Thursday, December 8, 2011
Borderlinx quits...
After jacking up prices three or four-fold for one last robbery spree in Kenya, DHL's EasyShop partner Borderlinx has decided to stop cross-border deliveries to Kenya. They say they have been forced to do so by the high incidence and risk of fraud. But given the jacked up prices and the requirement that payment be made in advance by credit card, it is unlikely they have been defrauded... more likely that they have pissed off so many customers it no longer makes sense to keep serving Kenya. RIVALS PLEASE!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Volumetric robbery works in Singapore too
Borderlinx robbery is getting out of hand, even when using their own volumetric weight calculations. Apart from the fuel surcharge, they have unbelievably high charges now for ‘duty’ and ‘customs clearance’ since they have decided to cancel cash on delivery.
In 2009 and 2010, I shipped 10kg volumetric weight (less that 5kg actual weight) for about $160 to Nairobi, Kenya. This year, some items that have an actual weight of less than one kilo are being quoted at 5kg volumetric weight with an estimated shipping cost of $303!
In 2009, they boxed small items in larger boxes to increase volumetric weight. I bet they will do/have done the same this time to get their $303. The really annoying bit is we have no options in Kenya but to submit to this robbery!
In 2009 and 2010, I shipped 10kg volumetric weight (less that 5kg actual weight) for about $160 to Nairobi, Kenya. This year, some items that have an actual weight of less than one kilo are being quoted at 5kg volumetric weight with an estimated shipping cost of $303!
In 2009, they boxed small items in larger boxes to increase volumetric weight. I bet they will do/have done the same this time to get their $303. The really annoying bit is we have no options in Kenya but to submit to this robbery!
UPDATE: Guess what, since my last post, DHL EasyShop/Borderlinx have gotten smarter. I've gotten dumber. They have disabled the option of Standard shipping for Kenya, so now its Express shipping or goodbye to your stuff. They have also nixed payment on delivery in favour of billing you what they feel like when you ship.
About me getting dumber: I've continued shopping online with them. I have a shipment sitting in their warehouse that is allegedly 5kg in volumetric weight (half the size of the one I complained about) and I'm being asked to pay $303 (TWICE as much as it took to ship 10kg in 2009 and 2010). I'd say this time it wasn't a mugging: it's the Gaddafi treatment! (Details to follow in a bit.)
About me getting dumber: I've continued shopping online with them. I have a shipment sitting in their warehouse that is allegedly 5kg in volumetric weight (half the size of the one I complained about) and I'm being asked to pay $303 (TWICE as much as it took to ship 10kg in 2009 and 2010). I'd say this time it wasn't a mugging: it's the Gaddafi treatment! (Details to follow in a bit.)
Friday, August 20, 2010
Who knew delivering packages was so hard?
Turns out the guys I'm complaining about are actually up to date on international best practice and are actually doing better than other DHL operations. I should be glad my laptop did not end up in Kazakhstan!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Christmas mugging by Easy Shop
So you're thinking of using the DHL EasyShop/Borderlinx service to buy stuff online? You might want to read this first and save yourself some time, money and grief. The service is a great idea, but there are some issues with execution that can get you pretty steamed up.
Last November, I decided to go crazy with my new credit card on Amazon.com. I got a new laptop ($2,149) and an external hard drive ($268) and had them shipped to the Ohio address provided by Borderlinx ($25). When the laptop arrived, Borderlinx shot me an email claiming that there was no commercial invoice attached (this was untrue) and they were, therefore, estimating the value of the laptop at $3,000. I suspect this had something to do with the fact that I had opted for insurance of items over $2,000 when making my application.
Trying to get this problem fixed proved to be an exercise in frustration.
First, the email address provided on the Borderlinx site (for DHL in Kenya) did not work. I made a request for the one-hour call back and several hours later no call had come. So I called DHL in Nairobi. I was connected to sales staff who told me they had no clue how to fix the problem. I emailed them copies of the allegedly missing invoice. They sent me emails saying they could do nothing. So why are they the contact provided on the bloody website, I wondered?
I went back to the Borderlinx site to try and opt out of the insurance. (Since there are no import taxes on computers and computer equipment to Kenya, the insurance cost was the only thing to worry about.) The site would not let me change that. I wrote DHL again and received a reply saying I could go ahead and confirm shipment the items with the incorrect figures: The billing would be sorted when the goods got here. So click, click. The deed was done.
