DHL is a worldwide shipping and logistics company which delivers packages with speed and efficiency. However, when it comes to Guyana, the general incompetence and airheadedness existing across the country takes over – making it difficult for people to do business with Guyana in general, and serving as a strong deterrent to progress in the country. This incompetence is replicated in various sectors across the country keeping Guyana in the stone ages while other countries keep advancing at the speed of light.
To put this into perspective, I’d like to describe my experience in shipping a package from Brazil to Guyana via DHL. I made this shipment on the 29th of September, 2022. Prior to this, I had shipped two similar packages via DHL to the United States – both of which arrived at the recipient’s door within six days of shipping.
DHL picked up my package destined for Georgetown on the 29th of September, 2022. Within twenty hours, the accompanying documents were verified and certified and the package started its transition to Guyana. DHL moved the package from Brazil to Panama to Trinidad in the span of just 4 days. And on day six, the package arrived in Georgetown. That’s where incompetence, ineptitude, and general brain fog took over – where it is the order of the day.
On the 6th of October, 2022, DHL informed the client that a package has arrived in his name, but that it has been detained by Customs for payment of duty. They gave the client two options: instruct DHL to pay the duty and deliver or come to Georgetown and take over the clearance. The customer opted to let DHL clear the taxes and deliver to his home. It has been more than ten days and DHL cannot deliver the package to date.
I called DHL this morning and asked them what is the position with the package. I supplied them with the tracking number. The person at the other end said she does not know when the package will be delivered, but that it will be after Friday, 21st of October, 2022 because they only do deliveries on Saturdays. Two Saturdays have already passed since the package has been sitting at the office of DHL Georgetown, and they are unable to deliver it – a package which transited three countries in six days.
