Two weeks ago my partner bought an Iron (domestic not golf) online from a firm she had used before, £20 and free delivery.
After 2 weeks it had not arrived so she contacted the supplier and asked where it was. Answer - back with them, returned by their courier as "Undeliverable", after several abortive trips, and a £10 fee for their time and trouble. She works 9 to 5, 3 days a week, which is hardly unusual, there was no card thru the door asking her to telephone them to arrange a suitable alternative time. She can be home 3 days a week plus Sunday and the supplying firm had not contacted her to say that the parcel was back with them.
They must have to try deliveries to many houses that are unoccupied during work/school hours and I am suprised that they don't have some system in place to deal with this.
Options now are, give up and have a refund, less £10, or get it redelivered for a £10 fee. She wants the thing and so is going to pay but I think this is incompetent service by both organisations and wonder if it is worth querying the "Free Delivery" with Trading Standards. As ever the problem has been a total lack of communication, subsequent to the "Thank You for your Order" email. Thoughts and comments please, over and above don't buy from these people again?
|
I think your partner is asking for bother by ordering a bulky package online.
Iffy Towers is usually unoccupied during the day, so I don't order anything that will not fit through the letterbox.
Yes it can be frustrating, but there are some things in life one just has to accept.
As your partner is working, I'm guessing she has easy access to lots of shops which would sell her a £20 iron.
|
Do loads of online purchases... and sales too via ebay where I have a carrier collect from me. Know many of them and their timings now so mostly it works OK. But when it doesn't it drives you mad.
However spare a thought for the delivery guy who may well have been self employed and averaging 35p a drop so probably not highly motivated towards a good level of service. After all I guess the iron price was a good deal and then if they don't charge for delivery there's no money left for a quality carrier... as in you got what you paid for.
I often look at things with free delivery and upgrade to the next level of service when it is quicker or guaranteed next day.
|
I dont think they can enforce the refund minus £10. Under the distance selling regulations you have 7 days to return the goods for a full refund (including the delivery costs if applicable) this commences upon delivery from which time you have 7 days to inform the supplier that you are returning the goods. Some companies extend this to 14 or 28 days under their own policies.
If they have not managed to deliver the goods then the 7 days have not commenced.
Of course if the house is empty all week from 8 to 8 with no neighbours, you had not been in touch etc then they could reasonably claim that it had not been possible to deliver. Though when the house is occupied at least 4 days a week and, they have not put a card through the door, they have not tried to leave with neighbours, you have been in touch to make arrangements etc then they have not made an effort to make the delivery.
|
If that's their standard practice they must get a lot of irons back. Our experience is that some couriers will give you a choice of redelivery or collection from their depot, while Parcelforce leave a note saying they're at the local Post Office. Occasionally they leave them in a log basket by the door.
The last bulky parcel I had (last week) was left with the nearest neighbour who was in, and the card said "at "Shangri-La across the road" on it.
|
>> there was no card thru the
>> door asking her to telephone them to arrange a suitable alternative time
Have you checked whether that's their standard practice? Seems completely wrong to not let you know anything - I would say it's a mistake, and you're right to be annoyed.
|
|
There is no end to the Penguin's shame! I put a typo in the address for delivery, transposed the 2 numbers of the house! Last time I did this was for a vital document from the FSA. Thanks for the sensible and helpful comments re bulky parcels. I shall spend the day in my snow hole contemplating my stupidity and incompetence! Subject closed. I was going to ask the Mods to delete thius thread but I thought I should own up!
|
You're in good company PP, it's usually me who does that:)
Pat
|
>>There is no end to the Penguin's shame!
What a refreshingly honest post.
|
>> What a refreshingly honest post.
>>
Agreed!
|
|
Have you told the Penguin Partner who's flipper is responsible for this cock-up?
|
|
Yes indeed! There is no way escaping the wrath of a lady penguin who has to pay another £10 to the courier!
|
|
But it was Your typo, PP.
|
Two weeks ago we got a very good cordless steam Iron for 15 quid from Lidl....
