Sevenseas Worldwide - BEWARE!!!
Jun 12th 2012, 8:39 pm
#1
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Joined: May 2007
Location: Western Sydney For Now
Posts: 434
Sevenseas Worldwide - BEWARE!!!
I have recently asked Sevenseas to move one cardboard crate from the UK to Auckland. I did so because of the many people on here who have sung the praises of them and I believe would have had a good experience, however my experience is anything but.
I booked the service and paid my 50GBP as a deposit and got my box dropped off, actually I got 4 dropped off despite me telling them I didn't need them, but they insisted as some sort of potential sales ploy.
I had packed some waterbased artist inks in the box, knowing that flammable inks would be an issue. I then receive paperwork from Sevenseas (bearing in mind I have already paid my deposit)including a list of prohibited items, that included paint. So being a good soul, I ring them up (several times actually, as getting hold of someone is an issue, from NZ at least) and advise them of the inks that are packed. They then tell me it is a gamble, but my choice, but if it were them they would take them out. So now I have paid, I have these inks, and they are telling me they may or may not take them, so as I didn't have any other choice I left them in.
So, on 21st May they collect my box, which I was paying to be shipped by air as I need some of the contents pretty darn quickly, the service was quoted to me as a 9 to 16 day service.
On the 26th May I receive the invoice from Sevenseas, without this you are unable to pay them. I paid them on 28th, again in-line with what they put on the invoice, which is that the package will be delayed if you don't pay within 7days. All good I thought........hmmmmm.
I then get told on the phone, that Sevenseas won't do a thing with your items until you have paid and that is when the clock starts, this was the first I knew, but I had little option but to go with it as they now had my gear.
On the 7th June I call Sevenseas, to see where the package is, as I received another invoice for some reason (I hadn't looked at it). The agent, proceeds to tell me that she couldn't tell me where the package was, but that it was "somewhere" and that if I wasn't happy (??) I should write to the complaints email.
Shortly after my call (minutes), I get a tracking info email from UPS, telling me the package was received by them on that day, crikey was I a very unhappy camper! Where had my stuff been from the 21st May!!????
So I duly write the complaint email, and wait to see what happens. The next day I get an email back from Sevenseas in the UK, telling me that the package is within their standard window and is all ok as it starts when I paid, but also that now my package has been opened and they have destroyed the inks and are charging me for it. At this point I was spitting tacks to say the least, and I responded with a further response outlining my further unhappiness. Why had they not done anything with my stuff until now, why were they only telling me now that my stuff had been destroyed, after sending an invoice.
I then searched the internet, found that there are many people who have had bad experiences, of course good ones as well, but a lot of horrors. In amongst this I found the personal email address for John Henderson who was a founder of the company and is the managing director, so I emailed him too.
On Monday, I call Sevenseas again, as I had now done some investigation and found that not only do art stores routinely send these items to NZ by post from the UK and US, but I also had it in writing from UPS, that they would take these items without problem. The manager at the call centre, who was very apologetic, tells me that their top people are on it still from last week and they will deal swiftly and to also send the response from UPS to them. As of today, I am still to hear anything back from him or the complaints person.
At this point, I am still awaiting to hear from anyone at Sevenseas, they are holding me to ransom over the box, having already destroyed in excess of 100GBP of property for no good reason at all, and they will not do anything to help or explain their actions. I paid for a premium air based excess baggage service, to still be waiting 22 days on for my good to even leave the UK with a company I could (probably should) have gone to directly.
Sevenseas do not appear to be part of any organisation that will help in times of dispute, their website is poor, they are hard to deal with, and when the MD and senior complaints person do not want to engage and help, it really makes you wonder about the type of company you are dealing with. This morning John Henderson (the MD) deleted one of my two emails without reading it.......it's just great to be valued as a customer
Do your research, be warned and if it is anything of value, send it with someone you have some comeback with and will look after you.
I booked the service and paid my 50GBP as a deposit and got my box dropped off, actually I got 4 dropped off despite me telling them I didn't need them, but they insisted as some sort of potential sales ploy.
I had packed some waterbased artist inks in the box, knowing that flammable inks would be an issue. I then receive paperwork from Sevenseas (bearing in mind I have already paid my deposit)including a list of prohibited items, that included paint. So being a good soul, I ring them up (several times actually, as getting hold of someone is an issue, from NZ at least) and advise them of the inks that are packed. They then tell me it is a gamble, but my choice, but if it were them they would take them out. So now I have paid, I have these inks, and they are telling me they may or may not take them, so as I didn't have any other choice I left them in.
So, on 21st May they collect my box, which I was paying to be shipped by air as I need some of the contents pretty darn quickly, the service was quoted to me as a 9 to 16 day service.
On the 26th May I receive the invoice from Sevenseas, without this you are unable to pay them. I paid them on 28th, again in-line with what they put on the invoice, which is that the package will be delayed if you don't pay within 7days. All good I thought........hmmmmm.
I then get told on the phone, that Sevenseas won't do a thing with your items until you have paid and that is when the clock starts, this was the first I knew, but I had little option but to go with it as they now had my gear.
On the 7th June I call Sevenseas, to see where the package is, as I received another invoice for some reason (I hadn't looked at it). The agent, proceeds to tell me that she couldn't tell me where the package was, but that it was "somewhere" and that if I wasn't happy (??) I should write to the complaints email.
Shortly after my call (minutes), I get a tracking info email from UPS, telling me the package was received by them on that day, crikey was I a very unhappy camper! Where had my stuff been from the 21st May!!????
So I duly write the complaint email, and wait to see what happens. The next day I get an email back from Sevenseas in the UK, telling me that the package is within their standard window and is all ok as it starts when I paid, but also that now my package has been opened and they have destroyed the inks and are charging me for it. At this point I was spitting tacks to say the least, and I responded with a further response outlining my further unhappiness. Why had they not done anything with my stuff until now, why were they only telling me now that my stuff had been destroyed, after sending an invoice.
I then searched the internet, found that there are many people who have had bad experiences, of course good ones as well, but a lot of horrors. In amongst this I found the personal email address for John Henderson who was a founder of the company and is the managing director, so I emailed him too.
On Monday, I call Sevenseas again, as I had now done some investigation and found that not only do art stores routinely send these items to NZ by post from the UK and US, but I also had it in writing from UPS, that they would take these items without problem. The manager at the call centre, who was very apologetic, tells me that their top people are on it still from last week and they will deal swiftly and to also send the response from UPS to them. As of today, I am still to hear anything back from him or the complaints person.
At this point, I am still awaiting to hear from anyone at Sevenseas, they are holding me to ransom over the box, having already destroyed in excess of 100GBP of property for no good reason at all, and they will not do anything to help or explain their actions. I paid for a premium air based excess baggage service, to still be waiting 22 days on for my good to even leave the UK with a company I could (probably should) have gone to directly.
Sevenseas do not appear to be part of any organisation that will help in times of dispute, their website is poor, they are hard to deal with, and when the MD and senior complaints person do not want to engage and help, it really makes you wonder about the type of company you are dealing with. This morning John Henderson (the MD) deleted one of my two emails without reading it.......it's just great to be valued as a customer
Do your research, be warned and if it is anything of value, send it with someone you have some comeback with and will look after you.
