My first mistake was not checking the reviews regarding shipping to Canada, but here we are. If you are moving from the UK to Ontario, Canada, steer clear of this service. I opted to use this service to send my luggage ahead while visiting family, believing that providing my travel documents and a Canadian recipient's name would guarantee a smooth experience. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Here’s why this service fell short: 1. The Customs & Clearance Dilemma: Even after paying for the service, you find yourself on your own once the bag arrives in Canada. My luggage made it to Canada on January 2nd but was stuck in 'pending release.' The service instructed me to handle it with UPS. I had to find my own broker, who later abandoned me, and UPS struggled to clear it. Even after paying duties on January 7th, UPS’s internal systems were so disorganized that customer agents kept insisting it wasn't cleared. It took almost two weeks to retrieve the bag from the warehouse. 2. Misleading Delivery Attempts: UPS drivers in Ontario are infamous for 'ghost' deliveries. My building has a smart intercom system that connects directly to smartphones—it never rang. No notice was left. Yet, the tracking consistently claimed 'receiver not available.' The driver later asserted they couldn't access the building, meaning they never even attempted delivery but updated the tracker twice as delivery failed. My address is a complex of apartments with an always-unlocked front door and clearly marked buzzer for each unit. It took my escalation calls to UPS to finally get the driver to come to the front door as it was the last delivery attempt and failure would mean my bag being sent back to the UK. 3. Delivery Restrictions & Bureaucratic Hurdles: The main problem is the lack of control. Due to the service's specific contract with UPS: I couldn't change the delivery address when it failed. I couldn't redirect it to an Access Point due to the service’s limitations. The UPS driver also refused to leave it in a secure mailroom despite a supervisor's note because of the signature requirement. I was stuck in a cycle of 'the service needs to authorize X,' but their initial contract complicates overriding their own authorization. 4. The Emotional Toll: I spent days on the phone, wasted money on international calls, emailed, spoke to several UPS supervisors, and had to coordinate a 'signature waiver' between the service and a specific UPS manager (shoutout to the only helpful person in this ordeal) just to get my own belongings delivered. This service restricts their UPS account so severely that you have no flexibility if a delivery goes awry. The supposed 'savings' from using this service are not worth the weeks of stress, hours on the phone, and the risk of your bags being sent back to the UK. I finally have my bag, but the worry, fear, and anxiety I endured to retrieve it were not worth it. Consider paying extra for a carrier that allows you to manage your own shipment and can at least communicate effectively with their shipping partners.
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