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Fastway Couriers

Fastway Couriers review: franchisees cease trading 14

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9:40 am EST
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The attraction of Fastway Couriers service is the low price. This is in part achieved by their business model, where customers pay in advance for numerous deliveries, typically about £100.00 - £150.00, and receive coupons to that value. It seems that almost all personnel are self-employed franchisees, even the delivery drivers. The problem comes when the area franchise goes into liquidation - everyone is left out of pocket with pre-paid coupons, and Fastway Head Office has no interest in sorting matters out - they wash their hands of it. Looking on the internet, it becomes clear that this situation has happened many times with various local franchisees. Other courier firms point to the very low rates charged by Fastway as being unrealistic - hence they go bust all over the place. My experience was with Bristol Depot - I believe that the franchisee who went bust is still trading elsewhere.

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14 comments
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Seán Crookson
, US
Sep 04, 2017 6:21 am EDT

Have to agree with many of the comments. We had a problem recently with Fastway Port Elizabeth (South Africa) service and rudeness. They promised a refund but are ignoring my e-mail. I looked at the profile of the director, Justin Ackerman, who seems only to have a simple qualification in web design & sports.

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Jaqueline Restrepo
, US
Jun 25, 2016 5:00 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My fiancé that it's station in Kabul Afghanistan sent me jewelry through Fastway couriers in China in May 23rd this year. The first email I received from Ms. Diana Wright in May 24th stated that $1, 500.00 dollars was not enough to cover the delivery charges I had to send $1, 000.00 more. It was $500.00 registration fee, $1, 000.00 scan/delivery fee and $1, 000.00 immunity fee. I sent the money to her through western union on June 6th and received her last email on June 7th confirming payment received. She also stated that I would be receiving my tracking number in 3 to 4 days they had to put all the information in their database before sending the parcel. Up to this day I haven't received the tracking number or a respond to any of my emails. I have sent her numerous emails and also to the customer service complaint department and up to this day I haven't received a response. I am so devastated and the saddest thing of all we can't do anything about it, but I do know one thing what comes around goes around.

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Sientje Bos
, US
May 02, 2016 6:29 am EDT

hai i really dont like fastway ! it is now the second time that my family send over a parcel from the netherlands. the first time never got it, they said it was send back ? it never came back, gone with the wind ! now they ( my family) put on the parcel 1...name 2...adress 3...eircode 4...phone numbers ! all to make sure i would get it. track and trace said...adress incorrect at 11.30 am...then at 15.45 it said nobody home ! well we were home the whole day, contacted them, had to contact driver. i did driver was rude and yelling telling me he didnt had anything for me. when i asked why he put in incorrect and then not home ? i shut the phone of ! supervisor called after my complaint, said it was send back to haws bay, and that that was wrong, he would get it back and arrange delivery. this is now a week ago and still nothing. so now i am taking this further, filed an official complaint with the cunsumer rights board here in ireland. getting so sick of this, why can all the others deliver parcels but they cant ?

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Michael Stone
, US
Mar 17, 2016 9:20 pm EDT

Lost thousands of Dollars working for them as a courier. They don't care they are really good at lying!

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dean Clements
Coventry, GB
Apr 18, 2015 5:38 am EDT

I have been offered a motor bike through free cycje I have been asked to buy 40 ucash voucher and email the codes to fast way then they will send the motor cycle as the person sending it reckon they have sent it and its waiting at fastway for the ucash voucher numbers As soon as they receive it they say my bike will be delivered in 8hrs. I am surprised someone would give a motorcycle in the first place for free but since I looked on here I am wondering if its all a scam. The person giving me the bike emailed me and it was her who chose fast way they have emailed too with temp parcel numver . but I Dont know what too do cause its 40 pounds and I get a motorcycle but this just sounds to good to true although I have seen pictures off it the number plate was covered up..has anyone else had this or know if fast way exist still my email is dean.[protected]@gmail.com thanks

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Tee Bee 72
Sydney, AU
Mar 21, 2015 1:05 am EDT
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I am based in Sydney Australia, I am amazed at the appalling lack of customer service this company has. For sometime now we have been receiving parcels from different couriers all with the ability to read instructions as to where to leave our deliveries. For one of your particular drivers, he seems to think that it is OK TO THROW PARCELS OVER A 2.5 METRE FENCE. labelled FRAGILE! It was to the driver's disadvantage that I just so happened to be home this morning, When I heard a loud thud in our back yard. I went outside to have a look and found a parcel on the ground. I then went outside to our front yard and approached the driver and asked why he didn't ring the doorbell? Please help me out here, but when a parcel is being delivered, isn't it common sense to knock on the door first ? Aside from that, there is an adhesive label on the parcel he delivered, the size of a standard postcard, giving instructions if no one is home. Instructions for the driver "please leave in back yard use code **** to unlock the lock on the gate" The driver then told me "it says on the box to leave it in the back yard." I asked him if he unlocked the gate to get into the back yard, he didn't answer, I then asked him if he threw the parcel over the fence, to which he answered YES. I asked why he did that, and he gave me the answer that he doesn't know the code for the lock. ( that is printed in black and white on the postcard sized adhesive label) Great Excuse! This particular driver has delivered to our property a number of times, which answers my questions as to why my plants and statues are being smashed and damaged. I took his details and he muttered something at me and quickly left for his van. I decided to call head office in regards to the situation, and was told by the telephonist (Dylan) that he couldn't help me as there is no one to speak to, no complaints department just an email to send my complaint to, I then asked to speak to the general manager to which he replied " I can't do that" He sounded rather bewildered when I asked him for the general managers name and number and was told that I could only have his first name. I could tell that Dylan didn't appreciate my comment when I suggested that he makes the suggestion to his superiors about setting up a "complaints department" and added that if need be I will involve the media, to prove the lack of respect for peoples belongings by this company. It seemed to me that Dylan just really didn't care. I am pretty sure that he just couldn't wait to hang up. I told Dylan to take my details and have the General manager to contact me. I am still waiting for some form of contact.
The parcel contained a piece of equipment worth approx $500 that had been repaired, when we opened the box and found that it wasn't working, we contacted the workshop and questioned why it wasn't working, the technician informed us it was repaired and was in working order when it had left the workshop. He asked us to send it back for further inspection, so the courier driver had damaged the equipment when it was hurled over the gate the first time. To think that this so called courier cost time and money to repair the same piece of equipment TWICE is just ridiculous! I am still waiting on response in regards to this matter. Quite frankly, judging by all the reviews I have read online for this company, it wouldn't surprise me if I never get one.

