Delivery Issues
What to do if you're having delivery issues
Important - Read this First
Sadly, delivery issues are common in our industry, since items are large and heavy, so please understand these issues are not unique to FitOnline - all fitness retailers face these. At least you know you're not alone!
Secondly, please understand that we use commercial couriers like Toll IPEC and TNT who are large independent companies over whom we have limited control. Whilst we will do our best to ask them to deliver on specific days or in a particular way, if you're having issues, we do not have authority to instruct the driver or depot directly. A good example of this is when it's 4pm and the courier looks like he's not going to get to your house that day. We can plead and scream, but we simply cannot instruct the courier to turn around and go back.
Thirdly, when we call the courier, we get our local depot who is not the one controlling your delivery. Normally, when you call from your phone, you get your local depot, who does control the delivery. So we would ask you to call the courier, on the number we will have emailed you, as you are going to make a lot more head-way than we are. Please don't think we're trying to shirk our responsibilities here - we've been doing this for 11 years, and there's a proven pattern where the delivering depot has a lot more information and control than our remote depot does. (You're also talking directly to the courier, whereas when you call and speak to us, and we speak to our depot, and our depot speaks to your depot, a lot can get lost in translation!)
But having said all that, here are some common issues and how we've found it best to deal with them...
I'm waiting at home and the courier hasn't arrived today
Firstly, please check online (using the link and reference number we will have emailed you), or by phone to the courier, to confirm that the item is actually on-board for delivery today.
Even if we have asked them to deliver today, sometimes they simply cannot do this for various reasons (eg. truck being full or drivers being off sick).
Secondly, even if it is "on for delivery" today, courier trucks often run out of time. With heavy congestion on roads, and load sizes that vary significantly from day to day, drivers frequently find that they need to roll afternoon deliveries over to the following day. Whilst this frustrates us, and you too, it is something that is endemic in the freight industry and applies to all companies.
Couriers do deliver right through until 5pm, but if it is clear that the courier is not going to make it today, we would encourage you to contact your local depot directly to reconfirm what is now going to happen. (As noted above, when you ring the courier, you will get your local depot where your package is held and where they control the route of your driver, whereas when we call, we get a different depot, so you will get much better traction with the courier by calling them directly).
We share your frustration with delivery days and times not being met, but please take comfort, for what it's worth, that this variable timing is both common and unavoidable in all industries involving large or heavy items.
There's an item missing from my delivery
Here's a few checks to run through first;
- Did we send the items separately? If you ordered 2 items (like a bike and a floor mat), it is quite common for us to send (eg.) item A from Brisbane and item B from Sydney, so please recheck your shipment email as we will have made notes in there about whether you were meant to receive all items in this consignment. It's probable the rest of your items are still on their way and you need to do nothing further.
- Was it a courier "short delivery"? It is fairly common for boxes to get separated at the courier's depot, even if they were sent together from our warehouse. If the courier turns up with 1 items and you should be receiving 2, they will ask you to sign for a "short delivery" which confirms you are only getting the first box. Have a look at the consignment note (or the online tracking) and check how many packages you were meant to get. If it was a short delivery then they may have written this on the page you signed, or it will say something like "1/2" (ie. one of two). Don't panic - couriers are accustomed to this. You don't need to do anything as the depot will identify the second box and deliver it to you automatically one or two days later. There's no need to contact us or the courier, but if you wish, you can call the courier to reconfirm when the remainder will come.
Incidentally, see this article if "the courier says they've lost my item". - Is something missing from inside your carton? There are a few scenarios here.
Firstly, are you sure that the item was meant to come in the carton? Often manuals include mention/photos of things which are optional extras, like a wireless chest strap. The manual should include a full list of the items that are meant to come in the box, so please make sure the thing you think is missing was actually meant to come in the box.
Secondly, is it hidden in the packaging? We often find that factories hide small items, like nuts and bolts, inside other parts (eg. stuffed inside the hollow tubing of the main item) or inside special recesses in polystyrene (or even taped in a little plastic bag onto the outside of the main plastic bag). Please have a really good look through the packing materials and in all hollow parts to ensure it's not just hidden.
If none of those sorts it out for you, then please do one of the following;
- Missing Carton: If the missing item was something that you ordered, and the courier has completed the delivery but one item hasn't come (eg. you ordered a bike and a floor mat, and only the bike came), then please contact us on this page to report the item missing. We may have simply overlooked it, in which case we will dispatch it to you ASAP.
(Please remember, if we did send both items and the courier has only delivered one, please contact your local depot instead of us for a more direct and faster resolution) - Missing Part: If the missing item is a part or component (eg. a bolt missing for a bench or a pedal missing for a bike) then please log a warranty job with the relevant brand at this page. We at fitonline hold no spare parts at all, so if you log your request directly with the brand (who has a warehouse full of spare parts) then it will get to you much more quickly, and it will be more likely to be the right part. Please don't think we are trying to avoid work here! In 12 years of dealing with these sorts of issues, we know that it just slows things down, and increases the chance of you getting the wrong part, if you tell us and we have to pass this onto the spare parts warehouse (and vice versa). Naturally, if you are not getting the help you expect from the brand, or there is an unusual delay, then please let us know and we can follow this up for you.
