Panama - A Long Series of Frustrating Events

I ordered the $1200 part from Rubber Side Up in Texas and it arrived in just over two weeks. I discovered that Panama does not deliver mail, nor do they have signs on their many postal buildings scattered around the city. It took me five days to actually locate the part once it arrived in Panama. I found the building to collect it and was directed to a customs officer. In Spanish he was telling me there were fees for importing a part. I asked how much. He took a piece of paper and wrote six lines of fees and their subsequent cost. $116!! The part was listed as $400 in value.

‘That’s more than quarter of the value’ I argued.

‘Ok, ok, just wait. Tranquilo.’

He walked back into his office for a minute then arrived with a new figure…$80.

 Ok now I could see the game. I would expect to pay maybe $20-25 for a tax but this was to line a corrupt official's pocket. I offered to pay by credit card. No, no cash only was the expected response. I opened my wallet and I had $40. I offered him that and he took it immediately with a smile and a handshake! Part in hand I arrived at Bavarian motors and happily handed it over to Hector and now Ziggy would be ready by the end of the week.

Two days later I received an email from Arturo. The part I ordered was faulty. I had to send it back and buy a new one. My only option was to have them order the part from Germany, but I had already lost three weeks. 

I decided to walk to Bavarian Motors to think about the situation. On the way I happened across a Husqvarna dealer with some high brand motorcycle apparel. I stopped in and spoke with Gus, the mechanic, who struck me with his knowledge of my bike and had come across the problem I had. After discussion he told me he could get the part from the USA in 6 days. He would order the part, have it delivered to his courier company in Miami and three days later it would be here. Not only that, he would order it under his name and get his discount so the new part would cost just over $2000 plus delivery, $1000 cheaper than my other option.

 I packed the other part up for shipping back to the USA, and good to their word, Rubber Side Up refunded me in full. The part through Gus was going to be my better option, 6 days versus 4 weeks, so I ordered it through Gus. 4 weeks later the part arrived, on Christmas Eve.

I can’t even start to explain the ups and downs of frustration getting told about delay after delay. The part travelled from the warehouse to the distributor in 10 days, not three. Then the distributor wanted $885 to deliver it. Pure robbery. They sat on it for over a week. Gus was giving me little information, telling me it was happening. Finally I stepped in and demanded the name and numbers of all these companies. I contacted a friend in Miami who pushed from that side. We eventually had it transferred to another Miami distributor…3 days…who had it to me in another week and a bit, at $35.

 I handed the new part to Hector on the morning of 24th December, but he had other jobs booked for the day. He said he would work on it on Friday, test it on Saturday and I could collect it on Monday. He surprised me by working and testing the bike on Friday and gave me a call Friday afternoon that I could collect the bike on Saturday. 

I couldn’t believe it! I went in early and for the first time in 7 weeks and three days I rode Ziggy out of the workshop and back to the hostel.