Fuck Purolator

[Cortexian]

So they come by today at 10:51am according to the doorknocker they left for me. On a Wednesday. A weekday. At 10:51 AM to a residential address. Who exactly did they expect to be home at that time?

Anyway, I get home at 5:00pm and get the doorknocker which says the standard for Purolator when they don't catch me:

You can pickup your shipment at the following lcation after 10:00am 10/20.

So I give them a call to ask if I can go pick it up at the depot tonight (I've done this before with no problems). The guy arranges it and says they will call me back in a few minutes ones they get the info about the pickup so I can go get it.

6:00pm rolls past...

7:00pm... I think I better check to see when they close, as they're a postal service I assumed it was probably 8pm or 9pm instead of the usual 9pm or 10pm of a regular business.

They close at 7:30pm... By now it's like 7:10pm and the depot is approximately 30 minutes away by car at the speed limit. So I get my coat and my iPhone and get ready to leave while calling the depot, two minutes of ringing and then it goes to a busy signal. Whatever I hop in the car and head out.

I get there at 7:36pm, a whole fucking SIX MINUTES after they officially close. Door is locked, so I knock and get a girl who runs to get some guy to talk to me. He refuses to even walk over to the door or open anything so we can talk without shouting through the glass, whatever. I shout through the glass at him that I was told my package would be available for pickup tonight at that location. He says there's nothing he can do because there is a camera watching him and he could be fired if he let me in. So I tell him to get his manager, and he says that the manager I would need to talk to isn't around and that I should just come back tomorrow...

What the fuck kind of business doesn't let people in a whole fucking 6 minutes after closing, especially if they were told there was something there for them to pickup that evening.

So yeah, I was going to call them tomorrow and demand a redelivery, refund for shipping, and reimbursement for an hours worth of driving a supercharged Buick which chugs down supreme-grade gasoline. That reasonable? I don't expect to get full gas reimbursement, but maybe they'll give me SOME money in addition to the shipping costs back.

[Amit]

Oh fucking god. I just ordered my X4 955BE today from Newegg and it's coming by Purolator. A shitstorm is coming D:

[TVTyrant]

What the fuck is Purolator?

[Amit]

The notoriously shitty Canadian shipping company.

[Zeph]

Reading comprehension; ITT.

[dark navi]

Why don't Canadians use USPS?

[Nero]

Why don't Canadians use USPS?
Something in the name should give you the hint:
"united states postal service"
Our version is Canada post and for the long abroad big package things, we use UPS. (Atleast I do, when they don't try to rip me off, lol)

[Cagerrin]

nothing but ridiculously fast deliveries with purolator here in BC, why do you live in a hicktown like Edmonton~

[Kornman00]

:words:
http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web04/2010/11/5/7/successful-troll-if-successful-3703-1288956519-13.jpg

[Amit]

http://s3-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web04/2010/11/5/7/successful-troll-if-successful-3703-1288956519-13.jpg

What he said is completely true, though. Heh, I once convinced ThePlague that Canada uses the USPS, haha. I've never had anything delivered to me by an official Canada Post truck. Do only fancy businesses and institutions receive stuff from the Canada Post?

[ThePlague]

So how the fuck do you guys get letters and mail?

[neuro]

internet?

[Amit]

So how the fuck do you guys get letters and mail?

I think most mail delivery employees use their own vehicles to travel to the mailboxes.

[Hotrod]

I've never had any problems with Purolator. The worst thing that ever happened to me with them is that I had an important package delayed by a day, though it wasn't that big of a deal in the end.

Still, shitty situation though. They should hopefully give you something for your troubles :/

[=sw=warlord]

I would be grateful before 12AM to be honest.
Where I live the time of postal delivery ranges between 10AM all the way to 2PM depending on weather.
That includes post that requires signatures.

[Nero]

So how the fuck do you guys get letters and mail?
In my area they walk. :)

[Amit]

I would be grateful before 12AM to be honest.
Where I live the time of postal delivery ranges between 10AM all the way to 2PM depending on weather.
That includes post that requires signatures.

Packages are usually 9AM to 7PM in my area. I got a Purolator tracking number for newegg, but when I put it into Purolator's tracking thing, it tells me to call a number to find out the status of my stuff. That's BS. UPS does their job proper and always has the information ready to go when I need it.

Oh well, free shipping > $25 UPS shipping.

[Cagerrin]

In my area they walk. :)
Same around here, though I occasionally see white vans(oh no!) for larger packages

Packages are usually 9AM to 7PM in my area. I got a Purolator tracking number for newegg, but when I put it into Purolator's tracking thing, it tells me to call a number to find out the status of my stuff. That's BS. UPS does their job proper and always has the information ready to go when I need it.

Oh well, free shipping > $25 UPS shipping.
Gotta be a location thing, their tracking's always worked on the website for my newegg/ncix orders

[Cortexian]

So I called them as soon as they opened today to see if I could get a before noon delivery for my troubles.

Nope. Not today at all, earliest they could deliver would be tomorrow.

