Parcel Connect/Fastway Agent Left Business to Do Personal Errand, then started sexist and racist remarks.

Fastway is the worst service provider I had to deal with in my life.

Anyways I bought some weight plates from Samsfitness online, they used Fastway/Parcel Connect to send their item.

The Fastway never rang the bell of my apartment, I am home all the time, just left the "sorry we you card" and asked me to pick up from a newsagent acting as a pick up pointfor fastway two suburbs away.

Time on the card says the agent is trading 7.30 am to 5pm Mon-Fri, morning on Saturday.

I went there yesterday at 10.20am, the shop was closed with, with a sign that ways we'll be back 11.30 (those sign with a clock face with moving hands). I was pretty frustrated as I had to take the tram spend great about of time to get here, anyways I went to the shopping center about 1 km away, waited until 11 so I can order some lunch at a restaurant, ate and when back to the newsagent at about 11.25.

Asked him why there was no one in the shop at 10.20, basically he told me 10 to 11.30 is the time he goes to back and does personal errands etc. Yeah like WTF, you're a parcel service collection point, not a shop where I can just go somewhere else to buy if your shop is closed. If you close your shop, I can not get my parcel. When you sign up as a parcel collection point, you have to be open during trading hours as people need to collect their parcel from your shop.

Basically we spend the next 5 minutes arguing back and forth, I was trying to get my point across that you have to be here during the your trading hours so people can pick up their parcel, otherwise don't sign up for a parcel collection agency.

Then he started asking questioning my gender. He said things like I complaint like a girl and man should just bear the inconvenience, take the parcel and move on, then he asked me if I was born in China and if I could speak Chinese, I said I was born in China but what does that have to do with it, I am not going to give him a pass just because we're both Chinese ethnicity, then he started talking to me in Mandarin, to which I said I will not talk in Chinese, then he said said 忘本, basically that I am forgetting that I'm Chinese, I don't respect elderly and I don't know how to speak Chinese.

I had the whole incident recorded on my phone.

Like seriously what can I do in this situation, complaining to Fastway is useless I guess.

Related Stores

Aramex
Aramex

closed Comments

  • +14

    basically he told me 10 to 11.30 is the time he goes to back and does personal errands etc

    If he owns the news agency then I guess he can do this but it's a dick move. Why can't he do it during a lunch break like a normal person.

    As for everything else, you already spent an hour waiting for him to come back and then spent 10 minutes more arguing. He likely started to personally attack you because he didn't have a valid argument to begin with and you were winning it, so he only had one other method of offence; ad hominem.

    I personally wouldn't have even bothered asking why they were closed. I'd assume a personal emergency or something and been about my way. You can try complaining to Fastway but they likely won't care.

    • +27

      I think the issue is the OP argued with the guy for 10mins, was basically told take the parcel and leave and then things got heated.

      If you don't like the trading hours of the parcel collection point complain to Fastway. It is the business owners prerogative what hours they choose to trade.

      • Fast way won’t care either lol

    • +7

      the whole video is 10 minutes.

      He's one of those man lived during the cultural revolution era China, very stubborn older gen Chinese mentality, basically my way or the high way. Basically, this is my shop, my trading hours are only a suggestion.

      Extremely rude and bad at customer service that really have no place in modern service industry, especially in the parcel delivery system.

      His Newsagency is only 1.9 stars and full of customer complaints about his rudeness.

        • +55

          Conforming to foreign culture norms is not a pre-requisite for business in Australia.

          Operating within contract is.

        • +5

          I think this man would have had more respect for you if you whinged less and actually gave him some respect.

          Respect is earned - this man is receiving custom from OP, he should have behaved more apologetically.

        • +25

          He basically thinks it's okay for a customer to wait 1.5 hours while he takes the time for personal errands. I am sorry, I have no respect a man who has no respect for other people's time.

          It is a simply solution. Determine your trading hours, notify Fastway of your trading hours and be there.

          No one can just simply walk off during working hours. Why can he and screw people up?

            • +31

              @Fergy1987: The bus driver goes to the toilet for 1.5hours?

            • +1

              @Fergy1987: Cool strawman bro.

