I've been ordering stuff online and deliveries have been pretty much normal, Auckland or Wellington to here should be overnight, it hasn't quite worked like that sometimes but it has been good.
Overseas might be a different story, there's a lot less traffic carrying freight. I'm waiting on a book, I'll be interested to see how long that takes. The last book arrived yesterday and took weeks longer than usual.
There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop
I ordered a Fitbit for my wife ex-Australia eBay on May 12 and it arrived yesterday. Ordered a sweatshirt from a US company I use regularly on May 1 and it arrived on the 29th May. That was a direct mailing, not through YouShop. Slower than normal. The slide and negative scanner I ordered from Auckland a couple of weeks ago took 2 days to get to Coromandel. Much faster than I expected under the circumstances. Our rural mail has been operating 6 days a week to address the backlog.
Well, Motomox is a smaller retailer, but PBTech definitely can't be described as a smaller retailer. They have a dozen stores. I have placed half a dozen orders with them over the last 2 or 3 weeks - 2 click & collect and 4 couriered out. A couple of expensive items (totalling over $4k) and some cheaper stuff like cables. The only difference to normal would be ordering something on Friday and instead of the courier delivering it on Monday they don't show up until Thursday. But I get tracking that clearly shows the order was picked up on Friday, this means that PBTech did there job quickly but the couriers are insanely busy and there is a big delay due to that.
In the past I've had no issues with the service from bigger companies like Farmers, Briscoes, Smith City, Harvey Norman, Noel Leeming, Heathcotes, JB HiFi, Dick Smith, Torpedo 7 and others. I do order a lot from overseas, but not if I can get the same thing here at a reasonable price. It isn't really about a desire to support local businesses, it is to my advantage to buy in NZ for the consumer protection laws and in case of any need for the warranty. I've been sent a wrong item when buying from Amazon, but the item was worth less than it would have cost to send it back - I did message them and explained the situation, but they would do nothing for me unless I sent the item back. I've had better luck from Banggood when they sent me the wrong item, they sent out the right item without me needing to send the wrong one back - better customer service from China than from USA.
Overall I have found that customer service fails are rare from overseas and also rare in NZ, well over 90% of the time I've very happy with the service I get. So when I read "I got bad service from one or two companies, therefore customer service in NZ is shit" I just roll my eyes.
my old calculator died durig lockdown so goole pinted me pbtech.I am pretty sure it was around lunch time when i ordered it online fromthe wellington store,and i had it the next morning!
Its not that they dont get it, more scale. Most are at well over 3 times Xmas rush. Nobody expected such a big rush. Along with distancing required in warehouses halving staff allowed. Then it hits a courier system that is so overwhelmed from everybody ordering an un-needed widget.
No business planned for this.
There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop
I wouldn't know about that.
The things I am thinking of are actually walking into a place of business, getting on the phone with my credit card company, electric company, phone carrier etc or dealing with my insurance company by phone, email or in person. Every day stuff we all do. I have done all these things in both countries and the general level of service in NZ is very lacking when compared to the level of service you get here.
Lets go Brandon
As an online retailer (one man band from home) we've seen extremely high sales since level 4 ended as are many of our trade customers it would seem going by the orders they are placing. We are busy processing and dispatching orders as quickly as we usually do (out same day) and as our courier NZ Couriers haven't missed a beat. Delivery is typically next business day, plus a day for rural addresses. (For those that have identified slow delivery, what was the name on the courier van that showed up at your place?)
The way we're reading it is that many people have 'discovered' the joys of both internet shopping and home crafts as a result of lockdown, and the hassles involved in physical shopping such as contact tracing, hand sanitising and physical distancing is offputting and also an 'in your face' reminder that we are still battling an invisible enemy which many would much sooner be oblivious to. Long story short is that online shopping is tailor made for pandemic living.
Another problem is that many retailers didn't do the online thing well (if at all) before and their efforts at online retailing are definitely not coping with the current situation. Choosing a courier company based on lowest price is blowing up in their face and combined with the difficulties involved in maintaining social distancing of staff a far from pleasing shooping experience is resulting. The golden rules of e-retailing are an easily navigated informative website, good communication throughout the sales process and prompt delivery with full tracking. Many are failing on all of these. Their instore service was never that flash in many cases and they're now not making many friends with their online version.
