Hermes Vent!

DaisyKnight

I recently placed two online orders, one with Dorothy Perkins and on with Asda (George). I put on both of the order notes that if I was not in at the time of delivery, the parcels could be left behind our bins. I usually do this to saved missed deliveries, we live in the corner of a very quiet cul de sac and this area isn't visible unless you walk into it.

Never had a Hermes delivery before, however if we are out other couriers either leave a card (if they are not allowed to leave parcels in the open I suspect, which is fine) or they leave them hidden behind the bins as requested which works out perfectly.

So, I return home a few days after placing my orders to find two Hermes cards through the door. On both of them, the delivery driver has written 'in the bin'. I go back outside, thinking that no right minded person would actually put delivered items in the bin and that they must be hidden behind.

Unfortunately not! After searching, both of my items were actually in my wheelie bin, on top of all of my mouldering garden and food waste. In our area, we have compostable waste collected once a fortnight, so as you can imagine in the warm after this long it starts to get a bit ripe! There are also two other bins, general non recyclable waste and paper/cardboard.

I had to dig out both parcels and clean them before I could open them. No damage to the items inside, so I havent complained as there has been no loss.

I just find it astonishing that a person could be that daft! Why on earth would you put parcels in a bin, particularly one full of rotting grass?!? And what if it was bin emptying day?

Little vent over!

DaisyKnight

Ha ha, maybe! Though how packages containing cropped trousers and t-shirts could be so very offensive I'm not sure!

skyntmum

Parcel Force are worse! I ordered 2 kitchen doors from B&Q last year, and this is the story....We too live in a very out of the way place but did have some neighbours, far too old to be of any use, so I leave a (clean) black bin out side with a note taped to it saying 'all parcels in here'. Works well with the postie unless it's a new one who can't find either the house, the postbox or the bin....Our neighbours behind us moved out and the house was empty (still is). I had to take son into hospital coz of his heart condition and therefore no one was in. Last thing on my mind is parcels from B&Q....but then i get back home and check my emails and am told the parcel (kitchen doors) has been delivered. I search outside, all over, bin included, no parcel. Then start a protracted conversation with parcel force. They said it had been delivered and someone called B.Robson had signed for it......no one of that name around and about. The driver apparently was insisting that he left the parcel with a neighbour, but no one is owning up to it. B&Q eventually let me have the doors again, but I have to collect them from the nearest big town (20+ miles away) despite having paid for postage and packing. Then later on in the year, approaching Christmas, my daughter orders something from Ideal World, it is meant to be delivered by Christmas, by Parcel Force. She gets a letter on the 24th Dec telling her that they can't find our house, can we phone with directions. I phone the depot for her and they tell me that they know where we live, they don't need instructions and the parcel will be delivered between Christmas and New Year. we get another letter dated 28th Dec tell us they can't find us and can we ring. So I ring again and they tell me that it can't be delivered until the 4th! 4th comes and goes and I ring again, only to be told that due to them being unable to deliver and me not ringing them to give them directions to my house, they have sent the parcel back to Ideal World!!! I ask Ideal World for a refund, it takes weeks and weeks of phoning them on a premium rate number (as they never phoned back), so although daughter got a refund, it cost us nearly £5 in phone bills to do so (number was not included in our phone package numbers).

I have also ordered from Cotton Traders (who used Hermes) and they never delivered to me. I had paid and when I never received the goods, called Cotton Traders, they told me the parcel had been returned undelivered...and to cap it all, it had been ripped open and a a few pairs of socks were missing. I put in a claim, but when I tried to re-order the goods (clothes for my son who was too ill to go out clothes shopping) nothing except the socks were still in stock. When I re-ordered the socks, the driver of the Hermes van refused to drive further down our track and left the parcel with my most distant neighbour who kindly delivered them for me. (Embarrassment?)

And don't get me on UKMail who tried to run me over in our nearest town when he threw the vehicle into reverse, hit the accelerator without looking in his mirror....I left a person-shaped smear in the dirt on his rear doors....and when I called the main depot, they denied it all even before the guy got back into the depot and the 'manager' really didn't seem to care that his driver had nearly killed an old, semi-disabled woman!

There must be some good, reliable and decent delivery drivers out there, but I am struggling to find any............

DaisyKnight

Well do let me know if you find any decent ones skyntmum, I could do with a recommendation! ;-)

To be fair, I'm sure there are good delivery workers out there. I dont usually have any issues. Probably just a case of one plonker rather than a whole company of them, but still! What a muppet.

SADIE

It's only a guide when you request "leave by bin" the courier makes a decision if they think it's safe.

The courier will be responsible and accountable if it went missing(surprising I know, customer requests an unsafe place Hermes pass the message on) but the courier is still responsible.

The courier (maybe new obviously not sure and put it in a safer place).

I ignore the requests from customers and Hermes, if it's not one of the safe places on my HHT it is attempted 3 times and sent back.

I've had my postie put things in my bins(rubbish, grass cuttings etc. in there)although they have a collect depot but I'll live with it because I wasn't home.