Be Excellent To Each Other

Or, if they call while you and Russell are both there, don't answer the door, but shout to each other something like this:

You: OUR IDIOT NEIGHBOURS ARE AT THE DOOR.

Russell: KEEP QUIET, THEY MAY JUST GO AWAY.

We did that with Jehovah's Witnesses a few years ago. Worked a treat.

If someone rolls their eyes or makes a fuss about taking a parcel for a neighbour I never ever ask them again.

I much more respect a flat out no.

DHL website: Your parcel is being delivered today, but there is a problem with the payment.
DHL person on the phone: Your parcel hasn't even cleared customs yet so won't be with your today, and you'll get an invoice after delivery if you owe any money. Your account doesn't have anything outstanding as far as I can tell.
Me: So why does your website say it is coming today, and that there is a problem with payment?
DHL person: Dunno, sorry.
Me: When is it going to arrive?
DHL person: Dunno, sorry.

Thanks DHL!

That’d be fine if we had the same postman. We used to have two we saw regularly often: Dog The Bounty Hunter and JBR, after the people they looked most like, but now it seems to be just random people.

The woman just came down an hour or so later and asked if I had a parcel. I just said yes, cheerfully, and handed it over. I wanted it to be the chap.

So I order something from the states and it gets lost. The global courier says they’ve given it to Royal Mail and Royal Mail day they haven’t got it.

I complain to the global courier and get my money back. Fairly satisfied but it was a Christmas present that I’m never going to see now so I’m going to harass them to find out what has gone on.

Global courier says go to Royal Mail.

Royal mails website is dogshit and wants me to request compensation, which I don’t want as I’ve got my money back already, so I get on the blower.

First bloke says “Can’t do anything. You’ve got to go to the courier” I explain I’ve gone to them and they’ve refunded it. “All sorted then. No more we can do.” Not even close mate, let’s see if we can investigate, aye? “No you’re not the sender so you can institute anything.” We’ll see about that.

I escalate it and get through to their escalations team and have a nice lady who gets increasingly annoyed as I explain I don’t want compensation I want to find out what’s happened to the package. She says nothing she can do. 15 minutes later and she’s going to email me a letter with a scan from their system when something logged to give to the global courier service and email the return’s place in Belfast to see if they can locate it.

Seriously, it seems the entire system is set up to fob you off. All they’re doing is reading is what’s on their computer and no one is willing to delv a little deeper. Of course they can’t find it by looking on their fucking computer, they need to instigate some kind of investigation with someone somewhere and it took ages to even get them to send an email to returns. The package wasn't just some bit of tat either - it was fairly sizeable and can’t just have vanished.

It’s probably for nowt, but at least I feel kinda satisfied that I made someone do something to look for it.

Tbh they’ve told you the right thing. The contract they have is with the seller, who is their customer, so if you’ve claimed with the seller and been refunded then that’s as far as it needs to go for you. Only the seller by rights can really demand RM investigates what happened to it and has to put in a claim with them to either locate the item or receive compensation.

I’ve got no doubt that what they were saying was right, it’s just not very helpful to finding out who has my package or where it went. I can’t get this particular item replaced either which is gutting and having my money refunded did little to assuage me. But with a little perseverance at least I know they’re doing something now. Some fuckers half inched it though. Cunts.

Interesting... At what point does the item become your property? Is it when you pay for it or when you receive it?

Once you receive it..

Legally it's at the moment it despatches, I'm fairly sure. It's not when you pay, because if it's mispriced companies can cancel the purchase even after you've paid, as long as they haven't sent it out.

That said, I'm not really sure what Sat is trying to achieve here.

Track down his custom made trico sex robot.

Just had a 'sorry you were not in' card from Hermes and parcel thrown over fence.. plot twist i was in.

if only i had a door bell

You can get fairly cheap wireless ones on Amazon, which don't require drilling holes in your door.

Although, you know. Hermes. The guy would have probably thrown the parcel at the doorbell, and then thrown both parcel and doorbell over the fence.

Sorry, i do have wireless one and it works.. i should have put a Smile

Never apologise, never explain, never back down.

I've obviously got a doorbell you idiot!

Seen the postman twice in three weeks, it seems.

With the rate of sick or self-isolating currently in the company I’m not surprised. And those still there are being asked to do far too much and no real way of social distancing in the delivery offices. Sounds a right shambles.

Amazon are paying delivery and warehouse staff an extra £2 per hour.

