Exorbitant postal charges

Exorbitant postal charges

From Koran Tempo

I have been a customer of the country's postal service for a long time and very often use the regular postal service to send packages from Jakarta to Sampit, Central Kalimantan.

I was really surprised to learn that the regular charges had been increased on Feb. 1, 2002. For the first three kilograms of a package dispatched, the cost has risen from Rp 9,600 to Rp 25,200 and each kilogram thereafter costs Rp 8,400, a jump from the previous level of Rp 2,700.

The hike is highly inappropriate and unreasonable. As an example, if the weight of the item dispatched is about seven kilos, the charge, without calculating the insurance and the value of the item, is Rp 58,800. Meanwhile, if you use special express service by air, the charge is only Rp 58,000.

That is really strange. How can a regular service cost more than a special express service? I call on the Indonesian postal service to clarify the matter as the hike in charges has severely disadvantaged me, and, perhaps, other postal service users too.

DODI KURNAEDI

Jakarta