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23 Jul 21 - 02:21 PM (#4114180) Subject: BS: Problems with courier From: SPB-Cooperator I was delighted that the Passport Office approved, processed and delivered my passport in 3 days. I am not so delighted that the courier delivered it to the wrong address. Fortunately they took a picture of where they delivered it too and I was able to sprint to the house where it went and recover it safely. Luckily it was the house next door to my block of flats, and I did not have to negotiate a mile long driveway to get there, Was a bit concern that a document that sensitive was not treated with a bit more care. |
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23 Jul 21 - 06:42 PM (#4114197) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with courier From: Stilly River Sage I had house sale papers handed to me one day by the mail carrier - she said "the people at this number two blocks over found it at their door a couple of days ago." They'd also opened it and then stuffed the pages back in sideways. Lots of legal documents in there. At least the postal carrier was nice and brought it by, it wasn't her job, it was DHL. I was livid. The title company was already resending the documents because they hadn't arrived on time. I didn't go say anything to the people at that house, but it seems to me that if you get a parcel you're not expecting you should at least look at the name on the "to:" part before ripping it open. Another time when I was waiting for a different batch of house purchase papers the clerk on the phone insisted she must have the mailing address of the apartment and not the post office box I used. I finally, reluctantly gave it to her but said DON'T USE IT ANY MORE. I waited and waited for return mail after I'd moved out and the twit had mailed it to the apartment address. You just have to stick to your guns with these people - if they don't like your address, tough. On new accounts here in the US ever since 9-11 you have to give a physical address for new credit type accounts and banks, but I always call right away after it is set up and have it changed to the post office box. Even then you sometimes have to argue with people. My basic argument is "why are there post office boxes at the post office if we aren't supposed to use them?" |
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23 Jul 21 - 08:10 PM (#4114205) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with courier From: robomatic When I read the thread title I thought it might be about the font. |
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23 Jul 21 - 08:17 PM (#4114206) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with courier From: SPB-Cooperator I misread resending as rescinding just now. |
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23 Jul 21 - 08:19 PM (#4114208) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with courier From: SPB-Cooperator Hi mods can you put an s on the end of courier? Fixed. ---mudelf |
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24 Jul 21 - 01:33 AM (#4114218) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jos Couriers often ask for details of where the packet is to be left if I am out, but even when I instruct them to leave my parcel "INSIDE the porch" or "not visible from the road", they usually ignore my instructions and place it on the doorstep so that they can take a photograph. I would rather have my parcel in a safe place than a picture of it in an unsafe place. |
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24 Jul 21 - 02:15 AM (#4114221) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: BobL Aren't things like passports usually sent by recorded delivery (certified mail in the US) for which a recipient's signature is needed? Although thanks to Covid it's a virtual signature now, rather than a physical one. |
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24 Jul 21 - 03:29 AM (#4114224) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red I had two parcels recently, face mask in red of course. One was left at my front door by Hermes (UK courier) and the one vis the UK Postal Service (Royal Mail) was left at my back door & inside a plastic tub hidden from view. I am sure the postpeeps are instructed in good practice. Contrast that with a final mile elf I see regularly. He sticks his car in the middle of our cul de sac (about 2 car wide) door open, engine running as he runs to the front door. On the plus side he does knock on doors but only waits about 5 seconds, presumably to photograph. I have seen him in other cul de sacs. I doubt he will deliver to me, I don't buy from Amazin' until they make Prime opt in, instead of hiding the opt out in small print. |
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24 Jul 21 - 04:02 AM (#4114226) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jos The "virtual signature" obtained by UK Royal Mail involves the person who delivers the packet "confirming" on an electronic device that it has been delivered. That merely proves that it has been delivered SOMEWHERE. I recently found a "recorded delivery" packet behind a flowerpot in my front garden. It was addressed to a house at the other end of the road, so I wrote a note on the front saying where I had found it, and put it through their letter box. If the sender had checked the tracking number online they would have been told "We've got it" and given the time it was sent and the address of the post office that took it in. They would be told that they would not be given any further information until Royal Mail had attempted to deliver the packet. I know this because about six weeks ago I sent a small parcel by first class Signed For delivery. It has still not been delivered, and the website is content to tell me that they have still "got it". It is probably lying somewhere between here and Edinburgh. I doubt it will ever reach its destination. |
