Caution LaConexion

[grumbalina]

I just wanted to warn anyone thinking of signing up for services at LaConexion. I signed up at the beginning of the month and I have yet to hear from anyone at the company. I live in GTO, so I can't visit the office in San Miguel, but I've tried to contact them several times. Luckily, you pay for their services through PayPal, and I've opened up a dispute with PayPal. The LaConexion website was down for about two weeks, and I contacted them in that time to ask if they were still operating. I never heard back, but when their website went live again, I thought they were back in business and signed up for a mailbox. I never heard anything back from them, and I think the website might be operating fraudulently.

[mr bill]

I just tested four links from Google to la Conexcion and they all brought up live pages. This of course can not speak for their response to any enquiry. They state that they have been in business since 1991 - 23 years so why not spend a dime/peso and call them? 415-150-0208 and report back.

Personally for la Conexcion's basic US$220 year fee and not even being here in GTO I don't see any value. I have never been disappointed in Correos de Mexico for transmital or reception of mail in almost 20 years here -its slow 10-14 days but it does arrive here/get delivered there. I've had the same mailman all this time who rings the bell when he delivers [only once] and on one occassion when my sister sent a monetary gift to my son that was very late the damaged package which eventually came was sealed in plastic wrap with a note-"we didn't do it"- and all the cash was inside.

I think the carpy Gringo distrust of Correos is way overblown and a borders on an overall discriminatory view of the country while relishing in its low cost and other benefits -we're in Mexico -deal with it.

[peddler665]

Bill.
That's a San Francisco # but it is non working as I tried it twice. So sounds like this may be a rip off.

[colleen]

Several years ago I had La Conexion in my bookstore, Donkey Jote. Susan agreed that after 3 months, either of us could end the relationship. I packed up her stuff and told her to come and get it. I was very glad that I had not offered a service to students here from the US and the Mexican students in the US. I had contemplated it and it would have been a horror. An American family ordered all kinds of stuff for their kids from Santa for Xmas, but Susan couldn't get her very cheap rates for shipping so the stuff didn't arrive on time. Just horrible. This was during the time that she was being super successful in SMA. She talked a good deal, but wouldn't follow thru once she had the $ and never responded to complaints. Well, she responded in one way. She would do something really awful to your stuff, maybe increase the supposed aduana taxes. One person from Gto complained, rightfully, and she made sure that he never received some very important documents, I think for taxes, and it caused him a very bad time.

I noticed that her big place on the outskirts of SMA was closed and thought maybe they caught her for the importation of drugs. Then I figured she just sold the place, pocketed the $ and moved to a smaller place. I'd suggest going on the San Miguel list, I don't remember what it is called. There would be info there from people who live there and have accounts. I'm glad there is a possibility of getting the $ back from PayPal. Even if you never get the $ back, you will have saved alot of her fake aduana charges.

[doncoulter]

The grumbling about La Conexión is getting out of hand.

In the first post on this thread, the writer states, "I live in GTO, so I can't visit the office in San Miguel...." Does that make any sense at all? I also live in Gto, and I could easily visit the office in San Miguel. Complete non sequitur. Further, if you "can't visit" San Miguel, why on earth would you want your mail to be sent there? And like Mr Bill, I'm puzzled that the writer hasn't attempted to phone La Conexión.

Speaking of phoning, the phone number given by Mr Bill, 415-150-0208, is in fact the number for La Conexión. Another writer claims it's a San Francisco number. Both the United States and Mexico have hundreds of telephone area codes. Try not to get confused by the fact that the three digits that denote a Mexican area code may also denote a U.S. area code.

As Mr Bill states, La Conexión has been in business for 23 years. It has six locations in San Miguel and hundreds, if not thousands, of customers. Some of those customers are not entirely happy with the service, but Susan Sargeant, the owner, must be doing something right. As Colleen mentions, you can find complaints about the service on the Civil_SMA forum. However, every time someone complains, many more jump to La Conexión's defense. The implication that Susan has been illegally importing drugs is not backed up by evidence and is probably libelous.

I had an account with La Conexión twenty years ago. I never had a problem with the service, but I soon decided I didn't need it. As Mr Bill says, the Mexican post office is good enough most of the time. Still, if anyone in Guanajuato thinks he or she needs a service such as La Conexíon and is willing to make the trek to SMA, I see no reason, despite occasional complaints, not to recommend it.

Don

[colleen]

I wouldn't want to state anything libelous, of course. Drugs, ie, medicine and natural health products, not illegal drugs are what I was talking about. She always had a sign saying that they could not accept delivery of any of these types of medicine. And then when I picked up a delivery for a friend who had ordered some kind of medicine, I was asked what I thought the value might be and the guy then multiplied that times whatever and that was the supposed aduana. He was standing right next to the sign. Then I think the govmt might have gotten serious about enforcing that ban and, according to my friend, she couldn't get her medicine delivered there and pays a large amt of $ to use another service that has permission to import that stuff.

[Lisa Andrews]

Is this just a way to get stuff sent over the border? I have so far had zero success with normal mail, have been waiting for 4 different packages/letters to different addresses including a work one, for over 6 weeks so I'm assuming lost in transit. Fedex and DHL have been the only places that work and I have used an American based company (Comegateway) to get stuff sent to who then forward it by courier, it's free to use and you just have to pay for postage which can be high (and the import taxes which can be even higher) but there is no other fees if you don't get much sent :) sounds like paying for a box for a year and then for every delivery is an expensive option??

[peddler665]

You may be right Don. I "assumed" that it was a US/San Francisco number but have no knowledge it is. So I do apologize.

[grumbalina]

I feel awful that I never replied back to this thread! I purchased a mailbox through La Connexion and I never heard back from anyone in their company. I only stated that couldn't get to the main office because I work full time and couldn't get to SMA easily. After hearing nothing from the company for several weeks, I filed a report with paypal and got my money back. I really wanted the service to work out because I needed certain veterinary items shipped to me. Sorry if I stirred up trouble -- I was just trying to warn other people who might be thinking about purchasing their services.

[raquelita]

I use a different SMA mailing service SOLUTIONS as a general delivery customer (meaning no annual fee). It's worked well for me as a way to get packages. You can google for more info.

Through the Mexican mail, I receive only about 50% of the quarterly magazine sent to me and the two times I ordered books I did not receive them. As far as I know letter-sized mail does come through.