It's quite funny, I have several times now, when buying stuff on the web, gotten the shipping confirmation email after I got the actual package!
I guess what it tells you is the speed of actually getting something done is more dependent on human factors than on the speed of technology used.
Also, the willingness and effectiveness varies so wildly! There are companies which will ship you something and it arrives less than 24 hours after ordering, every time. And then there are companies where everything takes a week or two or even three. And I haven't found any correlation between this and the size of the company.
This practice of notifying you after the fact is becoming more and more common. It may seem pointless, but it sure will get you (rightfully) worried if you didn't receive anything!
ReplyDeleteThe reason why they won't notify you before the shipment has been delivered is simply to reduce the number of useless inquiries from impatient customers.
I doubt the one I got today was mean to be received after I got the parcel. It said:
ReplyDelete"Your recent order from Garraways.co.uk has been processed and has now been sent to our despatch centre."
Also it has tracking information.
Yes, they will provide you all you need to verify in case you didn't receive the package, so that you are better informed when you do call them. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt is quite possible that the intention of the system designers was to notify you upfront, but that the only confirmation that the vendor's main system gets from the dispatch center is an actual delivery confirmation. Note that they do have to wait for this confirmation if they are to provide tracking info, which originates from the dispatch center.
I often get confirmation emails only minutes after a package was dropped off, especially for those carriers which have radio feedback systems on their trucks (FedEx, UPS, etc.).
Interesting. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's more common in the US. I've only seen it a few times, and a couple were Amazon notes, which I usually get when actually shipping, so I imagined it was generally a mistake.
Yup, if I have a tracking number I get the confirmation e-mail about 2 minutes after the package was dropped off.
ReplyDeleteI would like an e-mail 20 minutes before delivery, especially if drop off is between 12 and 1:30, since we often break for lunch, and we all head out for lunch together (2 or 3 of us currently).
As for prompt service, I placed an order with digikey at 7:50 pm, the box was at the office by 9:15 the following day. Sure, they are in S. CA, so it's not that far, but still, that was responsive.
That's a pretty nasty practice. What's even worse, though, is companies who don't send you anything. They bill your credit card the second you order, then nothing happens for a couple of weeks. So of course, you go and bitch at them, only to find out that the order was shipped weeks ago and should have arrived twice over. I really hate it when that happens.
ReplyDelete