For two years now I have failed to receive a Christmas package from my family due to the entity of unnecessary requirements, aka Spanish customs. Last year, I didn’t even have a chance. You’re supposed to receive a letter in the mail which is then supposed to give you instructions on how to obtain your package; I never got the letter thus making it almost impossible for me to receive the package. Calling doesn’t help because nobody has any answers, yet they are quick to transfer you to somebody that may. If you have to result to calling to find information, know, that the battle is already lost; you have a higher chance of finding a four-leaf clover in a pumpkin patch.
Since last year I never received any sort of letter in the mail, you can imagine how excited I was this year to find that letter in my mailbox. Naively, I thought the letter meant that my package was here, in Jerez! but my hopes were crushed when I found out it was still in Madrid, in customs, and, I had to submit 5 documents over the internet. The first document was the notice of arrival, okay, easy enough I got that in the mail; the second, was the documentation of use and destination, not too bad, it’s kind of expected but my parents had already filled out a bunch of paperwork on what’s in it The third document was a photocopy of my DNI, easy enough; the fourth and fifth were the two I had the most difficulty with because they didn’t accept what I sent them the first couple of times and by the time they did, it was too late, my package was taking the journey back home. They wanted a receipt-like list with each item and its price; each time I submitted something it was denied. The last thing they wanted was documentation of buying the items (documentacion de compra); a ridiculous thing to ask for since it is a package being sent and my parents had already filled out all this information when they sent the package-redundancy at its finest.
Two years, two packages never received by me; Spanish customs on the other hand is 2 for 2. But do not worry, my package has safely arrived to its home in NY and awaits my return in June.
Another year, another Christmas in June.
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