ComplaintsforPakmule Cargo Carriers

• Initial Complaint

  08/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a PAKMULE Original cargo carrier via their web site on 8/3/22, and used my Mastercard to pay for the order. The shipper called me on 8/9/22 to confirm a delivery appointment for 8/11/22. The delivery was not made as scheduled so I called the shipper on 8/12/22 to schedule a new delivery date and they told me they couldnt set a date because they didnt have enough cargo to justify the delivery. I then called PAKMULE, and sent them an email, stating this was unacceptable and asked for a refund. I spoke with their representative, I believe his name is Kansas, on 8/12/22 who promised to initiate the refund on Monday 8/15/22. I did not receive a refund and called PAKMULE on 8/19/22 to follow-up. I spoke with ******* who told me she would refund my purchase less a 20% restocking charge. I explained that I never received the carrier and expected a full refund. We had a heated conversation, and I eventually hung up since she was being unreasonable. She has partially refunded the purchase less 20%. I still want the remainder, which is $219.00.

  Business response

  09/09/2022

  We manufacture a product that ships via Freight. It does not ship Ground, like the brown *** truck or the white ***** truck. It arrives on an 18-*******, like when you order a refrigerator.  We describe this in the product description (attached),and clearly state that we are unable to offer full refunds due to missed deliveries, and to have patience because the entire shipping industry is short staffed right now.  It also states that rural areas could take longer, and to call if you have timeline questions.  This customer is in a known rural area.
  
  The customer ordered ******. We shipped his order 8-5-22.The shipping company scheduled to deliver on a Thursday, 8-11-22, but had to reschedule(date not yet known) because it was rural. The customer got upset,and sent an email. Our team was out of the office for a tradeshow, and our Operations Coordinators mom had been put in hospice that day.  I called him after receiving an email Friday evening to discuss his frustrations, and after hearing he ordered it for a birthday present, I offered to deliver it to him personally, which was 3 hours away from the tradeshow I was exhibiting at.  He declined and said he didnt like the shipper, and he just wanted to cancel because it want fun anymore.
  
  The shipper called me Monday and said the customers unit was on a truck out for delivery. I told them to hold until I confirmed again with customer, because the customer was declining delivery, as I had personally offered to delivery it. 
  
  Our Ops Mom passed away Monday, and the rest of the team was driving back from the tradeshow Monday, so nobody was in the office again.  Things got backed up because of that, but we all stepped in to try and keep business moving forward with ***** out.  After her moms funeral Friday morning, we were trying to wrap up anything wed missed from the week.  We spoke to the customer to ensure he did not want the product, because the shipper still had possession and needed to know if they needed to ship it back to us.  The customer declined, and we reminded him of our 20% restocking fee,and offered to send him some additional accessories if he decided to have it delivered.  He declined, and asked for a full refund.
  
  We include shipping in our prices, and it costs us around $200 to ship a PAKMULE. When the customer cancels after their order has shipped, it costs another $200 to return it. We absorb the first $200 as a part of doing business, but cannot pay to ship it back if the customer decides to change their mind. And we state that on both the product description and within the terms sheet during checkout.
  
  The customer cancelled his order a week after it shipped,but before it delivered, and asked for a full refund because it did not deliver when he expected it too, after qualms with the shipping hub.  I personally offered to deliver it to him 3 hours away, but he declined and said that the experience wasn't fun anymore. We went above and beyond to try and take care of this customer, but he declined delivery. We refunded him, minus 20% due to our policy of a 20% restocking fee since we already shipped it

  Customer response

  09/10/2022

  Complaint: 17744773
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The response is partially correct, but leaves out some significant details.

  *I ordered the product on 8/3 but have no confirmation that it left their facility.

  *The shipper called me on 8/9 to schedule a delivery appointment of 8/11.

  *I stayed home on 8/11 to accept delivery, which was not made and there was no notification of change from the shipper.

