Are you having a Christmas delivery nightmare?

As recounted in the ‘dodgy deliveries’ conversation this is the shower that took over three weeks to deliver an item I sent from the Midlands to a fenland address near Peterborough. In biblical fashion they crowed three times that they had tried to deliver but this was patently untrue. A postcode in the middle of a fen, a single approach covered by cameras . . . No hint of sympathy nor an apology.

My family and contacts refer to them as ‘Herpes’ nowadays implying they are a condition best to avoid. The problem is that it seems they are all patchy. In my family’s two areas, one city and the other remote rural, Yodel, UKMail and Amazon seem to star yet we read horror stories of their performance elsewhere. Much seems to be down to the commitment and proficiency of the local staff so long as the ‘trunking’ between depots operates as it should.

Much as I’d like to be holier than thou and advise ordering in good time before Christmas, I fall into the same trap of leaving it too late. However, it’s been a good year this year. Pressies ordered 10 days ago all arrived fairly quickly – by Royal Mail, Hermes (still left on the doorstep though), Next and Yodel (who on tracking were supposed to be delivering a big parcel and I’d given up, until a knock on the door at 8:30 pm with an apology he was so late). Even click and collect crackers from M&S, supposedly delayed 48 hours, had arrived at the store when we collected other stuff – only the day after the order. Just to add balance! <: o)

I ordered a birthday present for my mum about 2 weeks before the date, after waiting 8 days I emailed the supplier asking where it was. Apparently it had just been returned by Royal Fail as they’d managed to damage it. So without asking he then used a courier at no extra cost to me and gave me a £5 rebate as a good will gesture.

Royal Fail could learn alot about customer service from this chap.

I’d always use the Santa Claus delivery service if only it was available all year. Came right on time last night – as it does every year – without a single breakage. All parcels left safely inside the house, None on the doorstep. in the dustbin or the barbecue. .

This never seems to get any better. Unusually, I’ve made two online orders in the past week for which both companies have chosen to use Hermes. In both cases I’ve received email notification from Hermes that the order has been delivered: the first stating that my parcel was located securely in my porch and the second that it had been delivered and signed for. In neither case was the notifcation true: in the first case the parcel appeared about 6 hours later (I guess that it had been languishing on someone else’s porch but can’t be sure as there was not time stamp on the Hermes note put through the door and no note from a friendly neighbour either); the second case is still unresolved…

Perhaps we can have a campaign to get on-line suppliers to give a choice of preferred (and certainly not to be used) couriers within their delivery options?

You need to complain to the supplier from whom you purchased your goods Stefan. As long as The Consumer Rights Act states the onus remains with the retailer, absolving the delivery company of all liability, the delivery company will continue with its substandard practices, safe in the knowledge that they are also covered by a 30 day delivery deadline, in which case you need to place your online Christmas order by about 25th November!

In my recent previous post I used the 4 C’s when making a complaint.

Consumer Rights Act
Credit Card Co
Competition in the marketplace
Clout (If you say you are a member of Which?)

I used these recently and my missing order was delivered via Hermes within the next 3 days.