Stew Mac shipping - warning

[peter.coombe]

To anyone ordering from Stew Mac please be aware that if you choose express shipping then Stew Mac will send via Fed Express. They used to send via USPS or DHL and I have had no problems in the past with either. However, the last order was urgent so I choose express and it has gone pear shaped because it was shipped via Fed Express. There is now no indication on the Stew Mac web site how they will ship, so you have no idea how they are going to ship your order. My order was shipped with my PO box number as the address, and Fed Express does not deliver to PO box numbers. I know that and would not have given our PO box number had I known it would go Fed Express. You used to be able to choose the courier or USPS on their web site, but no more. Stew Mac should not ship orders via Fed Express to PO boxes and I am pissed that they did. My package which contains almost $500 worth of parts is now stuck in a TNT warehouse somewhere and TNT are giving me the run around. Fed Express now owns TNT. It is now almost 3 weeks and still no delivery and no contact from TNT despite repeated promises. TNT sucks for small parcels. They lost my accordion in their warehouse in Canberra and took more than a week to find it some years ago. I am beginning to think $500 has just gone down the toilet and not happy.

[kiwigeo]

+1 for comments regarding level of service from TNT. Moving from DHL is a bad call on Stewmacs part. Might be worth dropping a line to Stewmac and point them to your post.

[kiwigeo]

Peter,

Ive flicked off an email to Stewmac pointing them to your post. Let's see what happens.

[peter.coombe]

I already complained to Stew Mac and they apologised, but that does not help other people who might unwittingly make the same mistake. They did not change their web site which is where the real problem is. Still no delivery nor any call from TNT.

[Mike Thomas]

https://www.stewmac.com/International


I just checked the Stewmac website and they are still saying express international is by DHL.

[peter.coombe]

I know their web site says express is via DHL, and I assumed they would ship via USPS or DHL, but I was wrong, and that page is wrong. When you check out it tells you nothing, and they will probably then ship via FedExp. They will still ship via DHL, but you need to tell them you want DHL. After my strongly worded complaint, they have put a note on my account to ship via USPS or DHL in future.

Finally got a call from TNT. Parcel should be delivered tomorrow, but I am not holding my breath, but hopefully I will get it eventually and then can get on with the repairs. They claimed there was no contact number, which is a bit odd, and I shall be checking that when it does eventually arrive.

[Mike Thomas]

Stewmac is clearly at fault. If they say that express international is by DHL, with no qualification, then you are entitled to expect that it will be sent by DHL, even if there is no confirming information on checkout.

[kiwigeo]

I received this response from Stewmac. A bit luke warm IMHO:

Dear Martin,

Thank you for contacting us. Unfortunately, we have no control over DHL's practices in your country. In our experience, DHL only uses 3rd party carriers when they are overloaded in package volume or if they do not service a remote area of your country.

We do have alternate shipping methods for International Express. You are more than welcome to request Fed Ex International when you place orders with us. We also use more economical carriers like International Airmail.

If you have any other questions or comments, please let us know.

Best regards,

Karen Richards
StewMac Customer Service
www.stewmac.com

[kiwigeo]

Over the years Ive used both Stewmac and LMI.....I've always found LMI to have the edge when it comes to service.

[Allen]

The last time I ordered from SM the order came via Fedex / Toll. No explanation why even though I've always used DHL.

[kiwigeo]

USPS is not bad for service but from memory DHL was always a bit cheaper and quicker.

The last time I ordered from SM the order came via Fedex / Toll. No explanation why even though I've always used DHL.

[peter.coombe]

Very strange reply from Stew Mac. Seems to try to steer you towards FedEx which is not what we want.

DHL use Australia Post for remote area delivery (I live in a "remote area"). They after all are owned by Deutche Bundespost so that is no surprise. FedEx use TNT for remote area delivery. I sure know which one I prefer and it ain't TNT!

Still no sign of the package.

Stewmac is clearly at fault. If they say that express international is by DHL, with no qualification, then you are entitled to expect that it will be sent by DHL, even if there is no confirming information on checkout.

Precisely.

[kiwigeo]

Stewmac should be chasing TNT not you.

Very strange reply from Stew Mac. Seems to try to steer you towards FedEx which is not what we want.

DHL use Australia Post for remote area delivery (I live in a "remote area"). They after all are owned by Deutche Bundespost so that is no surprise. FedEx use TNT for remote area delivery. I sure know which one I prefer and it ain't TNT!

Still no sign of the package.

Stewmac is clearly at fault. If they say that express international is by DHL, with no qualification, then you are entitled to expect that it will be sent by DHL, even if there is no confirming information on checkout.

Precisely.

[Steve.Toscano]

I feel your pain Peter.....
Definitely agree; Stewmac should be chasing this (or if lost refunding you).