Something has arrived damaged
We are really sorry that this has happened, and it is the bane of our existence. You are not alone, and there is a quick and easy solution to this.
Please register a claim with the relevant brand at this page. For large/heavy items, it is almost always easier for the brand to send out a replacement part (or if complex, send out a technician to completely replace the damaged parts and test it) than it is to send back the whole item.
When you get the job confirmation, you are welcome to forward a copy onto our admin team at "admin @fitonline.com.au" (remove the space) and they will chase up the technician to ensure it is dealt with quickly.
Once again, we're sorry this has happened to you. By directing you to the claims process, please don't think we are trying to avoid work! In 12 years of dealing with these sorts of issues, we know that it just slows things down, and increases the chance of you getting the wrong solution, if you tell us and we have to pass this onto the spare parts warehouse (and vice versa). Naturally, if you are not getting the help you expect from the brand, or there is an unusual delay, then please let us know and we can follow this up for you.
Furthermore, please understand that we guarantee this will get resolved for you and that your product will be sparkling new and fully operational, and fully covered by warranty, once the damage has been fixed.
I have received the wrong item
There may be a couple of explanations here.
Firstly, please have another look at the product page on fitonline. Often the technical name of the product is different to the model number and/or different to the marketing name. If you ordered a York ABC Treadmill and received a York 1234 Treadmill, it might simply be that these are synonyms, and this is usually mentioned on the product page to prepare you (eg. words like "Aka 1234 treadmill"). It is likely that you have the correct product, but that the packaging has more generic naming/coding on it.
It's also possible the photo on our site is slightly out of date. We are very careful to keep pricing and product specifications up to date, but factories can sometimes change the colour of an item (eg. a console was in silver, but then for some unknown reason, they changed it to black). In this case, you do indeed have the correct item, which we be the item you purchased, but due to the nature of batch manufacturing, the factory will have simply made a cosmetic change to your product. It will be the exact product you ordered in terms of performance and specifications.
Secondly, yes, very occasionally our warehouse will send product A to customer B, and vice versa. Please reply to your order email ASAP to let us know exactly what you have received, and we will arrange collection and redelivery of the correct item.
The courier tells me they have "lost" my item!
You may be surprised to know this happens all the time. It's not that they have actually lost your item, it's that they have misplaced it. With hundreds of thousands of packages moving around Australia each week, courier depots from all companies do misplace items, usually only for a day or two, but sometimes for a few days.
Please rest assured that, firstly, 99% of the time these items get found quickly afterwards and simply turn up at your doorstep, and secondly, that if your item truly is permanently lost by the courier, we will send you out a replacement at no cost (of course, we will need to allow the courier to investigate then confirm they have lost it). In over ten years online, and tens of thousands of transactions, this has happened to us only once, so please rest easy.
Once the courier has told you your item is "lost", please give it a couple of days before contacting us, as the item will likely just turn up on its own. If it still hasnt arrived after a couple of working days, please drop us an email and we will follow it up with our depot as well.
Again, we guarantee you will get your item in the end!
The courier is requesting help to unload
We also hear "the courier wants to charge me an extra $250 to send out a second person with the delivery" (or "they want to charge more for a tail-gate truck").
Firstly, this is mentioned on our deliveries page, since it is frustratingly common.
Secondly, heavy items like treadmills and home gyms are very heavy - frequently well over 100kg. It's not only fair of the driver to ask for help, but State Government Workplace Safety Laws require that they not handle items of this weight alone.
Whilst couriers can deliver to some addresses without assistance (eg. due to the style of truck they have or the topography of the location), they've obviously identified that they do need help in your case.
As noted, they can send a second person with the delivery, and they will advise you of the cost of this (usually around $250). We cannot meet this cost as we have only charged you the general (one-person) delivery fee.
But there are other options. Often the courier will only tell you about the "second person delivery" option (because, presumably, they want to make more money?!). An alternative is that you, or someone you arrange, can help with the delivery. Consider a neighbour, nearby friend, relative, etc. who can be home when the driver arrives, and this will avoid any extra delivery charge. Once arranged, you can contact the courier again, advise them that you have someone available to assist, and that they can send out the usual one-person delivery. Please bear in mind that the courier won't be able to give you a specific time of delivery because it all depends on their load and the traffic on that day, but they should be able to give you a rough guide.
If you are simply unable to arrange a person to be at your address on the day to assist, may we suggest you consider an alternative address, such as a business or neighbour's address. One recent customer had the courier deliver to their workplace, and then a friend with a ute dropped the treadmill off to their house after work.
In conclusion, please understand the dilemma the driver is in. It's not possible for them to unload heavy items alone, so your assistance will be greatly appreciated.
Conclusion
We certainly hope these FAQs answer your questions, and provide you with a solution any time of day or night, even when our call centre is unattended.