RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc: My Shipping and Delivery Experience | Reviews 2022



Another day, another frustrating experience with couriers. 


This time, it is with a relatively new company (or at least, new to me), RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc . 


Let’s start from the veryyyy top. 


A skincare brand reached out to me on April 11th for a collaboration and because I have worked with them before, we were able to finalize things in about 72 hours. Shameless plug: Read about my experience with this skincare brand here. 


Since I went back to the office on May 2nd, this collaboration wasn’t really at the top of my head until I received an email from said skincare brand on May 12th asking about alternative shipping details because apparently there were issues with my parcel. 


This immediately raised red flags in my mind as upon checking, the deadline was May 6th! It has already been delayed for more than 5 days. 


It also usually means I would have to do countless follow ups with the delivery team, so this also prompted me to check on everything and anything that I can to figure out what is going on. (In my experience, for couriers here in my country, it’s best if we do our own research instead of relying on customer service.)


Here’s what I found out on May 12th; 


My parcel was shipped out by the skincare brand on April 29th, right on schedule and way earlier than I expected for them to ship out. On May 3rd, the parcel arrived here in the Philippines and was out for delivery on May 4th. 



I did not get any wind about this package until the skincare brand reached out to me, but it was tagged as “Not Delivered - Unable to Locate Consignee” by RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc. Totally understandable, although slightly frustrating as a simple call or text would’ve been enough to clarify any location issues. No text, call, or any form of communication was made by RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc. 


Right after I received the email from the skincare brand, I also reached out to EFS (E-commerce Fulfillment Service) regarding this shipping issue as they were the first courier who handled this parcel. 


I was not able to call them as the number listed is from South Korea, but I did reach out via email. They were so quick with their reply and resolution, as with my previous experiences with them. They were able to update any needed information on their end within the day and it reflected on the online tracking page.  


Now, this is where my blood starts boiling, so please consider this as your disclaimer – I will be providing a detailed narrative of my experience with RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc., and this includes personal feelings – my frustration, anger, annoyance, and relief at the very end. 


With that said, we continue. 


On May 13th, my parcel was tagged as “Not Delivered - Consignee Scheduled Delivery” by RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc. without reaching out to me, so I don’t know where they got this “Consignee Scheduled Delivery” part. As far as I know, I did not receive any text, call, email, or even a social media message from them. 


I reached out to RAF International Forwarding Phils., Inc. via their support page and social media page but I was not able to get any reply or update from them. I sent them an email using their support page but I didn't even receive a confirmation message from their support page (unlike with EFS, I received a confirmation message from them.). 


My parcel was out for delivery again on May 14th and was tagged as “Not Delivered - Other Reasons” by the end of the day. 



By this time, I am now very frustrated as three delivery attempts have been made but not one attempt was made to contact me. I have provided all possible location and contact information, even a very specific landmark and even the Google Maps pin link at this point, but still, no one has reached out to me. 


What’s sad is that this is not a solitary incident as their Google Review page and Facebook page is overflowing with such reports! It’s not just me, and from the people that I reached out to, only one replied and confirmed that they were able to receive their parcel. As for the others, I hope they were to receive theirs as well, without too much fuss. 


This is also the point where I got scared because as a content creator, this can affect my reputation with brands, so I took it upon myself to get to the bottom of this issue. 


As a last resort, I then called the Customer Support number listed on their website on May 16th and I was able to speak with a bored customer service representative requesting for information about my parcel and I was only provided information that was readily available online. I asked for the contact information of the delivery person so I can personally reach out to the delivery person as it was “Out for Delivery” again that day (May 16th). I wanted the contact number as I was adamant to receive the parcel that day. I was told over the phone that updates will be sent via text but there was no update at all even after about an hour or so.


I think that was the moment that blew my fuse because my absolute pet peeve is people not following up with what they said without a logical reason. 


It’s one thing to say that the requested information can’t be provided and another thing to say that the information will be provided after some time. 


I had to call again to follow up and upon hearing the same thing, I regrettably expressed my annoyance to the customer service representative over the phone. I have been a customer service representative before and I have been on the receiving end of frustration and I know that it’s not the best feeling in the world. I guess a learning nugget from this exchange is to not promise things that we are not able to do as a representative.


I also sent them multiple emails (copying DTI, DICT, and any and all possible email addresses that I could find on their site and social media pages) before I was able to get any sort of response from them. They finally sent me the contact information of the courier and I called said number immediately. 


Fortunately, someone answered and they have confirmed that the package is with them. However, they did not provide their ETA as requested, but assured me the parcel will be delivered the soonest possible time. I also provided the landmark and Google pin link via text along with an alternate contact number so I did not see any excuse for the parcel not to be delivered within the day.


Thankfully, it was indeed delivered within the day and the moment I was able to check that all the products were complete and safe, a huge thorn disappeared from my side. I updated the skincare brand and they were very understanding and kind enough to extend my deadline. 



I am sad that I had to be unsavory with people first when delivery issues like this should not even happen. I don’t like being mad at people and I rarely express my frustration with people as well, opting to share my thoughts with them at a later time, so I can mull it over and think of the best way that I can share my feelings with the said person. 


Times like this, however, I have no choice but to show my frustration because I also had an inkling that the only way they would listen is if I’m already beyond my breaking point. It just sucks, you know? 


I do have to give credit where credit is due because in the heat of the moment, one of the managers got involved and they were able to de-escalate effectively, and actually did what customer service representatives and point of contact persons should do. 


They provided me with correct and reliable information regarding my package and made sure that the delivery person reached out to me, which is what I was requesting. 


I had a second package that came under their care and they were able to update me regarding the delivery and they were also able to deliver it on time. 


I’m very pleased that they were able to learn quickly from the previous situation but I am also so confused as to what happened before. If they were able to fulfill the delivery for the 2nd parcel correctly and without any issues whatsoever, I wonder what happened with the first one? 


Sadly, I am not able to answer that, just like with my experience with PhlPost just a couple months earlier. 


I just hope that it won’t happen again, because it is quite draining to be honest, and I really do not want to deal with this sort of issues. They are very easily avoided, for goodness' sake. I know I'm like a broken by this time but contacting the receivers shouldn’t be that hard as all it takes is a call or a text to the provided number. Even email addresses are often provided. 


After a couple of days, the manager reached out to me again, stating that they are investigating what happened so they can improve their services. They were very nice and explained that they have already rectified the situation and made a process to ensure this wouldn't happen again, which I appreciate very much. While I did have an inkling that this was just to avoid the legal consequences as once they have confirmed that I will not be pursuing legal action, they were quick to end the call, I still appreciate that they reached out to me. For me, it shows that they are willing to improve. 


In conclusion, while I did have a very negative experience with them at first, I'd still say that their customer service definitely made a good impact on me. Will I be using their services? I'm not really sure, but I certainly expect better service from them. 


Update: June 21,2022

They were able to deliver 2 of my packages on time, although I did not get any text or call from them. I was only able to see the packages on my doorstep when I got home. 


2 comments:

  1. Had the worst experience with them too! They delayed and delayed the delivery of my parcel and then had the audacity to charge me for "storage fees"! I will never ever forget how rude their customer service is!

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  2. ooh that's so sad to hear! i hope i don't have the same experience with them, just booked them!

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