DHL - Incompetent, and clueless.

My MacBook Air needed to be repaired (don't ask, it was my fault), and Apple was very good about pickup and repair.  On June 30 I got an email telling me that I should be getting the computer back that day.  The email included a DHL tracking number, which showed the computer due to arrive on June 30. 

But as you can see from the latest information from the DHL website, the computer, after having spent a bit of time travelling around the country, is in Waco Texas.  Update: it's now made it to Louisiana (although not to New Orleans).

6/28/2008    Picked up by DHL in Houston

6/29/2008    Depart Houston, TX

6/29/2008    Arrive Wilmington, OH

6/29/2008    Depart for Salt Lake City, UT

6/30/2008    Transit Salt Lake City Regional Hub

7/01/2008    Depart Salt Lake City

7/02/2008    Arrive Waco, TX

7/03/2008    In transit Waco Regional Hub

7/07/2008    Arrive Baton Rouge, LA

I still haven't gotten the computer. I called DHL last Thursday and they couldn't tell me when it would arrive, but said they thought it "would be soon." Needless to say, whether or not my computer arrives tomorrow (or anytime "soon") I won't ever use DHL. I've told Apple about the problem, not that I expect them to do anything about it.

I understand that packages get misrouted, but this fiasco has a couple of strange elements. First, DHL doesn't seem to be able to detect that it's misrouted a package that started in Houston bound for New Orleans, even as it moved North and then West. Also, DHL didn't have a system to flag the situation as one that called for someone to contact the customer. Finally, DHL seems to have no way of tracking its packages.

DHL's motto? "Incompetence is Job #1"

Comments

[mcmetzger]

I abandoned DHL years ago for incompetence as well. Among the astonishing gaffes were: 1. repeated failures to delivery "next day" owing to "snowstorms in the area within the last 5 days" (odd that FedEx and UPS seemed unaffected) and 2. repeated migration of my account to one of my client's names. After I sent a blistering letter to them, demanding that my account be closed, they told me that they understood my frustration and that it had been fixed, and I should give them a try some later time. I still get mail from them addressed to me, at my address with the names of my client's business. Fixed? Yeah right.

The morons running that company deserve to fail and go out of business.

[Steve]

I encountered DHL in the military, the government uses them for supply shipments. Service wasn't the greatest, so I was apprehensive about the fact that Gateway used them to ship my laptop to TX for repair. Haven't had a problem though with the two times my computer needed work.

[DHLExecVP]

use any carrier enough and this will happen

I WORK FOR DHL

[Mary]

Dell also apparently uses them. DHLExecVP, I'd like to just show you http://www.yelp.com/biz/dhl-san-francisco to prove that these aren't just isolated cases. I'm in the midst of having a horrible experience myself.

[Nick Smith]

DHL is horrible. I think UPS is the most reliable. They've been around the longest so it makes sense.

[Stanley Feldman]

Most of what I receive comes from UPS. Most of what I send goes out with FedEx, simply because I have an account from years ago. I don't have any issues with DHL.

The speed of life is simply too fast for me.

[dhlexecvp]

Apple - incompetent and clueless

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/ptech/07/11/iphone.sales.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

"Dell also apparently uses them. DHLExecVP, I'd like to just show you http://www.yelp.com/biz/dhl-san-francisco to prove that these aren't just isolated cases. I'm in the midst of having a horrible experience myself."

Maybe there's a problem with one station. DHL would not get contracts with major companies if this was so widespread.

[Leo]

I agree with dhlexecvp for the most part. I am a DHL driver with an independant contractor, and of the 15-20 skids and 6-10 "C"s (aircraft cargo containers) we get in every day, less than half a skid is misroutes. I should also mention having to drive 10 curvy lake road miles twice a week to pick up blown glass artwork, because "Fed-Ex and UPS keep breaking our product" and "You are the only ones who can get it there without breakage". For the most part, we do our best to get your package to you, and alot of misroutes are caused by bad zip codes and other shipper adressing errors.

[Ellen]

Yes, you will have this with any carrier. But, due to poor management it looks as though DHL won't be around too much longer.

[JIM]

YES ELLEN YOUR RITE I WORK FOR DHL IN PHILLY. DHL WILL NOT BE AROUND BECAUSE THEY FIRED ALL THE DHL MANGERS AND KEPT ALL THE AIRBOURNE MANGERS THAT RAN THEM IN TO THE GROUND.

