Alpi

"Natalie is the rudest person I have ever had the displeasure of speaking with. She is rude and will happily raise her voice and interrupt people when they are simply trying to do their job. I would advise she really think about what she's doing before getting aggressive over the phone because someone hasn't been able to answer their emails because they were off on bereavement leave. If someone is on emergency Bereavement, Natalie due to the death of their husband.. Chances are they won't answer their email."

"Spoke to Joel on the phone. Very nice guy - helped me out massively with My Cross Trade"

"Really bad shipping services, rude drivers and company don’t care about the customers. Delivery drivers don’t want even unload small goods from the van and deliver them to the door of the building."

"I have imported an oven and a warmer from Italy into UK, for my new Pizzeria. The goods landed at Alpi in Basildon under the care of Simon and Jackie, and I have been asked to fill an authorization form and awaited customs clearance. I immediately sensed that the form might not be visible as intended, so I have sent 2 different versions of it. I got no reply, so I assumed the form was accepted. I also specifically stated I would like to use Postponed VAT Accounting, as is my right as an importer of goods. Since January 2021, all importers can use this option to pay the VAT on their goods from their quarterly VAT returns, rather than straight away. To my horror, once the goods cleared customs I was sent an invoice for the full VAT amount. When I asked, they first said it was probably an honest mistake, then they said this is because I did not send my authorization form (see above) and any amendments will take 3-4 weeks to make! I had to pay the VAT amount straight away, which was significant, in order to release my ovens. I am starting this business using careful planning and this was a hit I did not expect. If I was a person of any lesser financial position, this would have been the absolute end for me and my business. From there, the road to financial ruin and even worse could have been paved. I am offended by their incompetence and carelessness. People who get hit with such financial trouble often experience divorce, ruined families and to some, even suicide! Yet Alpi seems to think they can brush something like this off with a lacklustre apology over the phone. Their agent Simon was also very unprofessional, not returning emails or calls and just playing it dumb instead of going a touch further to make sure the goods are all sorted with PVA prior to release. Oh and he made sure I get the customs clearance on the last minutes of a Friday, obviously in a bid to lessen the workload before running home for the weekend. I didn't send the authorization form..? I kind of did, twice. Never got a reply on that. The usual excuses of 'high demand, Covid, Brexit, Christmas' are wearing thin and do not make a difference to me or to anybody. On my next order, I will do everything I can to make sure Alpi does not handle my imported goods. Absolutely shambolic."