1-30pm
Sometimes this blog is a helpful platform to to spread the news of a useful service. With the SA Post Office losing credibility with strikes and stories of mismanagement and theft, what other options do you have for getting mail or documents from one side of the country to another? My wonderful daughter and her husband (Stacey and Adrian) have settled in Swellendam, two hours drive out of Cape Town and I recently had need to send them something. First I Googled “couriers in Cape Town” and “couriers in Fish Hoek”. It was amazing how little came back at me. I did find some more national couriers so I emailed a few for prices. I got back that costs (without insurance) ranged from R140 to R300. One of the service providers suggested I used Pick n Pay’s courier service. There is no Pick n Pay in Swellendam, so I wondered if it would apply. I asked at the enquiry counter and learned that it was not Pick n Pay who does the delivery but they work with a company called Aramex. I was directed to the Smart Zone and there, I was very promptly, sold a R99 courier packet.
The transaction went through quicker than I would have liked. I filled in the waybill, of which I kept the top copy which included the tracking number…
I was sending a piece of electronic equipment and should have spent a little more time securing it in bubble wrap. While it was secure in a box, I was concerned that it would get crushed en route and then cost me a few thousand rand to replace. They had special comments and in that I put “Handle with care”. I guess I was hopeful this would be read. Once sealed, there is a large red box into which you drop package. I was told it should arrive at its destination within 72 hours. As I walked away, I was more and more concerned that I hadn’t packaged it properly. Just “dropping” it in the box worried me…I put my arm right down the entry hole, stretching as far as I could so it didn’t drop too far. How do you not worry about a tablet in a little box, with no other packaging that you have just sent (with no insurance) across the country? I prayed! I sent Stacey a message and told her it should arrive by Thursday (that’s tomorrow). Imagine my surprise when I received a whatsapp from Stace this morning with this picture attached…it arrived safe and sound and started with no problem…all well with the R99 courier service….if there is another next time, I’ll be a bit more thoughtful, however, about packaging and insurance.
Anyway, the whole reason for this blog is to let you know that there is a useful courier service in your local Pick n Pay…and I didn’t get paid to say it…
Ha. So I googled “Couriers in the Bible.” They are there, in several places. Way back when Hezekiah sent the call out for all of God’s people to celebrate the Passover, couriers were used.
2 Chronicles 30:6
“At the king’s command, couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and from his officials, which read: “People of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, that He may return to you who are left, who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.”
It’s a good message and one we can all take note of today: return to the Lord.
Keep the smile going!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