Parcel Force Ugh!

[Gibbo2286]

I put some of my old tools on Ebay, noted one of them was sold...…...to a guy in Germany, he asked for the postage cost £11.99 Parcel Force drop off at the post office round the corner, simple.

So I tried to book it, got all through the form filling, getting the German address into the silly fixed but obligatory boxes was a struggle, then it won't accept the order without the recipient's mobile phone number, messaged him and got that ok.

Printed the labels off and parcelled it all up popped into the post office this morning, the clerk cannot send it because the system keeps telling him that the bar code is not valid.

There's a queue of ladies waiting behind me so I told him to put it aside serve the ladies and I'll call in later to see if he's managed to get it away.

[white exec]

Lovely. Correos (national postal service) just works seamlessly here across Europe, with the same tracking number operating internationally, including UK Parcelforce/Royal Mail, and in both directions.
Expect worse to follow, though, as the UK sets itself adrift.

[Gibbo2286]

Just popped round the post office again and it's on its way, I have a feeling that the 'new boy' there needed time to work out how to send it.

[Hell Razor5543]

If you think that The Royal Mail/Parcel Force are incompetent try this as a serious example.

One of my Brothers has recently started his own business teaching a medieval style of Italian sword fighting known as HEMA (he is very good in this style, being (at the very least) within the top 50 in the World). One of the services he offers is the option to purchase related equipment (armour including the gauntlets, and swords, and so on). He had sourced reliable manufacturers from around the World, and set up a business account with The Royal Mail/Parcel Force. He took orders from some of his customers, placed his orders with one of his suppliers (this one was in Russia), and waited. He was told that his order had not only been dispatched, but had been received by The Royal Mail. Nothing happened for a few days, so he contacted his account manager to find out what was going on. He did not get a meaningful answer, so he tried again. After a few days he could no longer get hold of his account manager by phone, and was told to communicate via email. This did not really help.

He then found out that two departments could not work out who should send out the invoice, and started batting the problem back and forth between themselves. Eventually (without contacting my Brother) they returned his order to the supplier. He has now got to explain to his customers what has happened and what he is going to do about it. Because of the incompetence of The Royal Mail/Parcel Force this could cause his fledgling business to fail, but there is no way to get recompense from The Royal Mail (there does not appear to be any ombudsman who controls them), and their contract seems to say that they cannot guarantee to deliver your goods; merely that they will try to do so.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historica ... rtial_arts

[myglaren]

That is seriously incompetent.

[van ordinaire]

Post-Brexit, presumably any post to EU states will require a customs declaration, for the moment you don't even need to go to a PO, if it'll go in a pillar box.

It's the US mail that wants lots of info about - the sender, including their zip code, which makes it tricky for visitors.

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, Yodel have got my goat this time. 2 weeks ago I ordered a present for a friend through Amazon. I was told it would be delivered on 26th October. I let my Landlord know, and (as it was a quiet working day) I was also at home for a large part of the day. No sign of my item. When I chased it up I was told by the seller that Yodel had been told I had moved! By whom, may I ask? I have lived here for over 10 years, there were people at home waiting to receive the item, and NO SIGN OF YODEL!!! I knew they were not good, but that item of male bovine excrement really is beyond even them.

The seller is (as the original item was returned) sending out another present, but it has already missed my friends' birthday. Let us see what excuse Yodel come up with THIS time!

[Jonxsara]

Use DPD

[Hell Razor5543]

The courier is chosen by the seller, not the buyer.

[bobins]

I'm just grateful that we've got our regular couriers well trained here these days - they know when someone will be in here so try to time deliveries that require a signature accordingly. I did have one once who claimed that there was no answer at the door, which I found a little odd as he would have had to have stepped over my legs to get to the door as I was working under the car on the driveway at the time.

[van ordinaire]

How can you have regular couriers, much less, have them trained, when, as James said, they're chosen by the seller?

They are all universally, totally useless & why people don't just continue to pop things in the post is completely beyond me.

[mickthemaverick]

We have the same Hermes, Dpd. Dhl and parcel force drivers nearly all the time so I'd call them regular, however I do do a fair amount of online trading so usually see all of them over the course of a week. None are particulatly better in my experience but parcel force are definitely the poorest in terms of courtesy and efficiency!

[Hell Razor5543]

Not long ago, when I was helping out at a client, we started to come up with alternative names for couriers (but using their own initials). I am NOT saying that these names are correct, but they helped relieve the boredom. Here are a few, but you could always try to come up with some for yourselves.

ANC; Another Nasty Courier.
APC; Another Pathetic Courier.
DHL; Desperately, Hopelessly Lost.
DPD; Dropped it, Pinched it, Denied it.
FedEx; Felon Employs Devious EXploits.
UPS; Usually Pinches Stuff.

[myglaren]

Have to say in their defence that as I am unable to use most conventional shops, I buy lots of stuff online and have deliveries through all the usual couriers including Royal Mail.
They are all OK, no problems with any of them.

[Michel]

Have to say in their defence that as I am unable to use most conventional shops, I buy lots of stuff online and have deliveries through all the usual couriers including Royal Mail.
They are all OK, no problems with any of them.

Same here, though Hermes can occasionally be "challenging".