Couriers Who Cannot Courier

[thebrookster]

A topic that is really starting to get my goat recently.

So far, UPS is one the worst offenders. Before christmas, I had to send my Garmin watch back as it failed (warranty return). I sent it Next Day delivery via Royal Mail, and it duly arrived the next day. They then sent the replacement out on the 16th Dec via UPS on a "Standard Delivery", which according to UPS means delivery within 2 working days. After chasing UPS and Garmin, and generally causing a fuss, it was finally delivered on the 23rd December. The tracking showed that it arrived in Glasgow at 0900 on the 17th.

Now fast forward to now. I ordered a weather station on Sunday, which was dispatched by UPS on Monday. It arrived in Glasgow Tuesday at 0630. And guess what, yesterday evening I get an "update" message, delivery is now delayed until 14th. I paid for an expedited delivery, 4 days is NOT expedited! I have already emailed the company from whom I made the purchase requesting action and to give them their dues they are looking into it.

However, I decided to peruse UPS website for complaints procedures. Look what I found!!

So, in essence, UPS will happily charge for you for the various services, however they will not honour what they are advertising, nor will they give you your money back when they fail to meet the service they have offered. Otherwise known as "We are going to use the excuse of Coronavirus to fleece as many customers as we can".

I'm sorry, but this pandemic has not just arrived overnight. I could understand the above being in place in the short term when lockdowns etc first came in force, however we are nearly 12 months in now. I shall await the parcel to actually arrive and consider further action (Given the value of the parcel I would rather they didn't decide to play football with it in a fit of pique!!)

Phil

[Nick Jones]

The decent thing to do would be to stop taking your money up front for expedited delivery if they know full well they can’t do it.....

UPS are not among my couriers of choice.... but have say that in general I think that the courier industry (including Royal Mail) has coped extremely well.

[thebrookster]

On the whole, I would agree with you Nick, UPS being the exception. They used to provide excellent service up here, but the last several parcels that have come through them now have been delayed. All the other couriers are operating up here as normal, so it would appear to be an issue with UPS. And not an isolated incident either, this has been ongoing for several months.

The decent thing for them to do would be to not offer the service if they can't uphold it! Pretty sure they must be guilty of false advertising at this rate...........

[rogerguzzi]

Hello All

               I have had the same  with UPS with the last several parcels via them were as all the others have ok except Herpes (but then they usually rubbish to me! I think it is one lady driver who can not be bothered to drive down to us! 5/8 mile track!)

I even had to collect one SMALL package that had been out for delivery every day for a WEEK them they just dropped it at the nearest drop off point (about an 8 mile round trip!!!!)

Roger

ps they used to be good to us and we had a regular driver (NOT now)  

[RedRooster]

Same here, they can't be arsed so all you get is a message 'we can't find your house', not one truck or van up the lane all day.

[Nick Jones]

Our local Hermes guy is excellent.  I use them a fair bit as they have a convenient local drop-off point and have found them to be fine.

[thebrookster]

Well, just received another update, now delayed until Friday.

[thebrookster]

Never had an issue with Hermes, I have to say, and I get a regular beer delivery with them monthly.

Yodel can be problematic, they pulled a "We cannot find your house" on me, they sent it out next day which then claimed to be delivered. So I submitted it as a lost parcel, they promised to investigate and then lo and behold it was delivered the next day! But then, I expect that kind of behaviour from the likes of Yodel, and to be fair to them they do deliver reliably most of the time (I think that they had new drivers over the Christmas period who had no idea where they were going!)

[mpbarrett]

I ordered a next day delivery of some special cookies from a company in London as a present. Had message from DPD saying it would be delivered next day. Next day comes no delivery and at 6pm get an email stating that I had asked for a delayed deliver! This went on for 2 days, email at end of day stating that I had asked for a delay to the delivery and then hit the weekend so no delivery. Eventually the company sent a new order out which came next day....

I never saw the original order and can only assume they were eaten by someone!

Mike

[JohnD]

Son is a whisky connoisseur (!)     I ordered him a bottle of Suntory Japanese whisky, as an extreme Xmas present.   I made the mistake of giving my own adress, so it arrived here, delivered by ParcelForce, the GPO's parcel delivery servcie.

I therefore put a new address label on the unopened package, and took it to my post office, which accepted it, and of course the new postage.    It never arrived, and later I got a message from the PO to say that spirits may not be sent in the mail, and that my bottle 'had been destroyed'.    I very much doubt that it was poured down the drain, directly anyway!    And my protest that Parcel Force had delivered it in the first place made no difference.     

JOhn

[thebrookster]

Well, delayed again. They now say delivery will be Monday.

Needless to say I have been onto customer services, who informed me that the depot would ring me within an hour. Didn't happen.

So tomorrow it is another call. I do feel slightly sorry for the poor guys in the call centres, but not enough to go lightly on them!!

[thebrookster]

Well, lo and behold, UPS arrived this morning!! The tracking was still firmly stating delivery on Monday mind you, though it did update to say delivered.

And I have to say, anyone wanting a weather station I do wholeheartedly recommend Prodata, their customer service here was faultless.

Phil

[Nick Jones]

Yay!

I have known DPD email me to say delivery has been delayed then deliver at the appointed time anyway.

They also have the strange “anti-race” feature where they can’t actually hand the package over until they are in their time slot, so hang around waiting for the clock...

