DHL - problem with package from Germany

[meninshirts]

I have bought thru Ebay two items of Super 8 equipment from Germany.
First arrived late due to seller not including my full address and now I am waiting for a second item which has gone astray when in DHL's hands.

Has anyone else had these problems?

Its very hard, in fact almost impossible, to track packages as the number changes ( at least thats what I'm told ) when they reach the UK and the phone and web services are not very user friendly.
I have read the Ebay forum messages which don't give me any confidence in being involved with DHL again.
Both I and the seller are at a loss what to do next.
Any suggestions?

[Angus]

I've never had any problems at all.

Didn't DHL get bought by Deutsche Post a few years ago? You'd think it was run effeciently.

I find German eBayers among the very best...if DHL have lost your package it is up to them to sort out the mess.

[christoforou]

I bought plenty film stuff from German ebayers, and they always used DHL for shipping, the tracking system always work but the delivery is always very slow. I'm waiting a Nizo camera from Germany and the package is still on transfer, I called the 800 number here in Greece and told them why is tacking so long and they answered me that DHL always use ground transportation to other countries in EU for packages more than to kilos.

[MovieStuff]

DHL sucks fetid pond water.

A couple of years ago, we were using Fed-X Ground for domestic and US Postal for international. We were then considering moving our operation to Utopia and had potential contracts with some vendors to do telecine service but we needed daily express service which Fed-X would not provide because Utopia was so remote. A DHL rep contacted me about switching to them for shipping. I told the guy that if they could match the cheap, international US postal rate within 20% and could provide daily pick up and delivery for ground and overnight service in the remote area of Utopia, Texas, then I would give them the ground account and the express account.

So the guy comes back with the rates that I wanted as well as the daily service, etc. We then spend about $35,000 signing a long term lease in Utopia, moving employees, build out and the such. The first Monday that DHL is supposed to show up, they don't. We call and call. No response from anyone. Finally DHL shows up on Friday and I tell the guy that he's a bit late. The driver informs me that they can only pick up once a week! I finally get ahold of my rep and he says,"Oh yeah. About the daily pick up and delivery; we're not gonna be able to do that. Sorry."

I explode. I started making calls to the San Antonio dispatcher and he informs me that DHL had oversold the area and that they will neve have enough manpower to fulfull all the accounts. All this takes time, of course, and at some point down the road my shipping clerk pulls me aside to look at statements for our international shipping. Packages that should have cost only $120 to ship we were being billed at $385! It was insane. By this point, my assistant had already paid a ton of invoices that I did not know were this high. So I contacted my sales rep and he says that he'll get a price adjustment and that all future pricing will be inline with what they quoted me. I tell him that I will not pay anything until we get a credit on past overpayments, which was in the tens of thousands.

In the meantime, we have several pacakges that go missing. One client in the UK says that DHL keeps calling him and asking for the tracking number, which is is stupid because they could not have his phone number if they didn't have the shipping information which also contains the tracking number! They won't deliver, they say, until he gives them this number. I provide the number and they still won't deliver. He finally finds out that the local DHL depot was burglarlized and everything was stolen, which is why they could not deliver. But while this is going on, I'm talking with my useless rep and the DHL people here in the states. They say that they can't deliver because when they call my client, he refuses to provide them with a valid phone number and address. (I know, you figure it out). When I confront them with the story about the burglary on their DHL depot in the UK, they sheepishly admit they were lying.

So, finally, I stop using DHL and continued to wait for an adjustment on the shipping overpayment. Then one day I get a call from their accounts receivable trying to collect on additional shipments and past bills that my account rep told me not to pay until it was all sorted out. Surprise, my rep no longer works there! I finally got an attorney involved and had to threaten a lawsuit before they stopped trying to collect. In the end, I estimate that my dealings with DHL cost me over $100,000.

I managed to work out a deal with Fed-X for service in Utopia and everything works like clockwork.

DHL is the worst delivery service I have ever seen in my life. Do not use them.


Roger

[Nigel]

Hah...

A friend and recently retired FedEx Captain advised me to never use DHL. He said "They'll loose your shit".

It is funny too since when it was Airborn Express(prior to Deutche Post) here in the US I never had any issues with their service.

Good Luck

[aj]

always use ground transportation to other countries in EU for packages more than to kilos.