At 1am the next day, I got my callback. Some guy in India wanted to know what he could do for me. I explain the discrepancy and he says: "The item has been shipped. Can't do anything about it now." Is there some reason why his number was a big secret, I wondered? Shouldn't it have been him I was calling, not the clueless guys in Nairobi? And what's the point of advertising a one-hour callback service if you call back the following day? I got the answer to the last question when the Express service I had paid for turned out to be slower-than-Standard-speed. DHL wants to appear fast and efficient so they can charge you an arm and a leg for crap service.
I went to pick up my items armed with the written assurances of the customer service people I had spoken to before approving the shipment. No problem, sir, the DHL fellows said, we agree you sent the correct invoice and we told you to ship anyway. We agree you wanted to opt out of the insurance and we said you could do it after-the-fact. One moment, please.
Out came the weighing scales and calculators. Although Borderlinx/DHL USA had already weighed the items, calculated the volumetric weight and offered an estimate in Kshs for what I would pay, the process had to be done again. Perhaps the laptop had had a huge meal on the flights from the US to Germany, then to Britain and finally to Nairobi. Yes, it had!
DHL kept arriving at different figures every time they calculated how much I should pay. The first estimate was about Sh17,000 ($220). The next was Sh19,000. There was no reference to an insurance charge. More lies, more lies, more lies. They even brought in some big boss -- Bob Odhiambo -- to help with the lies. I paid.
According to Borderlinx, I paid $135.90 (Sh10,405.34) for shipping and $49.02 (Sh3,753.27) to insure the items. According to DHL Nairobi, I paid about Sh13,000 for shipping and, as promised, nothing for insurance. Problem solved.
Last November, I decided to go crazy with my new credit card on Amazon.com. I got a new laptop ($2,149) and an external hard drive ($268) and had them shipped to the Ohio address provided by Borderlinx ($25). When the laptop arrived, Borderlinx shot me an email claiming that there was no commercial invoice attached (this was untrue) and they were, therefore, estimating the value of the laptop at $3,000. I suspect this had something to do with the fact that I had opted for insurance of items over $2,000 when making my application.
Trying to get this problem fixed proved to be an exercise in frustration.
First, the email address provided on the Borderlinx site (for DHL in Kenya) did not work. I made a request for the one-hour call back and several hours later no call had come. So I called DHL in Nairobi. I was connected to sales staff who told me they had no clue how to fix the problem. I emailed them copies of the allegedly missing invoice. They sent me emails saying they could do nothing. So why are they the contact provided on the bloody website, I wondered?
I went back to the Borderlinx site to try and opt out of the insurance. (Since there are no import taxes on computers and computer equipment to Kenya, the insurance cost was the only thing to worry about.) The site would not let me change that. I wrote DHL again and received a reply saying I could go ahead and confirm shipment the items with the incorrect figures: The billing would be sorted when the goods got here. So click, click. The deed was done.
At 1am the next day, I got my callback. Some guy in India wanted to know what he could do for me. I explain the discrepancy and he says: "The item has been shipped. Can't do anything about it now." Is there some reason why his number was a big secret, I wondered? Shouldn't it have been him I was calling, not the clueless guys in Nairobi? And what's the point of advertising a one-hour callback service if you call back the following day? I got the answer to the last question when the Express service I had paid for turned out to be slower-than-Standard-speed. DHL wants to appear fast and efficient so they can charge you an arm and a leg for crap service.
I went to pick up my items armed with the written assurances of the customer service people I had spoken to before approving the shipment. No problem, sir, the DHL fellows said, we agree you sent the correct invoice and we told you to ship anyway. We agree you wanted to opt out of the insurance and we said you could do it after-the-fact. One moment, please.
Out came the weighing scales and calculators. Although Borderlinx/DHL USA had already weighed the items, calculated the volumetric weight and offered an estimate in Kshs for what I would pay, the process had to be done again. Perhaps the laptop had had a huge meal on the flights from the US to Germany, then to Britain and finally to Nairobi. Yes, it had!
DHL kept arriving at different figures every time they calculated how much I should pay. The first estimate was about Sh17,000 ($220). The next was Sh19,000. There was no reference to an insurance charge. More lies, more lies, more lies. They even brought in some big boss -- Bob Odhiambo -- to help with the lies. I paid.
According to Borderlinx, I paid $135.90 (Sh10,405.34) for shipping and $49.02 (Sh3,753.27) to insure the items. According to DHL Nairobi, I paid about Sh13,000 for shipping and, as promised, nothing for insurance. Problem solved.
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