Is TNT Express this incompetent in your country?

[GaiusMaxwell]

So here I am, wanting to vent, this is the second experience I've had with TNT express, which also happens to be the second terrible experience I've had with TNT.

 

I'll give you a bit of back story:

 

In october I ordered a new computer desk online, it had to be sent by freight for obvious reasons, the seller opted for TNT's 1-day road express, It was collected and scanned on friday.

 

On saturday another scan went through saying that it was leaving melbourne and heading for the newcastle depot (Depot closest to me), it listed the delivery date for monday.

 

I noticed on sunday there was no scan to say it arrived anywhere, but it was a sunday I didn't expect alot of activity but when monday rolled around and there was still no further scan I called customer service, first guy had no idea what was going on, I was transfered, this girl had no idea what was going on so she said she would escalate the ticket and I should expect a call within an hour, 3 hours passed and I hadn't had a call, I called customer service again and I was told the first rep never escalated my ticket so this one did it for me.

 

In an hour and fifteen minutes I recieved a call from the self-titled 'Specialist', she informed me they basically lost my freight and she would now run "checks" to find my package.. whatever that means.

 

I don't get another call until tuesday morning, she found my freight.. sitting exactly where it should have been on monday, in the newcastle depot, but for whatever reason it wasn't scanned in and wasn't loaded for delivery. It also didn't get loaded on tuesday morning so I wouldnt get it that day, she had scheduled it to be delivered tomorrow before 5pm.

 

During all of these calls I have made doubley and tripley sure that there are notes on the consignment saying deliever to the back of property, it's also in my address "Rear of property" on the second line and on my mailbox - There was 2 seperate notes on my freight about the delivery "Deliver to rear of property as unit 1 does not have a front entrance".

 

The next day I walk out at 1pm to check the mail and find a "we missed you" slip from TNT in there, I had my front door wide open all day and my lounge room is not 5 feet away from it so despite it being on my mailbox, in my address AND on the delivery instructions, the delivery driver knocked on the front door of the wrong unit and then left.

 

I called up customer service yet again, this time irate, after being transfered 3 times again the specialist tells me she is boarding it on a priority service and ill get it before midday the next day (already 4 days late), I took no chances this time, I literally stood in my driveway from 9pm to midday waiting for this TNT truck, They still have not scanned it after that saturday in melbourne so there is no tracking.

 

No TNT truck arrives, I call up customer service and am informed that despite what the specialist said only the day before, it wasnt being boarded today, it was being boarded tomorrow.

 

I got it the next day (5 days after the gauranteed delivery date) at 5.30pm... so much for midday.

 

That was my first horrible experience, during all of this obviously I did a quick google search for reviews... productreview.com 120 negative reviews and a total score of under 2 stars, notgoodenough.com 100 negative reviews and a total score of 1 star, not to mention hundreds of random threads from different websites with negative reviews/experiences.

 

Anyway, last thursday I bought a 59" plasma online, it had to be sent by freight ofcourse and when I got the freight despatch notice friday morning and saw TNT as the courier all I could do was sigh.

 

I remained hopeful, surely they couldn't screw up that bad again, they can't always be like that and this freight was only coming from sydney (a literal 2 hour drive up the coast), it got 2 scans on friday saying it was collected and processed at the chullora depot in sydney.

 

Saturday rolls around, no further scan, I call customer service immediately but ofcourse the specialists dont work weekends so the level 1 rep could only reassure me everything was ok, no further scan on sunday, call up again to the same affect, the rep told me to contact CS first thing in the morning if there wasn't another scan by 9am.

 

Ofcourse there wasn't another scan, I called up got transfered 3 times and got my ticket escalated, 2 hours later I get a call from a specialist, "we've lost your freight, Im going to run some checks".

 

Yeah that's right.. they lost ANOTHER package of mine, a computer desk and a 59" TV aren't exactly small objects that just go missing, are they really that incompetent?

 

I've called 12 times total today to get an update and the only update I got was at 4pm when the specialist told me there was no update except that they got confirmation it left sydney, her exact words were "It may still be in transit, ill continue trying to track it down"...

 

Im sorry but how is it being transported if it's still in transit? is somebody running it to me from sydney? It's a 2 hour drive... there is no way it could still be in transit from sydney to newcastle from last friday... I actually could have walked there and back over the weekend.

 

I'd also like to point out that the freight cost for this total uselessness was $150 EACH for 1-day express.

 

They refused to refund any of the shipping costs last time but this time I've already taken it up with the department of fair trading and the postal service ombudsman, I don't understand how a company so large (the largest courier company in Australia) and seemingly successful can be this incompetent, how can they still be allowed to operate?

 

So OCC, is TNT express as incompetent as this where you are?

 

TL;DR TNT express lost my freight twice and I've only ever had 2 things delivered by them, customer service was bad, all the handlers and drivers are lazy and incompetent, so far they've got a 100% failure rate.

Edited January 9, 2012 by Whatislove

[Lord_Guy]

No TNT here, but we do have UPS and FedEx. I refuse to use UPS because I still have 2 "lost" packages that are over a year old and no one will give me a refund. FedEx is okay but every tracking # I've ever gotten hasn't worked (10-15 packages) and they managed to drop a $3000 workstation, on my front porch, and then just walk away without telling me. The only reason I knew the FedEx guy was at my house was because I herd him curse in anger outside my door. Workstation was ruined and I still have an open claim with them that's from July 2011.

 

I know your pain.

[Munkypoo7]

No TNT service here too in Florida.

 

Though we have the standard UPS, FedEx and USPS... ironically we all know each one of the drivers, it's kinda funny. Guess that's what happens in smaller neighborhoods, it's kinda nice really.

 

Never had any issues with any of the three aforementioned companies, other than delivery times, FedEx likes delivering closer to 6pm

[kingdingeling]

Interesting cooincidence, I just returned something via TNT this morning. I received a pair of shoes from Italy last week but they didn't fit and the company had included a TNT package return slip. I called the number, she took my details / adress etcetera and said the guy would be here before 4pm today still. Five minutes ago the doorbell rings and there he is, picked it up and off it went without a problem. At least in Germany / Europe they work properly... and in Holland for that matter (that's where I study), cause they came from there

[GaiusMaxwell]

I just don't know if I'm incredibly unlucky or if this is what TNT is like to everyone in my area.

 

I've had freight of similiar size sent by other companies (Startrack express, australian air express) with no issues what-so-ever, even from similiar locations.

 

I had my couch sent from sydney to newcastle by AAE (despite their name, they do, do road express), it's dimensions were similiar to that of the desk, it cost $70 less and it arrived the very next day at 9am, they even followed the delivery instructions and knocked on the right door.

 

I guess the real slap in the face with the latest escapade is that on friday (the same time TNT picked up my TV from sydney) I also ordered a sizeable display piece (a little bigger than a backetball in size) from japan and the package from japan arrived today at midday.

 

Japan to Australia via japanese air mail - 3 days

Sydney to newcastle (2 hour drive) via TNT - Indefinate as they've lost my freight, but we are already on day 4

[DanTheGamer11]

A desk from down under?

[GaiusMaxwell]

In an update to my latest story.

 

They found my TV... sitting in the newcastle depot not scanned - Sound familiar?

 

And ofcourse because they only found it today they wont be delivering it today, the specialist has scheduled it for tomorrow and I basically told her that It better be delivered tomorrow, to the correct address and to the correct door (ive set up signs pointing the dullards to unit 1), "I don't care if the CEO has to strap it to his back and bicycle it to me, If it isn't here tomorrow I am moving forward with my department of fair trading claim".

 

So we'll see if they come through.