www.CostaRicaTicas.com

On November 4th I received three e-mails from Aerocasillas informing me that Customs was holding my shipment of prescription drugs and I needed to supply paperwork to get my meds released. Confusing as I have been receiving prescriptions through Aerocasillas for more than three years with no problems. Adding to the mystery is that I can buy this medication in any farmacia in Costa Rica no prescription needed. I have a prescription plan in USA with Medco so it saves money to go through them.
So I call the Aerocasillas office by ARCR in San Jose. They say they need the invoice. I don't have it...it's on the package. I could access Medco website for the invoice but I don't have a printer. Then I am told I can do this at another location so I go to Aerocasillas location at plaza del Este Alajuela where I access Medco website, print out an invoice and an employee there made a copy of my cedula. They told me it would take 7 to 10 days and they would call me.
Two weeks later I go back to that location to find out they did not have my meds and there are "problems".
Now I have to go to Aerocasillas office in San Jose by ARCR.
This office gives me some papers and advises me I need to visit a gov't. office to get a form that will cost 1500 Colones. Luckily this office is located between ARCR and the bus stop. I wait in line for 25 minutes, pay my 1500 Colones and get a form with four copies.
Aerocasillas employ had told me that I needed to take all paperwork to the Almacen Fiscal office behind Mall Cariari on the road to Heredia. Next day I get lucky as a friend with a car offers to take me there. We didn't find it at first so I called Aerocasillas office to ask for better directions only to find out that this Aerocasillas employee had never been there but it is supposed to be right there somewhere. Not wanting to impose on my friend I called off the search, treated him to lunch and returned home. That evening I post to CRL asking help in finding this Almacen Fiscal office and I got some useful replies so the next day I set out again. Off the bus and trying to cross the busy street behind the Mall, I walk to the first Almacen Fiscal I see and start asking.
No, not here, but maybe another Almacen Fiscal 200 meters away. No luck there either but I saw yet another sign for Almacen fiscal so I am asking again. Wrong place but at least an employee there pointed out that I needed to go to the Aerocasillas Almacen fiscal down the road about a kilometer, maybe more. So I am walking down the one-way street toward Aurora and remembering seeing warehouses on the left side of the road the day before so when I see yet another Almacen fiscal sign I am asking again. Wrong place but an employee there tells me he is pretty sure the Almacen fiscal I am looking for is located behind Plaza Rubi and points the direction. Yes, I walked all the way around as you would drive. Approaching Plaza Rubi I see a sign for Aerocasillas! Joy! I go in the office and present my paperwork which gets passed around to several different employees before they tell me they do not have my meds and offer little help but a security guard there
spoke a little English and he directed me to the Aerocasillas Almacen Fiscal located behind Plaza Rubi. It was a beautiful sight. Nice and new and clean and modern but hey it's now approaching 5:00 pm so I hope they're still open! They are open. They close at 8:00 pm. Goody!
So I present my papers (now about 12 pages) and watch the usual "hot potato" scenario as my papers get passed among four or five employees and then the reply. You have to present these papers to Stephanie in the front office but she left at 4:00 pm. She is there from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. So I walk down the hill to get on a standing room only bus and get home at 6:30 pm.
Next day I wait until 1:00 pm to leave hoping that Stephanie's lunch hour has passed. Lucky me. I finally know where I am going and Stephanie only has one customer ahead of me. Fifteen minutes later I am in Stephanies office feeling good that I will finally be getting my meds. Stephanie has an office to herself complete with air conditioning, mini 'fridge and a wall mounted flat screen TV tuned to soap operas.
After some considerable time spent on the computer Stephanie hands my papers to me and directs me to a window where there are three employees. I present my papers to them feeling really good about Finally grtting my meds! After the "hot potato" ritual of passing the papaers among themselves and more punching at their computer keyboard the one girl gets a sheepish look and I feel my satisified smile leave my face. "I'm sorry, but you are not in the system. You will have to go to the Almacen fiscal by the airport. And you will need to have a copy of your ID there." I glance over at their copier hoping they would offer to make a copy for me but no offer. Oh crap. I somehow remain calm. It's now about 3:30. I walk to Mall Cariari and start asking for a store in the mall which makes copies. I am directed to the store which sells electronics, curling irons and hair extensions and they also make copies. I got two copies made. With my now fourteen pages of
paperwork I board the bus to the airport. At the airport I start asking where I need to be. Luckily the third person I asked gestured to a road running along the edge of airport property and says one kilometer. Hey. This is the place Bernie had responded about on CRL. I walk to the office. Wrong one.Try another office. Almost...I need to be next door. Go next door to find they closed at 4:00 pm.
Next day I take a bus to the airport, walk the kilometer again to the correct office, and after a twenty minute wait I find out I am in the right building, wrong window. Go to correct window, present my papers and the guy takes the copy of my ID and disappears for a few minutes. He returned and hit a few keys at his computer and says "listo" Back to the airport I go. I get a bus to San Jose. I get off at Cariari utilizing the elevated crosswalk to cross the pista and continue walking to Almacen fiscal Aerocasillas behind Plaza Rubi. Once again I am referred to Stephanie. She looks surprised to see me again until I explain I wasn't in the system but I surely hoped I was in now. She starts typing again and after a few minutes her printer spits out a form in quadruplicate. I'm thinking I have finally achieved success. Wrong! This new form has to be presented at a Banco Costa Rica to facilitate a 614 Colones payment to Customs. I start wondering why this
"pay at BCR" form didn't show up yesterday when I was there. "Don't look for logic" I remind myself as I walk back to Mall Cariari, locate BCR and pay my 614 Colones. I get the forms duly rubber stamped and I'm off again walking back to Plaza Rubi wondering just how many times one can cross that road behind the mall without getting run over. Back to Stephanie and then back to the other window. Get a form with rubber stamp and go to other end of the building where I Finally get my meds!
I'm thinking that since I recently got a PO Box I can just drop Aerocasillas and their helpful employees.
Also I will be seeing a Caja doctor to get my next refill from the Caja pharmacy.
I am glad that Customs got their 614 Colones. They will need it to buy paper and filing cabinets and rubber stamps. Pura D*** Vida!