            • +1

              @Fergy1987: Maybe if the bus driver has diarrhea? Otherwise I don't think it takes 1.5 hours to use the toilet.

          • +23

            @canberrascooter: TLDNR: My main point to you: Desire and expectation is the root of all suffering:

            I think you need to look at this from a different perspective.

            The guys business is probably shit. I'm Chinese and honestly don't say you expect anything less from the older generation of that era. He is obviously a migrant here with no idea how to run those high customer service 'businesses' that people are so accustomed to, I doubt he is accommodating to the 'yelp' generation or gives a flying fk about customer reviews.
            It's his business, he can run it the way he wants. Not many businesses want to be a parcel collection point and fastway isn't exactly dhl or Australia post that would drag in so many customers.

            I understand your point, that he should comply with the contract - which you have not seen. Fastway could just possibly require him to provide the service during his operating hours, not hours that they dictate. There is no law in Australia that says what hours a private business must operate. Once again, I'd like to mention that you have no idea what the terms of the agreement are between FastWay and the agency.

            He has engaged with you in Chinese mainly because he expects you to be a lot less of a privileged whinger. I'm not saying that you are, but when I was raised up, we were taught to be a little bit more gritty to be less bothered by such trivial things, especially expecting the world to change for us. The guy is probably 60-70 years old, have a think about it, do you honestly believe he even has the ability to change?

            You said you don't respect the elderly. No one is forcing you to respect the elderly, but it would be wise to show some respect at times.

            These guys are migrants with little exposure to customer service when they grew up, they never experienced South Yarra or Bondi culture, I understand you just want him to be open for the 1.5 hours, but do you think that perhaps making this a karen incident is a bit overboard?

            I'm sure if that guy was your dad you would have a different perspective on this when some 20 something comes out of nowhere and tells the guy how to run his business - perhaps you could have asked him in a nicer way instead of arguing. When you argue, no one wins. Perhaps take up some smooth Chinese talk and ask it in that curved convoluted manner without insulting the guy?

        • +1

          I think this man would have had more respect for you if you whinged less and actually gave him some respect

          I suppose one may find it hard to respect someone who signs up to be a parcel pickup point and wanders away to run personal errands during published business hours. The OP was there to pickup a parcel, and is not expected waste 15 minutes for the reprehensible pr!ck to return from his little personal errands, or to get culturally on a level either. All this crap happened because the bloke running the store had no ethics whatsoever, and if this is his culture (which I'm sure is not the case), I will NOT want to get on that level.

          • @CocaKoala: The problem is you don't really know how "personal" or urgent his personal business was. My husband and I have been in business since 2003 and yet I had to let down a few customers in the last couple of days. I didn't tell any of them the reason why, after all there is a pandemic atm and all sorts of difficulties could be happening.

            My husband was driving from a job in Hervey Bay back home to Brisbane. As he drove into Maryborough he felt ill with very bad chest pain and decided to call into the hospital. he pulled up at the front entrance and staggered in and they knew immediately he was in a bad way. He was having a large heart attack, they stabilised him and then put him on Care Flight to the Sunshine Coast Uni Hospital. He is still in there and I am in Brisbane. So some jobs will be late and a few customers disapointed and the next 6 wks or so will be as well. We pride ourselves on our customer service, but life sometimes has other ideas. Business owners have a life other than just serving customers and customers usually have no idea of what it takes to run a business or what can interfere with that business.

        • +1

          "the Confucius card"

          Not only. I was always told as a young man that in my grandparents' day, people respected their elders.

          I tell the same lie nowadays myself.

        • Anyone who says I should be speaking a language other than English based on my look will have their face on the news. Treating customers differently based on look is unacceptable.

      • -5

        Seriously OP, we live in a society!

      • +6

        can we see this video? you know, for educational purposes?

        • +9

          OzBargain: OzBargain emergency, how can I help you?
          OP: Fastway courier pick up point closed his shop for 1 hour and made racist remarks when I argued. How dare he do that to me. Fast way sucks. Pick up point sucks!
          OzBargain: Yeah nah yeah nah yeah nah yeah.
          OP: Thanks, I feel better.
          OzBargain: You're welcome.