We have found that international delivery of stock is a challenge recently. A surface mail shipment from our Canadian supplier in early January took 6 weeks longer than the usual 3 months. An attempt by our supplier to get us some advance stock to address the delay was met with Canada Post's refusal to accept airmail to NZ. Airfreighting advance stock from our Chinese supplier was quoted at double the previous pre-COVID rate with double the normal 7 day delivery. Our shipping agent regarded that as cheap as he's seen airfreight rates from North America quadruple recently. On the upside though our Airmail delivered orders into Aussie seem to be still getting there in the usual 4-10 day delivery time.
Personal deliveries from NZ suppliers have served to confirm our choice of courier. One item ended up at the wrong (pre-COVID) address which CourierPost's system didn't update but as their tracking system doesn't provide the delivery address details or proof of recipient we had to go hunting for that one. Orders from overseas suppliers (e.g. iHerb) progress as usual until they hit NZ and then spend 3-4 days awaiting dispatch from the Auckland sorting centre. This sort of delivery service makes the poor viability of NZ Post seem like an obvious result.
During level three, I gave an NZ Post contractor a hand to get parcels from K Mart, into the system at the NZ Post depot.
We were pulling six van loads a day out of that one retailer alone. The Van's were absolutely full to the roof with softies poked in all the gaps & the front seats loaded up.
The posties were run ragged, they're getting somewhere down near Christmas loading now (the previous benchmark of fully tapped out for them)
It's hardly surprising they got a bit behind, they can't just pull extra Van's & staff out of their hat.
I will try support NZ we dont need the country collapsing
BUT
This has been going Viral on Facebook some truth in these words.
Maybe time for a valid NZ passport to be 25% off??? Dunno just an Idea
Jim Arnold
31 May at 08:33
Sorry I got to say this... Here goes. Regarding the tourist Industry, They come to us cap in hand now wanting our support. They want us to travel and visit NZ tourist sites. what a pity they've spent the last 20 years selling overpriced attractions to foreigners Hobbiton $89, Te Puia Springs $76, Rainbow Springs $80, Waitomo Caves $64, signs and souveniers priced and signed in foreign currency/language. Domestic air fares dearer than flying to Australia, train fares dearer than just about anywhere in the world, motels at twice the price for comparable ones in the UK. And as for the fallacy that NZ owns its tourism industry, a quick walk through the Duty Free section at Auckland Airport should set you straight on this. Nope it's too expensive, you have ignored the local tourist for years now, sorry unless you give me a deal eg permanent big discount to NZ residents you won't be seeing me.
Regarding the call from local suppliers to buy local. I bought a can of tomatoes yesterday, from Pak N Save 69cents imported from Italy !!!! Kiwi ones, $2.10.Treat us fairly producers and maybe you will get our support. NZ mutton is cheaper in the UK than here, NZ timber cheaper in Aus than here, NZ wine cheaper in the UK. $4.00 for an avocado grown in Katikati, $4.00 for a cauli grown in Pukekohe is ridiculous. For so long we have been gouged here in NZ by our own suppliers that we have grown to accept it. Now that the all important "export market" has dried up, guess what, all of a sudden we are indispensable and called on for help.
On a Motorcycle you're penetrating distance, right along with the machine!! In a car you're just a spectator, the windshields like a TV!!
'Life's Journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out! Shouting, ' Holy sh!t... What a Ride!! '
I deal with Placemakers for building supplies for home use...not trade. Went in to store during Level 3 ...where I'm known...me and asked for a loan trailer to pick up 4 sheets of construction ply. Guy on counter said - dunno if we are loaning them out during Level 3. He asked the guy next to him -- who told him to call the head shamoo upstairs. Mr Shamoo didn't answer his phone. No was the default answer. I went home and next day sent an email to their sales inquiry email address telling them the story and asking for an answer. That was 2+ weeks ago. No response. I went to Bunnings and they gave me a loan trailer and I got the sheets of ply there.
This is quite typical of the sort of service response we see in NZ from larger firms.
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