Parcel Deliveries; eBay Resellers & Websites

rare_stuff

Just thought I'd share some experience with some of these couriers, it may be useful to some hopefully!

Well, after a lousy experience with Home & Textiles, no collection friday and had to call parcel farce today myself to check they were coming after no collection by 3pm today, then I got a muppet driver in a white van turn up without any paperwork and just a tabard identifying him as Parcel Farce expecting me to hand over a package, which I refused to do until he went back to the van and provided some ID. Not really H&T's fault that the couriers are useless, but not helped by very poor communication and if PF can't deliver an adequate service they should ditch them!

Now a completely different experience with eparcelz for an international delivery, I screwed up the friday collection and the package had stioll to be labelled, booking a re-collection for this morning wasn't a problem and the re-collection fee fairly reasonable. The courier they were using was parceline and the paperwork left had no useable tracking number, the consignement number on it was for a parcel delivered in 2002! And am still awaiting them getting in touch with a useable tracking number. I did book another package with them for collection tomorrow and the tracking number they have provided seems to indicate it's going to be parcelfarce again well at least I know where to call if they don't arrive by 3pm!). Gotta give them credit for reasonably good comms, but they may lose some marks here if they don't get back to me with a tracking number.


I've also booked a package for collection by MHcouriers(couriersdirect) and at £6.99 for a DHL 24hr service I just wish they'd had this offered last week! I've yet to have a problem with DHL. But will keep you posted!

I'm glad I opened a new ebay account just to use for couriers as now my customers will not know how much I'm paying for postage, and I can leave negative feedback as deserved to the under performers! Plus I'm getting some commission on the new ebay account and the purchases, so some cashback bonus too!

custardy

powertron wrote: »

I am incredibly umimpressed with Parcel Farce and will never use any company related to them to send parcels off.

I don't know where they get their drivers from, the last one I got came 3 days later and didn't even have any paperwork or ID. The van said Fraikin and the driver was a 'fraikin' idiot.

I requested tracking number and he claimed they don't provide tracking numbers, not surprised he probably nicks half the packages.

cost cutting using owner drivers

i think your last line is uncalled for

Xstyle

rare_stuff wrote: »

I'm glad I opened a new ebay account just to use for couriers as now my customers will not know how much I'm paying for postage, and I can leave negative feedback as deserved to the under performers! Plus I'm getting some commission on the new ebay account and the purchases, so some cashback bonus too!

Wish I thought of that! Great idea!! Nice 1.

BTW, is Northern Ireland (Newry, on the border with RoI), still classed as Mainland UK ??
DAMN!!! Just seen that Home Textiles wouldn't deliver to Northern Ireland!!!!!!!! ......... oh pooh!!!!!!!

I've not had a problem with ParcelForce, my delivery driver is top notch! (via Home Textiles, and before that ParcelWizard). .....touch wood!

jayok

Newry is in the UK, however it is not in Britain (mainland or underwise).

davidjones90

Home-textiles have yet again missed my delivery , I also booked another one for tomorrow so hopefully PF come pickup both packages.

Are DHL any good? I need packages insured to £500 and next day.
Also which is the best next day courier to Scottish Highlands?

thx :j

RoyaleMale

powertron wrote: »

I requested tracking number and he claimed they don't provide tracking numbers, not surprised he probably nicks half the packages.

Definatley sounds dodgy if a parcel force driver refuses to give you a tracking no.

I wouldn't give them my parcel if they refused to give me a tracking no, who knows what would happen to it.

Jakejakejake

We always have the same parcelforce driver, and he always provides us with the paper work. Some times, the van hes in is not a parcelforce one, but it usually is.

rare_stuff

davidjones90 wrote: »

Home-textiles have yet again missed my delivery , I also booked another one for tomorrow so hopefully PF come pickup both packages.

Are DHL any good? I need packages insured to £500 and next day.
Also which is the best next day courier to Scottish Highlands?

thx :j

I had this happen Friday, was not impressed! Home Textiles did supply tracking number for the monday collection and asked me to ring the local PF depot if no collection by 3pm, which I did have to do as they hadn't turned up. Within 30mins of the call a driver turned up to pick it up, though had no paperwork just the details on their handheld digital thingy. So worth giving your local PF depot a call if no collection by 3pm.

As for DHL, local driver is great and have been very happy with the service. MH direct are offering 24hr delivery via dhl for £6.99 currently with booking cut off of 10am for same day collection. Extra for higlands, islands etc, not sure how much, and it's a 8am cut off if you live in remote areas.

davidjones90

rare_stuff wrote: »

I had this happen Friday, was not impressed! Home Textiles did supply tracking number for the monday collection and asked me to ring the local PF depot if no collection by 3pm, which I did have to do as they hadn't turned up. Within 30mins of the call a driver turned up to pick it up, though had no paperwork just the details on their handheld digital thingy. So worth giving your local PF depot a call if no collection by 3pm.

As for DHL, local driver is great and have been very happy with the service. MH direct are offering 24hr delivery via dhl for £6.99 currently with booking cut off of 10am for same day collection. Extra for higlands, islands etc, not sure how much, and it's a 8am cut off if you live in remote areas.

Thanks will be moving to DHL, im sure its a much better service, I don't mind paying 14p extra with them but I would like to know what time they usually pick up, for me PF has been (surprisingly) consistent with picking up between 3:30 to 4:30 which suits me great. Hopefully I sort out couple of DHL deliveries after xmas to get an idea of the time. To be fair though I don't have any problems with my PF driver, nice guy shame about his van though doesn't seem to have much life left . I think its just home-textiles screwing up.

I think what these companies like home-textiles, parcel2go should do is arrange some sort of deal with parcel force/dhl to allow customers to drop off items in the
post-office(like the way paypal allows you to). This way it doesn't need to go from house to house collecting parcels here and there, it can simply collect lots in one go(some may want to collect from home though!)

roses

Awhile ago there was a seller on Ebay who was offering DHL delivery for about £5 but it got pulled because DHL was exclusive to payperdrop on Ebay.

Does anyone know if this seller has resumed?

Edit: found him:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260161220070

His account was suspended on Ebay (possibly because payperdrop had an exclusive deal with DHL) so I have emailed him to see if he still offers the £5 DHL service.