Delivery on Specified Day or Time


The Short Answer

Whilst we cannot guarantee a time for delivery, yes, we can specify a date for delivery. Bear in mind, sometimes the promise of an agreed date can’t be met.

Please put this date request in the "special instructions" section when placing your order, and most importantly, when we email you with dispatch details, we would encourage you to contact the courier directly to see how closely they can fit in with your request.

 

The Long Answer


Commercial Couriers

Firstly, we use commercial couriers like Toll IPEC and TNT. Once we hand the package over to the courier, we’re in their hands as much as you are, so our answers below really relate to courier deliveries generally, rather than fitonline deliveries. We do not have our own delivery vans or staff.

(We should point out that these courier limitations apply to all online stores who use couriers, so if our competitor has told you they can guarantee courier delivery on a specific time and day, they’re just saying that to get your business!)

 

Can I specify a time-of-day for delivery?

You cannot specify a time, as the courier’s route and load changes daily, and they will have many different premises to attend on that day. However, we will send you an email with tracking number and courier contact details once the item leaves our warehouse, and you’re welcome to call the courier’s local depot in your area to clarify delivery. They will often know the window in which deliveries are made in your area (eg. 10am-1pm) which should help your daily planning.

Also, if the courier does arrive at a time you’re not home, they will simply leave a note asking you to call and book in delivery again. Unlike many retailers, we do not charge any extra for “re-delivery”.

Please note that couriers work Monday-Friday only, and only during normal business hours, so weekend or evening deliveries are not possible.

 

Can I specify a day for delivery?

We can certainly request that your purchase be delivered on a particular day, and most of the time it goes ahead smoothly.

However, there are some important points to note.

  1. Sometimes deliveries cannot go ahead on the agreed day, and this is always because of external factors. The truck can break down or get a flat tyre. The traffic can be heavy for their morning deliveries which causes their afternoon deliveries to get rolled over to the following day. Drivers can call in sick, leaving them short-staffed. There are many reasons, which effect anyone delivering anything. And whilst they, and we, would love to guarantee a day for delivery, in 10-20% of cases, the promise can't be met for external reasons.
  2. At FitOnline use commercial couriers who are beyond our control. They are huge multi-national courier companies, so whilst we can plead with and/or scream at them, if something has disrupted their deliveries in your area for that day, then there’s nothing more we can do since they are not our staff.

If the item has not been delivered on the day you requested, please track the item online (instructions will have been emailed to you) or call the courier directly. The package will be sitting at your local depot and will probably come out the following working day. By contacting the courier directly, you will be liaising directly with the people who are delivering your item.

 

“I work full-time and really need to know the day so I can be home”

As noted above, we can request a specific day for delivery, and 80% of the time this will happen without hitch, but since there is a reasonable chance you’ll be left at home without a delivery, may we suggest the following;

  1. Many customers have good neighbours who are home every day, so you are welcome to ask us to deliver the item to a person who lives nearby who can sign for it, and then you can collect it from them when you get home from work.
  2. We can deliver to workplaces, so if you have a vehicle at work big enough to take the item home (eg. station-wagon or 4WD) then you can put this address as your “delivery address”. We can tell you the approximate box dimensions if you email us.
  3. You can provide a “permission to leave”, which means the courier will leave the item somewhere secure, like your carport or on your side porch. That way you don't even need to be home. (Please note, though, that sometimes very heavy items like treadmills can't be left while the house is unattended because the driver is on his own, and needs some help unloading and moving the item to your front door).
  4. You could ask a friend or relative to be at your home on the agreed day.

 

The time and day for delivery is critical

We will do our best to deliver your purchase on the date and time requested, but if it is critical that a delivery be done on a particular day or time, you may have to buy the item from a local sports or fitness store who runs their own truck. This is honestly the only way you can be absolutely assured of a time and day, because any retailer who uses a courier service will be bound by the issues we’ve talked about above.

Perhaps an option is to have the item delivered a couple of days earlier than a critical date, so you can prevent issues with delays?

 

What if there’s an issue during the delivery?

Please see the FAQ “I’m having trouble with my delivery”.