I had a large package appear to go missing from them some time back. After a couple weeks of no movement on the tracking (sent express), i got a phone call from someone at the sorting centre, turns out Stewmac had sent the parcel with no street address on it, only a suburb and country. It sat at the couriers until someone with half a brain decided to google the business name and give me a call.

[kiwigeo]

I don't have much time for couriers. Many is the time I've stood in my lounge that has a view down my driveway and watched a courier stop at my letter box and shove a card in my mail box to tell me that they called but I wasn't home. Lazy sods can't be bothered coming up my driveway and actually knocking on my door.

I feel your pain Peter.....
Definitely agree; Stewmac should be chasing this (or if lost refunding you).

I had a large package appear to go missing from them some time back. After a couple weeks of no movement on the tracking (sent express), i got a phone call from someone at the sorting centre, turns out Stewmac had sent the parcel with no street address on it, only a suburb and country. It sat at the couriers until someone with half a brain decided to google the business name and give me a call.

[Dave M]

Just to add to this story from the UK. I had an order - as it happens - with Stew Mac which was delivered in good time to our local postal service which asked me for the import duty. I paid this then waited. And waited. Turns out they had lost the package. As in completely lost it! They managed a refund of the import duty but no recompense for the cost of the order.

So no fault with SM but surprisingly poor service from Royal Mail I think it's called, though that might have changed this week.

After some chasing I decided life was too short and bought the whole thing again which went smoothly.

The frustration is that even when you get hold of a sympathetic human they seem to have no way to get into the systems to do some exception checking. They are as helpless as us on the outside using the automated systems.

[simso]

Unusual, they have always shipped dhl for me.

I placed an order last friday and it went dhl as well, typically i place the order on friday and its delivered tuesday/wednesday the following week.

They have three shipping options, typically, i always select the one that requires you to tick the box in its disclaimer.

Steve

[kiwigeo]

According to the email response I got from Stewmac......if you ticked DHL and you end up with TNT delivering (or more likely not delivering) your parcel then its because 1) youre living out in the sticks or 2) DHL are overloaded and they've hand balled the job to TNT.

[peter.coombe]

When I last ordered there was no DHL to tick. It just said "International Express", still does the last time I checked (just now), so you don't know how they are going to send it, but I assumed DHL because that is what they have used in the past, and that is what is indicated on their web page. I think that was a reasonable assumption. DHL don't hand ball to TNT, for people living out in the sticks (me) they pass it on to Australia Post. Never had a problem in the past with Australia Post delivering DHL packages. My package was definitely sent via FedExp. TNT is now owned by FedExp so DHL are hardly likely to pass on a package to their competitor. Whoever in Stew Mac replied to your email ain't got a clue.

Still waiting for TNT to deliver.

[seeaxe]

Ill chip in too.

Nothing recently but I've ordered more stuff than I care to think about from Stewmac over the years and always found their delivery service was first class. DHL were superb and the detailed tracking information tremendous. I enjoyed watching it travel across the world from Ohio (iirc) to me. That delivery service was in fact the main contact I had with SM as all of the order process was on line. Orders have reached me in three days from the States, when stuff I had ordered from ALS took weeks. I have complimented them many times on that aspect.

If SM are reading this thread i would urge them not to let that level of delivery service drop for their sakes and ours. Its obviously such a key part of their business.

Hope you get your stuff soon Peter!!

[Blackstar1099]

I've placed 5 orders in the past year and half, 2 were sent by Fedex, the rest via DHL. The last in March was DHL. I don't think they've permanently changed to Fedex. I'm guessing they might have a restriction on the amount that can get picked up every day by DHL. It's probably one van or truck. If the volume exceeds a certain amount they might have to organize Fedex for the spill over. Remember they do guarantee they ship the same day you order. I've just done a bit of googling. There is a Fedex shipping centre in Athens, Ohio but no DHL, so maybe when they realize they're over the limit for DHL they give a quick call to Fedex and ask for a pickup.

Piero

[simso]

Ordered friday night, in perth today, dhl shipped

Steve

[peter.coombe]

Ordered a bunch of stuff from LMI on the weekend and just got an email from LMI. They send via FedExp to my PO address. AAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!! I must be jinxed. No idea how that happened, I thought it was going via USPS since there was no great hurry for this (just as well!). Have sent an email to LMI, and will wait for it to arrive and see what happens. Hopefully they included my phone number or email on the package.

Am sufficiently pissed off with Stew Mac and TNT that I am going to demand a refund of the shipping cost. Still no delivery.

[peter.coombe]

Have called FedExp and got them to change the address to my street address. Hopefully it won't be the same nightmare.

[peter.coombe]

All now resolved. TNT delivered the Stew Mac package on Thursday, but it took another prod from me, and they delivered the LMI package yesterday. Phew.