I learned about ulozenka.cz pickup points at the Prague HUB at the beginning of 2011. Besides the savings, the project seemed like an ideal tool and at the same time a middle finger to ossified distribution companies. Given that it was a very interesting warehouse outsourcing or rather logistics outsourcing, I started using it and spreading positive references further and further. But that's over now.
Failed logistics
The philosophy of 21st century startups should be to improve a dysfunctional system, i.e., find new solutions that save time, money, or improve service quality. Evidence of this includes thousands of WiFi providers who brought fast and cheap internet because Český Telecom was not flexible and capable of satisfying the Czech market. And why was ulozenka.cz created? Because delivery services, led by Czech Post, failed to handle and underestimated the rapidly growing e-shop market.
I would like to praise alternative delivery here now, but I'm sorry. The driving force behind today's article is personal, several days of dissatisfaction with the ulozenka.cz service. I'm not a complainer by birth, which is why it annoys me even more when someone violates a smart service and completely screws it up.
Inflexibility and indifference
On November 28th, we placed an order for a shipment. As always, the e-shop quickly processed the service and we received confirmation via SMS from ulozenka.cz. A huge surprise awaited at the ulozenka.cz pickup point (Prague 4), where a snake-like queue wound along the sidewalk like when they brought bananas for Christmas in the eighties. Their motto – never wait at the post office again – seemed like a great joke at that moment, because at least it's warm at the post office. Moreover, that day uloženka's internal system wasn't working properly, so there was no point in waiting.
The opening time the next day is 11:00, so we decided to pick up the order tomorrow morning. At 11:02 we're standing in front of ulozenka.cz, the queue even longer and already licking the Nusle Bridge. After work, a stop at the Czech Post for a package, after 15 minutes everything was handled with a smile, and back to ulozenka.cz again. It's 18:38, I'm standing in line and the lady in front of me says: "There was a gentleman here – they won't take anyone else." We'll see about that, they won't kick me out, I thought. After all, it's more than 20 minutes until closing time, we don't live in communism, and uloženka is a flexible start-up, ran through my head.
At 18:42 an unpleasant guy comes: "Don't stand here anymore, the lady in front of you is the last one," he says. I respond that I won't leave, that I've been here for the third time and moreover they close in 15 minutes. "NO, I won't take you, go away, come back tomorrow!" I try to negotiate, saying I don't have time to keep coming to uloženka, asking him to still take me. "Everyone could say that, just no!"
At 19:12 I regretfully cancel the order at the e-shop and order the service with Czech Post delivery at another e-shop.
Uloženka.cz can't handle it
While other companies prepare for Christmas and strengthen their services, uloženka.cz does the exact opposite. The owners are evidently unable to pay for extra hours and besides endless queues, they also have ongoing troubles implementing a functional system. Instead of the company changing (at least in December) the opening hours and paying for overtime to handle the rush of customers, they prefer to disperse queues and defend themselves on Facebook with statements like: "The number of shipments issued at our branches multiplies several times every year in the pre-Christmas period, which places much greater demands on administration, processing, etc. We try to do our best so that even then our customers don't have to wait long."
E-shops will bleed
What bothers me most about the whole thing is that e-shops will pay for uloženka's mistakes. The terms clearly state that "If the shipment is not picked up within the period specified in the Contract, including cases of refusal to prove authorization by the person acting on behalf of the Recipient, the Shipment will be returned to the Customer. However, this does not affect the Provider's right to payment for services."
The shop called us right after the cancellation and apologized, saying that the service works reasonably well throughout the year. But the fact that something "reasonably" works should not satisfy us and we need to keep looking.
What's next?
Standing in endless queues and losing customers due to the incompetence of a third party (in this case I mean ulozenka.cz) is a mistake. Fortunately, other similar projects are emerging on the market. I've now come across zasilkovna.cz, for example, but I don't have any further experience yet, so I can't judge. I'll be grateful for any recommendations.
15.12.2014 - Even after two years, I haven't used Uloženka's services. Whenever I see it in the offer of any e-shop, I choose a different option. And you?
Zdeněk Maršál Greenhousing.cz