Page 6 | Parcel panic- Please join me if you are awaiting deliveries

Countsinpotatoes · 2022-12-08T22:16:00+00:00

Hello, It's getting to that bit of Christmas where I'm starting to panic about things not arriving in time Currently I'm awaiting a necklace, that has suddenly jumped to expected deliver on the 23rd. Its the main part of my mum's gifts Lots of other bits struggling to find their way through the post including a key ring that should have arrived at the weekend. What is everyone else waiting for?

Jedstre · 10/12/2022 14:17

An order from Timberland was returned to sender yesterday. It was meant to be delivered to a local shop (which was open!) I ordered it 3 weeks ago and it’s been stuck with Yodel for the past 2 week.

TheDrsDocMartens · 10/12/2022 14:20

RM have been told to prioritise packets/parcels/special delivery/tracked etc. each depot has had overtime slashed so where they’d normally do extra each day to cover Christmas they can’t even do that now. Plus the strike days delaying things but I don’t have an issue with the strikes, just how much the top managers are paid.

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 14:21

So this is why strikes don't work in the private sector as RM now is although I think CWU missed the memo on that.

Joke is one of their demands is no compulsory redundancies.

How do they expect a business losing much of its trade to competitors as a result of strike action to do this? I'll certainly not use them now for parcels as yodel can deliver in a few days at 50p cheaper

Biggest own goal ever.

alasangne · 10/12/2022 14:39

Babdoc · 10/12/2022 14:14

@alasangne you can indeed courier a Christmas tree! Click on sendmeachristmastree.co.uk.
They have a good choice of types and sizes, and cut them fresh just before your despatch date, so they are not wilting by Boxing Day. They are couriered by Tuffnells, who not only apologised for arriving a day late, but carried the v heavy 7ft tree round to my back door for me.

That is lovely! I shall bookmark for next year thank tou.

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 15:26

DelilahBucket · 09/12/2022 09:47

From an online retailers point of view:

These strikes are killing my business. I will lose a week's worth of trade. I cannot claim for missing parcels as I'm a business customer and there is no compensation for anything other than special delivery, and even then you have to jump through so many hoops it's barely worth it. I cannot use another option. Evri is the next best price wise and it's at least twice the price for large letters, which is what I mostly send. They are also vastly behind because they don't have the staff (we don't have a driver in my area, he quit, leaving the parcels building up in the depot). DPD have stopped taking orders if you don't have an account. There aren't many other viable or affordable options and you the buyers wouldn't pay £8 to courier a £5 item.

With Royal Mail depots, first in is last out. The couple of days after Black Friday are ALWAYS a hotspot for delays, even worse this year.

Items are taking two weeks to arrive now. Please consider this when you are contacting small businesses. Yes, we get it, you want your gifts for Christmas, but our stress levels are already through the roof after a really, truly, shitty year of trading. We don't need people demanding refunds or saying we are fobbing you off. I, like many others, are paying for postage upgrades out of our own pockets to avoid delays. I can't afford it, but I can't afford to lose my 11 year old business either.

A lot of us are working stupid hours to get items out quicker. We are tired, reduced to tears most days by vile customers, and we really, really need the money.

Please bear all of this in mind when contacting companies.

Have you tried Yodel? Also a small business seller. Price point not much above evri and stuff is landing within timescales.

I think Evri is the second choice for many sellers, so they are overwhelmed.

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 15:33

TheWomanTheyCallJayne · 09/12/2022 17:01

I’m not even thinking about the Christmas ones that haven’t arrived yet.

This is why Amazon is so successful.

Yes, less than 24 hours from ordering it's in my hands.

Driver is leaving stuff on doorsteps if not in though so must be v busy

Luckily I'm not in a crime ridden area.