[nickie]

they should have fired all the airboune mangers that ran air bourne in to ground no they fired all the dhl guysi work for dhl in the philly are its the boss fault that the freight is late or not put on the rite truck

[All knowing one]

So Leo, are you blaming the customer for DHL's incompetence. Even if the zipcode is wrong you can correct it and then tell the customer it is going to be late. COMMON SENSE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! Its not like you guys are handling that many packages, maybe a 10th of the US market share!!

[george schulz]

can anybody tell me why my DHL package leaving from kentucky to texas has to go north to indiana, then to ohio first? cant DHL just ship it directly to the waco texas hub???

[Charles]

My package has been stuck in DHL's Waco facility since July 1, 2008 (today is July 24, 2008).

I was told that DHL decided to stop delivering to my zip code (San Angelo, Texas a town of over 100,000 people).

Apparently DHL made no provision for the packages already in their system when they decided to stop delivering.

I'm seriously thinking about suing their ass . . . and I'm an attorney! I'll get them to come to San Angelo whether they want to or not.

Bottom line - Do not use DHL. They are droolers! Monkeys could do a better job.

[Bryan]

I have used DHL various time to get packages from dell. Fed-ex is slow and has never met any dead lines. UPS has done fine. I have sent items with DHL between me and dell about 37 countable times. Now, Dell on the other hand has mixed my computer and house info with other people info(you know those service tag things) and i have delt with them on various occations to get that fixed. DHL will let me talk with some one at a local facility to let me know when i can go pick up my package if i wasnt home, and when necissary they have been willing to come back and re-attempt delivery because the stupid sender required signiture. Oh and for you with the "UPS has lasted longer so they are more reliable" well look at McDonalds, you cant even get anything worth looking at there anymore. Oh, and the old 80886 Processors have been around longer then the Quad core, which one is more reliable? you tell me.

[Reuben]

On Sept. 8, DHL picked up my Dell Laptop for delivery to Houston for repair. It has been stuck in Waco, Texas for six days. Considering the Hurricane in Houston, I called DHL and asked them to return my computer to me knowing that there was no way it could be repaired in Houston for awhile. I spoke with a supervisor, Dwayne Moore, who told me, There was no way he could get in touch with Waco Depot to have laptop returned to me, and that it would have to continue to Houston first and then be returned from there. So. DHL is telling me they have a depot that is unreachable by them (Waco)and my laptop is in Limbo, and may not be seen for months while the mess in Houston is cleared up, And Dell doesnt have a clue as what to do about my shipment, so they had me goin in phone circles with help desk around the world, which finally disconnected on me after three hours waiting.

[billy]

i dont understand there train of thought. i have a package getting shipped to me in florida from a friend in new jersey and the last update they gave says that my package is in texas which is completley useless and out of the way.

[Shelia]

DHL claims to have delivered my shipment from Dell ON MY DOORSTEP TWO TIMES BUT NEVER DID !!!!!!!!!
OK,,, I had ordered a purchase from Dell, didn't get it (although DHL claims they put it on my doorstep),, so DELL graciously resent the same item,, I didn't get that one (although DHL still has the same story-it's on my doorstep)... IF my shipment was 'Lost in Limbo' somewhere, that's one thing,,, but for them to say that I supposedly recieved my items TWO DIFFERENT TIMES is a bunch of BS....... I am currently considering suing whoever entered it into the system that they put it on my doorstep/or by my front door because I'm pretty sure that the SOB stole my items....
NOTE: This isn't 'hate mail' against DHL, NOR is it a complaint about every current employer or ex-employer ... I'm ticked at the person(s) that lied about delivering my shipment two different times and I just wanted to warn everyone else about DHL... Take my advise and DON'T USE DHL!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dell optiplex]

I've bought the 1521 laptop a couple of days ago. What can I say?
It's perfect. The batteries works up to 4 hours (if you power off
the wireless interfaces). Also, I was lucky enough to get the model
without that TrueLife glossy screen. The bad thing is that the laptop
only comes with Windows Vista, and therefore has only Vista drivers.
It was somehow hard to find the Windows XP drivers for all presented
devices, but finally I have found them all.
Again - this laptop is just perfect.