          • +1

            @alikazi: "Your opinion is very important for us. Thank you for your call"

  • +43

    Report to Fastway and Samsfitness.

    I do not do business with companies that use shitty couriers.

    • +3

      Great suggestion. Although I wouldn't expect an immediate solution from either company, Samsfitness would eventually get the message that using Fastway leaves a bad impression of their business.

      • +2

        Informing SamFitness would also be on the assumption that I actually like them enough to give feedback.

  • +38

    A Current Affair was made for situations like this. I'm on the phone with Tracey Grimshaw right now and I can hear her salivating over the phone.

    • +5

      She probably got distracted by the bit where OP went to a restaurant.

      • +2

        I'm sure she could find a health breach in that restaurant.

        • +7

          From how she looks lately I think her investigations stop at the buffet.

    • +3

      Bollocks - as if she has time for a pesky delivery gone wrong. There are just way too many unemployed people having the audacity to receive an income from the Government right now for her to have time to do a hit-piece on a shop owner.

    • dodgy Jimmy Grants are Grimmo's bread and butter.

  • I choose Fastways every time if i can, lovely lady delivers at 7.30am guaranteed.

    • +9

      The way your comment reads, it almost sounds like she delivers more….😁

      • Forgot she holds the dog while i sign too :)

        • Hold the dog and ask your signatures, how many signs you need? :)

          • +1

            @foxmulder: I'm assuming he is talking about "signing" something else because we don't actually sign (in the traditional sense!) anything nowadays due to covid!

        • Is your dog "hot" as well?

  • +101

    You think that's bad, I went to pick up a parcel and had to wait 10 minutes while the owner and a girly customer yelled at each other.

      • +1

        I used common sense and rang ahead. A lot of businesses aren't open at their regular hours atm.

    • +24

      Whoosh

      OP.

    • +8

      One were yelling in Chinese other were yelling in English. No wonder they didn't understand each other.

  • +29

    At least you both can't pull the racist card. lol.

    • +5

      his racist card is that I'm not Chinese enough… Because I should be more respectful towards the elderly… you know the Confucius card.

      • +2

        If that's all you have to worry about your doing ok.

        • Guess no one should complain unless it's life threatening?

      • +12

        While he was initially in the wrong, you come across as INCREDIBLY obnoxious - and this is your censored account of the incident which is likely distorted in your favour. I'm not surprised he would talk about respect.

      • if thats the case, why dont you use his point against him.

        say…'thats why chinese people have a bad rep….thanks (profanity)'

      • Yay for that good old filial piety card :P

  • +5

    I went there yesterday at 10.20am, the shop was closed with, with a sign that ways we'll be back 11.30

    Literally the smallest problem in the world.

    Silver lining - you got some lunch.

    • +21

      Just because it is a small problem doesn't mean it is not a problem worth mentioning.

      Someone paid for a service. Part of that service is the pick up availability.

      Someone got paid for a service. Part of that service is being open for pick up.

      Should all contracts be ignored if it is unimportant to you?

      • That's not the question.

        The question is, is it worth the time and effort that has been put into this? Probably not.

        • +8

          Literally the smallest problem in the world.

          That's not a question whatsoever.

          That is a statement. A dismissive statement.

    • +5

      That's a non-stage-4-lockdown problem. Oh how I wish I have the freedom to just hang around a shopping centre for an hour, eat lunch at a shopping centre… just be out… without the need of a permit…

  • +8

    He said things like I complaint like a girl and man should just bear the inconvenience, take the parcel and move on

    I had the whole incident recorded on my phone

    So he pretty much called you Karen? I guess it’s lucky you knew this would happen so you could record him…

  • +28

    Just move the moveable hands on the clock face to 11.30. Voila, shop will be open.

    • +26

      Shopkeepers Hate This One Simple Trick!

    • -1

      its digital and internet synchronised

  • +18

    No need to take out the phone and start recording. Now conversely, if the owner of the newsagent was of a different race and a more aggressive one, would you have done the same thing?

    Suck it up, stop bullying and talking down to others you perceive “lower than you”. Karma will come back and bite you in another way.

