Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Saturday 12 January 2008, 12:03 PM
Gobsmacked at Amazon delivery fiasco
The Achilles' heel of e-commerce, the industry freely admits, is delivery. It's the number one thing that dissuades the buying public from embracing the Web and its multitude of cut prices even more than they do now.
I myself have, unfortunately, fallen victim to delivery-snafu syndrome again. I have been in a similar position several times, but this really surpasses all previous experiences for sheer incompetence.
I ordered an iPod from Amazon early last week, when I was still on holiday. Stupidly, given the post-Christmas backlog, I gave my home address for delivery purposes, thinking at the time that there was a good chance I might receive the package before returning to work. Needless to say, this did not happen, and I then saw an estimated delivery date of Tuesday this week.
At the end of Wednesday, and despite seeing notice of an attempted delivery on Amazon's package tracking page, I saw I had still not received the standard failed-delivery card from the courier firm, Home Delivery Network. I had actually had a bad experience with this company before - again regarding an Amazon order - so I was well-versed on their inane policies of not changing the delivery address (so I could receive the package at work) and only delivering on weekdays.
So, knowing from experience which depot my address falls under, I rang the depot directly (I had to trawl online forums to find these well-concealed digits) to be told that the courier had not been able to gain access to my block of flats in order to even leave a card. Annoying, but fair enough. So I said, "Hmmm... pity you don't deliver on Saturdays". "Oh, we do," came the reply. "At the moment we're treating it like a full working day."
"Fantastic," I said. "Saturday it shall be then." I then tried ringing HDN's customer services line to see if - seeing as I really fancied having an iPod on the tube in the mornings - I might be able to change the delivery address. Worth a shot. Firstly, when I told them I had arranged a Saturday delivery, they said, "Ooh, we don't deliver on Saturdays". "Yes you do - your depot just told me you do." "Oh, let me check......... ok, a request for a Saturday delivery has been put through."
I mentally blinked a few times then asked them about changing the delivery address to ZDNet's South Bank offices. After a delay, the woman told me that they couldn't deliver there (I thought they couldn't change delivery addresses at all, but never mind...) because it doesn't fall into the depot's catchment area. Right, whatever, I'll hang around home on Saturday for the delivery.
So now it's Saturday. Wondering if there might be any indication of what sort of time I could expect the delivery, I log onto Amazon's tracking page to see...
"Jan 10, 2008 08:24:49 PM CUSTOMER UK Delivered "
Say what? A) It was supposed to be delivered today, not Thursday; B) I am not currently sitting here synching my music to a shiny new iPod; C) Delivered to whom exactly?
Back on the phone to the customer services line. "Yes, it was delivered," the woman beams. "No, it wasn't". "It says it was delivered on Thursday at 8:24pm." "Yes, I can also see that, but I don't have it." "OK, we'll have to get through to the depot and interview the driver."
I then ring the depot again myself, to be told that the package had been delivered to someone in my building - but no idea which flat. The driver can only be interviewed on Monday. Now, I live in The Big Smoke. I don't know my neighbours. But I got a good opportunity to change this by apologetically knocking on doors this morning asking if anyone had signed for a package addressed to me. No-one had, apparently.
Suddenly I get a call from the depot, saying they managed to get hold of the driver, who said the package had been accepted by someone in Flat X. Which was one of the flats at which someone had actually answered my knocks and denied all knowledge. I return to that door, and all the inhabitants of that flat are adamant that they received nothing. They seem like decent folk to me.
This is the thing: most of the people I have spoken to throughout this sorry saga have been very pleasant and helpful (although one of the customer services agents was preternaturally impassive). What's completely out of order is the system.
Amazon should have its own customer services department - I'm talking about conversing with humans - and should at the very least ensure that all its delivery services comply with certain criteria, such as being able to easily change delivery address within a reasonable distance (I think the same city counts as reasonable), and adhering to agreed delivery dates.
The idea of delivering to a different property - without notifying the customer as to which flat or, indeed, asking their permission to do so - goes beyond incompetence, and is particularly egregious seeing as I deliberately gave HDN my mobile number to try ease the way. As to what actually happened, right now I don't know what to think. All I know is that someone is not telling the truth.
A glance at the intarwebs confirms an awful lot of people out there who are furious at Amazon and its subcontractors for their delivery practices. These people will think twice about using the service again, they will tell their friends about it, and the e-commerce industry as a whole is allowing itself to come across like a bunch of cowboys.
