The Great DHL Saga

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:55:52 GMT

It all began with my stepdaughter killing her cell phone. Luckily, we have paid for insurance and her phone is in stock so we are able to get it replaced. Asurion has been most helpful - holding the claim until her exact phone was in and having great patience through the whole ordeal that I am about to relate.

The phone was shipped overnight Friday June 27th through DHL, set for delivery Monday June 30. I take the 30th off of work so that I can be home to sign for the package. I wait.

I wait.

I wait.

At about 5:30pm, I finally call DHL to find out why my package hasn't been delivered and why the online tracking information hasn't been updated. I am informed that the package is not in my area and it would be delivered to me the next day. I pitch a (small) fit - I had taken off work to be home because the package would require a signature, I couldn't take off work and would not have another day off until Thursday. They try to tell me to call Asurion and have them change the delivery address - I inform them that Asurion told me when I gave them my delivery address that, once it was put in the system, they would not change it.

To avoid further losing my temper, I decide to call Asurion and see if they can give me any help. The woman I speak to there says that they were unaware that there would be a delay delivering my package and she says she will contact DHL and waive the signature. She puts me on hold and comes back to let me know that it will be a few more minutes. When she comes back, she tells me that DHL has it scheduled to be delivered Tuesday the 1st and that they are waiving the signature requirement - I will need to leave a note on the door with the tracking number and my phone number and signature stating that I spoke with a DHL representative and that I would be unable to sign for my package and it was to be left at the front door. I do this.

That night, tracking information still hasn't been updated online, but I'm not worried because I should have it the next day....after all, they said I would.

The next day rolls around and my husband contacts DHL to make sure of delivery because the tracking information still hasn't changed. He is told that they had given it to the USPS and they would be delivering it to us and it might make it to us Thursday the 3rd or Monday the 7th. We are then given a "tracking number" for the USPS. (Please note: the only tracking numbers that I have ever seen through the USPS are actually delivery confirmation numbers unless it is being shipped overnight - my husband also spoke with the postal service and the tracking number will not work no matter how they try to put it in to check - it is simply not a good number.) This tracking number is not good - the postal service website comes up with "There is no record of this item" (it still does by the way). Needless to say, this doesn't go over well. My husband is also told that he should call Asurion and get a new phone sent. The stupidity of this is then pointed out as well as the fact that it isn't Asurion's fault that the phone is delayed, it's DHL's.

I call Asurion again to let them know what I have found out and to make sure that it is noted on my claim due to the fact that we only have a limited amount of time in which to return the old phone. I am told that they still have no record that my shipment is going to be delayed and that they are supposed to be informed by DHL when this happens.

This evening I notice that the tracking information is updated - it now says that the package is in transit (as of 2:05am today) and is in my area! So I decide to call DHL and find out about this new development.

Now it gets fun.

(Side note: If you say "representative" four or five times, their automated system gets you to a real person.)

I get a real person on the line and ask for information on my package.

I'm now told that it is being sent USPS and it looks like it hasn't been sent out yet.

WHAT???? (insert major fit here)

I inform the lady on the phone what we had been told and tell her I want to know when my package left the DHL facility in Atlanta. She says she can't give me that information because "it doesn't show" and that they may show that it hasn't been shipped yet because they don't get any information from the USPS until it is delivered. (Sometime during this exchange I am also informed that DHL no longer has a facility in my area, something I already knew - it shut down about a week ago.)

I tell her that there is someone in that place who put a label on my package and handed it over to the post office and that I know there has to be some record of when my package was sent out - if it was at all. I know that when I print out a label when I ship something for my website, I know the date and time that I printed that out - if I can do that and they can't then the place is run by idiots.

Magically (!), I am then told that it was sent to the post office on the 30th (hmmm, wasn't I told on the 30th that it would be delivered to me the next day?!?).

I tell her that I want all of the information that they have on my package emailed to me. I'm tired of phone conversations that are getting me NOTHING but frustration. I want everything in writing and I expect it within the hour. I am told that I will get that and I will also receive a phone call from a "specialist" (I didn't mention that I thought they ALL must be "special" and what would make this person any different).

Update:

I just received a phone call. I was told that they are initiating a "missing shipment search" and that I will get an email with the information that I asked for emailed to me in a few minutes and they would email me and call me as more information is available. He asked what the item was and I told him an LG EnV (I also let him know that it took almost a month to get this specific model and that it is the model I expect to be delivered to my door no matter what DHL has to do to get it to me). I also informed him that I expected everything to be sent to me in writing so that I would have an accurate record of what they are telling me.
Update:

Here is the email that I just received:

"I do not show any transfer scan to USPS per last scan on waybill at Atlanta, GA. HUB showing package went out for transferring on 6/30/08, but no confirmation that waybill was actually delivered to USPS. So I will try to contact Atlanta, GA. HUB tonight after 2100 EST for status on this waybill, I will follow up tomorrow Thursday 7/03, by 1600 CST with outcome of research."

Curiouser and curiouser.....

I'll update as I get more info, but it's not looking good.

I'm posting this elsewhere, so feel free to pass it on with a link back.

Work In Progress

The Great DHL Saga