  • +39

    Asked him why there was no one in the shop at 10.20

    What is this… an interrogation? Honestly though.. you do sound like a bit of a Karen. You were slightly inconvenienced, but did you really have to have a go at him for not being at HIS shop for a little while? You couldn't have been that inconvenienced if, after picking up your parcel, you still managed to stand there for however long to argue over nothing.

    When you sign up as a parcel collection point, you have to be open during trading hours as people need to collect their parcel from your shop.

    Look at the times we're in…. it might be that he has had a second person there all these years before and has had to lay that extra person off because of all this Covid-19 stuff and he can no longer afford to employ someone. He might be going home during those hours to care for his sick wife or something or he might be helping someone do something - who knows? It could be anything. We really shouldn't be so quick to judge.

    If you have a go at someone, surely, you wouldn't expect them to just stand there and take it! They're going to pull out whatever comes to mind first!

    • +1

      We really shouldn't be so quick to judge.

      Agreed.

      He might be going home during those hours to care for his sick wife or something or he might be helping someone do something

      Likewise, this is making a concession. It is still a form of judgement.

      Also, look at it in reverse, the shopkeeper isn't valuing his paying customer's time on the assumption that his errand is more important.

      The business accepts money to be a collection depot. They should remain open. There's always the option or hiring someone to stand in while he runs his errand.

      (PS. Agree on the interrogation bit. I would have just grabbed the parcel, told the guy off for wasting my time and reported his conduct. There was no need for extensive conflict with a person who clearly doesn't understand their contract.)

      • +3

        Likewise, this is making a concession. It is still a form of judgement.

        What I really meant was, we should keep an open mind because we really don't know. It could be that one hour or so where he decided to leave his shop for a little while to do something when OP has rocked up.

        The business accepts money to be a collection depot. They should remain open. There's always the option or hiring someone to stand in while he runs his errand.

        I don't disagree with you - it's just that I think it's not a bad thing to sometimes consider the human side of things. With the number of businesses collapsing because of the recent forced closures and drop in customers, we have no idea how that particular place is doing (in terms of remaining open) so hiring that extra person may not even be an option. If the contract as a pickup point gets terminated, it's possible that the OP might then have to much further to collect any future parcels.

        There was no need for extensive conflict…

        OP went in there with the camera already on and recording - he (or she..) was obviously expecting something! I mean, what's the worst that can happen if you shove a camera in someone's face while trying to interrogate them? lol

  • +3

    Seems like that argument was worth it.

    • +4

      Wise choice indeed, I’m sure the newsagent won’t remember his name and do something funky with his parcel when he gets it the next time.

      • I'll be making sure from now on that any online shop I use won't use Fastway/Parcel Connect.

  • Upload the video to r/Australia on Reddit. It'll gain traction most likely and attract attention.

    • +7

      Publishing private recordings without consent is unlawful in all Australian jurisdictions.

      • Would transcribing it be illegal? Would make a great read.

        • +3

          Would make a great read.

          No it wouldn't! You wouldn't be able to hear OP's girly voice!

      • Pretty sure that since there is no expectation of privacy (i.e. it wasn't a private telephone conversation, or an event that occured within the walls of one's residence) this is not unlawful.

        Public spaces, public property or commercial property like inside stores, would carry no expectation of privacy.

        I might be wrong, of course.

        • This was a private conversation between two parties inside a private property. Consent is required by both parties before the conversation may be published.

          • +1

            @whooah1979: It's a publically accessible store during trading hours, it's normally considered a public place with no expectation of privacy.

            • @BillyG687:

              It's a publically accessible store during trading hours

              evidently not all trading hours - he could be running an errand!!

          • +1

            @whooah1979: I don't think it was a private conversation if it was had in a shop where any member of the public could be, and perhaps indeed was, in hearing distance.

            Kind of like recording me when I'm naked in my front yard. Private property, no expectation of privacy.

            Could he wrong though.

