I'm really curious if this is just Indonesian bad luck or do those "premium" courier services such as DHL, FedEx, etc... behave the same way outside?
I will share my real experiences (with proofs if it needs be) dealing with them. If there's any of you related to any of those premium courier services, I'm open to discussion and/or suggestions.
Based on what I got so far, I will try to avoid ship/receive (yes, receive) any shipments using their service. In the last 5 years, I have no choice but to accept many shipments using premium services because those big companies don't want to use (their) local post office or EMS service for simplicity (or prestige?) reasons. Some of the bad experiences were:
DHL, FedEx
had to pay for extremely high duty tax. My worst record was a total +52% from the goods value including the shipping itself. And I'm talking > USD 700 here. No matter what the included (honest) invoice says, the custom together with the courier worked together to decide how much I had to pay. I usually just receive a phone call letting me know that there's an incoming shipment and the amount I had to pay is bla...bla...bla.... If I refuse to pay the amount told, they always threatened to ship them back or...simply destroy it. I tried to explain and showed them the original bank transfer receipt but they said, "Sir, you have to include the payment receipt earlier before the custom decide the duty tax....". Yeah right...
Kudos to Indonesian Post Office (Bali) and EMS. They always call me and asked to bring the original payment proof to get any taxable packets. Be it Bank transfer, Paypal, or anything. After they validate the proofs they will then come up with the numbers I have to pay. And always very transparent about it. They showed me the tables and the detail etc...
FedEx
FedEx combined those high duty tax mentioned above with additional unacceptable regulation. In 2015 I ordered some flashlights from Shenzhen with 18650 battery included in each of the flashlight. It's water tight IP68 flashlights. Each battery also taped at the cathode to prevent accidental turn on. The packet delivered to Jakarta (Indonesia) but FedEx refused to further delivers the packet to Bali (still Indonesia). Jakarta - Bali is 1.500km so driving there to get the packet would be too tiring. FedEx said the packet was too dangerous to ship by air! OMD, then how the Shenzhen FedEx shipped it in the first place? There was no way they used sea transport from Shenzhen (China) to Jakarta (Indonesia) in 4 days. I had to ask my friend to GET it from FedEx office in Jakarta and ship the packet to me using land public transport for IDR 45.000 or about USD 3,5 at that time.
About a week ago, just before the long Eid holiday began, I got same problem (tax free fortunately) with even more twist. I ordered two jar of silicone thermal potting compound samples from China. Combined, they weight 2-3 kg including the packing. FedEx called me to send the MSDS to their office otherwise they couldn't deliver it to me because they use local airline (Garuda) to ship it from Jakarta to Bali. In my opinion, the MSDS should have been asked when it was shipped. Anyway, I told the shipper to get the MSDS, all done the packet was safe to further continue it's journey to Bali. BUT.......FedEx asked me to pay additional: USD 3,6 for wooden packing + USD 26,34. Oh wow, I was speechless. The next day, I simply told FedEx to deliver the packet to my friend's address in Jakarta (like before).....So much for premium door to door service.
All in all, 3 weeks economy shipping will get me the product with less hassle, 1/4 the price, and about the same delivery time.
UPDATE 180622:
Now that I asked them to deliver the goods to my friend's address in JKT which he said free of any charges....The other person are now asking fora nother charge:
I think it’s unethical to ask for more money for such a high ranked company with more than 50 years field experience. It’s their job to deliver the shipment to the receiver’s address as agreed when it’s shipped.
That’s very bad service indeed. Ridiculously high duty tax, refusing to ship goods due to “unacceptable regulation”, and threaten to ship goods back or outright destroy them. I suggest anyone to not use their service again.
If you wanted to use “premium” shipping service in SEA, I suggest using TNT. From my experience, when they ship my GT with 8×18650, they ship fast and safe (It took ~1 week to ship from Hongkong to my doorstep, and there are no damage to the GT and the batteries). I don’t know if there are any TNT shipping office in Bali though.
I’ve been “forced” to use DHL (mostly from our tint snobism lately) because it’s the best from all those premium couriers, well at least in Bali. So, I swallow the high unconfirmed duty tax every time. DHL is better because it has it’s own airline and collecting pool in Ngurah Rai cargo airport, Bali. Nearest import pool for TNT is in East Java while for FedEx it’s located in Jakarta.
Almost all couriers have same rule for unclaimed packets. Beyond 30 days, they will let the custom Dept to do whatever they want with the unclaimed items. Not all stuff destroyed (I guess), mostly goes to public auction. And DHL in particular, is very strict about it. Ah, BTW, after 3 days from the first notification (for the next 30 days), you have to pay for bonded storage fee. With DHL it’s about IDR 1.500/kg/day.
