Not recommended for international customers – poor tracking and defensive communication
I placed order #52337 on 22 July 2026 for goods worth €215.80, including €12.50 for insured delivery to Denmark.
Before ordering, the store specifically advised me by email to place the order that same day if I wanted it dispatched before their holiday.
I followed that advice, and the parcel was handed in at the local DPD point, Expert Horst, on 22 July.
The shipment was ultimately delivered on 30 July at 09:39, and the contents appeared physically intact when opened.
I have not yet been able to assess the long-term performance of the expensive filter elements or fully test the USB-powered priming pump, so this review concerns the ordering, shipping and customer-service experience.
The main problem was that the parcel showed no depot scan, no sorting-centre scan and no verifiable movement in the DPD network for almost six days.
The first meaningful transport updates only appeared on 28 July. Until then, neither I nor the seller could objectively document where the parcel was.
The store did not proactively identify or investigate the missing tracking. Action was only taken after I contacted them myself. They then opened a case with DPD and contacted Expert Horst.
Although the store initially replied politely and confirmed that the insured shipment would ultimately be replaced or fully refunded if lost, some of the later communication was unnecessarily defensive.
My legitimate concern about a €215.80 shipment with no traceable movement was reframed as me having “little confidence” in their answers.
I was also told that I “certainly cannot blame” the store, even though I had never accused them of personally losing the parcel.
That response missed the point. The seller selected the carrier, charged for insured delivery and remained responsible for ensuring that the order reached the customer.
Asking for reliable information and a clear timeframe after several days without a single network scan was entirely reasonable.
The store also stated that it had experienced missing DPD pickup scans in several previous cases.
In my view, a business that is already aware of recurring tracking problems should reconsider the carrier or at least allow international customers to choose a more transparent alternative such as GLS.
To be fair, the parcel eventually arrived intact, the store did contact DPD after I raised the issue, and its final response was more professional.
Nevertheless, the combination of poor tracking, lack of proactive monitoring and defensive communication made this an unnecessarily stressful purchasing experience.
Based on this experience, I cannot recommend ordering from this store from abroad.
Update – 30 July 2026:
After receiving the order, I discovered a significant discrepancy concerning the advertised lifespan of the BOROUX Foundation Black Filters.
This store states on its product page that the filters are designed to last for many years and recommends replacement only every three years at most under average use with municipal tap water.
I contacted BOROUX directly. BOROUX support confirmed in writing that its current official recommendation is replacement approximately once a year for typical municipal tap water use, not every three years. BOROUX also clarified that the stated capacity of up to 12,000 gallons relates to chlorine-reduction testing only.
BOROUX support could not confirm that a three-year replacement interval has ever been approved, that filtration performance beyond 12 months has been validated, or that the retailer’s three-year statement is consistent with BOROUX’s official specifications. The matter has now been referred to a BOROUX employee or product specialist.
This is a material difference because annual replacement instead of replacement every three years can make the long-term filter cost approximately three times higher.
I have asked the store to provide documentation for its three-year claim or correct the product information.
I will update this review again when the store or BOROUX provides a substantive response.
Odpowiedź od alternatievemiddelen
Dear John,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your review.
We are sorry to hear that, despite receiving your order, you remain dissatisfied with your experience.
Regarding the delivery, your order was dispatched on the day it was placed and delivered to Denmark within approximately one week. Unfortunately, the DPD driver forgot to perform the collection scan when picking up the parcel from the parcel shop. As a result, the first tracking updates appeared later than usual. While this understandably caused uncertainty, the parcel itself continued through the DPD network and was ultimately delivered safely and intact.
Unfortunately, no carrier is completely free from occasional human error. In our experience, such incidents are rare and can occur with any logistics provider, including DPD, GLS or others. A missing collection scan does not mean that the parcel has stopped moving or that the carrier as a whole is unreliable.
As soon as you contacted us, we immediately opened an investigation with DPD and contacted the parcel shop where the shipment had been handed in. Throughout the process, we also confirmed that, because the shipment was insured, you would always receive either your order or a full refund if the parcel were genuinely lost.
Regarding the filter replacement guidance, we answered your questions in detail and also consulted BOROUX directly. BOROUX confirmed that filter lifespan is a recommendation rather than a fixed requirement and that it depends on factors such as water quality, contaminant concentrations and water usage. They also explained that their general 12-month recommendation is intended as the broadest recommendation for most water qualities and users in the United States, while replacement intervals may reasonably differ in other regions depending on local water quality and usage. Following discussions with us, BOROUX confirmed that it supports our approach, recognising that replacement recommendations may vary depending on regional water quality and usage.
As with any recommendation based on practical use, there is no single universal replacement interval that can be scientifically fixed for every user worldwide. The actual lifespan of any gravity water filter depends on the individual water source, contaminant concentrations, water consumption and the substances being filtered.
We nevertheless appreciate your feedback and have already decided to further clarify the wording on our website so that the distinction between our own practical recommendation and the manufacturer’s general guidance is even clearer.
Although we do not agree with your conclusions, we nevertheless offered you the opportunity to return the products to us at our expense for a full refund. You chose not to accept this offer and instead decided to keep and continue using the products.
We always strive to resolve concerns in a fair and reasonable manner. Despite our extensive correspondence, our consultation with BOROUX and our offer of a full refund, we regret that we were unable to meet your expectations.
We wish you all the best.
Melanie & Tom
