Everybody knows what LBC does and how trustworthy they are when it comes to courier services, which…read moreis probably why they have a branch at every corner in the metro, and (at least) one in every province. That is also the reason why they are swarmed with loyal customers in each of their branches. I hate going for LBC errands because waiting for my turn takes so much time. But when nobody else is available and our deliveries (for business) need to arrive to a certain location the next day, I brave the queues and go to the LBC branch (we only trust the deliveries of our items to LBC) in SM Southmall, since it's the one closest to our house. As expected, the queues are usually long. But this branch is quite impressive because transactions are quick, or quicker than you would expect. The people on the counters were also polite and approachable. I had several inquiries regarding their services, and they willingly answered my questions.

I flew all the way from Phoenix to the Philippines with 130 lbs worth of luggage. By the time I…read morearrived in Manila after 21 hours of travel my back already had a personality of its own and would have killed me if it could. Of course, the things I brought home wasn't all mine. Most were "padala" from my mother's Filipino employees and they had asked me to send it over to the province for their families once I reached home. A particular item that I had to send was a tablet and it was to be shipped all the way to Davao. And of course, I chose LBC as the courier. LBC has always been reliable through the years. I've never had a bad experience here. Everything is done so efficiently that I never have to worry about my item never reaching its destination. The Alabang Town Center branch made the experience so easy for me that I actually threw away the receipt as soon as I left the place. (Yes, I was that trusting) Great branch, easy to find and no long lines. Kudos!

The Powerplant branch lost our custom suit and does not have the urgency to find it and offer…read morecompensation. This is the first time for us to try their dry cleaning service and it's truly disappointing. Will make sure to warn everyone about the poor service.

Bravo Au Beau Blanc! I just received a check fully reimbursing the value me of my damaged pair of…read more pants. Management asked me to write a letter and send pictures of the damaged garment. They were receptive and understanding....Thank you very much Beau Blanc! This is customer service at its best!

If you're still into sending hand written letters to your boyfriend or girlfriend, then this is one…read moreof the places in Makati you can drop that letter off at. If you're sending a postcard, the last time, it cost me Php20. It's more expensive by a few pesos, but at least you don't have to go to the post office and it's a lot cheaper than sending it by LBC. It just takes a bit longer to receive the postcard though. This little stall can also make photocopies of your documents. You don't also have to deal with the long lines 'cause few people come here. Sometimes, I'm in a rush and I'm too lazy to buy load in cards where I have to scratch of the protective covering to reveal some numbers. When I'm that lazy, I pass by this shop, tell them how much I need and the lady sends me the load.

In the presence of digital technology, most people no longer have use for postal services. With…read morejust a click of the mouse or tap on the screen, you can easily send your messages via instant messaging or text in a flash. However, there are still instances where you absolutely need to go to the postal office. For instance, if you need to send a registered mail for official documents, only PhilPost can provide you with such service. It's safe to say that at least once in your life, you will need Mr. Postman. And when you do, you really don't have to go to main offices like the Makati Central Post Office if you want to send a letter or a package. When in Makati CBD, you can head to the Mail Station kiosk in Greenbelt 1 and they will do all the legwork for you. This booth, sitting near the up-escalator behind the movie ticketing section, can process and send letters and packages via PhilPost, 2GO, and other private mail courier services to any point in the Philippines and the world. If you are wary and unsure about Mail Station's mail delivery system, then you can use their other service which is mobile phone reloading. They offer various load cards and even pasaload.

In a world where we want everything fast, people rely on couriers that do same-day or overnight…read moreshipping. But there's still room for some reliable companies like Daily Overland, a freight-forwarding company that ships to Manila and most areas in the Bicol region. My mom is a suki of this company because Bicol is our hometown. She buys most of our appliances in Legazpi (I know, it sounds odd), the big ones and haves it shipped here through Daily Overland. And when we would go to the province for a vacation (three days or more), she would put some of our things like toiletries, extra clothes and food in a big box and ships it to Bicol three days before we leave Manila and the box would arrive there just in time. That way, we have all the stuff we need, but don't pay for excess baggage at the airport. She's good, right? My mom's been trusting Daily Overland with our things for several years now, and we have never encountered any loss or damage in our properties. No delays either. The shipping fee is quite cheap too. The only downside is they don't do pickup or delivery in this part of Manila, so we have to ask our driver to bring or pick up the stuff to their office in Malate.

Upshift Express is undoubtedly for me the best courier service in all of the metro. First of all,…read moreit is the least expensive one that I know of. P40 per shipment for their small bag, and everything I've ever shipped has fit in that thing. Pickup of the item is absolutely free, and neither is there any minimum required. In other words, there are no hidden or extra charges. Your item gets delivered the next day to the receiver. I'm really happy to have discovered Upshift Express and they have made my life more convenient and efficient. More power.

Upshift Express was reliable not until this past transactions I had with them.. i booked for same…read moreday delivery And asked me to pay P150 but they delivered it the next day which only cost P80..No refund happened.. And last week I booked for cash on delivery, they say you'll get the money they collected from your client the next business day but until now I still havent received any single payment from the 2 transactions of COD's.. They erased the comment I left on their instagram account and I saw one complaining on their fb account that she havent received the payment as well for COD dated aug 11,2015.. I texted them several times for follolw ups and got this msg saying they already deposited the money, but when I checked my bank account theres no log/deposit received from Upshift.

Netopia is one of the more reliable internet cafes in Metro Manila. This is probably the main…read morereason why they grew so fast and can now be found in most Ayala and SM malls. When I say reliable, of course I am referring to internet speed and connectivity. If you need to do basic internet surfing they are able to connect you to apps and sites like Google for search, Skype for communication and Facebook and Twitter for social media and many more. I often go here for my printing and copy needs. They provide the basic services of black & white and colored printing. They also do photo printing and business card printing (which includes the cutting service already) for a decent price. Of course there are units for gaming as well but I love that most people who come here use the place for their business needs so its pretty quiet most of the time.

I try really hard at being an adult, I really do. I even pay my bills on time and make sure I'm not…read morein any debt. But sometimes, I get caught up with life, and I end up not missing my Meralco due date. So I had to pay it as soon as I could at the nearest place, which is LBC in Philcoa. PROS: LBC has cargo and courier service, bills payment, and remittance services. It's pretty helpful for a lot of Manila residents who have families or loved ones abroad or outside of Metro Manila; They're staff's pretty patient when it comes to dealing with customers. CONS: Being located in Philcoa, they usually have long lines and lots of customers. You have to wait for almost an hour even if you're just going to pay one utility bill; Their air conditioner's broken and it was a literal hell inside. I fell in line and waited for 30 minutes but I couldn't take it anymore so I had to leave. TL;DR: There are lots of other establishments that can provide the same services as LBC, but this one's pretty accessible for a lot of people.