Delivery Woes

[Black Hole]

A close friend was due to have a very large package delivered last Wednesday. She had arranged to wait in for it, but then tracking said (paraphrase) "there's a problem at the depot and there may be a delay until tomorrow". She waited in the next day, no joy. I mooted the idea that the "problem" was that although the package was at the delivery depot, it wouldn't fit on the van or occupied too much space on the van to fit in everything else for that round.

She then got in touch with the suppliers (ie the customers of the delivery company), who arranged an expedited Saturday delivery. It still didn't arrive. She submitted a redelivery for yesterday (and waited in again). This time, it looked good. There was a delivery time-slot issued. Before the slot expired, a message came through that the driver couldn't find the address and the drop-off had been cancelled.

She got hold of the suppliers again. The suppliers tried to contact the depot but got no response. They then contacted head office, who also couldn't reach the depot but had a regional office contact her, who took the details and looked at the tracking said there was nothing wrong with the delivery address and there should be no excuse, and would make direct contact with the driver and make him go back.

Meanwhile, the suppliers had used their own customer view of the delivery tracking, and GPS showed the van parked two doors away when the driver reported not finding the address.

Needless to say the package never arrived.

I think this is one specific driver for that delivery route who really didn't want to deal with a very large package. I suspect the package might not even have been on the van, just scanned at the depot to make it look like it was on the van.

I am given to understand the suppliers are now going to retrieve the package and use a direct courier, but all this is at enormous inconvenience (to their customer) and huge additional expense (to them). It really should be for the delivery company to sort out the problem, perhaps they can be made to compensate.

 

[EEPhil]

I had an item (shaver) that stopped working close to the end of the guarantee period. I contacted the manufacturer (Philips) through the webpage and they said they'd send out a new one. (Couldn't really care less as the item wasn't very good and I'd already bought a better replacement(Remington)). The Philips replacement was supposed to be delivered by UPS. I followed the tracking - delivered to UPS, shipped to the local depot, on the van - not delivered. I saw a UPS van pass by my window! No excuse, just a problem with the delivery. I couldn't be bothered to follow it up as the package was an out-of-guarantee replacement that I didn't really need - and I'd got a year out of the Philips and had bought a better one, so I wasn't really out-of-pocket. I just didn't need the hassle! IIRC the complaints procedure looked a bit too complicated and confusing.

 

[Owen Smith]

Meanwhile, the suppliers had used their own customer view of the delivery tracking, and GPS showed the van parked two doors away when the driver reported not finding the address.

Sounds like they hadn't had their Weetabix.

 

[Black Hole]

My friend is now away and unable to receive said package. It's on her doorstep.

 

[Owen Smith]

My friend is now away and unable to receive said package. It's on her doorstep.

Of course it is. This sums up the appalling state of delivery services in the UK. They would have never done this before covid, why is it now deemed OK after covid?

 

[prpr]

They would have never done this before covid, why is it now deemed OK after covid?

Because they are lazy b@st@rds who just want to get rid of the stuff in the van without fail. Taking stuff back just means they either have to redeliver it or store it somewhere, which costs. They don't care about the security of stuff once they have 'delivered' it. Some of them even nick it having delivered it. And they are paid by the delivery and tasked with ridiculous schedules by incompetent/belligerent/uncaring/vicious managers who have the same imposed on them by the higher ups, culminating in the evil perpetuated by the evil c**ts like Trmup, Msuk and Zucrekbreg et al.
Covid just showed them they could get away with whatever they like, and they have carried on with it regardless, even though most other things went back to (vaguely) 'normal' afterwards.

 

[Owen Smith]

They don't care about the security of stuff once they have 'delivered' it.

Yes but leaving it on the doorstep in full view of the road is not delivering it in my opinion.

 

[Black Hole]

Yes but leaving it on the doorstep in full view of the road is not delivering it in my opinion.

You're absolutely right. The item remains undelivered until it is actually in your hands (or at least through your letter box), unless you have given permission for it to be left somewhere. Never do that, never nominate a "safe place".

However, in this case, my reading of it is the driver got hassle for falsifying the record and was given an ultimatum to deliver today, trying to avoid the cost of returning it to the retailer and compensating them.