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24 Jul 21 - 04:16 AM (#4114228) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Senoufou We must live in La-La Land, because all the couriers that come to our village are absolute sweeties. We know the names of all of them, Amazon, DPD, Hermes etc. They know where to put a parcel if we're out, and hide it up so well. I always have some ice-cold cans of Diet Coke in the fridge and couriers, binmen, postman/lady all get one in this boiling heat. Another neighbour is always baking cakes/sausage rolls, and all the couriers get one to munch. We all take in parcels for one another if someone is out and there are no instructions. If I'm on The Bench out the front, any passing courier waves like billy-oh. As I said, La-La Land! |
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24 Jul 21 - 04:23 AM (#4114229) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler Everyone has trouble finding us the first time. Our postcode covers two lanes and the centre of the postcode is on the other lane. In addition we are off the road through two fields. The few that use What3words can find their way straight to our postbox. There was one courier, an individual, who had an app on his phone that seemed to be able to find anywhere, but I didn't catch the name of it! Robin |
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24 Jul 21 - 05:26 AM (#4114234) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Dave the Gnome OS Maps give a one metre grid reference and their app is free to use but you cannot download maps on the free version. OS locate is also free and will tell you your exact grid reference provided your device is capable. I'm not convinced of the benefits of What3Words in the UK when our OS system is so good. |
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24 Jul 21 - 10:19 AM (#4114250) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Stilly River Sage I usually offer up the various compliments available on the web site when I get an Amazon parcel, but a couple of weeks ago I had to offer a rebuke, when the courier didn't get as far as the porch, but left a rather expensive portable hard drive (in the white shipping envelope) in the bushes in the sun just short of the porch. |
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24 Jul 21 - 03:14 PM (#4114282) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: SPB-Cooperator Here's one for the experts in UK. What happens if you have a package left by a corurier such as TNT or Hermes put through your letterbox, and you mark it delveed to wrong address and put it in the nearest royal mail post box? Will royal mail pas sin on to the appropriate courier, will they delie rit to the proper address, or will they keep it in depot for a while before disposing of it? |
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24 Jul 21 - 04:24 PM (#4114293) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: JHW I'd assumed the village green would become a thicket of competing post boxes but there's still just the Red one. |
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25 Jul 21 - 03:23 PM (#4114376) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red There is a better solution to finding the right address. But will people use it? The ads for it show a remote emergency scenario which tells you something. It is What3Words, 3 metre resolution anywhere on the planet with 3 words. I got my Boiler Repair Service interested but it does require people to tell them the 3 words of the door location. The GF has 5, it was an issue! |
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25 Jul 21 - 08:04 PM (#4114401) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: SPB-Cooperator This is effective for senders, but government depratments work on the assumption that couriers take the trouble to find out where the recipnts address really is. |
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26 Jul 21 - 05:27 AM (#4114427) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler I give people the What3Words address of our postbox by the gate. Our house is in several 10m squares! It has been useful during Covid to have people deliver larger items and grocery deliveries to a garden storage box placed beneath our house postbox. Mostly they can then ring or message us to tell us it is there and I can come and collect it without personal contact. It save them having to negociate our track (2 fields length) in their larger vehicles as well. Robin |
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26 Jul 21 - 01:36 PM (#4114458) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Stilly River Sage I've just installed it in my phone, I'll see how it works. |
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27 Jul 21 - 02:23 AM (#4114500) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red You can have fun with the names combination. Some are hilarious in the context of location. |
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27 Jul 21 - 06:48 AM (#4114515) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: BobL Some are hilarious in the context of location. Pump House Clog? Morris tour in Australia? Mind you, most of our planet's surface is water, and most of the rest is desert, so a random point picked for its W3W reference has a good chance of being in one or the other. |
