Is DHL computerized?

My replacement Visa card was sent during the second half of December from the UK to my Jakarta address. As I had not yet received the card by Jan. 16, I phoned my bank in the UK to ask about it. They told me the card was on its way back because DHL Jakarta could neither find the delivery address nor get in touch with us.

This, alas, even though DHL had of course been given our address -- with a 24-hour notice -- and a few phone numbers where we could be reached. So DHL Jakarta sent the card back to the UK, and its customer service could not do much to help. "Please give us the airway bill number -- that is the code to locate your shipment -- then maybe we can help you."

I do feel offended by customer service saying "maybe we can help you". DHL should not help me, they should help themselves find the shipment.

My bank procured DHL's services and as they failed to deliver, they should also correct it themselves. According to DHL, the only way they could track the shipment was to have the airway bill number -- which, of course, I did not have, as this was a deal made entirely between my bank and DHL.

Believe it or not, they could not trace the shipment based on my address in Jakarta or any other data that might be on the returned shipment -- only by the airway bill number.

Considering the hassle they must have experienced in trying to find us, we would have expected that somebody at DHL would remember the case, but no -- no notes in writing nor on their computers about returned shipments.

Beware of poorly managed database systems!

SOREN LAX Jakarta