I expected a package to arrive before I fly on Friday, July 11, 2014. I was going to bring said package to the event I was attending over the weekend.
The package was attempted to be delivered on Wednesday, July 9, but I wasn't at the office when the courier was there. My hours are from 3 o'clock to 12 midnight so it wasn't until I got to the office that I learned there was an attempt to deliver the package --- and that it was FedEx doing so. It was going to be my first time to interact with FedEx.
The courier couldn't just leave the package with our entrance security guard though, because there were customs duties to be paid. The courier left a "Debit Memo" -- something like a bill for what I need to pay to receive the package, with an instruction to call their 1-800 number "if payment is ready."
I called the number on the evening of the same day, and specifically asked to re-attempt to deliver the package at 5:00 PM or later the next day (Thursday, July 10), to be sure that I was already at the office.
I arrived at the office today (Thursday) and this is what I heard from the security guard: that the courier attempted to deliver the package in the morning! The security guard said that he told the courier that as far as he knows, there was an instruction to have it delivered later that day, because certainly I wasn't going to be here (and I was expecting it to be delivered at 5:00 PM or later). The security guard said that the courier said he will attempt to deliver again later that day.
It was almost 8:00 PM and there was no sign of any returning courier yet. And so I called FedEx's 1-800 number again, to confirm if there was still going to be any delivery today. Guy on the phone says that the package is on its way back to their warehouse. So I told him my situation -- that I had requested to have the package delivered today after 5:00 PM, and that I need to bring it on my flight tomorrow. The guy on the phone acknowledged that there was a note in my instruction from last night that the re-delivery attempt should be made at 5:00 PM or later. There was something he said though that made it seem like he was trying to say "that was just your office security guard's story," that it was not confirmed true. Although he apologized for not being able to deliver at the instructed time, there was also something in the way he was speaking that gave me the impression that he was going to make sure that they wouldn't have to spend extra effort to correct their wrong.
Anyway, he then said he can have it attempted to be delivered again tomorrow -- but only to the same address. I told him that I wasn't going to be here (at the office, the original delivery address) anymore, because of my flight. So I asked if it can be delivered instead to my place of residence in the morning.
He then told me that there is going to be a rerouting fee though. But then, I started to complain -- why am I going to have to pay (a rerouting fee) for something they did wrong (not delivering the package at the specified time instructed)? I got angry at this point already. He then said that he will get back to me in a bit.
After a few minutes, he calls and says that some other guy will make a decision whether to wave the rerouting fee or not. I give him the address to my place of residence and later said something like, "okay, you have now given a rerouting instruction." I didn't react to this, but I clarified again -- am I going to pay for your mistake? He said he can't make a promise, etc.
He then proposed that I can pick up the package at their warehouse/office near the Domestic Airport Terminal. I told him that my flight is at Terminal 3 and that the Domestic Terminal is out of my way. I asked, why do I have to go out of my way just because you people made a mistake? At this point, I got even more angry and continued to ask, why am I going to pay for a mistake they made? My anger caused me to raise my voice and the guy on the phone says something like, "Sir, there is no need to raise your voice -- this will be your first warning." (Back of my head, I thought, "FedEx, there's no need to screw and anger people who will pay you for your services.") But then I just asked, "And then what, you're going to make me pay if I raise my voice in anger (over your service) again?" This was all my contention -- that other people made a mistake but I am the one who has to pay for it -- and I just gave up. I asked what will happen to the package, because I told him, and I don't know if he heard me say it, I am not going to pay for any rerouting fee, I am not going to go out of my way, just so they can cover up their mistake.
I expected an American way of customer service from FedEx, being an American company. I didn't expect that FedEx Philippines would become Philippinized in terms of customer care (i.e., having a lack thereof) -- I guess they need to? Or their employees need to?
Earlier this week (and maybe on an almost regular basis), I also experienced this very Filipino way of making you feel guilty even though they made the mistake (first). I went to this place were they took down my passport details, and they got it wrong. I didn't check while at that place, but when I got home, that's when I noticed they got my passport details wrong. I called them up and without any apologies for getting my passport details wrong, they even scolded me for not checking the details while still there!
Anyways, I haven't had any problems so far with UPS in the Philippines (and I wonder what would happen if this all happened with UPS instead of FedEx). But we've had a problem with DHL Philippines (DHL being a German company). What's wrong with these courier services? I am of the opinion that it's not the origin of these companies; i.e. while FedEx, etc. are American companies and so on, FedEx Philippines and others are really Filipino companies now.
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