Service? (Parcelforce)

Member Name: Firefly54

Product:	Parcelforce
Date:	06/11/01 (663 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Your parcel might arrive on time

Disadvantages: It probably won't

It was actually quite a relief to see that I wasn't the only person in this world to have consistent trouble with Parcelforce. I was beginning to feel really unlucky...

I felt unlucky because my parcels simply didn't arrive. But when I contacted Parcelforce to try and track them down, I was made to feel as if I was being downright unreasonable for even EXPECTING them to arrive!

Mind you, if one wasn't actually concerned about whether a parcel arrived or not, there is some amusement to be gained from the sheer absurdity of a conversation with their queries dept. A couple of my favourites ran a little like this:

This first refers to a "Next day" delivery that had been awaited for 16 days.
Parcelforce: “We are unable to determine the specific location of your parcel at this time.”
Myself: “You mean you've lost it?”
Parcelforce: “Oh, no. It certainly isn't lost. It is simply in an unknown location.”
The location never did become known – my parcel didn’t arrive, and when I spoke to the sender five months later, he was still awaiting compensation. Maybe one day it will turn up. And maybe one day we will discover that dinosaurs are not extinct – they are simply in an unknown location...

This next opening line seems to be a popular one. You may be unfortunate enough to hear it repeated at 24 hour intervals – in my case for 10 days.
Parcelforce: “Your parcel is on the lorry for delivery today.”
Myself: “But I was told that yesterday.”
Parcelforce: “ It is certainly on the lorry for delivery today.”
By Day 8 I had finally realised that Parelforce staff have a language all their own. They always tell the truth... but the rest of us don’t always interpret them correctly. We jump to conclusions that might well be incorrect. So the conversation then continued thus:
>Myself: “Does that mean that my parcel will be delivered today?”
Parcelforce: “I can only say that it is on the lorry for delivery today”.
Hmmm... quite a different thing, you see. A parcel on a lorry for delivery today is NOT the same as a parcel that is going to be delivered on a lorry today...

My final story is not at all amusing, however. It is a warning to us all. It began when I noticed that a close family member was clearly displeased with me, and I asked her why she was angry. With as much embarrassment as anger, she explained that I hadn’t thanked her for an expensive birthday present that she had sent me. Needless to say, the present had been sent by Parcelforce, but never arrived. I rang them myself, expecting the run of the mill excuses and no apology from them. However, what I was told was quite disturbing.
Parcelforce: “Two attempts were made to deliver your parcel,. These attempts both failed, and so no further attempt to deliver the parcel will be made.”
Myself: “So what happens to my parcel?”
Parcelforce: “It remains in our warehouse unless collected.
Myself: “The parcel was clearly and fully addressed with a postal code, and a telephone number. Why couldn’t the house be found? Parcelforce have (eventually) delivered parcels to me on many previous occasions”
Parcelforce: “Your house must be difficult to find.”
Myself: “Others find it easily enough, and the post code was there.”
Parcelforce: “The driver doesn’t use the postcode,”
Myself: “But he surely has a mobile, and could have rung for directions?”
Parcelforce: “Not all drivers have a mobile phone.”
Myself: “There is a public phone in the middle of my village, and others close by.” Parcelforce: “They clearly couldn’t be found.”
Myself: R
20;The sender was not advised of non-delivery.”
Parcelforce: “No.”
Myself: And I hadn’t expected to have it delivered, so how was I supposed to know that I had to collect it?”
Parcelforce: “You were advised of non-delivery, and told to arrange for collection of the parcel.”
Myself: “How and when was I advised of non-delivery?”
Parcelforce “Cards were left by the driver who attempted delivery.”
Myself: “So where did he leave them – bearing in mind that he was unable to find my house?”
Parcelforce: “I can only inform you that cards would have been left”
Maybe such cards are left in the same place as parcels of unknown location?

SO..if you have ever sent someone a surprise gift using this service, do make sure that they actually received it!

Can I finish by saying that by choice, I would never use Parcelforce again. Unfortunately, it is usually senders, not recipients, who make that choice though. I cannot choose who suppliers send my parcels with. However, I am finding that fewer suppliers now use Parcelforce, which is a great relief!

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