Don't trust anything to DHL.
Here's the 18 day saga of a 3-day express delivery.
Story from my DHL claim form with pics following:
Reason for claim:
- Item grossly delayed
- Staff in France on support line can only be described as incompetent.
With the exception of 4 days, DHL France was rung 2 times every day enquiring about this package.
Each call delivey was promised the next day. One week into the debacle was informed that the package would not be delivered as it was held in customs. Advised to fax copy of passport and reasons for import. Three days passed, package was not released. Advised to fax visa. Was told passport, letter and visa were not received. Next day was told documents were received but incomplete. Next support staffer advised that one more document was needed. Delivery was scheduled for Paris, package was sent back to Lyon. Delivery was rescheduled for Paris, delivery promised between 9 – 12AM. Deadline passed, rang DHL, was advised that package was sent to wrong depot, would be delivered between 2-6PM. Deadline passed. Rang DHL, told the address on the parcel was incorrect - placed on hold for 10 minutes, then hung up on. Called back, before being placed on hold, asked for confirmation that I would not be hung up on. Call was subsequently placed on hold and hung up on. Called back for a third time, was promised I would not be hung up on, placed on hold and then hung up on. Called back forth time, told by support staff that the address on the parcel was indeed correct, but, ‘It was not my problem, and I can do nothing to fix it’.
Called back next morning – delivery promised between 9 – 12AM. Was advised that the courier did not have sufficient address information again, adding they lacked a door code – which had been noted on the account – and that the receivers name did not exist on the letterboxes – despite large capital letters of the name – and despite promises of a call if there were problems.
Eventually rescheduled delivery to workplace of friend, package delivered.
Parcel was utterly destroyed. At some stage in the shipping process had been left in the rain / left standing in water – and then subsequently wrapped in two layers of plastic, sealing in the moisture.
Box subsequently disintegrated and moulded. Mould spread through contents of box – books, clothes, batteries etc. Even the invoice was covered in mould. On opening of box was still able to squeeze water from the cardboard everything was so wet.