Your (now) 30 quid Iron is looking very expensive...
|
What make Z, you want a Philips when it comes to iRons ...
|
|
I'll let you know next time she does the ironing.
|
We have a similar arrangement - Mrs C does every last bit of ironing in our house.
Unfortunately none of it is mine.
|
"We have a similar arrangement - Mrs C does every last bit of ironing in our house.
Unfortunately none of it is mine."
I quote Dennis Thatcher on the subject. "I wear the trosuers in this house. And I wash them and I iron them".
John
|
|
Oh well Mr delivery did his best for his 35p. In a reverse situation I've chased a non-delivery to have them tell me they've been three times and left a card... and as *proof* they could tell me I have a half glazed red door. How very enterprising... except we've a blue Georgian!
|
|
At least its not Mock Tudor.
|
|
True. I think blue Georgian is the silver Mondeo of the door world.
|
|
Why don't you just ask the maid to use her own iron?
|
I paid about £15 for a new iron in Sbys the other week. Half price allegedly. A bit of an impulse purchase. The current one has played up but carried on after a little persuasion. The £15 one is a major brand (darned if I can remember what) and looks just like the expensive ones. Probably works like 'em too.
John
|
Argos '£30' iron for £10, good reviews: tinyurl.com/5u9sweu
|
>> Why don't you just ask the maid to use her own iron?
>>
Why don't you just ask the Maid?
|
|
Correct but she has to pay it on her card as she is the buyer and used her card. I shall pay her the £10, choke on humble pie for a week and sleep in the garden shed with the lawnmower!
|
>> There is no end to the Penguin's shame! I put a typo in the address
>> for delivery, transposed the 2 numbers of the house!
It's annoying when that happens - I'd be embarrassed to, for instance, refer to you as "PP" instead of the correct "PP".
HTH.
|
>> It's annoying when that happens - I'd be embarrassed to, for instance, refer to you
>> as "PP" instead of the correct "PP".
>>
>> HTH.
>>
Is your "HTH" the correct "HTH"?
|
|
Is he called Harry The Hat?
|
I got home the other day to find a couple of cards through the door from a delivery company:
1. "Parcel behind gate". No it wasn't, the gate was locked
2. "Ignore card".
I couldn't get over someone posting a card through my letter box saying "ignore card".
|
|
That was from the guy who nicked the parcel from behind your gate.
|
|
On the rare occasions I'm not in for a delivery (usually because of an unexpected emergency) I leave a small message on the door requesting any parcels be delivered next door (the neighbours are very happy to do so, especially as it's a gesture often reciprocated).
|
|
A colleague once heard the letter box when at home and rushed to see what it was - he was expecting a parcel. The noise was due to the card popped through that said a parcel delivery attempt had been made but he wasn't in etc - but he was. He opened the door and rushed out to call the Royal Mail chap. He asked him for the parcel.... except the driver didn't have it because he'd left it at the depot on purpose because he'd assumed my friend wouldn't be in. This is a true story. Now that's service for you.
|
I can second that except that he did have the parcel.
I've also been cut off by Parcelforce call centre. SWMBO ordered goods from two companies taking advantage of free next day delivery, knowing that we had visitors that day and would be in all day. There was no delivery. I called the Parcelforce number and was polite but persistent. I got a load of cobblers from the lady, including "he tried but we were out". She eventually put the phone down on me. I was most definitley not rude but I wasn't taking the cobblers she was dishing out.
Unfortunately after many years of being the most incompetent courier service known to mankind and the company I love to hate, we've just had a good service from them a week or two back. Which is to say they left a parcel around the back when we out instead of retreating to deepest, darkest Wales with it. Darn. I may have to re-assess them.
John
Last edited by: Tooslow on Fri 4 Mar 11 at 11:40
|
Very Poor Service from a Courier Firm - Iffy