A pan-industry agreement to sort out these issues is apparently either being thrashed out or already in place (I'm too exhausted to research this point right now), but the effects of such an agreement cannot come soon enough.
And as for me, back to Amazon's automated system to see about that refund... wish me luck...
PreviousComments on this post
I agree--the Achilles heel for ecommerce in the UK is the mediocre standard of delivery services. The lack of communication, customer service and plain caring about performing the service they have been paid for is breathtaking (can you tell I recently had a frustrating experience with ParcelFarce recently?). I'd be happy picking up parcels from a local drop outlet. There's a real opportunity in the UK for more stores along the lines of the US's Mailboxes Etc.
Well yeah! I've told Amazon before that I don't want to see HDN again, and here we are again. What's wrong with Royal Mail? I live near one of their distribution centres fergawdsakes...
If it's Royal Mail not being competitive enough, as a customer I couldn't care less. Point is, I don't have my package, plus I've got the added joy of suspicion between neighbours, suspicion of the delivery guy etc.
Some ecommerce rules:
1. Never confuse the idiots, don't call to change anything they only get it all botched up.
2. Go up the supply chain, try ordering from manufacturers only i.e. you should have ordered directly from Apple and got free engraving to boot!
3. Add 2 weeks lag time and don't expect to receive on the day, stops the anxiety and waiting.
4. If it can't fit in the letter box don't order online.
5. Buy a house; Amazon delivery guys usually toss packages over my fence into my garden which conveniently has a side entrance.
6. Adopt a new religion, no such thing as too many prayers.
Happy New Year!
wow that brings back floods of botched deliveries memories...
I had a wonderful occurance that was from a popular high-street store begining with A.
Now needing an item very quickly I opted for the express delivery.
Shame was that on the day of delivery it never arrived and as with you it was marked as delivered on the delivery companies website. Yet none of the neighbours had taken a delivery.
A 'friendly' call to the helpline resulted in the driver being investigated and a replacement item dispatched. Funny thing is both packages arrived on the same day the original and the replacement.
Driver with a guilty conscience maybe..
Anyway,
What I was going to suggest is that you contact the company to see if they have the signature from the delivery as these are kept on file and they should be able to email you a copy maybe a fresh lead.
As for the Achilles heel reference you aren't to far from the truth I dread to think.
I have been disappointed by so many delivery companies that I despite ordering anything that requires any level of contact with them. For example I ordered a product from Amazon last year with express delivery, now the website showed the item as being picked up at 4pm as per schedule. I though great, then the following day the delivery status wasn't going anyway not even "loaded on to van".
Calling them is a fruitless exercise as they all employ the "lie to get them off the phone" tactic. I for one would be ashamed to work for a company that spews forth lies with such easy and disrespect for the customer.
I did ask about the signature - they said they couldn't read it and, of course, they had not taken a printed name. Superb.
I had the same runaround from DHL before Christmas.I won't go in to the several days of lies on the tracking site, cards found on the pavement etc. Finally, I was also told that one of my neighbours had taken delivery. They were obviously quite appalled to be put in a situation where suspicion could have fallen on them.
Luckily, a quick google gave me plenty of evidence of other peoples stuff going missing from this particular depot. I emailed DHL stating that as somebody - either their driver or my neighbour ( not likely) was lying, perhaps I should get the police involved. My package amazingly turned up a the depot that day and was then tracked all the way from the depot to my place of work by a manager. No explanation of all the lies ever given though.
OK you guys, just in the interest of balance you understand!
Like you, I work during the week so I need Saturday or "after hours" delivery. I ordered, from Amazon, a large TV - I did so before Xmas knowing that I would be home between Xmas and New year to take delivery.
It didn't arrive so in the New Year I put my number into the Amazon "call back" service and almost instantaneously the phone rang - the chap on the phone said that they didn't normally deliver on Saturday but he'd see what he could do - shortly after HDNL rang and the following Saturday was agreed. two days later and my girlfriend rang to say that the parcel had arrived (early) at 07.30 in the morning. The parcel was completely unmarked (amd the TV's lovely!) So it can work well !
My own experience of incompetent couriers is extensive, in part because work dictates that I purchase so much stuff on-line from so many suppliers, and in part because I live in a very rural area five miles from the nearest village. Deliveries to my city centre office are usually fine, but for the ultimate courier fiasco you really have to get stuff delivered to a remote rural address. On more than one occasion this has resulted in the courier stopping at a given local landmark, and me then driving to meet them at that point.
