Late delivery; unresponsive customer service
Russ
Submitted this review about
Affordable Freight Rates
Review made Live: 9/10/2010 4:39:00 PM
I would definitely not use this company again. After the timely pick-up, it all went downhill. I suppose a forwarning of this occured a month previously, when my FreightCenter rep wasn't returning my contacts. It was so bad, that I'd thought she'd left the company. Turns out she's just that unresponsive. I didn't know the half of it.
What was supposed to be a 2-day delivery turned into a 7-day fiasco. This was a very important delivery, to QVC - who sets a specific delivery date and time - with my reputation as a reliable supplier at stake. When that delivery appointment was blown, my FreightCenter rep, Jennifer Sackrider, would not call me, though I requested this repeatedly by email. When I tried to reach her by phone, I was first hung up on, and then deep-sixed on indefinite hold.
I had to follow up for days myself with a carrier to whom the contracted carrier made delivery for final shipment to QVC. Turns out Jennifer did not even know that a secondary carrier would be involved (though she had made the shipping arrangements herself). So, of course, she didn't know that this second carrier required its own 48-hour turnaround time, which means that she actually blew the delivery appointment when she made the shipping arrangements!
When the second carrier finally rescheduled delivery, I received no notice of this from Jennifer. I don't even know if she knew about it. I ascertained it through my own contacts with that carrier. Having already been left in the dark by FreightCenter for days, I'd have been left in the dark days longer - and wondering if my shipment was lost, and my relationship with QVC hurt - if I hadn't taken it upon myself to repeatedly contact the carrier and QVC, ensuring finally that delivery was rescheduled.
I learned in the same manner of final delivery to QVC. No notice from FreightCenter, until days later. Again, they'd have left me for days wondering where my shipment was and what was happening (remember, they didn't even know that I knew of the rescheduled delivery appointment; so far as they knew, I had no idea what was going on.) When I finally did get notice, it was via perfunctory form email, saying shipment had been completed. No acknowledgment of what had gone on, no apology, nothing.
To me, FreightCenter's and Jennifer Sackrider's handling of this matter was more than just incompetent. It was insensitive, and even rude (particularly the hanging up on me). Moreover, in the end, I had to do far more work tracking down the shipment and securing delivery than had I just booked a carrier myself. FreightCenter and this rep wasted my time and effort, and caused me a boatload of stress, adding insult to injury with rude treatment and no apology or even acknowledgment in the end.
I am not one to issue negative reviews. It's time-consuming, and infrequently worth it. In this instance, I feel that it's my obligation to warn potential users of FreightCenter, and Jennifer Sackrider, in particular. I certainly will never use either again. If you choose to do so, be very wary of negative signs early on, and don't hesitate to move on. For example, if your rep doesn't promply return your contact before there's trouble, you better believe she won't when there's trouble. Personally, I say, make your own shipping arrangements. At least that way, if something goes wrong, you know the contacts, and your fate isn't in the hands of some rep who's not contacting you.
