Courier Problems

Last week I ordered a 10kg box of stonefruit from an orchard near Palmerston North. I wondered where it had got to when it didn't arrive by Monday morning so I emailed the orchard. The girl I was dealing with, who has been great, said it was sent on Thursday for overnight delivery and it should have arrived Friday. I was so confused. Just as I was responding to her - I wonder where its gotten to? my neighbour to the side knocked on the door and there was my box. She was really nice about it, she'd just found it on her doorstep. She said "It does look a bit worse for wear."

And it did. The box lid was open (possibly she grabbed it by the top and it accidentally came undone) and half the fruit was rotten and moldy or next to moldy fruit and therefore contaminated. It stunk. One of the peaches was half eaten. I was horrified. I spent the next half hour pulling out the fruit I was going to bin and freezing most of what was left (to stop it going off before I could eat it).

I made a yummy dark purple plum smoothie out of some of it and taste tested a couple of items which were so divinely delicious that I really think I ought to buy direct from orchards from now on. Theres such a difference in taste between food at a supermarket or even fruit and veg store and buying from a local producer. I think thats why the popularity of farmers markets.

I wasn't going to do anything about it but the next time I checked my email the orchard had written asking when it was received because it should have arrived friday.

I went on the PBTrace courier website and put in my trace number - the fruit was picked up thursday 5pm, arrived in hamilton 10:20am on friday, sat somewhere for the whole weekend, and was delivered (to the wrong house) at 1:30pm on the monday. Then when my neighbour got home a couple of hours later she brought it over to me. I can't believe they would just dump a perishable item for the whole weekend when they had all day friday to deliver it out to the correct address.

I vented and texted a couple of friends and family members, then in the end I emailed the orchard. It wasn't their fault at all, but i was disappointed in the courier and I told them so.

I just received an email apologizing for the condition of the fruit (even though it wasn't the orchards fault) and offering to send a replacement batch - which offer i am completely delighted with, and I've just sent an email to say yes and thank you. She said they have repeatedly told the courier company that the items must be delivered overnight as they are perishable - but obviously the company is not listening at all. What a bunch of idiots.

So that was a good result from a bad situation.