The Search for the Right Carrier: Our Experiences and Challenges

June 15 2023, by Novus Fumus
2 min reading time

Discover the challenges Novus Fumus has faced with carriers in the EU. From Same-Day Delivery issues to shipments being destroyed. Read our blog and share your experiences with us!

Title: The Search for the Right Carrier: Our Experiences and Challenges

Over the past few years, Novus Fumus, your trusted online store for e-cigarettes, smartshops, and headshop products, has experienced considerable ups and downs in our search for the right carrier. We're constantly looking for the best ways to get our products to our customers quickly and efficiently. Today, we'd like to share our experiences and challenges with you, and talk openly about the impact this has on our reputation and business operations.

Moving to a New Warehouse and Switching to DHL

In 2022, we moved our warehouse to a new, more accessible location. We took this move as an opportunity to critically evaluate our carrier and chose DHL. DHL seemed like a perfect fit—they accept letterbox-sized parcels and offer Same-Day Delivery.

Unfortunately, problems soon arose. Customers who opted for Same Day Delivery often didn't receive their orders until the next day, or even later. Shipments to Belgium, normally delivered the next day, often arrived after two or three days. We discovered that 80% of our shipments weren't delivered on time. Despite our attempts to resolve this with DHL, and despite contacting three different account managers, our complaints weren't taken seriously.

The transition to PostNL and Meeting New Challenges

Due to our dissatisfaction with DHL, we switched to PostNL for both domestic and international shipments in March 2023. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that PostNL wasn't the right choice for international shipments either, particularly to Eastern European countries. These shipments were often transferred to DPD, where they were held and destroyed because DPD claimed our products weren't allowed in their network. All this without any communication to us.

Besides these problems, we also saw that PostNL regularly failed to scan shipments, leading to delays. PostNL attributes this to computer glitches and an increased volume of parcels. However, earlier in 2023, they indicated they would need fewer staff due to an expected decrease in parcel volumes. This now appears to be the opposite.

Our Current Situation: Partly Switched to UPS

Due to the ongoing problems, we've partially switched to UPS. We'll continue to ship letterbox packages via PostNL, but all international shipments will now be shipped via UPS and UPS Express.

The Effect on Novus Fumus and the Role of General Terms and Conditions

This constant searching and switching between carriers negatively impacts our reputation. Some customers even go so far as to accuse us of fraud, believing we haven't shipped anything. Carriers often hide behind their terms and conditions, and the shipper often ends up footing the bill for the extra costs. Refunds, if any, are often limited to the shipping costs incurred. Products are often not refunded, or only partially so.

Finally: Your Experiences?

Online stores like Novus Fumus rely on reliable carriers, but often feel like they're not being taken seriously. What are your experiences with this? We invite you to share your experiences and opinions with us. It's important to keep these conversations open and honest, so we can improve the online shopping experience together.