So I ask if they'll refund me my shipping on the basis that 1) the initial delivery was at a terrible time, 2) I was told to go pick it up last night, and was never given any indication that they closed at 7:30 on a WEEKDAY, 3) that I had to drive an hour round trip just to be told to come back tomorrow because I was 6 minutes late, and of course 4) that they wouldn't deliver to me today, when all of the previous things were clearly their fault.

No refund. Fuckers.


So at this point I've come to the conclusion that:
1) Canada Post, Purolator, and UPS are all extremely terrible if you're the recipient of a package.
2) Canada Post is the best value for you money if you're the shipper of a package (excluding business contracts and such of course). However the recipient will still likely get fucked at some point.
3) USPS Is still the best option to choose if shipping from the USA to Canada. They hand-off to Canada Post and the import/export fees and other duties are SIGNIFICANTLY less than UPS.
4) If you can't choose USPS to Canada, choose Purolator but don't ever ask them to make changes to their delivery procedures. Just wait it out and follow their instructions.

[Amit]

Alright, I got my package from Newegg today. It came at 2PM, but I wasn't home. They left a note that I can pick up my package as a holding centre after 4PM. There are two or three holding centers in my town. I guess that's to be expected from a mainly urban, built-up area. I went in, picked up my package no problem. In and out in two minutes.

The thing to remember here is that you can expect your holding centre to be a good ways away from your home when living in a relatively remote area of Alberta. They hold packages for 5 business days I believe, so if you don't absolutely need to grab what you had shipped to you, leave it for the next day or the days after. Don't rush out to the centre when there's a possibility that you will be late.

I know Freelancer complained about them delivering his package at 10AM on a Wednesday, but that's business. If you want timed shipping you have to pay a premium for it. UPS is no different in that regard. They will deliver when it's convenient for them, not you. Now the guy that refused to open the door for Freelancer 6 minutes after closing is obviously a douche, but he was under no obligation to open the door after closing. They said be there at 7, you're there after it, too bad.

Basically what I'm saying is that you shouldn't blame the shipping company because the dude at the holding centre didn't open the door for you. I had a good experience with Purolator and I'm surprised as hell how quick the package got here.

[Pooky]

How is he being a douche for not doing something he could get fired for.

[TVTyrant]

How is he being a douche for not doing something he could get fired for.
I think by "he", he means purolator.

[Wakeboy1337]

driving a supercharged Buick which chugs down supreme-grade gasoline. That reasonable? I don't expect to get full gas reimbursement, but maybe they'll give me SOME money in addition to the shipping costs back.

You drive a regal? Fuck yeah 3800 platform FTMW

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y143/abc7896321045/Grand%20Prix/IMG_20110922_164610.jpg

[Amit]

How is he being a douche for not doing something he could get fired for.

Yeah, I just thought about it after I posted, but I didn't remember to edit the post. He can be fired for breaking protocol.

[Cortexian]

I drive a Buick Park Avenue Ultra.

Also, I don't really have any issues with the guy not opening the door after 7:30. I have issues with the fact that the guy I called, who told me I could go pick it up that evening said it would be available tonight at so-and-so location. However he neglected to say that out of all the Purolator stores in Calgary, the one I was to go pickup from closed at 7:30 even though all the others close at 8:00.

[Patrickssj6]

If you are concerned about getting all your packages, get yourself one of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation) :P

[Amit]

WTF, why aren't those in North America yet? Germany wins this round.

[Patrickssj6]

WTF, why aren't those in North America yet? Germany wins this round.
lol I thought that idea came from America. It's usually America that does these convenience things.

Also, it's free and you even get reward points xD I registered an hour ago because my postman is already getting angry with me ordering that many packages.

[EX12693]

America does convenience things, not smart things lol.

[Zeph]

America does convenience things, not smart things lol.
Unfortunately, Americans generally consider convenience smart.

[Amit]

Unfortunately, Americans generally consider convenience smart.

This. Convenience and efficiency don't go hand in hand most of the time.

[Mr Buckshot]

Can't be as bad as Canada Post.

My friend who's an Indian international student in Toronto needed to mail his passport to Ottawa for some legal business.

He mailed the passport to the embassy in Ottawa by the most expensive Canada Post Express service 18 days before his return flight home.

12 days later, the embassy in Ottawa finally received his passport and did the necessary - and upon hearing that, my friend canceled the mail order back to Toronto, and hopped on a Greyhound bus to Ottawa just to grab his passport and return to Toronto in the same day, because he knew there was no way in hell he could receive it back in time for his return flight. This was only possible after hours wasted on verbal fights on the phone with both Canada Post and the embassy.

I used to complain about USPS back in cali, but Canada Post, and in some cases Purolator, makes USPS look like a quality five-star service. Purolator has screwed me before with late/missing deliveries, but only Canada Post is capable of sending you your neighbour's mail and vice versa on a regular basis. And this is the suburbs with detached houses, not an apartment where all mailboxes are crammed together, so they have no excuse.

Teleportation technology needs to get invented ASAP.

amit: Do you live near a retail NCIX, Canada Computers, Memory Express, or Tiger Direct? You can always order online and have it shipped to the retail location. Typically much faster and safer than having it sent to your home. Also free, unless you count the gas or transit fare to reach the retail location.

