Friday, June 08, 2007

Waiting

I post more when I am dealing with DHL because there isn't much else I can do. I have a quilt on the frame I want to be working on but I know I can't hear the phone if the longarm is going, even when the phone is on the quilt too. I called the TURN team this morning and have been told there is no way I am getting a TURN number. In fact having talked to them I think it is pretty much impossible for a sole trader to need one. This is good, very good in fact. The government is really trying to make it easy on small businesses, which is great news for me. However we now have to convince DHL, which I suspect will be somewhat more tricky. On the bright side I do have a contact on the TURN team who is quite happy to talk to DHL for me.

The problem is getting hold of DHL. I have gone through the computer system (national rate line) several times, apparently this is the only way to reach the tracing unit. It is a clever system. You can't email anyone on the tracing team directly, they don't seem to have email, you can't phone them directly either. SO you have to pay the national rate every time you want to talk to anyone. Also by forcing you to go through the computer system and enter your AWB number then listen to the status of your package they get to add call time every call as well. Ho hum, at least they have now taken a message and I should get a call back soon. Until then I need to find something quiet to do.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You might try and see if you can find a phone that lights UP when it rings... such as a phone for the deaf. This way you could work and "listen" out of the corner of your eyes!
Ruth

Ferret said...

Thats a good idea, I had been wondering how to rig something like that up, completely forgetting they qould already exist. I can be remarkaby dim at times.

CONNIE W said...

I'm really amazed about all the difficulties encountered in trying to ship your quilts to USA for a quilt show. Is this a typical problem or is your experience a fluke? Having never had any experience with anything like this, I keep reading your posts and my amazement just increases with new thing that you write. How can shipping quilts which seems innocently simple turn into this nightmare for you? Is it DHL's incompetence, or is it the customs/legal issues, or something else entirely. I can only say that I'm intrigued by it all and I feel such sadness for you for having made your works and shipped them to only have them not arrive for displaying at the show but to also be in constant worry about their whereabouts and if/when you'll recover them and at great expense. I hope that once they have been safely restored to your hands and your care that your life will return to 'normal'.

Anonymous said...

haveing work for dhl your lucky your qulits get pickup at all my mam (brenda in the boro) hade sent a qult to locklomnod qulit show did not get there i had to pickit up from local depo and drive it there my self with one two hours befor jugeing began