How A $22 Courier Bill Became $130
This week has all been about getting my bank card from the UK to South Africa via a courier which should be simple and straight forward. The problem is when you are not in control and relying on others to play a role something simple becomes rather complicated and very frustrating. It is not the unforeseen complications necessarily, but the way the entire process unfolded. How can a courier fee jump in price so much and only highlights the insane profits these companies are making. I think what makes this feel worse is knowing the real cost is somewhere around $10-$12.
This mission impossible started last week Friday when I arranged with my friend in SA to have the bank card collected from my brother. He contacted his operations manager and instructed him to arrange the collection. On top of this they paid extra for an agent to handle things in the UK so there would be no problems.
This collection only took place on Thursday because somewhere there was a misunderstanding? The courier was Fed Ex and when the chap arrived to collect the envelope there was no barcode. Apparently they send this out to their customers before collecting via email. The agent handling this failed to mention any of this and had organised nothing, FedEx left not collecting the bank card. This was a R380 courier cost ($22) and should have happened.
My brother is not the easiest person to deal with and is not really a people type person and if I could have used someone else trust me I would have. I looked online and instructed him to go and drop off at the DHL express site in the town center. He is not one to sit at home waiting for a courier to come and collect so I thought this option would suit him.
This morning he arrived at the DHL Express counter and instead of saying it was documents said it was a bank card. Apparently sending bank cards comes with extra paperwork which includes a declaration to the receiver of revenue via customs. Having cocked this up he then phoned and asked for advice on what next and this service price for the delivery was now costing $80 so we are already costing an extra $58.
I told him to do the obvious which is purchase another envelope and place the original Revolut envelope with the card into that envelope. That to me was obvious and I overlooked that part and had forgotten who I was dealing with. My brother is clever being a lawyer, but not what I would call street smart and where we differ.
I had told him not to use the Post Office as that would be a disaster knowing how the Post office does not function in SA. Having said that he still visited the local Post office in the UK and was told it was 6 working days for delivery which I rejected not knowing how or who was going to be delivering my bank card. This price was now $70, but a non starter anyway due to my concerns on delivery my side.
After another search online I came across Fed Ex drop off points and instructed him to visit the closest branch which is various local retailers offering this service as independent agents. This was quick and easy and the cost had escalated to $130 which is kind of scary and alarming knowing we had started out at $22. This will be delivered by Wednesday next week with a 2 working day delivery guarantee.
I have to admit I am a little shocked at the costs spiraling from $22 up to $130 because the first person being the operations manager of a logistics company had not followed through and done his job. I do not blame my brother for having no common sense because I am sure when the original guy came to collect the item this could have been rectified immediately instead of arguing with the chap which is what happened.
I am just counting my lucky stars I do not have to deal with these people on a weekly basis getting things done and once I receive the card this will be finally over. If all goes according to plan which it never does I will be able to book flights etc from Wednesday next week and sort out the rest of the banking that needs to happen as soon as possible.
Posted Using INLEO