Aramex SA - Drop Box **** - BEWARE!!

This company does not take responsibility if they mis-lay a parcel.... I advertise products for sale on the web and customers purchase from me from all over South Africa and i have been using Aramex for years as a mode of delivery for smaller products via their drop box. I did have a few issues over the years but it was always resolved in a timely fashion until now.

I sent a parcel via their drop box to a regular customer in JHB and a week later the parcel was still not delivered so both myself and the customer thought it could be delayed due to the lockdown that we were in at the time. On week 2 the parcel still didnt reach the customer so both the customer and myself called Aramex to track and trace and we both were given the run around. they never call back nor did they update their tracking app. On week 3, i had enough as the customer was now demanding a refund so i made a call to Aramex Durban and insisted that i speak to a manager.... I did get to speak to a manager and he informed me that they are looking for the parcel as it did leave durban. After more calls to him, i informed him that i will be claiming the value of the contents from Aramex as i now had to refund the customer. When we spoke next he informed me that he had spoken to his manager and they had put a claim through so i offered to send him a copy of the customers invoice. The next day he asked for the invoice to me emailed to him so that was done.

I gave him a day or 2 then contacted him again for feedback on my payout, he informs me that the claim has been passed over to the branch in my town which is Pietermaritzburg and that he would be helping me all the way. I did not hear anything from anyone in PMB so i called him again and he eventually managed to get someone from the PMB branch to call me.

A lady from the PMB branch called me and she quickly informed me that drop box parcels arent covered by their insurance and that i have no claim. She also informed me that somewhere in the package with the drop box packet, there is a handbill that states the fact that there is no insurance. firstly, it should be printed clearly on the package that the parcel sent via the drop box isnt insured and that insurance isnt an option. Secondly, when people see handbills so often we tend to not even read them as in this case all we are doing is buying a prepaid package to send an item to a customer. They could have even had it in clear red text on the waybill that THIS PACKAGE ISNT INSURED but companies like this seem to hide behind their fine print. Essentially what they are trying to say is that if any drop box parcels take the fancy of a dishonest staff member, that staff member can rip open the package and take possession of the contents, throw away the packet and nobody will take responsibility for that!!!! We entrust the safety of our goods in Aramex but it has become quite clear now that Aramex does not care about their customers by not taking responsibility for our goods while in their possession. The value of this parcel was R3500 but i have sent items to customers all over the country to the value of R20,000.00 (for 1 single parcel).

I will not let this go and i will let South Africa know (within my rights and within the law) about this drop box ****....