LookItsMeAgain · 10/12/2022 15:37

I've stuff ordered from Bloomchic and according to their tracking information it's at some airport somewhere. No idea even which continent it's in. If I don't get it by Christmas, hopefully by new year. It's not critical to my Christmas. Would be nice to have though.

h78 · 10/12/2022 15:53

In our area it's just the Royal Mail deliveries that are late, I've had parcels from ups, Amazon, dpd and evri this week.

LouiseBelchersPinkBunnyEars · 10/12/2022 16:17

As much as I hate to I’ve started using Amazon and will only order anything that is despatched by Amazon. That way I hopefully have a chance of receiving it.
mot km going to the shops myself

ive been waiting for 2 weeks for important paperwork for my son that I need in time to fill in and send back before his appointment at the beginning of jan. might just ring and ask if I can pick up a new set myself

Reugny · 10/12/2022 16:28

alasangne · 10/12/2022 13:05

I had no idea you could courier a Christmas tree

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You can courrier "normal" trees and plants so why not a Christmas tree?

Roominmyhouse · 10/12/2022 16:30

I ordered one of DH’s Christmas presents through Amazon, but it was from a seller. They sent a tracking ID which just says it was collected by RM on 28/11. No updates since. Amazon have said I can ask for a refund now but given what I’m hearing on here I’m just going to wait and see if it does turn up in the next week or so. I’ve not ordered anything else that’ll go via RM but have sent parcels and cards in the last week which have arrived. It’s definitely things sent around 28/29 which seem to be stuck somewhere.

InfinityOrUndefined · 10/12/2022 17:02

We ordered something from other seller from Amazon. It wasn't a Xmas present so we didn't worry. It came in a week from China.

I have all the presents now and on Monday we will wrap them with Dh and see if we need anything else. We will order from Amazon just to get in time.

LadyPoison · 10/12/2022 20:06

Justcheckingimnotmad · 10/12/2022 14:15

Are people really so bothered about one day instead of people's lives?

But it’s my life too and these strikes are destroying my small business which is 100% of my income.

The strikers will go back to their jobs and regular pay every month whereas I’m probably going to be out of business.

DelilahBucket · 10/12/2022 20:10

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 15:26

Have you tried Yodel? Also a small business seller. Price point not much above evri and stuff is landing within timescales.

I think Evri is the second choice for many sellers, so they are overwhelmed.

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80% of what I send is a large letter or outside of the UK so it really isn't possible to switch. My customers aren't going to pay £3 delivery on a £4 item.
Besides which, Yodel are notoriously worse than Evri. They like to leave my parcels on the doorstep of my office building on a weekend which is on a busy main road. That's if they can get to the right address in the first place.

DelilahBucket · 10/12/2022 20:14

It's my livelihood too, and that of my staff. These strikes are losing me thousands of pounds in lost sales, free upgrades on services and refunds. My 11 year old business has clung on for dear life this year and this really is the icing on the cake. I needed a fantastic Christmas to get through next year. My sales are already 40% down on last year and now I've had to stop taking Christmas orders a week early.

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 23:30

DelilahBucket · 10/12/2022 20:14

It's my livelihood too, and that of my staff. These strikes are losing me thousands of pounds in lost sales, free upgrades on services and refunds. My 11 year old business has clung on for dear life this year and this really is the icing on the cake. I needed a fantastic Christmas to get through next year. My sales are already 40% down on last year and now I've had to stop taking Christmas orders a week early.

I stupidly sent some orders in November before the strikes began thinking they'd be OK.

4 refunds so far as items lost

Apparently the November stuff is buried below December stuff in the mail centres so it's not being processed in turn

Which is shit on top of shit really. Abysmal management surely they can excavate the earlier stuff.

I use yodel now as they're OK and all got through so far. Saving 55p a parcel too. Won't go back to Royal Fall

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 23:32

DelilahBucket · 10/12/2022 20:10

80% of what I send is a large letter or outside of the UK so it really isn't possible to switch. My customers aren't going to pay £3 delivery on a £4 item.
Besides which, Yodel are notoriously worse than Evri. They like to leave my parcels on the doorstep of my office building on a weekend which is on a busy main road. That's if they can get to the right address in the first place.

