Customers with CPXpress are being left in limbo, as the parcels they have purchased remain in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Wallaceburg company, who received the packages across the border on behalf of the customers, has closed their doors.
CPXpress no longer open
The business, which is located at 594 Lowe Ave. in Wallaceburg, currently has their doors locked and no employees are on site.
“We are no longer accepting any new shipments,” the company stated on their website.
“Sorry for any inconvenience.”
The company has arranged for their customers to pick up their items at 12 Water St. in Marine City., Michigan on Saturday, October 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“If you cannot make it, you can send someone else with a photo copy of photo ID and write below who will be picking it up. They don’t have debit or credit there, so please bring cash ($7 Canadian per parcel.) You will also need a receipt for Canadian customs.”
CPXpress officials say on their website this is the only day to pick up goods
“Goods not picked up will have to make arrangements to ship to Canada,” the CPXpress website states. “We are trying to email as many people as possible, but we have a limited customer information currently. If you know someone who has a parcel in the U.S. please forward this on to them.”
A notice on the door of the building states the owners of the building have locked the doors on CPXpress, and was effective Oct. 17.
Calls to CPXpress by the Sydenham Current have been met with a recorded message saying their number is temporarily unavailable.
Customers are upset
Customers with CPXpress have been vocal about their displeasure with the company.
A Facebook group has also been launched, specifically for customer to voice their concerns: CPXpress Complaints
Wallaceburg resident Henrie Timmers told the Sydenham Current he has had $500 worth of wholesale merchandise ‘lost in transition’ for over three months.
“I ordered a large number of replica and historical knives from shows like Outlander, Game of Thrones, Pirates of the Caribbean etc. in June, the stuff I usually donate to local fundraisers,” Timmers said.
“Signed paperwork showed CPXpress accepted delivery of the package on the 28th of June. Two weeks later, CPX was making promises of delivery “this week” but that never happened. By August they were no longer answering their phone or emails. They wouldn’t even accept a registered letter from the post office.
Timmers said at the end of September he was looking at civil action, but was turned off by the cost.
“On Monday, the 17th, news quickly spread that the building owner had locked CPX out of their building,” he said. “This left many of us worried about what would happen to our packages, most of which were still on the U.s. side in Marine City.”
Timmers said on Thursday evening, people whose parcels were in Wallaceburg, were allowed to claim them with proper identification.
“It leaves the rest of us with one chance to arrange pickup in Marine City on Saturday,” he said. “Never mind convenience or ability, this hopefully settles things for most of us who can make arrangements. We won’t know how well this will work out for local businesses until the mad rush on Saturday. I think you will find a huge lineup at the Sombra Ferry on Saturday to claim the hundreds of parcels that CPX abandoned in Marine City.”
Timmers added: “CPX had previously refused to allow anyone to make this pick up themselves. Was it just bad management that led to this? We might never know, but the big question now will be, will our merchandise be there and will it be available on Saturday.”
Police involvement
The Chatham-Kent Police Service was involved with the situation earlier this week.
Const. Renee Cowell said the CKPS was contacted by the provincial Sheriff’s Office to oversee customers receiving their parcels at the Wallaceburg location.
“On Monday, we stood by to keep the peace as requested by the Sheriff’s Office,” she told the Sydenham Current.
“This appears to be a civil matter between CPXpress business owner, landlord and those who ordered items.”
Company history
Prior to moving to Wallaceburg, CPXpress was previously called Blue Water Ferry (BWF) Parcels and was located in Sombra.
Last October, the Sydenham Current reported about items being hung up in the United States and a lack of communication from BWF staff. A couple dozen emails, comments and messages from BWF customers, who were growing angry and frustrated, was sent to the newspaper.
Calls, e-mails and texts to BWF were never returned.
However, Lowell Dalgety, the owner of BWF Parcels (and CPXPress), told Blackburn News in Sarnia that United States Customs officials told him they couldn’t ship packages across the Blue Water Ferry in Sombra anymore.
Dalgety said they told him that the ferry was regulated to be a passenger ferry, and was not allowed to handle commercial shipments.
Also, the business was shut down for a couple of weeks, which created a backlog in customers, he said
At the time, multiple customers have stated they have will be shifting their business over to Fisher Baker Corporation, a shipping and packing centre in Marine City.
– Watch for more on this story.