            • @ozbjunkie: It sounds like OP is in the ACT and that they were alone in a private property.

              https://techsafety.org.au/blog/legal_articles/legal-guide-to…

              • +1

                @whooah1979: From your link, the situation in question, for me, satisfies the description of a conversation without the expectation of privacy, because they were speaking in an open part of an open shop and anyone who entered would be able to hear, and quite possibly could hear from outside. Having an argument with a shop owner with you in one side of the desk and them on the other would not, to me, indicate that the parties desired the conversation to be heard only by themselves.

                "Private conversations are those between persons in circumstances that reasonably indicate that any of the principal parties in the conversation (those speaking or being spoken to) desires the conversation to be listened to only:

                by themselves; or
                by themselves and by some other person (with the consent of each principal party to the conversation)
                For example:

                A conversation between two people in a crowded food court that is loud enough for the people seated next to them to hear would not be private.
                A conversation between two people at low volume in a busy park where there is no one close to them would be a private conversation.
                A conversation between two people taking place in a private home where they are alone would be a private conversation."

                • +1

                  @ozbjunkie: The only way to test this is for OP to publish the conversation online.

      • There are circumstances which it is allowed. However, if this was in a store which is regarded as a public place, I don't think there's a reasonable expectation to privacy.

        HOWEVER, I am not a lawyer.

  • +7

    What did you have for lunch?

    • +17

      chinese

    • +7

      A succulent Chinese meal

  • +13

    Like seriously what can I do in this situation

    Leave a review and indicate in your review that the shop is shut 10-11:30 so that other people won't have their time wasted.

    • that's exact what I did. I am done with this. If next time my parcel needs to be collected from this agency, I will bring a Nintendo Switch.

  • TLDR. Is this a https://youtu.be/JdRNvXawIxI post about a fight between a boomer and a millennial?

  • +3

    I would be very surprised if Fastway didn't have an available hours clause in their contract with the outlet that they are in breach of. Having said that, good luck getting anything done about it, since Fastway are the most useless courier company ever.

  • I had the whole incident recorded on my phone.

    Are you in the ACT?

    • A quick search found Canberra house newsagency and op's name is ben :)

  • +3

    Several things.
    - My experience with Fastway are they are less than useless. I refuse to do business with any company that uses Fastway and I’ve told places that. In my case they wouldn’t even deliver parcels to the nearest drop off point and I had to go to their depot to pick up; the place looked chaotic.
    - Him closing the shop for a while to do things is painful but shit happens; you get annoyed then you get over it. The sexist racist things he said are not OK. You could complain to Fastway but, I’m willing to bet, nothing happens.
    - my suggestion is you enjoy your new purchase and just let it all go. Anything you do will come to nothing and you will soon forget it even happened.

    If you want some amusement this was my post on Fastway.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/361255

  • +1

    I think they're called Aramex now.

    • +1

      I still just stick with "Useless"

  • +3

    If I had to travel to pick up a parcel/package, unless it was a P.O., I'd call ahead to confirm opening times, especially at the moment with all of the impacts of COVID-19.
    It sounds as if O.P.'s frustrations began with the non-delivery, and were compounded by the temporary closure of the pick-up point. The 10 minute dispute and videoing of the exchange with the shop owner(?) only escalated the situation. Surely a brief comment of "Your shop being closed was inconvenient," would have been sufficient.

    • -2

      Wasting near more three hours is certainly more than just an inconvenience.

      The Fastway courier wanted to save two minutes due to his laziness and costed me more than three hours..

      • +7

        How did the shop waste three hours of your life when they were only closed between 10:20 to 11:30?

        • +2

          The more i scroll down the longer the OP apparently waited/wasted lol

        • +3

          He had to catch public transport to get there and back. If you're paying for a delivery service…. It's supposed to be delivered. Fastway should really have a second delivery time if nobody is home (so they claim). I know DHL and a few others organise redelivery if needed for no extra cost. Should be standard I think

          • -1

            @Whisper Quiet: Australia Post, and I can't believe I am complementing them, even lets you redirect to a 24/7 locker at no extra cost.

          • @Whisper Quiet:

            a few others organise redelivery if needed for no extra cost

            The cost of redelivery is already included in the original shipping fee. The carrier get to keep the redelivery cost if the first delivery attempt is successful.

Login or Join to leave a comment