Irritation of delivery services for on-line shopping

[dianalinden]

So it's Christmas and so my online shopping went into overdrive....but this year the usually helpful delivery services have been pants. Being a working Mum I am not around two days a week. So last week I had a 2 hour round trip to collect 3 parcels all left at three different post offices as Parcel Force a) did not even check I was in and pushed card through the letter box and b) would not redeliver unless I made a special request. This week Citilink pushed card through door and said I had to go to Swindon (an hour and a half's drive away) to collect my parcel as they would not redeliver.
What is the point of online shopping if you spend your time picking up parcels from obscure depots?
Anyone else having these problems? Is it due to cut backs on service do you think?

I feel your pain.

Can you put a note on your door, asking for deliveries to be left in a particular place if you're not in? (That's what I do - they are left behind the dustbins at the side of the house, where they are not visible from the road). Royal Mail, Home Delivery Network & various others have all done this without any problems.

Or do you not have a safe place where they could be left?

Good idea but the problem is that everyone else then sees where your parcels are stashed as well. Also a lot of the stuff needs to be signed for. In the good old days you could call them up and ask them to re-deliver when you were in...alas no longer.
Kinda defeats the object of internet shopping....

Just get them delivered to your workplace - that what everyone where I work does. We have daily visits from all the courier companies because of online shopping.

YANBU - it's a complete pita

I get ours delivered to my DH's work as I work in a large hospital which wouldn't be any good for deliveries to be sent to.

Would that be an option for you?

Citilink are the worst in my experience. I can think of another name that would suit them better.

I get all mine delivered to work...

OK, when you place the order, specify where you want the order to be left if you're out when it's delivered. And specify that a signature is not required. There's usually a text field that you can use for this when you check out...

You're right, internet shopping is supposed to make things easier, not harder! Bah.

Thanks for all these really helpful tips. I bought a back massager which weighed a ton. Got it on line as I did not want to lug it home from office!This too was delivered to some remote part of Wiltshire. But John Lewis did intervene and made Citylink deliver again....maybe I should now have a mumsnet mince pies and massage party to celebrate!

We used to buy nearly all our purchases on-line, but have recently had so many issues with things similar to this that this year I have gone back to buying from the high street.

Don't you have any neighbours that will sign for you? I sometimes leave a note on my door with instructions to leave my package with 2 of my next -door neighbours. That way they're not left outside or returned.

I honestly despair when I see a Citylink card on the floor inside the front door...Amazon Prime often use 'em and it usually takes a week for me to get my stuff rather than the expected 1 day!

Oh for a concierge service...

Grrr, Citilink. The deppo is way out of town nowhere near a bus route - and we always have to go pick stuff up. Even though I dash to the door every time I hear that 'sorry you're out' card come through, I've only caught them a handful of times. And apparently, 'it's normal practice to put the card through, love - we assume you're out during working hours'. Idiots.

Dont even get me started

I had a massive issue with a delivery from Carphone Warehouse last week. Online tracking said there was nobody home but I had been home all day and then had to spend nearly 2 hours (yes two hours!!) on the phone to Carphone Warehouse whilst they tried to sort it all out.

Funnily enough couldnt contact delivery driver etc and then it transpired they had given him the parcel but it wasnt his round.

I finally had to drive 30 miles to pick it up the next day.

Carphone Warehouse reimbursed my petrol and my phone bill. But hardly the point.

I hate DHL with as much passion now as I hate Citilink.

They are all a pile of fuckwits.

I just spotted Citilink outside and said "I'm expecting a citylink delivery" the guy said he had already knocked on my door and rung the bell so seemed pretty reluctant to handover my parcel

So even if you are at home it is unlikely you will get your parcels...

Citilink are awful here too (North London). I had card left saying 'we'll try again before 9 tonight' so I cancelled afternoon out for DS and we stayed in all pm/eve waiting and they never came back. Emailed them to complain and they said they 'weren't familiar with that card' - WTF? Its your card (albeit special Xmas one)! They said they'd redeliver next day as favour though so I asked if it could be AM so not waiting in all day with DS.

... 4.30 bl**dy PM they came - after I'd spent an hour with DS walking up and down the road outside our house, so he could get some fresh air and I wouldn't miss them...

... all for a £13 delivery from Amazon.

I must be the only one with a good Citylink experience! I order loads from Amazon and the driver came three times in a row at 7AM or just before, on the third time I shambled down the stairs, told him that I had a three week old daughter who liked to sleep in a bit and if he came again at this time I would never buy from Amazon again.

He was really sweet, spologised and said he was just aiming to get me before work but if I was in all day, in future he'd come on his second round at about 2ish. He's done that faithfully since, and one time I was out, he didn't put a card through the door, he just brought it back the next day at the same time.

So, big thumbs up for Citylink from me.