  *I called the shipper on 8/12 to determine when it would be delivered, and the shipper refused to give me an estimate.  Note, I did not ask for anything specific I just asked about general delivery expectations.  The shipper told me it would be delivered when they had enough shipments in my area to justify the trip, but wouldnt give any estimate on timing (e.g. day, week, month?).

  *This item was a birthday gift, and therefore time sensitive, so the refusal to provide any estimate along with the failure to meet their delivery appointment (shippers term not mine) was unacceptable to me.

  *I tried to call *** Mule on 8/12 but there was no answer so I sent a note via their web site explaining the problem and asking to cancel the order.

  *A *** Mule representative called me during the evening of 8/12.  I explained my issues.  He told me they were at a trade show in ************* and they could deliver one from there.  At that point I said Id just prefer a refund and he promised to process it when he returned to the office on Monday 8/15.  I thanked him and ended the conversation.  Note, he did not say anything about a restocking charge.

  *The refund did not go to my credit card as expected so I called *** Mule and left a message on 8/19 to check on it.  A woman returned my call later that day.  She did not ask about completing the shipment, she only agreed to process the refund then informed me of the restocking charge.  I refused to accept a restocking charge for something I didnt receive.  She explained that they needed to pass on the shipping charges at which point I told her they needed to take up the issue with the shipper rather than asking me to bear any cost for such unacceptable service.  The conversation became very heated and I was not able to have a rational discussion with her (she was yelling at me and wouldnt let me speak), so I hung up the phone.

   

  Bottom line, I did not receive a product from *** Mule and cancelled the order in a timely fashion.  The shipper is their agent not mine (I didnt tell them how to ship it).  The delivery service was completely unacceptable and they need to take up their issues with the shipper rather than ask me to cover the cost.  They still owe me $219, and I want a full refund as I was led to believe I would get during my 8/12 conversation.

   

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  Business response

  09/12/2022

  We try very hard to set the expectations of our shipping process.  It is very clearly stated on our website under the "SHIPPING" description section for each PAKMULE Cargo Product that freight shipping has numerous challenges right now, including staffing issues like most industries, and that we do not offer full refunds for missed dates since we cannot guarantee dates. It also states that rural areas may take longer and this customer was in a rural area.

  When the customer was upset by the freight company's missed delivery, and by their follow up response to him (though not of anything we had done directly) we were sympathetic and offered to personally drive it to the customer 3 hours away.  He decided he didn't want it. That requires a return shipment and a 20% restocking fee to cover return freight costs, which is also clearly stated on our website.

  Our goal is to take care of our customers, and give them the best experience possible. We try to set all expectations in writing ahead of time, and we often go above and beyond, like offering to drive the unit to the customer 3 hours away. However, in the unfortunate circumstance that a customer changes their mind, we have to charge 20% to have it shipped back to us.  At this time we have incurred 20% to ship it to the customer, and the customer has incurred 20% to return it back to us.  We are a small business, we make our products here in America, and work really hard to be fair. We are not dishonest, we are not shady and we clearly communicate in writing our policies so that it is clear to everyone before they purchase.  Unfortunately, however, we cannot always make right in the eyes of each person.

   

   

  Customer response

  09/12/2022

  Complaint: 17744773
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  The representative at *** Mule states that the 20% restocking policy is clearly stated on their web site..it is not, and the rep I spoke with promised a refund without bringing this up.  I might have made a different decision had he told me this.

   

  As far as the shipper is concerned, they set a delivery appointment with me and didnt show up.  When I enquired with them, they told me that they were not coming to my area and didnt know when they would do so.  I dont know how far along the item was in the shipping process but am confident it was never put on a truck to me.  In addition, the 20% being discussed is a nominal charge described on the web site.  ******** now states this 20% represents actual 1 way cost for any delivery, yet it was never put on a truck or delivered to me.

   

  So back to my original point, if ******** needs to recoup their cost they should look to their shipper who performed so poorly rather than take the easy way out by asking me to cover the cost of unacceptable service.  I was inconvenienced as well, and have asked for nothing other than a refund for something I never received.

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