NCIX and ME now have huge retail stores in Vancouver, so all is well :D

[TeeKup]

If you are concerned about getting all your packages, get yourself one of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation) :P

Hey look, another reason for me to move to Germany once I finish College.

[Cortexian]

I'm lucky enough to have three Memory Express stores in Calgary here, so I never have to worry about shipping on most computer things. If they don't have it in-stock they just special order it for me and I don't need to worry about shipping.

[Amit]

only Canada Post is capable of sending you your neighbour's mail and vice versa on a regular basis. And this is the suburbs with detached houses, not an apartment where all mailboxes are crammed together, so they have no excuse.

So true. We get mail for other people on my street all the time. I'm sure as hell they're getting our mail as well :/




@Amit: Do you live near a retail NCIX, Canada Computers, Memory Express, or Tiger Direct? You can always order online and have it shipped to the retail location. Typically much faster and safer than having it sent to your home. Also free, unless you count the gas or transit fare to reach the retail location.

NCIX and ME now have huge retail stores in Vancouver, so all is well :D

I'm not sure. Maybe an NCIX, but I'd have to check. The closest Newegg warehouse is Mississauga I think, because that's where my CPU was shipped out from. There's more likely an NCIX in the same general area. Mississauga is 45 mins west of my location, though.

Edit: I was right, there's a new NCIX open in Mississauga now, but there's one even closer to me in Scarborough, but that's still a 30 min drive from here. It's retarded how they have three locations alone in Markham (just a bit farther west of Scarborough).

Memory Express is out of the question because they only have locations in Alberta and one in Manitoba. That's as good as being on the other side of the world for me :|

[Mr Buckshot]

ME opened their first store outside of Alberta in Vancouver :D And their price matching is good too. Their catalog of desktop parts isn't as good as NCIX's (yet), but they have an awesome selection of gaming laptops at reasonable prices. Also, they demoed Portal 2 in EyeInfinity :)

Even if NCIX is that far, it's still well worth it, as you could budget some time on the weekends to do an in-store pickup. When I'm ordering something as vulnerable and pricey as computer hardware, I don't trust delivery services with sending it to my house. I remember how my uncle sent me some novels through Purolator, and the novels were wrapped in a thin envelope. Believe it or not, Purolator jammed the envelope halfway into my mail slot. On a heavily rainy day. When I got back home, I ended up with soaked and crumpled novels to read.

[Amit]

It would cost more in gas to go to Mississauga to do in-store pick-ups than to have something shipped here from Newegg (I'm in Whitby). Not to mention NCIX's prices are absolute turd snaps compared to Newegg. Their normal price for the AMD X4 955 Black Edition is $129.98 and they have it on sale for $117 today only. I got it from Newegg for $110 from Newegg exactly a week ago.

[Nero]

Dude, you don't live far from me (Amit)! I goto Mississauga to get my stuff from NCIX too now, as its only about a 45 minute drive.

Also, I hate the fact that there is a showcase store + a sales store in Markham. :|
(btw, the tiger-direct in Markham (If you ever been), was used in the TV show Warehouse 13.) In fact the show is almost all filmed in Ontario. ~Cool side note

[Mr Buckshot]

Ah right, I keep forgetting how much more sprawled out the Toronto area is :/

[Cortexian]

Even though Memory Express doesn't seem to have as large a catalog of parts as NCIX,they can still get anything you want. Also, they have way better staff and customer service from my experience.

Those of you that know my monitors story from NCIX know that I'll NEVER order from them again.

[PurolatorHelp]

Dear Freelancer,

I am sorry to hear about your incident. I would like to look into this and report it to the manager of the terminal who did not contact you to tell you that that package was ready or not.

If you could please email us the tracking number and some details at customer.care@purolator.com, we'll be glad to take care of this.

regards,

Vincent
Customer Care Team
Email: customer.care@purolator.com

Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/purolatorhelp

Visit us on:
www.purolator.com (http://www.purolator.com)

[Amit]

What the hell? ^^

[TVTyrant]

I'm so confused!!!!!






















































What the FUCK is Purolator!?!?!?!?!?

[=sw=warlord]

IRONY.

[Cortexian]

I really don't know if that PurolatorHelp thing was a troll or what.

Wow.

All the links and whatnot appear to be real, and the OFFICIAL PUROLATOR CUSTOMER SERVICE web page (http://www.purolator.com/customer_service/) links to the same Twitter Vincent posted.

[Amit]

It is perfectly possible that Purolator has some sort of watch on google that finds distress messages. I simply mentioned Tales of Heroes from the Sound Strategy Network back in September on another forum and the legendary Bridger registered on the forum to post this: http://www.ligs.us/smf3/index.php/topic,12649.msg127185.html#msg127185

[Cortexian]

:conspiracy:

[=sw=warlord]

Be afraid Freelancer, be very afraid.
:cwazy:

[Amit]

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h262/amit9821/Screenshot2011-11-02at25814PM.png

Source (http://www.ligs.us/smf3/index.php/topic,12649.msg127187.html#msg127187)

[Cortexian]

lol

[Amit]

He hasn't showed up yet. Maybe somebody has warned him about Modacity lol