Criticism Through Creation: Trinidad and Tobago, Squaring Off E Couriers Ltd against TTPost.

I walked down to one of the main thoroughfares in San Fernando this morning to pick up a few things I needed, and saw something which caught my eye and made me happy, angry, and sad - all at the same time. The resulting emotion was disgust, but it the disgust is not focused on any one company but a culture, infrastructure and mindset which makes these things possible.

And the really sad part is that I'm probably going to give a company business by linking to it, though I find it revolting that it exists. Bear in mind, I don't have any problems with the company itself - it's the fact that it found a niche where there shouldn't be one, but I admire the fact that they do exist. 'Criticize by creating', said Michelangelo, and in it's own way this company is doing just that.

The company is E Couriers Limited.

I'd seen the company advertising before in MovieTowne when I was in North Trinidad on one of my excursions. I grabbed some information, but never had the opportunity to follow up on it. When I saw one of the vehicles on Royal Road, I snapped the picture as a reminder to myself to look into it. I did.

The business itself is designed around service, which in itself is a good thing because it allows a level of service which should compete with existing agencies. E Couriers Limited identified a market, they got the money and they appear to have spent it wisely. They import magazines, books from Amazon.com, and so on. They deliver, and they charge for a service - which is well and good. I appreciate that, I respect that, and I admire that.

What I don't like is the fact that regular mail and bank transactions are so handicapped that such a thing is needed. Perhaps it's a move to privatize mail. I don't know. What I do know is that in adding this 'service', there's an extreme criticism of the ability of people from Trinidad and Tobago to order things online using their own credit cards and publicly available mail. In the case of the Amazon.com association, guess what? They send people through their own associate link and apparently get commissions on sales from Amazon.com as well through orders. That's good business. Sales and Service, centralized because the infrastructure of Trinidad and Tobago is severely handicapped when it comes to such things.

First there was the circumvention of shipping costs by using a Skybox. Now this. Is it good that it exists? In lieu of an infrastructure that supports this, yes.

So I admire E Couriers Limited in doing something about one of the most glaring problems that I hear about. And yet, I've never experienced the problem. Thus, I have to do an experiment.

Comparison

Now, I have never ordered a book from Amazon myself directly (most books come for review to me), but I decided to try a bit of a comparison. Thus, I have ordered Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From The Beaten Track: The Letters Of Richard P. Feynman directly from Amazon.com with a distinct advantage - I used my U.S. based bank account checking Visa card.

These were my shipping options to Trinidad and Tobago with the bottom line.

---Lowest Cost, 13-21 days---
Items: $16.38
Shipping & Handling: $12.98

Total Before Tax: $29.36
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $29.36

---Middle Cost, 7-11 days---
Items: $16.38
Shipping & Handling: $17.98

Total Before Tax: $34.36
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $34.36

---Highest Cost, International Courier; 2-6 days ---

Items: $16.38
Shipping & Handling: $36.98

Total Before Tax: $53.36
Estimated Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $53.36

I chose the Middle cost. Let's see if it shows up in 7-11 days through regular Trinidad and Tobago mail, TTPost. The odds are against it because of customs, I'm sure, but the clock started at 12:22 p.m. on 4/18/2006. I'll update the status through comments; Amazon should say that the order has been shipped within 24 hours.

The Flip Side of the Comparison

Once I find another book to order, I'll try the E Courier Ltd. Service and compare the direct purchase and purchasing through them. I'll post when I do the order, which I will make with local funds if possible, and see what happens.

It should be interesting to see what happens. Whichever gets me the best value for my money will handle my business for a while, and will display a criticism of the competition. '

The game has begun. ;-)