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I've had no customer complaints yet.

They are all probably similar in terms of service now they are absorbing RM volumes

Amazon are leaving stuff unattended on my doorstep but can deliver in < 24 hours most of the time

DelilahBucket · 10/12/2022 23:46

Metabigot · 10/12/2022 23:32

I've had no customer complaints yet.

They are all probably similar in terms of service now they are absorbing RM volumes

Amazon are leaving stuff unattended on my doorstep but can deliver in < 24 hours most of the time

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I've just had one complaint. Not bad for circa 120 packages a day. I have preempted though by spending up to an hour a day emailing and messaging every single customer. As I said, I can't switch large letters or international to another provider without increasing the costs by double or higher. I also would then have to go and drop packages off somewhere, whereas Royal Mail collect from me at the moment.

I sell via Amazon Prime as well and I'm glad as it's a continuous stream I don't need to worry about.

First into the Royal Mail depots is last out. It has always been this way, it's nothing new. It's the way they are set up with one entrance/exit.

Sallydimebar · 11/12/2022 00:04

We run our own small business and rely heavily on Royal Mail who before the strikes were 99% reliable.
We send mostly lg letters and just not worth using another courier without passing on an extra charge to customer, plus all couriers are feeling the extra strain of RM strikes and just more busy anyway at this time .
I know someone who works with RM and he said loads are off sick , so combined even on none strike days there’s issue’s.

We send lge letter orders out same day we receive, but had one customer say if you can’t be bothered, just refund it ! We always take pic of letter when franked that shows date it was sent , if not using tracked/ special for this reason . He was apologetic and didn’t know of strikes.

Some get there on time as we get left feedback and some are asking 8/10 days after others I presume just know of delay and wait . We will be down massively next week I think as just can’t see anyone ordering .

Its a hard one I’m all for fair pay and conditions but it will take a lot of sm business out . We’re not living it large with our business , haven’t given ourselves pay rises , just been great full getting work in and surviving covid , and now energy prices. Can’t see any pay rise coming anytime soon .

ChristmasCwtch · 11/12/2022 07:54

Waiting for 3 RM deliveries. Hoping they arrive. Will manage if not.

Also waiting for 3 orders from Amazon and I’m happy that they’ll all arrive when expected.

CWU is damaging themselves with these strikes. The demand for RM will drop further and then there will be layoffs. If I’m not happy with my employer, I look for another job and resign.

AnyOldThings · 11/12/2022 07:59

Parcel with Evri that hasn’t moved from depot in a week 😡wouldn’t mind but it’s got a special meaning behind it so that’s why I’m bothered.

Theopossumwasmeantforme · 11/12/2022 09:15

One parcel arrived yesterday, the other one is now at my city's mail centre so I'm hopeful. It's a concrete plant pot though I'm hoping it's survived.

I'm hoping sending a parcel tracked 24 with collection on Tuesday will be OK, but maybe I should just pay twice as much for special delivery.

On the plus side, this whole thing has put me off buying extra presents when I'm wobbling that I've not got enough.

RenardeRenarde · 12/12/2022 03:48

4 of my parcels were on the doorstep this morning, 6 days earlier than they were tracking! Unfortunately neither of them were the 2 “main” presents I’m hoping will come on time but I’m feeling more hopeful

smooththecat · 12/12/2022 03:59

Never mind Xmas, an order I placed on Black Friday is nowhere to be seen. Contacted the company and they said it had only been a week, it was 48 hr tracked shipping. Tbh I’m very anti Royal Mail now after they ruined those postmasters’ lives, but it’s not as if the others are great.

mickandrorty · 12/12/2022 05:22

I had confirmation of a £60 parcel being delivered but it hasn't been, the picture of 'confirmation' is just a floor god knows where. So i guess I've just lost £60.