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scammedAgain:(
35 the drivve, GB
Dec 18, 2014 12:53 pm EST

I have paid £35 for an item to come to my home and then charged an extra £100 as it was delicate. I still have not got my item and no response from them. I think ive been scammed! :(

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Concerned South African
, ZA
Oct 02, 2014 3:38 am EDT
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I agree I also nearly bought a franchise in South Africa have a complaint at Consumer Commission due to costs taken by a Alex Paddock even though only a framework agreement signed.Saddest of all is that Ms A Paddock does not honour her word and gives used car salesman a run for their money -- Also they appoint Attorneys to deal with NCC ? disgusting group of people stay far away and do not use their service neither just look at"hellopeter.com"

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One of the survivors
, NZ
Mar 25, 2013 10:32 pm EDT
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I was a Fastway Regional Franchisee in NZ, and had a group of Franchised couriers, depot, and support staff. I believe the problem is not with the local franchisee, but with the overall Fastway Franchising model.
The local franchisee pays a substantial percentage of their revenue in various charges to the Fastway HO, from this they are meant to gain Franchise support. This support is almost non existent, two days a month if you are lucky, the so called support comes from "Franchise Support Managers" who in fact have no business experience, apart from a company manual and the passing of a Franchise test. There is more emphasis based on compliance of Franchise depot, etc, than the actual business model.
The pressure comes onto the Franchisee to gain as many new customers as possible, with very little thought into profitability. Most Franchises fail financially due to a general lack of knowledge of basic business principles.
It would be very interesting to hear how many Fastway Regional Franchises have failed in the past 3 years.

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Franchise Fraud at its best!
, ZA
Apr 11, 2012 5:25 am EDT

I agree, I am based in South Africa and the same scams are continuing over here. The Johannesburg region that has only 60 Courier Franchisee areas have been churned more than 200 times in the last 2.5 years. It is disgusting that these thieves are being allowed to get away with this scam on a global basis. We need to stand together and have their global opertaions shutdown before anybody else loses all that they own!

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vitaligroup
Joondalup, AU
Dec 07, 2011 1:56 am EST
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I might be on the other side of the world in Perth Australia and they do exactly the same here ! Two years ago a franchisee shut down and left me ove $200 in wasted labels - what did the management say - Nada ! Take a walk ! Then just recently I spoke with the new local area man that informed me it was all sorted, new management, new processes in place etc. I bought 2 books of tickets and when the last is used -NEVER again and I will complain to everyone that I can. In just two sets of labels - three deliveries of very important goods took over four days to get delivered, and not one of them was more that 20 klms from their depot. Alan of the Vitali Group in disgust.

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SCAMWATCHfastway
Hammersmith and Fulham, GB
Sep 14, 2011 9:21 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have had trouble with Fastway Couriers as a franchisee or Customer, BBC watchdog wants to hear from you. We want as many people to contact the BBC Watchdog as possible as we know that they have accumulated alot of victims over the years, we want to hear your stories. Email: watchdog@bbc.co.uk

Or you can go to Facebook and join the BBC WATCHDOG: Fastway Courier Complaints: http://www.facebook.com/groups/220537404670083/

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frisco30
, GB
Sep 07, 2011 5:15 pm EDT

I was using Fastway Sussex for our deliveries we had 4 books of pre-paid delivery labels costing nearly £1000 on two separate companies which are now useless as Fastway Couriers Sussex recently went into liquidation. Although we lost a lot of money for the amount of time we have been with them we saved more than we lost. Though I would not recommend Fastway Couriers, their customer service was very poor, we had numerous complaints from our own customers about Fastway's rude staff. We only had to claim for a couple of lost parcels out of thousands sent, these claims took around 6 months to get each claim refunded, Fastway would just make their excuses and they will only refund the wholesale cost of the lost / damaged item. The cheeky %$&$ even persuaded me to buy another book of stamps just a day before they went into liquidation! Fortunately I have managed to cancel the cheque and get my money back. We have recently been using UPS couriers who we have found to be very reliable and cheap when setting up an account with them. Hope this helps.

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Beentherealready
, GB
Nov 19, 2010 7:17 pm EST

Could not agree more! Many depots have shut down (8 or 9 left out of 28!). Seems like a good idea but it doesn't work.
Check the eBay forum: AVOID!