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27 Jul 21 - 07:28 AM (#4114516) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Doug Chadwick Morris tour in Australia "What4Words", the enhanced geocode system? DC |
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27 Jul 21 - 07:42 AM (#4114518) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Doug Chadwick Oh! OK, I see what you mean now. Morris tour in Australia? is a comment on the the What3Words location code "Pump.House.Clog", rather than being a code in itself. Sometimes my brain gets a bit ahead of itself. DC |
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27 Jul 21 - 08:44 AM (#4114524) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Doug Chadwick The What3Words code for my front door, here in the UK, has two of the words as plural nouns/singular third person verbs ending in "s". An almost identical code, except that the first word drops the "s" to give a singular noun/plural verb, gives a location near Hollywood, California. In an emergency, where mobile telephone reception may be less than perfect, the chances of a miscommunication seems high. I don't think I would want to depend on What3Words if I needed urgent assistance. DC |
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27 Jul 21 - 09:02 AM (#4114525) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jon Freeman At least that possible error could be caught at the time the call was made, Doug. A bigger problem seems to be where similar locations are close to one another. See this BBC article |
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27 Jul 21 - 09:44 AM (#4114527) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Doug Chadwick The article quotes Chris Sheldrick,the co-founder of What3Words: "...... anyone conducting a "systemic search using of our software" would come across examples, but they represented a "one in 2.5 million" occurrence, ......" Again, starting with my front door location, I dropped the "s" from the other word and found a location in Wallingford, Connecticut. From there, I changed the first word from present tense to the past tense ("..s" -> "..ed") and got a location in Stamford, Connecticut - about 50 miles away. That seems close enough for confusion. My search wasn't very systematic - just a stab in the dark using a likely variation which came up with the result first time. With odds like that, perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket. DC |
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28 Jul 21 - 08:17 AM (#4114614) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red In an emergency, where mobile telephone reception may be less than perfect, the chances of a miscommunication seems high. I don't think I would want to depend on What3Words if I needed urgent assistance. Fer Chissake. The emergency services (in the UK fer sure) would submit the words in and deduce which multiple locations locations were not in their demesne. The website offers alternatives, - give it a try. Don't you think the What3Word wallers haven't pre-empted that by ensuring that conflict would be bleeding obvious? They are programmers, they can run the permutations. And ascribe for clarity. They tell you that. They ain't idiots. And how devastating is a misheard LatLong or OSGR? I use them hourly and believe me, copy & paste, mostly. While we are on misheard addresses, I give you a supreme example, from the 1970s. One late night walking home (sizeable estate). I paused crossing the road to let a fire engine, blue lights flashing, past. They stopped and said "Do you now where Acacia Avenue is?". Gobsmacked me could only say "no mate". Does that sound like a misheard address? So badly garbled they wanted local knowledge and another brain to triangulate (verbally) to the right one. Sounds like it. |
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30 Jul 21 - 02:53 AM (#4114771) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Rain Dog From The Guardian today. More than 5 million people had a parcel lost or stolen last year, according to Citizens Advice, which has called on the government to start fining firms that keep losing deliveries as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the sector. And The issue, which particularly affects elderly and disabled people and those with young children, is caused in part by the unrealistic delivery schedules imposed on drivers by the parcels firms, it added. The fiercely competitive industry had a poor reputation for service even prior to the pandemic, and the subsequent boom in online shopping left many firms struggling to cope. Consumers can pay as little £3.67 for a door-to-door parcel delivery, with big retailers paying even less. And One driver described being taken on and told that the job entailed making 80 deliveries a day. However, once he had started, the workload quickly escalated to an unrealistic 180 a day. That gave him less than two minutes to deliver each parcel. “Addressing the sheer pressure that drivers are under and holding companies to account is the real way to improve this essential service for the millions of people who rely on it,” Upton said. The Guardian Newspaper |
