Okay, this is my honest review and I hope that I can provide some insight for someone not to stumble through the frustrating steps I’ve been already.
Life is full of expenses and there’s simply never a time to really buy what you want. Nevertheless, I got my annual bonus, and I wanted to import stuff from the US, at least for the last year and a half. I have searched many forums, and read about user experiences of other people – all about what and who they suggest to use as a shipping forwarded company.
After a lot of research, I already decided a year and a half ago, that I’ll use Ship It To, when the time has come to order from the US. So the time has finally arrived, and I decided to order a Nokia N900, Some Otterbox protection for the nokia, two Bluetooth headsets, a Bluetooth mouse and a Bluetooth dongle. Mmmm I think that’s about it. I ordered it on the 15th of October 2010 at amazon.com
I did not want to spend a lot of money on amazon.com, and I’ve selected only items with free shipping and sold by amazon. I chose items sold only by amazon, cause I wanted one single package. Nevertheless. I checked my calendar and the frees hipping option would’ve taken a couple of day just to deliver the items to Ship It To. So I then gave it much though and chose the 2 day air shipping.
However, just before I placed the order, I opened my Ship It To account. The once-off shipment option had no consolidation and even though I knew I just order items to ship in once single package, I purchased the monthly plan which include consolidation – just for in case I might need it. Ummmm….
I’m not a person to badmouth others, but I’m really trying to be honest here.
So, I wanted my items to be shipped to the Memphis warehouse. Cause one has multiple warehouse options in the shipping calculator, before purchase. Nevertheless. From the accounts panel of Ship It To, after signing in, I apparently did not have enough verification status to have the addresses, other than Torrance and I think Hong Kong, available to me. The verification process include sending a signed form by mail to shipito in the US.
Earlier this year while I was in the US, my sister sent me a christmas and birthday card in November 2009 and I only received it in March 2010. So I will have to wait at least 2 months , at least, for my signed form to arrive in the US, unless I courier it.
Nevertheless, I had no other option than Torrance, US. Also, the max. spending amount is US$75.00 until you get 100% verified. I uploaded all the verification docs that I have, and apparently I am now “+30%” but that does not apply to increasing the US$75.00 one is allowed to “spend”. I phoned shipito to discuss this and to ask a couple of questions I’d like to know, because this is the first US shipment for me, I have not done it in the past, and I just wanted a peace of mind. I mean, I just spent a couple of hundred dollars on my purchase.
Sergey, to whom I spoke to, as really unfriendly and he “doesn’t care” and can do “nothing about the situation” – my concern was that I think the shipping costs will be more than 75 dollars. And since I’m only allowed to spend 75 dollars, what will happen to my package if it costs more than 75 dollars to ship with FedEx?
Sergay was really unhelpful, and told me after 6 minutes and 34 seconds, that I’m wasting his time for keeping him 20 minutes on the phone, etc etc. And honestly, I really kept is short and simple.
I was really astounded by this response, but I decided that its okay.
My packages arrived on time at Ship It To. Impressive.
I phoned my local fedex just to ensure that everything will be in order and how I should proceed to get my package, because we only have two FedEx branches in the country, which is located in the larger towns. I also phoned FedEx’s import and customs agent – to ensure how I should proceed in regards to paying the import taxes, etc.
So, FedEx – Checked.
Import Customs – Checked.
Everything was checked. I’m so afraid that something might go wrong!
In the meantime, I sent an email to shipito – but with no response after a day.
I sent 4 emails to Daniel – and no response since.
I sent 4 emails to Mandi – no response since.
I phoned shipito – and after being treated as if I am really disturbing them – I decided not to call again.
Sergay spelled it out last time that if I have a problem, its my problem, not theirs, whatsoever.
I also tried to load funds to my account – but my card failed. Which is impossible, but the response time was so instant after trying a couple of times, it seems impossible that they’ve actually tried to authorized it.
So, as Sergay said, I have to do a wire transfer, and in addition to the fees charged at my local bank for wiring a payment to the US, which is more than an arm and a leg, they charge 4.something percent as well as 16 dollars something, for receiving a wire payment – and that’s all my problem.
So, the 2 packages is now in the warehouse, and through my admin I chose to have them consolidated. The shipping for both packages should have been 120 dollars something, but after having them consolidated to actually pay less for the shipment, I now own shipito 192.52 dollars.
I emailed shipito just to get a confirmation in regards to this, but no response.
I emailed and asked them to please please just respond – but no response, since.
So, I don’t like to give bad scores. Honestly, I don’t know what to score them. At some stage I though of just forgetting a package and if it arrives some day, be happy, if not, forget about it. But then I have to remind myself that I cant just give up, and that I’m paying shipito a lot of money, for providing a service.
So, to score them, I’ll rather do this – to get my score.
1) Living up to their promises : 2/10 – I don’t know why I score them 2, cause it should be 0.
2) Responding to a question – mmmm, do I really have to score them 0? Yes. 0/10
3) Customer support and providing polite support - … 0/10? Should I really be this harsh. No, I’m just being honest.
4) Well there must be a good point… Okay, consolidation service, 10/10. But no, my packages now cost far more after the consolidation. So it cant be 10/10. Okay, 3/10
5) Okay, advertising a good product, even thou not living up to their promise, lets give them 5/10
Just a note – for some reason I have a lot of invoices in my account stating NOT PAID and I phones them in regards to this, and the lady said I should just wait until they disappear by themselves.
I’m really really sad. Really. This is not just disappointing. The thing that really upsets me the most, is that I don’t get any response from Ship It To, not at all. And when calling them, they are really really impatient and rude.
I’m so so so sad. Not because that I wont receive my package in the projected 7 days (that’s why I paid Amazon far more for shipping, to have it delivered at shipito in 2 days time) and not because , well, yeah, not because I can only “spend” 75 dollars in my account.
I’m so sad, I feel like just forget about the package, totally. I’m sad because I feel like being mislead and now that I’ve paid them and now that the package is in their warehouse – I simply cant get a way communicating with them.
I’m really disappointed. Really.
My average score based on my single scores above : 10%
I am so so so sad, and so disappointed. I feel like being ripped of.
And I know the costs just to get it here in Namibia, is about to cost me far more than what I paid for my items.
