🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Jul02.033019.24505@xenitec.on.ca>, Ed Hew writes:

> In article <1992Jun29.041429.20085@mks.com> andy@mks.com (Andy Toy) writes:
> >I got a call last Friday from Telebit saying that Profit Courier would
> >be contacting me the week of July 6 to arrange the modem swap.  Looks

I got a similac call last week saying Profit would call "sometime".
I hope it's this week.

> Telebit has sensible choices for the swap in Canada.
> Unfortunately, I'm told that sensible isn't the way it will be.

You didn't say specifically what you were told.  Did Telebit say how
Profit would be handling it?  Has anyone gotten a call from LEP yet?

> I can't remember the last time I publicly derogated a company
> on the 'NET, but if ever there was a time, it's now.  Unfortunately,
> from arduous past experience, Profit Freight hands off to a freight
> company called "LEP" in Canada.  The name is easy enough to remember,

That's just to keep things from being too easy. :-)

> as it reminds me of LEPper, in this case a company you definately do
> NOT want to find holding your goods.

Very true.

> My first experience with LEP was back about '86 or '87 when I imported

Mine was the Loyalty Pays shipment of a T3000.

> my very first 286 machine when they were brand new and hot on the
> market.  I waited, and waited, and after about 2 months started to
> ask questions.  This eventually led me to some company with an
> office at the (Toronto) airport called LEP.  To their credit, once

The same thing happened with my T3000.  After months of waiting, and
many calls to Telebit, I started nagging peoples bosses until I got
someone to give me the number of someone at Profit.

> I found them, they did tell me that if I didn't pick up my freight
> _by_tommorrow_ it was going to be sold off as unclaimed goods.  Hey,

A few days after I eventually found LEP had had my T3000 in their
bonded warehouse in Toronto for months, a letter showed up at the
address that was on the shipment, saying about the same thing.

> thanks for the notification!  I spend the next day running to and
> around the airport, customs, banking machines, and finally managed
> to rescue my hardware at substantial expense.  I was not amused.

It only took me half a day, but I started from the right part of
Toronto. And I did have to pay extra shipping charges, fees for blank
paperwork I had the pleasure of filling out and driving elsewhere with
... it was not an experience I want to repeat.

> LPA deal happened.  Ok, I gave TBit the extra $ for UPS shipping

I was dumb enough not to, but I would have next time.  If the shipment
got sent to LEP anyways I'd be really pissed.

> (after my Visa bill arrived) called up Telebit and inquired.

That's one of the things that clued me in, that and all the letters
Telebit kept sending with different invoices saying different things,
including ones asking me to pay them more money (wrongly), and letters
saying they hoped I was enjoying my T3000, and one with my free PEP
upgrade offer.

> They checked, and they told me they shipped them via "Profit".

I had a really hard time getting Telebit to do that much for me.  I
know they were busy, but I'm used to better service than that.

> closer to home.  Unfortunately, LEP neglects to return calls,

I got through to LEP ok, they were happy to tell me to pay more money
and do all the brokerage, etc.

> but after a few attempts, and some major nudging by Telebit
> personel, I did get a commitment that they'd deliver the modems
> "tommorrow".  They showed up about 2 or three weeks after that,

I didn't manage that well.

> freight collect!  So, we paid the double freight, received the

Maybe it's a good thing. :-)

> modems, and are still waiting for Telebit's kind offer to issue
> a credit for the double shipping charges.  It's only been about

Someone alse who had trouble with LEP in the LP offer (I think it was
Robert Bernecky, rbe@yrloc.ipsa.reuter.com) got Telebit to agree to
pay for his transportation costs from the day he spend running back
and forth to get his shipment.  The names he gave me to call at
Telebit are the ones who finally tracked down Profit for me.  I don't
know if he ever saw the money Telebit promised or not.

> I'm now told that LEP will again have the opportunity to ream my
> sensibilities, patience, and wallet; that I will be forced to

Were those the exact words used? :-)

> spend a day or more of major aggravation driving to an airport
> in another city, find out there is no where to park the car, that
> I need copious quantities of paperwork and will have to clear
> customs myself.....  Oh, you want me to take the modems out of

Were those the exact words used?  I was hoping things would make a
little more sense for this "upgrade swap".

> TELEBIT, PLEASE FIND A SENSIBLE WAY OF HANDLING THIS EXCHANGE IN
> CANADA.  ***PLEASE*** IF YOU WANT EXTRA MONEY, PLEASE ASK, but

This is not the right place for that particular yelling.  I'm going to
call back Telebit and try some gentle questioning before I start
yelling at them.

> us like we're in Bangladesh or someplace off-planet.  I _know_
> you have viable alternatives; I've spoken with some of the people
> offering you sensible service.

Give Telebit some recommendations.  I'll tell them not to use
Profit/LEP again, But I can't recommend who they should use.

We can gang up (I mean join together :-) one way or another here.  We
can all call Telebit, and if worse comes to worst, at least try to
help each other minimize the total running around we need to do.

To really get even, what we need is a good Canadian modem company. ;-)

>   Ed. A. Hew,    <edhew@xenitec.on.ca>    ....!uunet.ca!xenitec!eah
>   XeniTec Consulting Services, Kitchener ON, Canada +1 519 570 9848

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