SHIPPING
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@Finkster that's great news, thanks
Interlink/DPD seems to be working well for most people (and remember, you can always request UPS if preferred)
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After many years of excellent experience with DPD, I had one less excellent experience today: although I waited for delivery at home using the live-tracking, the guy didn't bell, didn't leave any notice and drove straight to a parcelshop. I wonder why? I hope it was a solitary case. The item is superb though :).
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@den213 how annoying, but I'm glad you were pleased when you finally received the jacket.
UPS are in our bad books today - Axel, Matt and Sam worked bloody hard (again) to get as many orders checked, packed and shipped as possible - and then the relief UPS driver didn't show up! When we spoke to our UPS account manager around 6pm he said the driver had turned up just after 5pm and the office was closed! Yeah, really - 5 of us were there with a bloody great motorbike parked outside and a big sign saying "We're Open - Come In" on the door! So all today's UPS shipments will be delayed by minimum half a day as they're not picking up till the morning (sorry).
Grrrrr!
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Sorry to hear about that funny UPS driver
UPS should offer you for this mistake for all today shipments express shipping for free…
btw.: made a walk yesterday and saw a stopped DPD-Truck with open backdoors while the driver sorts the parcels... I´m glad you´re not selling fragile goods
Normally the trucks i´ve seen from the inside like UPS/DHL has shelfs/racks to sort the parcels and keep them save while driving, but the DPD-Trucks didn´t have that :-\ -
@den213:
I had one less excellent experience today: although I waited for delivery at home using the live-tracking, the guy didn't bell, didn't leave any notice and drove straight to a parcelshop.
I had exactly this experience, several times with UPS, in the last months
Meanwhile - I mistrusting ALL the parcel companies - It's a game! .. and your only options are crossing fingers and praying. :-\
@Madame:
UPS are in our bad books today - Axel, Matt and Sam worked bloody hard (again) to get as many orders checked, packed and shipped as possible - and then the relief UPS driver didn't show up! When we spoke to our UPS account manager around 6pm he said the driver had turned up just after 5pm and the office was closed! Yeah, really - 5 of us were there with a bloody great motorbike parked outside and a big sign saying "We're Open - Come In" on the door! So all today's UPS shipments will be delayed by minimum half a day as they're not picking up till the morning (sorry).
That's another 'generic' story ::)
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I recently ordered some books off Amazon, and they're being shipped to Oz by UPS.
The stalker-like Google Now app has picked up on this, and has a card allowing me to click through to the tracking page, along with the details of who set it and what it contains.
If you're married, I'd suggest not sharing your Android phone with your other half: "Darling, you said that you weren't buying anything else from Iron Heart, and there's a package with three UHFs and a pair of Wescos in it."
I don't know if Siri has learnt this trick yet. Since most people here are Apple users, you're probably safe.
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I have ordered from many places around the world, most likely have most of you. UPS is by far the worst with keeping boxes in almost original shape. FedEx isn't too bad, no where near UPS. USPS does a pretty darn good job IMO, as well as fast, affordable and 98% reliable with tracking.
Of all companies, I think Japan Post/EMS is superb. Always on time, very fast for continental shipping, trackable, fair price and I never had a box badly bruised. The worst was like…a little ding in the corner and that's it. USPS delivers it once in the USA. I must also say, those Japs package/tape their boxes almost perfectly every time....thumbs up!
My normal Japan supplier, if I order Sunday night or Monday, I normally have it by Friday. Normally pay just $15 for shipping.
Giles and his crew do a phenomenal job with shipping from the UK. Normally if ordered by the right time I have it in my hands 2 days later. Can't beat that! Plus love the great return shipping cost if need be. Only $35 from the US, which is much cheaper than what I could find normally.
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… Giles and his crew do a phenomenal job with shipping from the UK. Normally if ordered by the right time I have it in my hands 2 days later. Can't beat that! ...
Agreed!
IH is an excellent 'sender' .. and I have several more reliable online shops in my list.
But - the best system fails, when you have only 1 moron, somewhere on the mailing route.
Customs, parcel agencys or the postman himself.
UPS, FedEX, DPD, DHL, Hermes, GLS, etc. … fact is - it's all the same crap.
I get about 5-10 parcels every month .. ~40% of the deliveries are in any way annoying! ::) -
I think, while @Finkster is principally right, and the prevalence of morons is a fact that can drive you to desperation at times, there are degrees of crap. Some of the named shipment companies are more, others less prone to give you problems.
Customs is my pet hate anyway, and I keep finding that the Berlin chapter of these Engulf&Devour bastards is a particularly bad breed.
Today I disbelievingly received a shipment of a magazine posted in the UK on Monday. Amazing. In this case, kudos to DPD! But it's true, total safety from mishaps, that's wishful thinking, alas. I am lucky enough to have an annoyance quota of far less than 40%.
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The delivery-quality in Berlin has strongly improved in the last time. The competition is very tough. The customs here in this booming town is now state-of-the-art, very fast and also in difficult subjects very tolerant. Many people from custums are young and were coming like many others from outside. They are proud and happy to serve here the customers. With all the foreign missions and companies customs is working directly under the strong and critical views from the Ministry of Finance as highest authority for all customs-affairs.
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Perhaps I live in a different universe, but my "state of the art" experience with Berlin customs is waiting for VERY long times in the most dreary barracks, and being treated like a criminal. I was ridiculously overcharged more than once, with them classically refusing to treat a used garment as used, and insisting that it's new.
In one case there was a legal battle over a full year, yes twelve f***ing months, to get a shipment of three used jeans from @corporalclegg released from them, including not only an attempt to charge me unjustified customs excises for "new" jeans (they were not washed, inexpertly repaired, yet "new" for these great people) in an extortionate, high three digit € amount, and to add insult to injury, they started penal proceedings against me for customs dodging. I got all cleared in the end, but only after endless correspondence, countless phone calls, and a "conversation" in their central office that called to mind the worst Nazi clichés (including psycho tricks to lead me to contradictory statements), plus threats and repeated highly provocative behavior from them, and me consulting a lawyer that I luckily enough knew privately.
That's what I dealt with as "state of the art" with those really friendly, extremely tolerant people from Berlin customs. Incidentally, when one endures these excruciating waits, one can witness plenty of other victims having the misfortune to have fallen into their hands….my case absolutely was no rare exception.
State of the art indeed....
