My very pregnant looks came up during a lunchtime conversation today. Somehow that then led on to a mention of Homer in his muumuu in “King-size Homer”.
I have to say, this is the first time I’ve ever been compared to Homer, in any context!
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| Helen in muumuu | Homer in muumuu |
Hi
Been reading your blog concerning parcel force.It is very worrying.I own a small company which needs to use a parcel service for items which I manufacture.These are fairly large items and of late,I have simply used the local post office.However,this is quite time consuming and unfortunately,they will only let me take items of a certain size so any larger ones they recommended Parcel Force.It was quite easy to set up an account and book my first parcel to be collected.Although they said it would probably be collected the same day,this has not happened,although,in all fairness,it was the afternoon when I phoned to arrange it.We shall see what tomorrow brings.
What I would like to say,and I am not in any way defending Parcel force,is that really you cannot expect them to know when you are going to be in or be able to arrange an exact time for you.If they had tried 3 times to deliver then really they have been more than fair.There are options for delivery but they all come with a price,as you would expect.Possibly,you could have left a note on the door or something,or arranged for someone else to take the parcel in for you.Someone who would be around for delivery.I have done this for my neighbours and they have done the same for me in the past.Most drivers are considerate from my past experiences.
I can understand how frustrating it must be but Parcelforce must deliver literally thousands of items each day and their delivery vans I am sure are under a tight schedule to reach each destination every day.
As I said,I am not defending them but looking at the situation from another angle.Every business has some form of complaints during their lifetime.Not everyone is perfect as I am sure you will agree.I can see your logic with them not leaving a calling card and really this is what they should have done.At least it would show a bit of concern on their part.Even better if the card indicated when they were going to call back.However,if you were not in anyway,a card would have been pointless!3 attempts seem pretty fair to me.A lot of carriers only try once before returning the goods back to the sender.
I know I may be jumping the gun here since my first business transaction has not yet happened and I could end up regretting everything I have said in this posting.Lets hope I am wrong.
Regards
John Howden
John Howden Upholstery
The main issue here was that Parcelforce never notified me that I should expect a delivery. Of course it is reasonable to expect me to be home for a delivery, or to arrange for a neighbour to take delivery – but only if someone tells me that they will try to deliver on this day, this time. This is the important step that Parcelforce missed. I had no idea that I should be expecting them at all.
No other courier has behaved like this. All others try to deliver once and then send some sort of message when they find out that I was not at home. It is then up to me to either pick up the parcel at their depot or to suggest a suitable date or time. None of them have expected me to be a mind-reader.
May I suggest City Link as an alternative courier? I have had consistent good experiences of their service.
John Howden, you are simply missing the point.
Not only did Helen clearly state that although parcel force had attempted ‘delivery’ three times at ridiculous hours, they did not leave notification of such action on her premises. You are also forgetting Parcelforce’s incompetence in dealing with the Post Office drop off. There is simply no defense suitable for Parcelforce, and in the consumer’s eyes they are to be avoided at all costs.
In reply to Helen and “Skippy” regarding Parcelforce.
Since my first comments I have used Parcelforce for quite a number of deliveries.
Firstly let me say that whoever is sending your parcel to you should let you know what service has been used,ie:24 hour,48hour,next day,etc.All of these options are chosen by the sender who should in turn let you,the customer,know the details.This is what I do.
Secondly,Parcelforce provide a tracking system on line.I email my customers with the tracking details which are given at the time of collection from me.The customer can trace their parcel from start to finish.This works.
If there is a chance of you not being in,you can ask the sender to give an alternative address,possibly a neighbour,where the parcel can be accepted.They should do this for you if they have any sort of customer service department.A lot of the organising can be sorted out between the customer and the person sending out the parcel and really,to be fair,this is where it should be done.Not to expect the delivery service to know all of the details if they are not told.Does that seem logical?
Parcelforce or any other courier do not know(unless told)when you are in or not.
Deliveries are usually made anywhere between 8am and 4-30pm,or thereabouts,so you would reasonably expect to get your parcel within this time scale.
As far as I can see here,the sender is at fault.Lack of communication between him/her,the courier and the customer.
Skippy mentioned “rediculous hours for delivery”.I would call rediculous midnight or some other ungodly hour but certainly not during the normal daytime hours which were stated.
As I previously stated,I am not sticking up for Parcelforce,nor do I work for them!!
My experiences with them,up to present,have been satisfactory,but then again,I run my business(possibly)a bit more efficiently than a lot of other suppliers.Having a bit more consideration for the customer and courier does not take a lot of work,but it certainly helps towards my customers receiving their goods when I say so.
Yes,it could be said that Parcelforce,in this case,should have left notification of attempted delivery,but again,Helen was out and gave no indication that she wouldnt be at home.Dont you think that both parties are a little bit at fault in this particular instance?
Also,I am not forgetting Parcelforces so described incompetence with the Post Office,but this problem would never have arisen if everyone concerned had taken a bit more effort with the delivery arrangement.Its so easy to blame someone else for a problem when in reality,more than 1 person has created this in the first place.
I must admit that during my earlier years in business I have carried out deliveries myself and believe me,I found many a customer “not in” when I tried to deliver something,even though an arrangement had been made for a SPECIFIC TIME AND DATE!!
These customers also never notified me that they wouldnt be at home,or leave a note ,etc..
I opologise for ranting on a bit here,but to sum up,maybe a little more consideration and effort on everyones part would certainly make this situation run a lot more smoothly,without blaming one party for the whole issue.