Delayed balikbayan box irks Dubai expat
Cargo forwarding company says port congestion in Manila causing delays
By Irene Arsenia, Staff Reporter
DUBAI - It has been nearly 70 days since Filipino expat Joyce (real name withheld) sent a balikbayan box through the Dubai office of a popular freight forwarding company, but as of Friday, the box was still not delivered to the intended recipient in the Philippines.
“My box was picked up on September 7 and I was assured that it would be delivered on or before October 20, which meant a 45-day grace period. Today is the 69th day and my family in Cebu City still haven’t received the box,” she told PilipinasToday.Net.
Joyce said that on her first follow-up call to the company she was told that there was a delay in the departure of the ship from the UAE port, and that when the ship arrived in the Philippines, there were further delays due to port congestion in Manila and Cagayan.
“They told me it should be delivered this week, but still that’s more than two months longer than promised,” she said. “I was going to send one more box in time for the holidays, but I can imagine there will be even more congestion, so I’d rather not."
When PilipinasToday.Net called the company on Friday to enquire about the delayed cargo, the customer service representative admitted that there was a delay in the arrival of their vessel in the UAE and that the ship only left the UAE port on September 19. The customer service representative said further port congestion in Manila and Cagayan caused additional delays and that as a precaution they are now advising customers about the problem.
Related story: Guide to balikbayan boxes
