Yodel ... Parcel Farce ... equally useless

**Chris** · 07-09-2011, 10:28

I have had two courier deliveries go wrong-end-up on me this week. First of all Parcel Farce left my package at the local post office, from where the driver POSTED me a 'sorry you were out' card, which arrived in the mail the next day. Online, the tracking data shows 7 minutes between attempted delivery and deposit at the post office. Given that there are 8 miles of mostly unclassified, narrow country lane between me and the post office, this is impossible.

Then yesterday Yodel put an 'unable to locate' on their online tracking for another parcel I'm waiting for, only to replace it a couple of hours later with 'incomplete address'. I spoke to Yodel's call centre this morning. The CSR read back my complete address and phone number from his screen.

Meanwhile I was brushed off by the Parcel Farce call centre and had to fill in an online form, that has resulted in nothing more than an acknowledgement and notification that it was being forwarded to the local depot for further investigation. Something tells me I shouldn't hold my breath.

I should add that, living out here in the sticks, we get a lot of courier deliveries and the rest of them are great. UPS, DPD, Home Delivery ... never any problems. But Parcel Farce are an absolute freaking nightmare and Yodel, I am now discovering, are every bit as shoddy as their reputation.

Grrrr.

Please, friends and fellow forum posters, feel free to vent your own tales of parcel woe here in this thread.

**Chris** · 07-09-2011, 10:36

Miraculously, all reference to 'incomplete address' has disappeared from the record.

I guess that means the depot has had the email from the call centre pointing out that they already have both my address and my phone number.

I know from experience however that 'in transit' is not the same thing as 'out for delivery'. I wonder where it's in transit to.

Sigh.

DaiNasty · 07-09-2011, 11:32

Maybe 'in transit' means they've chucked it in the rusty old van at the back of the yard?

**Kymmy** · 07-09-2011, 11:45

Never had an issue with any parcel company.. Personally I think it's those people who live in the wild back of beyond that are to blame

denphone · 07-09-2011, 11:48

As a sender and receiver of quite a lot of parcels luckily l have never had a problem with any courier so far.

Tali · 07-09-2011, 12:46

Unfortunately, I have also had bad experiences of Parcel Force.

When the PS3 was released, I pre-ordered from a well known website. I received the usual notification when it was dispatched but it never turned up. After contacting the place I ordered it from and Parcel Force, Parcel Force owned up to losing my PS3. In total, this happened THREE times! Each time they 'lost' the parcel. In the end I gave up and ended up paying over the ends from a local store.

There have also been times where I wasn't at home for a delivery, and so rather than leaving the item with a neighbor or at the local post office, they returned it to the main depot in central Birmingham... 15 miles away. I ended up having to take time off work to receive the delivery because the office wasn't open on a Saturday when I would have been able to go and pick it up.

**Stephen** · 07-09-2011, 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tali

Unfortunately, I have also had bad experiences of Parcel Force.

When the PS3 was released, I pre-ordered from a well known website. I received the usual notification when it was dispatched but it never turned up. After contacting the place I ordered it from and Parcel Force, Parcel Force owned up to losing my PS3. In total, this happened THREE times! Each time they 'lost' the parcel. In the end I gave up and ended up paying over the ends from a local store.

There have also been times where I wasn't at home for a delivery, and so rather than leaving the item with a neighbor or at the local post office, they returned it to the main depot in central Birmingham... 15 miles away. I ended up having to take time off work to receive the delivery because the office wasn't open on a Saturday when I would have been able to go and pick it up.

Sometimes they aren't allowed to leave parcels with neighbours or get them to sign for stuff. It's annoying but not a lot we can do.

Just took me 3 days to get a DHL parcel redelivered to my work as I missed their attempt to deliver to my house last Friday.

devilincarnate · 07-09-2011, 13:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen

Sometimes they aren't allowed to leave parcels with neighbours or get them to sign for stuff. It's annoying but not a lot we can do.

That is true and even Royal Mail are not allowed to do this unless it has been stated and agreed with the neighbour as well.

**Stephen** · 07-09-2011, 13:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by devilincarnate

That is true and even Royal Mail are not allowed to do this unless it has been stated and agreed with the neighbour as well.

I am lucky with my postie having been around for a few years he knows me a bit and will usually leave stuff with my neighbours who are in most of the time as they are retired. He also sometimes signs the recorded delivery slips and puts things in my porch for me as he knows I am hardly in during the day.

Some parcel companies do it too but there are a few that refuse and can be really annoying.

danielf · 07-09-2011, 13:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen

I am lucky with my postie having been around for a few years he knows me a bit and will usually leave stuff with my neighbours who are in most of the time as they are retired. He also sometimes signs the recorded delivery slips and puts things in my porch for me as he knows I am hardly in during the day.

Some parcel companies do it too but there are a few that refuse and can be really annoying.

My neighbour is a postie. He will often knock on my door late afternoon/early evening to hand me a parcel that's just come in and didn't make the morning round.

denphone · 07-09-2011, 13:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen

I am lucky with my postie having been around for a few years he knows me a bit and will usually leave stuff with my neighbours who are in most of the time as they are retired. He also sometimes signs the recorded delivery slips and puts things in my porch for me as he knows I am hardly in during the day.

Some parcel companies do it too but there are a few that refuse and can be really annoying.

Yes l am like Stephen in that my postman is very good because l have known him for several years and also he has a good rapport with my neighbour as well.

jinxed · 07-09-2011, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tali

There have also been times where I wasn't at home for a delivery, and so rather than leaving the item with a neighbor or at the local post office, they returned it to the main depot in central Birmingham... 15 miles away. I ended up having to take time off work to receive the delivery because the office wasn't open on a Saturday when I would have been able to go and pick it up.

I wish that had been the case with my parcel, about a month ago i ordered a nas & i wasn't in when the delivery arrived. The driver put it behind a wheelie bin and left a card in the door (which could be seen from outside) saying where the package was. When my wife got home the package had gone, driver was sent back & told her that he'd have to pay for it (no idea if this is true or not, would have thought insurance would cover it). Thankfully we got a refund in the end & after a bit of messing about.

But that's still not the best one, we actually had a House alarm delivered to the wrong address & stolen ..... who steals a house alarm?? lol

martyh · 07-09-2011, 14:25

I've never used Yodel ,never even heard of them in fact ,but what i find with Parcel force is they are either very efficient or extremely bad ,no middle of the road consistency from them ,others like Home Delivery and UPS i find very efficient consistently

Taf · 07-09-2011, 14:25

The "Tracking Service" charged for by the Post Office is useless too. It always says "In our system" which could mean anything.

**Chris** · 07-09-2011, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

I've never used Yodel ,never even heard of them in fact ,but what i find with Parcel force is they are either very efficient or extremely bad ,no middle of the road consistency from them ,others like Home Delivery and UPS i find very efficient consistently

DHL has spun its UK domestic parcels operation out into a different organisation, which now seems to have been sold off and told it can't have the DHL brand name any more.

So Yodel is/was DHL.

Agree about Home Delivery and UPS, they are here frequently and never any bother. Parcel Force are the ones we have most bother with, I suspect because they don't fancy the drive up here, and have the temptation of leaving it at a post office, which the other couriers can't do.