[Closed] Parcelforce - aka Incompetence Inc

6 phonecalls to them this morning. 6 times they've said "we'll phone you back shortly. 6 times they haven't phoned back.

I suspect they are too busy answering multiple calls from people about the same package...

At least they tried to deliver somewhere!

For me, they don't try and deliver, or even post a "we tried to deliver" card - happened three times now.

So what happens is I watch the parcel tracking like a hawk, as soon as it says "attempted delivery" I have to phone the local depot and rant at them until they call the driver to ACTUALLY TRY AND DELIVER THE PARCEL.

I mean, WTF!

ARAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHH!

I suspect they are too busy answering multiple calls from people about the same package...

LOL - I did give them plenty of time to get back to me on each occasion. 🙂

My experiences with ParcelForce over the last 12 months will from now on mean that I will hesitate to buy from anyone that uses them as their courier.

If you think ParcelForce is bad you should try HDNL(Home Delivery Network) or Yodel as they are now called. I recently spent 2 days waiting for them to collect a parcel and watched their tracking system update on both days. The updates said "no one at collection address, card left".
Needless to say there were no attempted collections or cards. The driver that eventually collected the parcel claimed that he wasn't working the route for the last couple of days. The worst thing is that you can't moan at the driver unless you want to take the risk of your parcel "getting lost" or "damaged in transit".

Yep, HDNL/Yodel are in the same sin bin as Parcelforce for me. DPD, however, seem to give you a 1 hour time slot for delivery now, and seem to stick to it. City Link have been great in our area too, and seem to be the cheapest (through parcel monkey). Just shows it can be done properly without charging a fortune.

+ 1 for City Link and DPD. DHL were very good until they merged their domestic collection service with the Devil, AKA HDNL/Yodel.
Cheers for the Parcel Monkey tip. Will check it out.

I actually stopped the HDN/Yodel delivery driver in the street yesterday as I was getting absolutely nowhere speaking to them on the phone, and their online re-delivery wouldn't work. he [i]should[/i] actually deliver my parcel today. here's hoping 😕

The worst thing is that you can't moan at the driver unless you want to take the risk of your parcel "getting lost" or "damaged in transit"

This, tho i'm tempted to, then just getting the sender to claim the lost goods value back from PF. Or if it arrives looking damaged, taking pics and not signing for it/signing as damaged.

i get death threats from city link.

i actually do.

parcel force merely forget to collect/deliver things, which isn't so bad in comparison.

(to the death threats)

Used Parcel Force 48 the other week. Paid a surcharge to cover the value of the items posted £800 approx. so package cost me £47 ish. Posted it on Tuesday and they delivered it the following Monday. I complained and filled in there claim form and have received compensation £3.56.

With this level of service I certainly not going to use them again.

Normally use parcel monkey or parcel2go. Used to use the UKmail service from parcelmonkey but they seem to have stopped doing it. Insurance was £1 per £100 which is a lot better than Parcel Force for sending stuff.

I seem to remember one of the couriers on there offering approximate time slots too but that seems to have gone. There was also a courier that did same day pickup but again that option seems to have gone. Cost me £8 to send an inbred frame, forks, seat post, bars etc delivered next day.

Used the Hermes service today as it was £5.99 inc. VAT for a 3kg package. Royal Mail wanted £7.60. They came this morning just after 9am in an estate car full of parcels. On the receipt it shows their own website myhermes.co.uk so will see if that is cheaper.

The big problems seem to be that they want to come any time between 8am and 8pm (Hermes was 9-5 so better) and you need to print out labels so when arranging a courier to bring stuff to you it is more awkward (unless you plan in advance and post them).

I love parcelforce, our delivery bloke lives in the same village and I know him well, he has kept parcels at his home for me to collect 😆

Now city link, they really are sh*te.....

I didn't moan at the driver, I had a friendly chat explaining my predicament.. and lo and behold I now have my parcel (bike) 😀

At least if you work you can pick up from the post office with parcel force.

I hate delivery companies that only deliver between 10 and 4 monday to Friday and have an office in the back end of beyond open equally extensive hours. I will request Royal Fail/Parcel Farce for purely this reason. I've returned 4 or 5 parcels now because companies weren't able to deliver them and the depot was a 90 minute round trip.

Another HDN/yodel hater here!!! Ordered some parts last Thursday for 24 hr delivery and not delivered.Phone they tried to deliver to the wrong house after she called up there GPS tracking system to check. Then she asked shall i put any notes for the driver and i just said yes deliver it to the right address!!! Useless.

At least if you work you can pick up from the post office with parcel force.

I hate delivery companies that only deliver between 10 and 4 monday to Friday and have an office in the back end of beyond open equally extensive hours. I will request Royal Fail/Parcel Farce for purely this reason. I've returned 4 or 5 parcels now because companies weren't able to deliver them and the depot was a 90 minute round trip.

+1

What I don't understand is that with cheap GPS and I imagine logistics software available to these companies, why can they not operate within time windows for pickups and deliveries?