 

[prpr]

Yes but leaving it on the doorstep in full view of the road is not delivering it in my opinion.

I'm afraid your opinion is worth "jack shit" in their eyes. They left it on your premises - it's delivered.
Royal Mail are just as bad as the rest. They all just want to get rid of stuff. They don't care where, or who it inconveniences, as long as it's not them.

 

[EEPhil]

Royal Mail are just as bad as the rest. They all just want to get rid of stuff. They don't care where, or who it inconveniences, as long as it's not them.

Royal Mail, (spit!), I'm fed up with them not turning up for a week and then dumping multiple addresses mail through my letter box. (I appear to be first on the route). Occasionally I've delivered them, but I usually put them in the nearest pillar box.

 

[Black Hole]

They left it on your premises - it's delivered.

The delivery agent might consider it delivered, but it's not. The seller remains under contract to supply until it is actually supplied – ie in your hands or delivered to your secure premises. If it goes missing and there is no evidence of it having reached you (not just on your doorstep), the seller remains on the hook.

The package I've been talking about is now secured.

 

[Owen Smith]

These days unless I know something will fit through my letter box I have things delivered either to work or to my parents since they're in a lot more than I am. My parents live 140 miles away but I see them every couple of months. Also the drive and patio are a lot more private at my parents, any delivery left on them cannot be seen from the road.

Royal Mail are terrible these days. I get nothing for days on end and then they force a huge set of stuff through my letter box, often ripping an item at the top or bottom of the stack. They can't even be bothered to split it into two stacks that will fit easily through my letter box.

 

[EEPhil]

Royal Mail are terrible these days. I get nothing for days on end and then they force a huge set of stuff through my letter box, often ripping an item at the top or bottom of the stack. They can't even be bothered to split it into two stacks that will fit easily through my letter box.

What with that and the junk they leave behind. Rubber bands everywhere.

 

[Owen Smith]

What with that and the junk they leave behind. Rubber bands everywhere.

I built up a rubber band stash while they were doing that, but Royal Mail use of rubber bands appears to have ended here.

 

[prpr]

I built up a rubber band stash

I had a stash. When I went to use one I found they had all perished.
But who uses rubber band these days? And what about paperclips, and all the other sorts of stationery accessories from yesteryear?
I've still got my stapler from when I was about 9 and it still works perfectly, and I'm still working my way through 2000 staples bought at the time.

 

[Owen Smith]

I had a stash. When I went to use one I found they had all perished.

I've had that happen. I still have some usable rubber bands.

But who uses rubber band these days? And what about paperclips, and all the other sorts of stationery accessories from yesteryear?

I use rubber bands to go round paint brushes after decorating to get the bristles back into shape after cleaning the brushes instead of them splaying out into an unusable mess. I still have a box of paper clips I've not used a single one of for 20 years, but I know if I throw them away I'll need one the week after.

I've still got my stapler from when I was about 9 and it still works perfectly, and I'm still working my way through 2000 staples bought at the time.

I use my stapler occasionally, and yes I'm still working through the box of staples I bought (or possibly stole from work) decades ago.

 

[trog]

There does not seem to be many stationers left these days. I wanted some of those round stickers with the hole in for repairing or strengthening pages for a ring binder and could not find anyone local who sold them and ended up getting some from Temu for 1/3rd of the price they were on Amazon ( both Chinese and both showing the exact same pics)

 

[prpr]

Yes, used to use hole reinforcers by the bucket-load back then. I've still got my hole punch from uni. days and it still gets a reasonable amount of use. Still.

 

[Owen Smith]

I confess I did throw my hole reinforcers away. Partly because they were so old the adhesive had turned into a sticky mess on the backing paper. I do still have my hole punch.

 

[trog]

Yes, used to use hole reinforcers by the bucket-load back then. I've still got my hole punch from uni. days and it still gets a reasonable amount of use. Still.

Same here and it may still have some dots in it from school days. I blew the dust off my school TD set last week to use the compass for a woodwork project I am doing and I still have a couple of lined exercise books from raiding the stationary cupboard back then, grey cover with a label and a brown tape and staple binding.