Their Customer Service is Appalling if you can get through ! !
Recommend to potential buyers:
no
Full review
Now I am an easily irate person I admit it, and I enjoy nothing more than flooding the inbox of various companies that have annoyed me with sharp tongued letters of contempt. But even I a seasoned complainer could not make a dent in the armour of Amtrak. So I have decided to write a review about them to warn others about using them.
Amtrak ----------
In their own words, Amtrak is a dynamic and innovative express parcel carrier supplying quality-driven overnight delivery and collection solutions throughout the UK and abroad.
In my words and based on experience, Amtrak are an extremely rude and unhelpful company who like to make the delivery of your parcel the most difficult and unpleasant experience of your life.
Their Telephone Service ----------------------------------
Amtrak have a wonderful telephone service for you to ring if you miss the delivery of your parcel (can you hear the sarcasm already?) You ring their 0870 telephone number (yes my friends it costs YOU money to ring about Your parcel) and you are connected straight to an automated service, you are given 3 options the first is for deliveries (all well and good) you select it and you get . . . an automated service telling you that if you have missed your delivery slot an attempt will be made again the next working day between the hours of 08:30am and 18:00pm if you are still not at home, you then have 2 more days to collect your parcel from the depot detailed on your card before it will be returned to sender (like I couldn't have read all that off the card they left me!) and then you are put back on the loop with your 3 options. So we go for option number 2, we are again put through to an automated service before being put back on the loop and AGAIN for option 3, in no option can you actually speak to a human being!! But I can hear you all saying how did I get through to my surly and unhelpful member of Amtrak staff? well it all comes down to my dear old mum and her love of documentaries . . .
The Customer Services --------------------------------
Now my mum saw on the TV that if you continuously press a number on your telephone it will cut through the automated service and put you through to an operator. Now I live in the Cambridgeshire area, and the gentleman who answered the phone was from the Peterborough branch. Now the problem I had was that I had purchased a barbeque from a well known TV shopping channel (just can't help myself) and had paid an extortionate amount of money for the delivery. I was informed that my purchase would be with me within 5 working days and I had a card through the door saying I had missed the first delivery slot etc etc etc, no problems there, all I wanted was to re-direct the parcel to my place of work as unfortunately I am at work between the Amtrak delivery hours. I figured that as I was paying for the delivery, I had ID to prove who I was and I had a reference number that it wouldn't be a problem, then I speak to Amtrak customer service. . . Firstly I ask if it is possible to find out what time delivery will be as I could leave work, pop home recieve parcel and go back, no, they deliver between 8:30am and 6pm, well I ask if the parcel can be re-directed, no, only the sender can re-direct the parcel, well I ask if they could ring the driver and see what time he will be delivering, no, their drivers don't carry mobile phones. Then we hear a bit of paper shuffling and huffing then finally "your parcel will probably be delivered about 9am" (it was now 9:50am). I then get a bit annoyed and inform him that his unhelpfulness is the main reason I would not use Amtrak, he put the phone down on me!
Did I get my parcel? ---------------------------
The day in question, I was actually finishing early, I arrived home and 10 minutes later the door knocks and there are Amtrak with my barbeque! I had a word with the driver who rolled his eyes and said "He knew my schedule, and he knew you were my last drop, there was no way I was going to be here before 4pm"
The Complaint ---------------------
After this appalling display of customer service I wrote to Amtrak and complained, this was the response I recieved:
"Good morning
I am sorry you have not been satisfied with the service you received from Amtrak Ltd.
On this occasion the depot has followed the correct procedure though I do apologise for the attitude/customer service you received form the depot.
The procedure for the delivery of goods is to attempt delivery twice, hold at the depot for 48 hours before returning to the sender. Without the consignment number I am unable to check on our system to see the progress your goods made but it appears that procedure was followed."
Not very satisfactory and basically the same spiel they put on the missed you cards.
My opinion ---------------
I absolutely wouldn't recommend Amtrak to anyone, if they treat prospective new customers in this way, I hate to think how they treat existing customers if they have any. The telephone number on the card they put through your door is a joke, what is the point of having a phone number where you can't talk to anyone unless you know a secret code?!? The customer service staff at the Peterborough branch are extremely unhelpful, and the fact that I wrote a letter of complaint about it and recieved the response "as far as we can see our staff have followed the Amtrak rules " is unbelievable! and basically shows exactly what Amtrak are like.Thier prices are extortionate, my barbeque cost 30.00 to deliver, for that kind of money I expect exceptional service, I didn't get it. I do NOT recommend Amtrak at all, if you want an overnight service, look to the likes of Citilink, Lynx or the overnight parcel company whom I use at work on a regular basis.
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
helpful
