Things you don't want to read when you've ordered expensive IT kit

[DirtyDog]

This part of your order will be delivered by Yodel.



Fingers crossed it's packed properly and waterproof for when they fling it over the gates in the rain because they are too fscking lazy to walk to the front door and ring the bell rather than drive to the back gates which will be locked.

[northernladuk]

Had to deal with them just before xmas. Ordered surround sound from Amazon. Got a note through the door while I was actually in. Said it was in the garden shed. Bloody good job of him, garden shed is just like a wardrobe and it's full. Ran round and guess what, **** all. That was 2 hours after he called.
Spoke to Yodel who wouldn't call the driver to ask where it was, just told me to contact Amazon and tell them to open a case to Yodel so then can contact the van driver.
Contacted Amazon who said fine another one on order. I asked them if they were going to open a case on Yodel and the operator said he could if I wanted. WTF!!. I asked them if it bothered them that the Yodel people were either stealing or were in cohorts with someone to steal my stuff and it appeared the didn't. Absolutely unbelievable.

Second note came through the door while I was in again but managed to spot it just as the guy was driving off. This time it was actually in the shed, door open, item half out cause it didn't fit in the pissing rain.

Words fail me about these people. It's legalised theft.

Spent the next two days playing with my conscience as to whether to report it missing again but didn't in the end.

[Platypus]

Are you selling the first one ;-)

[northernladuk]

Are you selling the first one ;-)

I am shocked at your insinuation sir!!

30 quid and it's yours, meet me round the back of the Hare and Hounds in 20 mins.

[BrilloPad]

Hide when the delivery man appears. They wont get a signature. Then sell the kit on ebay and sue them for new kit. With their reputation the judge will never believe them.

HTH

[psychocandy]

Had that a few times with them. Hear the card being pushed through the door, jump off sofa to see guy pegging it back into van and zooming off.

Last time it happened, I phoned the depot who phoned the driver who alleged he'd rung doorbell for 5 mins and there was no answer. Yeah right.

Got a family member who works in delivery - different company. Drivers get allocated so many drops a day and then its off home for them. A failed carded delivery counts exactly same as if someone answers.

So its quicker to fill in the card, stuff it in door and leg it rather than ring doorbell, wait for owner to answer door, sign for it, lug in parcel etc.

Of course the drivers know that most people won't complain and will think oh I must have not heard the door etc. They all do a few 'carders' when they want an early finish.

[Ticktock]

Have to say, Yodel are pretty good where I live - in fact I haven't had a problem with any delivery companies.

Then again, I live in a half-decent area. I can't remember the last time I saw a chav around my way - I can drive to Basingstoke if I want the safari park experience of seeing them in their natural habitat.

[DirtyDog]

Had that a few times with them. Hear the card being pushed through the door, jump off sofa to see guy pegging it back into van and zooming off.

At our house, it's easier to drive down the back of the house than to get to the front (you'd have to drive down the front as well, but they don't like that because it's narrow). So deliveries are nearly always brought to the back, where the gates are locked to keep any oiks away.

So not only do they fail to deliver to the front door, they then don't bother with a card - if we get one at all, it's wedged into the gate where we might find it when we go out to do the school run.

FedEx are the worst for this.

[Gittins Gal]

I always check that the courier isn't Yodel owing to a couple of nightmares I had with them.

A couple of years ago, I ordered a playbook for OH's b'day and specified express delivery.

It took 5 days to get here and it didn't make it in time for his b'day. I was fuming.

I had a tracking number and kept checking to see where it was. It was sat in the Yodel depot in Basingstoke the whole time. Why? Because they were waiting for a full van load before they'd send anything out.

How the hell are they still in business?

As an aside, I'm reverting to buying off the shelf. Yes, you pay a bit more but you don't have to deal with couriers and less than helpful post sales call centre staff.

I ordered a laptop from HP last year. Complete nightmare but when it finally arrived, one of the keys was broken.

So I had to send it back - pack it up, liaise with the courier to get them to pick it up from my place of work and then wait TWO WEEKS for the replacement to arrive (I'll never deal with HP again, either).

Contrast this with my new laptop purchase experience. I bought a Sony Vaio Pro 13 from John Lewis off the shelf. I got it home and found that the left click on the trackpad was sticking. So I took it back and they exchanged it there and then on the spot.

Ok, I paid a bit more but saved myself a monumental amount of stress.

Problem is, I think off the shelf shopping is going to become less well catered for as more and more people shop online. So many high street stores, especially those selling electrical goods, are no more than showrooms.

[vwdan]

I had to go to their Depot (Which was an hour away ) to pick up a brand new laptop. We waited 20 minutes while another guy was being served, then waited another 15 for the lady to go and find our parcel. As she walked through the door back to the counter she managed to both and drop it and chuck it half way across the floor. "Oops, sorry, that's the first one I've ever dropped" was her only response..

(I'll never deal with HP again, either).

While I like HP, I won't defend them but I do have ask why you'd order direct from the manufacturer for a single item? They're always more expensive than the likes of eBuyer etc in my experience.