DHL and the definiton of insanity


I'll start this by saying that after I ordered this amplfier I picked up another amp used that I really like so it isn't important for me to get this amp soon. 

I bought a kinki amp that shipped DHL Tuesdday and on Wednesday it left Hong Kong.  Arrilved Wed night in LA, Thursday morning in San Diego, on a truck for delivery to me at 11am.  Delivery by 8pm.  My address is a business address that closes at 6.   It didn't get there by 6pm last night and I didn't get it.  Today I get the same message, out for delivery at 11am, delivery by 8pm tonight. 

I thought they might recognize it as a business last night but apparently not.  So I started a chat with a DHL CS agent.  It went like this:

DHL:  Mr Stephenson, you cannot request a a specific delivery time.  Is there anything else we can help you with.

Me:  The problem is that you have my address classified as residential, it is a business address.

DHL:  Silence for a long time then:

DHL  "the shipper didn't specify the address as business."

me:  "Sorry, not my fault.  Now you have the correct information.  Can you fix it please?"

DHL:  "No, we cannot change it. Is there anything else we can do for you?"

me:  Can you just mark it as a business address?

DHL: "No, we cannot change it?"

me:  "So you'll keep trying between 1900 and 2000 every night for the next month?  Are we going to have to send it back to Hong Kong and start over?"

DHL:  Is there anyting else we can do for you?  

DHL ends chat.

So this package went from Hong Kong to LA in a day.  Now they can't get the last 20 miles in several days.  I'm going to sit back at laugh at the incompetence. 

I do recommend not using DHL after this experience.

Jerry 

128x128carlsbad
@pinball101 Sounds like you got a customer service agent with skills beyond kindergarten. My guy insisted that there was no way to change the shipping instructions that they got from the shipper in Hong Kong. I was just glad I was not in a hurry since I had another new amp entertaining me. glad you got yours.

DHL have extended their business model and they now collect all customs fees and taxes.

This allows governments to use fewer customs officers and DHL gets additional revenue.

On a recent Chinese import the shipper had screwed up they waybill which was obvious. DHL fined ME for misdeclaration @ double the fine and underdeclared duties.

Throughout the whole process I wasn't allowed to speak to a custome officer.

DO NOT USE DHL UNLESS YOU HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE.

Most shipping companies if they are shipping to a residential address will act as the customs broker unless a different one is specified. That is pretty normal. DHL does not fine you. Customs does, they just pass along the charge. They will contact you if documents are missing. They don’t check the accuracy of documents provided. That’s the shipper or importers duty. I would take up the costs with the shipper.

I got a fee for customs evaluation from Fedex ground for an international shipment that then went to them.  There were some questions asked that delayed the shipment a couple of days.  There were no duties due or charged. I got the impression that the fee was from the US govt and Fedex was passing on a fee they paid.   

Jerry