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

[Ticktock]

They were useless when they were myHDNL and are useless now. I try to avoid buying from places if I know they use Yodel.

Once tracked my delivery on Yodel website, suddenly it said "not in, left card". Only they clearly hadn't even bothered trying to deliver as the delivery address was to a 24/7 manned site with thousands of people and dedicated goods in department.

Of course, it could be that they just slapped in one of the few available codes, which often don't go beyond "Cannot locate address", "Not in" and "Driver out of time". That doesn't mean that the code is a real explanation of what happened, or even that they've chosen the most appropriate option to be the "best fit" for what actually happened.

[smatty]

They were useless when they were myHDNL and are useless now. I try to avoid buying from places if I know they use Yodel.

Once tracked my delivery on Yodel website, suddenly it said "not in, left card". Only they clearly hadn't even bothered trying to deliver as the delivery address was to a 24/7 manned site with thousands of people and dedicated goods in department.

[Ticktock]

I know that drivers for some couriers used to be paid based on the number of successful deliveries they made, so there wasn't an incentive to card and run - however there also wasn't an incentive to sit around waiting for someone to come to the door for too long, when potentially that time would cost them being able to make another delivery that day.

[d000hg]

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.

Delivery companies don't want this and presumably use tracking software to measure how good each driver is doing?

One way to make this a bit better might be to log start/stop times. e.g. if a parcel is marked as undelivered, logs have to show engine was turned off for 2-3min.
Could also log if the guy actually bothered opening the van door to get the parcel out

Any system is open to abuse, e.g. driver could just sit for 3min and have a fag, but if there is less incentive for the driver to pull a fast one it would be better. Then it's not like trains trying to stay on schedule by not stopping at some stations.

[DirtyDog]

Well, the order I placed last night arrived safe and sound.

Unfortunately, the order I placed last week has a tracking number from the vendor, but doesn't even show up on the Yodel website. Response from the vendor - leave it a few days and see if it arrives.

[doodab]

Last week I didn't leave my house and I still had a card through the door from one who couldn't be arsed to ring the doorbell. Oddly he came back in the afternoon though.

[Ticktock]

Same here, although we do have some deliveries from a woman in her car - guess some companies outsource like this?

Generally though, they don't leave things which require a signature. I thought this was company policy but mother, who lives in the arse-end of rural Cornwall, says they are all happy to put parcels in the shed or even leave them inside the porch if you leave the door unlocked, it's just the norm.

Yep, I don't know the exact nature of it because there are Yodel vans out there, but they definitely employ "self-employed" man-with-a-van types to do deliveries.

Yep - some Amazon deliveries are from some itinerant bint in an Astra estate, some are in a shiny Yodel van. Some delivery drivers (especially the postie) know my wife works in the village shop, so will deliver to her there if there's no answer to the doorbell and they need a signature.

[vwdan]

Same here, although we do have some deliveries from a woman in her car - guess some companies outsource like this?

Yep, I don't know the exact nature of it because there are Yodel vans out there, but they definitely employ "self-employed" man-with-a-van types to do deliveries.

[d000hg]

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

Same here, although we do have some deliveries from a woman in her car - guess some companies outsource like this?

Generally though, they don't leave things which require a signature. I thought this was company policy but mother, who lives in the arse-end of rural Cornwall, says they are all happy to put parcels in the shed or even leave them inside the porch if you leave the door unlocked, it's just the norm.

[Gittins Gal]

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.

It was a cashback deal they were running in conjunction with QuidCo. I found it on UkHotDeals.com.

You had to order way in advance of the delivery date and when the time came (after a month ISTR) they'd run out.

So they offered me an upgrade for the same price - but first they had to refund me my original payment. That was sticking point 1 - it took them 2 weeks to do it during which time Id forked out again for the upgrade. So I'd paid twice and had nothing to show for it and EVERY time I rang their useless post sales team I just got fobbed off.

It took 3 weeks to come and then I had to wait another 3 for the replacement as previously mentioned. Bearing in mind I placed the original order on 24 Nov and finally received a fuully working item on 2 Feb , well it's not acceptable.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.