Absolutely appalling service from FedEx South Africa

One of the worst customer service experiences I have ever had.

FedEx handled the original temporary export of my item to Japan for warranty repair and therefore already held the export documentation. When the same item returned, their own Export Specialist even notified the Import team that it was a returning temporary export and that the documents were available internally.

Despite this, the shipment sat in clearance for three weeks while I was repeatedly asked for changing documentation, chased FedEx for updates, prompted communication between their own departments and eventually contacted the overseas shipper myself.

I dealt with Clearance Administrators, Senior Clearance Administrators, a Clearance Administrator Team Leader, a Clearance Team Leader and ultimately escalated to the Clearance Manager. The titles became progressively more senior. The service did not.

I was given contradictory information, an incorrect VAT calculation of approximately R5,709 that was later corrected to R173, and warnings about Customs penalties and State Warehouse charges while I was the person continually chasing FedEx to resolve their own clearance delays.

Most astonishingly, after finally submitting a detailed formal complaint to senior management documenting everything that had happened, the Clearance Team Leader responded merely to say the shipment had cleared, without even acknowledging the complaint.

This was clearly not one employee making a mistake. The dysfunction extended across multiple levels of FedEx South Africa’s Clearance operation.

No ownership. Poor internal communication. Changing requirements. Incorrect calculations. Failed escalation. Three weeks of chasing to recover my own property.

Based on my experience, I would never willingly entrust an important international shipment to FedEx South Africa again.