — Clears customs
4 July — Queens sorting center
5 July —Brooklyn sorting center
9 July — arrives at wrong PO
12 July — Oops!
16 July — Brooklyn sorting center...
So maybe delivery around the 21st? That would be a month to go from JFK to my place, which is just 1/2 hr down the Belt Parkway (13miles/21km).
Scrawler (July 18th, 2020)
Laywine Service dept. called my last week, and the pens arrived yesterday. I'm very pleased, although the total price was $214.31. That included $53.10 shipping/repair, which is tacked on to David Armstrong's repair cost. Even though he doesn't say it on his site, I figured if it went through a shop there would be a surcharge for that. All in all though, I'm pleased with the service that I got.
They look about like they did when they left, but now the write! Really well, actually.
I've only tried them with Waterman Mysterious Blue and Sailor Shikiori Miruai inks. I haven't experimented with papers either. They all feel good on the cotton Gnatural paper I used. The Monitor is a little scratchy, but if you don't press at all, it actually lays down the ink nicely and glides. I enjoy the differences in pens and I certainly wouldn't want all my pens to write the same way.
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