Deliveries - aaargh

[Rosendula]

I'm having a bad day for deliveries
Following the death of my old washing machine that had so many faults it wasn't worth repairing, I ordered a new one online. With a family of 5, one potty training, you can understand that express delivery was essential. I found my ideal machine on the L!cklewuds website and paid £25 for the delivery, which it said included delivery within 3 working days, removal of the old machine and connection of the new one. It arrived today, the 4th working day, and the driver had no instructions to connect it or to remove the old one and so wouldn't do either. OK, connecting it is easy, but I didn't get the service I paid for and I still have the old machine in my garden - getting the council to take it away usually takes a good couple of weeks. OOOh! I'm so angry.

THEN!!!! I get an email from someone who bought a beautiful wooden gecko ornament from me on eBay. I posted it 1st class (recorded) on Friday, so it should have arrived Saturday, or Monday at the latest. Not only did it take until today (Tuesday) before it was delivered, it arrived in 2 pieces. Now I have to refund the buyer and go through all the hassle of trying to claim from Royal Mail - which I haven't a clue how to do.

Why do simple things like this always end up so much trouble?

On top of that, Katie doesn't like the noise of my (extremely quiet) new washing machine and keeps asking me to turn it off. No chance! I've another 11 batches waiting to be done.

[Green Aura]

Sorry about your bad delivery day. I empathise totally.

Up here, we have the added problem of being charged exorbitant prices (at least £10 extra, usually more), even when Royal Mail is used, because apparently the Highlands fell off the top and we are not part of mainland UK!

I've just bought a new rotary dryer off ebay, the main blurb stated postage costs and the p+p section gave the same info. It was only after I'd paid that I received an email pointing me to the very bottom of the page, amongst all the ads trying to flog me stuff I don't want, that said email for costs to highlands and islands. Royal mail don't charge extra so why can't they just use them for items being sent up here. Probably because they'd have to get off their bums and go to a post office.

Ooooh I love a good tant in the morning!

[Rod in Japan]

When all my family have gone out and I've settled down for 30 minutes of quiet zazen, 15 minutes in when things are just getting interesting, that's when the jeans my wife bought on Yahoo auctions arrive. It certainly tests one's equanimity and detachment. There seems to be a delivery of something nearly every other day...

[ina]

When all my family have gone out and I've settled down for 30 minutes of quiet zazen, 15 minutes in when things are just getting interesting, that's when the jeans my wife bought on Yahoo auctions arrive. It certainly tests one's equanimity and detachment. There seems to be a delivery of something nearly every other day...

My onion sets just got delivered - just as well I have a large post box!

[Thomzo]

I ordered some plants off the internet earlier this year. The delivery instructions clearly said to deliver to my neighbours (who are retired and in the house all day). The postman (Royal Mail) just ignored this and put a card through my door instead. The card didn't even say what they'd done with the package. I guessed eventually that they had taken it back to the depot. I was furious as I had to take time off work to collect the plants otherwise they would have died. The plants were delivered in FIVE different parcels so this happened each time.

I complained to the company and I notice they now use a different courier. No wonder Royal Mail are doing so badly.

Rant over
Zoe

P.s it's no better at work. A letter sent to me first class by a colleague in Cardiff took a week to arrive. The best bit is when I have to ring the credit control team at Royal Mail to tell them that their invoices have got lost in the post

[lsm1066]

So sorry to hear about your delivery problems. At least the driver could find you! We've had them sit on the front of our workshop, then leave and say that they couldn't find us when they were literally on the doorstep!

Still, to claim compensation from Royal Mail, go to http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cust ... d=77300736 and it will tell you what to do.

Good luck
Lynne

[Rod in Japan]

I get an email from someone who bought a beautiful wooden gecko ornament from me on eBay. [thnip] it arrived in 2 pieces.

Speaking of geckos, we had a real one in our house last night. Most ornamental it is too. Normally I see them stuck on the side of the house before they scamper off to hide, or I find them in my timber piles. But this one was on its guard in the stairwell.

I have a wooden gecko from Bali. It's all glued together since it keeps shedding legs and toes. Are your ornaments from Bali by any chance?

[ina]

P.s it's no better at work. A letter sent to me first class by a colleague in Cardiff took a week to arrive. The best bit is when I have to ring the credit control team at Royal Mail to tell them that their invoices have got lost in the post

Yes, the RM aren't doing themselves any favour with their miserable service... Once when I was unemployed I applied for a job as postie over Christmas. They invited me for an interview - the letter with the invitation took 2 months, for a distance I could easily have walked in 3 hours... When I sent a rather sarcastic letter back, they went all stiff and said if I had any complaints, they needed more information, as to where the letter was sent from etc. What? Don't they even know where they send their own letters from???

[Green Aura]

Great news
Had an email from rotary dryer man. He's absorbing the extra cost because he agreed the extra costs weren't obvious!
Restores faith a little.

[Rosendula]

... to claim compensation from Royal Mail, go to http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/cust ... d=77300736 and it will tell you what to do.

Good luck
Lynne

Thanks for the link, Lynne. I'll check this out.