[zetecspit]

The lady in the house ordered something from Philips (hairdryer I think).

Sent 7/1

Yesterday it was out for delivery, 1045-14-45 with, yes UPS. 6ish that changed to "tomorrow" 

Currently (ok, 1.15) it is allegedly in Koeln, Germany. And yet out for delivery 10.45-14.45 today. You couldn't make it up!

[Nick Jones]

It’ll arrive when it arrives...... hopefully. I still think this track-your-parcel thing is a bit like the proverbial talking dog...... Especially when the parcel is crossing the world.

Not a courier problem I don’t think, more a supplier brain fart...... Our iron gave itself a Viking funeral the week before Christmas. Not a major emergency in this house, but SM ordered a new one from Curry’s. Was meant to arrive before Christmas, but we weren’t very surprised when it didn’t. Still no show New Year’s Eve so she rang them to find out what was happening.  Nothing much apparently, so the operative promised to expedite it. It duly turned up early on the 2nd, which we thought a good recovery. Then, a couple of days ago, an email to say her new iron was on its way..... Iron no 2 duly arrived yesterday.

Whether this is the original or the expedited is anyone’s guess 

[Gt64fun]

That's nice Nick...now you've got one each!

Ian

[rogerguzzi]

 

Hello Nick

                 Now She could start a Chinse laundry as a side line to keep you in the manner you are accustomed to!

Roger

ps I am far enough away shall I suggest it? 

[Nick Jones]

2 hours ago, Gt64fun said:

That's nice Nick...now you've got one each!

Ian

I’ve already got one. An “old fashioned” non-steam one I use for veneering and such.....

(Ridiculously difficult to get “veneering” past autoscramble - seems it’s not a word in apple-land)

[zetecspit]

On 1/15/2021 at 5:57 PM, Nick Jones said:

It’ll arrive when it arrives...... hopefully. I still think this track-your-parcel thing is a bit like the proverbial talking dog...... Especially when the parcel is crossing the world.

Not a courier problem I don’t think, more a supplier brain fart...... Our iron gave itself a Viking funeral the week before Christmas. Not a major emergency in this house, but SM ordered a new one from Curry’s. Was meant to arrive before Christmas, but we weren’t very surprised when it didn’t. Still no show New Year’s Eve so she rang them to find out what was happening.  Nothing much apparently, so the operative promised to expedite it. It duly turned up early on the 2nd, which we thought a good recovery. Then, a couple of days ago, an email to say her new iron was on its way..... Iron no 2 duly arrived yesterday.

Whether this is the original or the expedited is anyone’s guess 

Update. Philips very unhelpful. just told we can only get a refund once they have te hair thingy back in their warehouse. I explained that will be tricky as the couriers have not updated the parcel for a week, so probably lost. Contacted credit card re a section 75 refund. Helpful chap, said had to wait 28 days from order, pointed me to a webpage and te form I needed, and said keep all the evidence of emails, dates of phonecalls etc. So Thursday it is.... 

[Nick Jones]

Lots of parcels from Europe lost in the system just now. Brexit dividend.

Youngest has a consignment of fairly pricey bike stuff “in transit”!from Belgium. Should have been here before Christmas...... Hope they don’t think we are going to pay VAT on it again.......

[AB|W]

Like most of us we now get vast numbers of items delivered by couriers, and from bitter (heartfelt) experience one or two companies stand out as the worst, probably not the company but my local depot to the point that I will not use them again and check with suppliers if they use my blacklisted couriers. There is always another supplier that uses different couriers just check first.

 

Alan

[Radioactive Man]

UPS... Uniquely Poor Service?

[Nick Jones]

34 minutes ago, Radioactive Man said:

UPS... Uniquely Poor Service?

 Have they offended you recently?Not usually my courier of choice.....

One of the dogs at work has something against men in brown uniforms which provides a bit of entertainment.

[Radioactive Man]

Yeah, new running shoes expected between 9 and 1 so wait in.  Tracking service at 1 says by end of the day.  It’s now gone 8pm and technically the day hasn’t ended... but I’m not going for a run in my shiny new trainers.

[Nick Jones]

SM has been offended by Parcel Farce this week. Usually it’s me they irritate.

We live pretty much at the end of a no through road in a fairly secluded location and have a selection of outbuildings and hidey-holes to stash parcels in.

Every other courier company and the postie have no problem leaving stuff here. Some being more inventive with hiding than others. Not PF though. They’ve previously offended me by always managing to find the 10 minutes in the day when I’m elsewhere and delivering to the local PO instead of just leaving it. Even if I put a sign on the door asking them to leave it. Going to the local PO is a 4 mile round trip, usually queuing for 20m mins then negotiating with the exceptionally grumpy postmaster for the release of your parcel (parcel slip, photo ID, 2 x proof of address, signed note from your mum etc), so it’s ballache enough…

This time however, in spite of SM answering their text promptly on Friday morning to say she preferred that they take her parcel to the PO (rather than return to depo 40 miles away), they returned it to depo anyway. Then did exactly the same again today.

Then when she tried to request a PO delivery to prevent a further recurrence, they wanted paying again for the privilege….. Sod that!  They get one more try on Wednesday when she should be in. After that the vendor will be instructed to rearrange delivery with a different courier or refund……