Terrible Free Shipping
Labourers of all kinds deserve their wages, and certainly online merchants (like others) require reasonable profits. In regards to shipping, most online merchants preserve their profits by simply adding on the cost of shipping, with many merchants making exceptions for purchases beyond a certain dollar value, after which “Free Shipping” is included in the total price of goods, the implication being that by the client providing a “sudden” bulge in profits, the vendor will offer a share in the profits by shipping gratis. It is generally understood that a “Premium” Courier service is not to be expected, of course. In the case of Ambrosia.ca, however, no such cooperative sharing is intended, the choice of courier being the worst (arguably) and cheapest service in Canada, a “virtual” or “parasitic” service named Sendle with absolutely no physical assets - meaning no warehouse, vehicle, driver, depot, etc. The so-called “courier” merely piggybacks on the existing networks of actual couriers and is consequently often at the mercy of the “other’s” logistical efficiency and inclinations. Presumably, Sendle’s type of virtual service will work at its questionable best in 50k+ population towns and cities. All communities with lesser populations will suffer with poor or execrable service in direct proportion to the smallness of the community. Such was the case here, where the parcel sat at some regional location with no available means of transport to the listed address (nor was an address for Sendle’s “location” ever provided). The vendor, however, absolutely refused to offer any refund or other compensation, stating its “official” need for the “courier” to initiate, conduct, and conclude an “investigation” in order to declare the item as “lost”, as per Ambrosia’s “Shipping Policy”, a copy of which was linked for me to prove the case. EXCEPT, the policy made no mention of ANY courier, only Canada Post with its attendant statutes. Obviously, Ambrosia is insufficiently motivated to be clear on its own Shipping Policies! Worse, by deliberately declining the use of any reliable couriers’ ”slow” rates (even FedEx has a “slow” rate!), the clients’ value to Ambrosia is reduced to the merest monetary term: a source of funds, no more. Other unsuspecting suckers availing themselves of “Free Shipping” will come along soon, not expecting the all-form-no-substance vendor to engage some no-name, terribly rated, “virtual” delivery service that is not available to anyone in a < 50k people community. I would strongly recommend avoiding this merchant - unless you don’t mind paying Canada Post rates for orders under $99. Either way, Ambrosia simply couldn’t care less. I eventually received reimbursement after having to wait more than four weeks without the product I needed. The upside is that I found another, cheaper, and fail-safe source!
July 23, 2025
Unprompted review