All priority shipments inside EU are done per lorry (=over land). Amsterdam-Madrid takes less then 24 hours. To customers this may feel like air transport. And sometimes it is sold as such.

Most time on inside EU 3-4days delivery time is thus spent at begin or end logistics.

I didn't dream this up, this what my shipper for over 2kg goods tells me. Air transport is far more expensive and these days cargo never travels along on passenger planes. For obvious reasons.

[reflex]

DHL sucks fetid pond water.

Eloquent and succinct, Roger.

[Jim Carlile]

Several months ago I had an absolutely great experience with Super 8 Arena in Germany. The shipping only took five working days from door to door(!!!)

I'm not sure what method he used, but it came through the regular U.S. mail, and said "Deutsche Post' on the label. In understand this is DHL, but it's funny, DHL didn't deliver it-- the USPS did!!

So, great shipping from the Nizo motherland is possible-- if the USPS delivers it! I also can't recommend Super 8 Arena highly enough, either-- first class service and reasonably priced express shipping, too. These guy's have been taking a beating on the bad U.S dollar so give them the business-- they eat the increase when the price is cited in $$'s. It's worth doing business with Germany- some fantastic equipment there.

[Super8rules]

Yes, DHL is the WORST.

A friend of mine was expecting a very expensive item being shipped by DHL. He waited all day and nothing showed up. He checked with DHL and they showed it delivered. He mentioned that it required a signature, but they couldn't tell him where or to whom it was delievered. They cared nothing about the situation.

The next day, he was able to flag down the DHL driver and found out he delivered it five houses away and left it sitting in the front yard....with a big blue "signature required" sticker on it.

Thankfully, it was still there and the item was not damaged. If it had been stolen or damaged, he realized there would have been no recourse with DHL.

[Angus]

"Deutsche Post" is the German post office. They also own DHL, but the DHL organisation would not have been involved if it was just sent "Deutsche Post".

Its a bit like the "Royal Mail" and ParcelForce.

[DriveIn]

I had someone insist on DHL for a shipment, since they said incidents with Fed-Ex and UPS in the past. I crated the shipment as I always do to prevent damage due to all the unseen gorillas that handle the shipments. DHL still managed to break a casting in pieces, and the only way to make a claim was to send them the whole unit. They would pay out the claim, but then you never see the item again, including the salvageable components. We decided it was better to keep the item and replace or repair the casting if possible rather than lose the whole shipment to the claims department. As well as it was packaged, it must have fallen off a second story loading dock to shatter the casting. The only thing we could imagine was an overhead lift with a forklift truck that went bad. DHL send me a follow up to our inactive shipping account. I was not so kind in my reply. Roger said it best

DHL sucks fetid pond water.

[Jim Carlile]

"Deutsche Post" is the German post office. They also own DHL, but the DHL organisation would not have been involved if it was just sent "Deutsche Post".

Its a bit like the "Royal Mail" and ParcelForce.

Thanks Angus, not sure of the relationship. But I was amazed how quickly the camera got here from Germany. Perhaps buyers should insist that German sellers rely upon Deutsche Post instead of DHL? When it comes straight through the USPS the speed is uncanny-- and the Post Office here will and must deliver anywhere in the U.S. without exception.

[meninshirts]

I think I have solved this though not yet got the package.
DHL used Parcelforce in the UK to deliver to my door but they didn't they delivered to someone whos signature reads D Wright who doesn't live at my address but lives at my postcode TR18 2EE.
There are 22 other properties in my postcode and no D Wright in any of them according to 192.com, which is very helpful.
So I'm going to knock the doors.
So what I tink they have done is just not bothered to find my door and have just found the easiest place to drop the package.
Sound familiar!
I'm still waiting to hear back from Parcelforce who you can only e mail with your complaint and guess what they are experiencing high levels of e mail traffic.
The parcel was insured in Germany and I have the protection of Ebay for what its worth so come Christmas I may get my money back.
I may be old fashioned but I think any organisation with a customer service department you should be able to talk to.
I will keep you informed but am not holding my breath.

[mr8mm]

I use the US Postal service for all shipping. I will use FED Ex if the customer wishes. The USPS is inexpensive and reliable. I have not lost anything in in 15 years. There have been problems but the postal employees have always been helpful and the problem is resolved. Private carriers are very expensive for international shipping.

J.S.

[camera8mm]

deutsche post ist sehr gut!