Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: On Dec. 21, I sent a parcel post package from Tennessee to a friend in Kahuku. It had not arrived as of Jan. 10. The package was sent to a box number at the Kahuku Post Office and insured. This combination was supposed to make sure the package would be securely delivered. My friend says that the Honolulu Post Office was robbed over the holidays by thieves who cut through a fence and stole packages that were stored temporarily outside. Can you confirm this? The post office cannot trace the package by the insurance number, so I am left with filing a claim, which is a long process. Any advice or information you can provide would be appreciated. Mail sent by
parcel post involves
a 1-month waitAnswer: If you sent the package by parcel post, which is surface mail, it's too early to be filing any kind of claim.
The average delivery time for parcel post is four to five weeks, said U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Felice Broglio.
You should start worrying if your friend doesn't receive the package by Jan. 25 or so.
Regarding filing a claim, Broglio said there is a waiting period for insured items. "But definitely (a claimant) would be reimbursed if in fact the package doesn't show up after the waiting period," she said.
As far as the possibility of your package being stolen, Broglio said it would not have been among the items stored recently under a temporary tent at the airport post office.
At this point, postal inspectors are still investigating a hole cut in the fence near the area where mail to Guam was stored, but they have not yet confirmed that any mail was stolen, she said.
(Mail to Guam goes out only three times a week.)
Q: Right after Thanksgiving, I noticed a little streamlet running again across the Kailua-bound lanes of the Pali Highway, on the Kailua side of the tunnels. According to a "Kokua Line" item during the summer, I thought they had resolved the problem. What's up?
A: You must have noticed that the "streamlet" was taken care of shortly after you contacted us.
"It's a recurring problem" of debris falling into a ditch and blocking drainage, said Martin Okabe, chief of the Oahu District Office of the state Department of Transportation's Highways Division. "Our crews went out and cleared out the debris in early December. We've checked the area since and it's no problem," he said last week.
"We appreciate everybody's call because we can't be in all places all of the time."
Mahalo
To the person who found my son's cellular phone. On New Year's Eve, we went to City Mill at the Mililani Town Center. Upon leaving, my son realized that he didn't have his brand-new cell phone. We searched the area and the store, but no phone. I left my name and number with the store, then went home, searched for the phone, retraced our path back to the shopping center, and still no phone. But after a few hours, we got a phone call -- someone had found the phone! We don't have his name, but I would like to say thank you to him. There are a lot of very warm people here in Hawaii. -- Grateful Mililani Family
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com