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Trouble making an order overseas...advice?

somedaysomeday Posts: 4
edited January 2014 in Trying to Conceive
Hi Everyone,

New to the forum. Hoping to get some advice from others who are in the know about the ordering process. I am in a bit of a pickle!

I am in Australia, have checked all the rules for importing sperm for my state, all good and ready to go! the only trouble is I have found it is so difficult to make an order with NW cryobank and it is just disheartening now. I am really mentally drained from this whole ttc with a donor experience, last year was many failed attempts at using websites to meet men who are willing to donate AI for free...what a disaster! I had given up on the idea that I will ever get to be a a Mother until finding this website.

I am just stressing out because I have already missed one month opportunity due to no one responding to my order request. My phone does not allow me to call overseas numbers, so the only way I can contact NW or make an order is through email. No one responded to any of my questions, a lot of emails and a few days later I got a brief response from a lady who said she will find out a quote to ship to me and I heard nothing back, this week I have emailed twice and still heard nothing. I am just at a loss, I have the money, I mentioned I would like to please have a quote and would like to order and pay in advance, and arrange a shipping date to make sure it gets to me on time for next month. I am ready to pay and organise for everything, and getting no response again I am so sad at the thought of another month passing me by.

All the reviews of NW everyone has all this positive feedback about the customer service I am really baffled. I don't believe I was rude in any way, I was polite in all my emails. Has anyone else found this ordering from overseas? any ideas or advice?

Thank you! any help would be greatly appreciated

Comments

  • insearchofadonorinsearchofadonor Posts: 73
    edited November -1
    Hi there,

    I am sorry to hear things are proving difficult to order at the moment! That would indeed be very disheartening. :-( I too ordered several vials from NW to an overseas location very close to yours, but this was a few years ago now and at the time they still took all orders etc by telephone so it was a comparatively simple process compared to what you're experiencing now. To be honest I don't think I would have been able to do it (given the number of phone calls it took etc to get everything all sorted and lined up with shipping internationally) if I didn't have a phone that could call overseas. So I probably would have given up too had that been the case!

    The most difficult part of the process I found was the way I had to pay the dewar deposit. I couldn't pay by credit card over the phone like I could for the vials; I had to go to the bank and go through a bit of a drawn out painful process of multiple form filling to get an international cash payment transfer to NW's bank account. But once that was done and cleared, the rest I did by ordering and paying over the phone.

    It was certainly nerve-wracking waiting the almost week it took for the dewar to arrive at my overseas location, as I watched it go on many many flights through the tracking system! But it all arrived safe and sound thank goodness.

    What I did do (given the exorbitant price of shipping the dewar outside of the US) was buy my own a 20 litre dewar first which I kept at home and had filled with liquid nitrogen myself from the local gas filling company, so that way I shipped all the vials I bought (12) in one hit and stored them all here, so after the first month had gone by I no longer needed to stress about worrying whether or not it would arrive in time etc, because they were all here at home waiting for me for as many months/years as I wanted to store them! Not to mention the huge savings on the cost of international shipping each month. So that's what cut down the stress levels for me (aside from that first month making sure they got here safely!) as well as some of the cost. But I guess that depends on how many vials you want to buy at the beginning and how many tries you want to go through with NW.

    I hope NW read your email and get back to you asap with the quote etc, as I know just how frustrating it can be when you are waiting on something you want so badly!

    Good luck and all the best to you. :-)
  • somedaysomeday Posts: 4
    edited November -1
    thanks so much for your response! its good to know I am not the only one. I think it would be great if the website was created to be able to process international orders. you were super lucky you could call them! my home phone isn't working atm and my mobile wont have a bar of it.

    I am glad you mentioned it took almost a week, on the website it says order at least 2-3 days in advance! I will plan a week in advance. it is super stressful because international ordering is indeed so complicated, and when youre not getting responses from your emails you think geez am I going to have to wait another month AGAIN???

    I also had no idea the tank deposit was such a pain, although id do it and do it all again twice if I was successful with it all! I am worried I wont be able to get that many vials because of the huge shipping price. may I ask how much it cost to ship to you? I have no idea seeing the staff wont inform me of anything. I am bracing myself to be it at least 1 grand just to ship.

    How many tries did you go through with NW? I think I will only have the one try (if I get an order!) it just completely mentally and emotionally drains you
  • kelleymelkelleymel Posts: 1,402
    edited November -1
    Call them and leave a voicemail
    TTC #1: BFP Cycle #11 IVF (2014)
    TTC #2: IVF April 2017
    BFP: FET Due February 2018
  • EMG_RELEMG_REL Posts: 2,379
    edited November -1
    Calling is so much more reliable. If I were you, I'd find a way to get to a phone that will make the call. Good luck!
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  • insearchofadonorinsearchofadonor Posts: 73
    edited January 2014
    Hi again,

    I have sent you a private message through this board with my email address details as I think it will be easier to discuss all the details re how the international shipping process went (remembering it was a few years ago, in case things have changed!) off the public board, but yes it did cost just over a grand all up just for the shipping (including associated duties/taxes/customs charges imposed at this end before the parcel could be released to me). Cheers.
  • gprime11gprime11 Posts: 228
    edited November -1
    I don't have much insight on international shipping, but thought I would let you know that when they return email info requests it goes to my junk mail, and shows as a persons name rather than NW Cryobank. Its really inconvenient. They don't even put a very good subject line, so its difficult to know who it came from. I tried to explain how difficult that makes it to communicate with them, but they were not very receptive. The most recent person to respond to me showed in my junk box as Hill, Celeste, and the subject was re: info request. You may try keeping a very close eye on your email, especially the junk mail. They are all @nwcyobank.com, but that doesn't show up as part of the sender unless I open the email. Good Luck
  • somedaysomeday Posts: 4
    edited November -1
    thanks for everyone's advice! today I finally got an email back from a nice staff member, so looks like I will finally start to get things organised :D
  • somedaysomeday Posts: 4
    edited November -1
    well looks like a false alarm for me im afraid. i did not receive a message back with a quote or anything. i would recommend for those not in the US a website called "cryos Denmark" they ship to your door and you can place your order through online even if you are in a different country. i am so glad i found this other website as i would be absolutely a mess if i had no other options. i did look at options on how i could call overseas numbers, but the phone plans are just not worth it just to call this one company. the testimonials raving about the customer service really let me down, when you have been trying to get pregnant for a long time moments like these could just break your heart. i know this post will probably be deleted but i would like to just make other people outside the US aware that there is an easier option, i would hate for anyone else to be treated like this.
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