Possibly should be in 1st world problems really but my Electric chainsaw packed in so I contacted Screwfix for a replacement or refund and said I’d be happy to drop off at local store. They said they’ll organise a courier and refund me once it was with them. The day it was supposed to be picked up no one came. I left it a few days as it’s hardly an emergency and emailed them again, apology given along with new date for collection. Still haven’t been. Sent them another email (all very friendly too) but no reply.

Considering all couriers are struggling getting essential stuff delivered at the moment it’s not all that surprising it’s being delayed.

Oh yeah absolutely. I’ve been very polite in all my emails with Screwfix staff and wished them well too.

Saying that though, Royal Mail, Amazon & DHL seems to be doing business as normal round here.

Amazon doing fine, here. Seen RM post once a week. Others couriers seem ok

Not a moan but... Does anyone know if I purchase postage online for a large letter, does it need to go to the post office or can I just drop it in the post box?

If it fits, you can put it in. As long as it’s a printed stamp or tracked or says something like postage paid. Else it will be held and the recipient will get a grey card.

Excellent. It's a DVD so it'll definitely fit. Thank you!

Posted a parcel off to Finland on March 7th and it arrived there... today. Quite the relief as it was for Super Turrican 2, a game I'd not owned before and didn't fancy having to fork out for a refund on it.

We missed a parcel on Tuesday as we were all out. Normally I'd go to the sorting office but because of the pandemic it's only open for two hours in the morning between 7 and 9.

I couldn't go Wednesday as it was closed and the rest of the week MrsTheVision is working so I'm in the house with the kids. So, I booked a re delivery online. The website wasn't working at first so I used the app but.. that didn't work either so I went back to the website. Eventually I got on and put in my details. It turns out that the 13 digit number the postie left is either wrong or has been written down wrong but none the less, the Royal Mail let me carry on and assured me the parcel would be here today.

Guess what?

It's not.

Brilliant. I'm looking forward to getting up at 7 in the morning and seeing if it's still at the sorting office. I'm guessing it won't be....

They keep them for 30 days, so you should be fine.

18.

Guessing that's working days? The Royal Mail site says 30 calendar days

Welp, our cards state 18 calendar days and we keep them for 18 calendar days. I can’t tell you anything else.

They may have increased it for the pandemic.

Either way, it should still be there tomorrow.

This card says 30 days and it looks like it's a 'pandemic special edition' card as it mentions only going to the sorting office if absolutely necessary.

My only concern is that it'll be out somewhere on a van attempting a re delivery and therefore won't be at the sorting office in the morning.

Unless it’s very urgent, could you leave it tomorrow and if it doesn’t arrive re-organise for Tuesday?

Yeah, I could do. I'm going to go along anyway and if it's not there then it'll turn up... eventually... I'd hope.

If they’ve set it aside for redelivery it will be difficult for them to find it if you go down to the office.

That’s if they’ve done it, of course.

Yep...

If they'd have done it, surely it should be with me now since I asked for it to be delivered today?

Anyway, if nothing else it'll get me out of bed in the morning.

You could always try calling before you chip up. They’ll be able to tell you if it’s on the shelf or out for redelivery.

Not a bad idea that. Thanks... I'll give them a try.

I picked up the parcel from the depot.. Handily, it had this sticker on it.

Here's an interesting one... I sold an item via eBay and sent it via their packlink service which uses Hermes as the carrier. The item says it's been delivered and signed for at the household but because of the pandemic, there isn't a signature on record. There is a verified GPS location instead though and it looks like it's the street in question so all should be good.

However.. The buyer is insisting that it hasn't turned up and has opened a case against me.

Despite having all the tracking details on hand, eBay have put the case on hold until October the 1st as they "need to get more information from the buyer on the condition of the item". You'd think that the fact it's been delivered would be enough wouldn't you but no. I shall wait and see what they say and look forward to no doubt having to give her a refund.

Yeah, you’re fucked

Interesting to know.

So, is anyone selling anything via ebay at the moment? Doesn't matter what it is as long as its a) expensive and b) posted via Hermes needing a signature. I'll buy it!

That sucks.

Has there ever been a company with such a widely-loathed reputation as Hermes?

Southern Rail?

I'd argue Ryanair, but at least they're bloody cheap and they get you there. It's just an unpleasant experience.

I don't really see how Hermes is at fault here. The issue is eBay requiring proof of delivery while employing a carrier that offers no proof of delivery.

Couriers don’t do signatures, but they do take photos of the parcel placed in the open doorway of the house.
Now if the buyer says “that’s not my house” it’s easy to prove in real life, but do eBay or the courier firm verify that?