Small appliances and parts: I have had good luck on most any small appli-
ance parts and repairs at Camacho on Zaragosa. It is on the north side of the
street, just east of Aquiles Serdan.
My friends Herman Heynen and Diane Hulen highly recommend a small
repair shop at Benito Juárez #916, just across from Miguel Alemán. He has a
Samsung banner hanging outside the shop. They had their microwave ovens
repaired there. The owner's name is Jesús Osuna and his phone number is 982-
2978.
A good technician repaired Sophia's microwave oven on two occasions and
also repairs TVs. Call him before 10 a.m. at 983-3525. He does not speak
English.
For TV repair, Lani Wooll recommends Ivy's on Benito Juárez, between
Zaragoza and the Malecón. They also repair other small appliances. They are
willing to give you a free estimate prior to doing the job.
For a gas-stove repairman call Tecnico del Hogar at 982-2253. Yes, they do
make house calls.
Locksmith: If you lock yourself out of your home or simply need more
copies of keys, go see Moises. The little shop is located on Camarón Sábalo,
across from Subway in the Golden Zone. He is an excellent lock picker. I know
quite well as he has opened doors in my home twice! He speaks some English
and rates are excellent. You can call him on his cell at 044 669 931-8971.
Mail
Mexican mail service is not only slow, but also unreliable. For every good
experience story I've heard about mail delivery, I've heard 100 bad ones. I
would not recommend using the Mexican mail system. Especially do not use
them to pay your utility bills.
Post offices: If you have no other choice than to use a Mexican post office,
the main post office is located near the Cathedral downtown. There is at least
one smaller post office in the Central Camionera (main bus depot) and there
used to be one in Colonia Juarez as well. There is also a small telegraph office
at Central Camionera.
Post @ Ship: Formerly known as Mailboxes, Etc. is located at Camarón
Sábalo #202-4, across from VIPs Restaurant, in the Golden Zone. I used
Mailboxes, Etc. for one year, and found the mail delivery system to be both
slow and unpredictable. My friends have told me that they had the same expe-
rience during 2002-2003. I have found their shipping service to be reliable but
pricey. To date, I have no knowledge of the efficiency of Post @ Ship. They can
be telephoned at 916-4010.
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Char les A. Hall