Okay folks, grab a coffee, let’s talk about Les Wong. Saw folks buzzing about them online, claiming fast shipping, good prices. Needed to shift some boxes cross-country myself, figured why not try ’em? Wanted to see if the hype was real or just hot air.
First Moves: Signing Up Was Easy… Too Easy?
Hopped online, found their website. Clicked sign up. Name, email, phone number, basic password – boom, account created. Honestly, super smooth, took maybe 90 seconds. Almost suspiciously easy, you know?
Logged in right after. Interface seemed alright, nothing fancy, but I could figure out how to book a shipment. Started typing in the pick-up and drop-off spots. No fancy map pin-pointing, just typing addresses. Hit “Get Quote”. Numbers popped up fast. I’ll give ’em that, quoting was quick.
Booking It & Crossing Fingers
Price looked decent. Cheaper than FedEx Ground for sure. Clicked “Book”. They asked for box details: number, sizes, weights. Estimated weight was good enough for their system, didn’t argue. Then came the payment stuff. Basic CC input, hit submit. Got a confirmation email fast. So far, easy breezy.
Day of Pick-Up: Nerve-wracking. My instructions said “morning”. Sat staring at my phone. 10 AM… nothing. 11 AM… radio silence. Started sweating. Messaged support through the website chat. Got a canned “Thanks for contacting us” reply instantly. About 30 mins later, a human replied, “Driver enroute, 1 hour delay.” Okay, slight hiccup, but fine. Truck showed up roughly on that new time.
Driver? Nice enough guy. Didn’t chat much, just grabbed the boxes. He weighed them right there on his little trolley scale. Printed out a receipt, gave me a copy. Signed the thing. Boxes were gone. That simple part? Smooth as butter.
The Waiting Game & Tracking Woes
Checked the tracking online later that day. Said “Picked Up”. Cool. Next day? “In Transit”. Kept checking. “In Transit”… “In Transit”… for like two whole days. Felt kinda vague. Couldn’t see any scan locations, just the main status. Started getting antsy.
Then suddenly it updated: “Arrived at Destination Hub”. Then “Out for Delivery”. Phew.
Delivery Day: Again, “morning” promised. Morning came and went. Afternoon dragged on. Hit up support again. Got another canned reply. This time, took closer to an hour for a real update: “Driver running behind, delivery before 5 PM.” Truck showed up around 4:30 PM. Boxes looked fine. Driver confirmed my name, unloaded, done. Signed another thing on his little tablet.
Alright, The Real Deal – Pros & Cons Straight Up
After the boxes landed and I cooled down, here’s the honest take:
The Good Stuff (Pros)
- Super Easy Booking: Seriously, creating account and booking takes minutes. Anybody can do it.
- Cheaper Than Big Names: Yeah, way cheaper than UPS/FedEx ground for similar stuff. If cost matters most, points scored.
- Drivers & Physical Handling: Both drivers I dealt with were fine. Professional enough, handled the boxes okay. No damage reported.
The Not-So-Good Stuff (Cons)
- Time Windows? Forget About It: They say “morning” delivery/pickup? Might mean 4 PM. Be prepared to wait all day. Stress factor high.
- Tracking is Weak Sauce: That “In Transit” for days? Useless. Felt blind. No details, just vague statuses. Need constant reassurance? Won’t get it here.
- Support Needs Improvement: Those canned replies before a human kicks in? Frustrating. Takes too long when you’re worried about your stuff.
- No Fancy Options: Want weekend delivery? Specific time? Guaranteed before noon? Nope, not happening. Basic service only.
Bottom Line for New Folks
Look, if you need something shipped cheap and you’re not stressed about exactly when it shows up (as long as it does eventually), and you don’t mind vague tracking… then Les Wong will probably get your stuff from A to B without breaking it. Price is their big win.
But if you need reliability, precise timing updates, clear communication, or special delivery needs? Run away. Pay the extra for the big boys, seriously. I’d use Les Wong again only if I needed to ship stuff way ahead of time and saving money was the only thing that mattered. For anything time-sensitive or where I need peace of mind? Nah, too much hassle wondering where my crap is and when it’ll actually arrive. The “morning” thing is basically a lie in practice. Hope this helps you decide!