It’s their job to deliver the goods to the receiver’s doorstep unless they refused to do it in the first place.
I know it’s off topic and I apologize but since this is mostly about Indonesia. I have to say I’m a huge fan of The sacred Rianas performances. I’ll watch her new videos when they come out in English or Indonesian
In Canada locally all the courier companies seem fine, but as soon as they deliver something from another country to me, I can expect be charged massive fees that at times seem ridiculous. To make it simple, I never choose to get anything at all delivered from out of country with any courier period. Makes life so much more fun not having to deal with these bandits.
DHL, FedEx, and UPS all charge high customs clearance fees on non-EU international parcels delivered to the UK.
For shipments worth less than $100, the fees are often higher than the tax owed.
DHL often require me to fill out complex customs paperwork before they will release package.
Some sellers pay the customs fees up front. Mouser Electronics and Nordstrom are two of them. Shipments that are ‘duty paid’ arrive quicly with no additional payment or paperwork required.
You recieve goods as private person or as legal entity?
Most of courier services are not suitable for personal usage, all their rules are wrote for big companies, they have incredibly big discount for companies that signed their agreement. Customs fees and taxes also different for legal entities.
For me it’s now the other way around. Swedish authorities and postal services got tired of being drowned in all these free shipping packages from China so they enforced an $8 minimum import tax on all packets from outside Europe regardless of customs value. I don’t mind the additional cost but the system they implemented is catastrophic. They have lost packages, screw up deliveries, at best adding weeks to delivery time. The way around it use to use a courier like Fedex. I now use Fedex International as shipping option on OSH Park board orders that are important, that’s how bad the Swedish system now is. It’s expensive but at least I get my boards. Fedex do the customs handling so I don’t have to pay those $8 to Swedish postal services, but most importantly I get what I order.
In fairness to DHL, Fedex and UPS, while almost all of them charge fees for the delivery in some form or another, the oftentimes horrendous amounts of Customs Duties and Taxes are actually determined by the government they are operating in, and it goes to the host government’s coffers.
In fact, I always receive an invoice from the Bureau of Customs of the amount I paid.
Private. - Mostly- Customs and brokerage fees for the university are paid for by the university. I never see the paperwork or fees paid.
I have had to deal with DHL on work items sent for repair. There isn’t supposed to be any import duty, but there is the DHL fee (negioated to lower rate) and pages of paperwork.
If you want to have some real fun, try Yodel. They don’t charge extra but they don’t deliver your package either :laughing:
Half of my prize from last year’s scratch built comp was never delivered, they lost it with no particular reason and now I’ve been waiting two days for a new box which was due yesterday where tracking says delivered. Nope.
Followed tracking all day today then it disappeared with four stops to go so after contacting them again they say it will be delivered tomorrow. Tracking tells lies saying an attempt was made. Nope, definitely not.
I am doubtful this one will ever arrive either.
So far they have a 100% record with me, for NOT delivering any packages, not bad for a delivery company eah :weary:
This is just too funny. Sorry CRX, but now I’m laughing and feels so lucky over your loss :laughing:
What we can do to such companies is to spread the words (with proofs of course) about their Amazing services.
Yeah I wrote a short humorous version of what has happened, gotta laugh or I’d be cracking up
I’m waiting for this package, watching the tracking the whole time….
• 18/06/18 - 00:00 - Your parcel will be with us soon
• 18/06/18 - 22:36 - Your parcel is at our sort centre
• 18/06/18 - 22:38 - Your parcel is in transit
• 19/06/18 - 05:00 - Your parcel is with one of our drivers for delivery
• 19/06/18 - 09:34 - Your parcel has arrived at your local depot
• 19/06/18 - 18:11 - Your parcel has been delivered
• 20/06/18 - 10:19 - Your parcel is with one of our drivers for delivery (due between 15:35 - 17:35)
• 20/06/18 - 17:19 - Sorry we missed you. We’ve left you a calling card…
Hermes are just as bad. I had an incident exactly like yours - tracking claimed the item was on its way, then it never arrived, but the courier had claimed a delivery attempt. When the sender tried to chase the package down, it had mysteriously disappeared from the depot it was supposedly returned to.
The thing is, there were three people in the house - including myself - when the delivery attempt was supposed to have taken place, so I am absolutely certain that courier was lying. Probably couldn’t be bothered and chucked the package in a hedge somewhere.