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30 Jul 21 - 02:57 AM (#4114772) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Senoufou Rain Dog, I had a brief chat with 'our' Hermes courier, and he said he has 270 deliveries a day to make. He dashes about like a mad thing and looks utterly exhausted. If someone in our street isn't at home, as I said above, I'll take in a parcel for them, as it wastes time if the poor courier has to try and find somewhere to leave it. It looks to me like a dog's life. |
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31 Jul 21 - 02:44 AM (#4114885) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red The last Hermes parcel I had was at the front door. Not much thought there. That is why parcels come in plastic bags! So much for the climate. |
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01 Aug 21 - 09:46 AM (#4115033) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Rain Dog It comes down to cost. The drivers are not paid enough and are expected to make an unrealistic number of deliveries each day. The courier firms are not paid enough by the retailers and are under increasing pressure to reduce their costs. The retailers are happy to give their customers 'free' delivery but are unwilling to bear the true costs themselves. They much prefer to pass those costs down the line. |
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21 Aug 21 - 03:21 PM (#4117386) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Rain Dog Drivers delivering groceries for Ocado are earning less than the minimum wage, the Observer can reveal. The drivers, who deliver orders for the online retailer’s rapid delivery service, Ocado Zoom, were previously guaranteed an hourly wage of £14. But they are not employed directly by Ocado and claim their income plunged after the company brought in a new delivery partner, Ryde, in June. Faizan Babar, who has been delivering Ocado groceries for more than two years, said he could not afford to take his two young daughters on holiday this year or replace their broken scooter. “I’m making on average £50 on a 10-hour shift. And we pay for our own cars, tax, fuel and insurance out of that. It works out less than £5 an hour. Ocado is treating us like dirt.” Ocado drivers ‘paid less than £5 an hour’ |
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24 Aug 21 - 01:39 PM (#4117712) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Senoufou I was sitting outside on The Bench this morning when a van rolled up to deliver a parcel to my next-door neighbour, but they were all out at work. The courier (it was Yodel) could hardly totter up their path and he looked extremely woebegone. I was rather worried, he looked so ill. I called over to him and said I'd take in the box. He was so sweet, and said it was very very heavy so he would put it in my hall for me. (Strong Polish accent) I quickly nipped indoors and got a £10 note out of my bag, plus a bar of chocolate, to give him a little boost. I thought he was going to cry. I know they never have time for a cup of tea or I'd have put the kettle on. Poor poor chap. :( |
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25 Aug 21 - 07:38 PM (#4117868) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Tattie Bogle We also got new passports recently (not that we have any overseas trips booked!) and they also just came through the letterbox: no ring at the doorbell, no request to sign or wait while photo of delivery was taken. Think we’ve been lucky with other deliveries: usually on time or even a day or 2 before predicted, and they do use our “safe place” if we are out. And many companies now giving you a 1-2 hour delivery slot, rather than having to wait in all day. |
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25 Aug 21 - 08:09 PM (#4117871) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Sandra in Sydney Sen, I heard a report about Korean delivery drivers this morning. They can work 14 hour days, running up & down buildings without lifts, & 21 have died in recent times. Dead on arrival They call it “kwarosa” — death from overwork We have had a "few" deaths of food delivery riders here due to short delivery times - Four delivery riders die on Sydney roads in three months (Nov 20) I rarely buy on line. This year, one envelope sent to my mail box, one parcel awaiting collection at the post office! & one item collected from a store a few days ago (Click & Collect, ordered 1.30 am, collected 10am - sooo easy!) but I see courier vans & food delivery bikes everywhere. sandra (off to collect the parcel) |
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25 Aug 21 - 08:48 PM (#4117873) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Stilly River Sage We're finally to the really hot weather and this thread reminds me that I usually put out an ice-filled cooler with bottles of water for delivery folk. I'll get it out tonight and set it on the porch in the morning. Last year we had a long really hot stretch and I'd occasionally find a "thank you!" scribbled on the address label of a parcel or postal delivery. All last year I had a hand-washing station with water and soap and a plastic bucket on the porch, along with a roll of paper towels ("kitchen roll") hanging from my mailbox. They were used on occasion. |
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26 Aug 21 - 05:57 AM (#4117902) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Senoufou So many kind people on here! When the weather is hot (which it sometimes IS, even here) I keep several cans of Diet Coke in the fridge and hand them over to the binmen. Poor chaps, they're usually sweating cobs and puffing away. You'd think I'd given them a thousand pounds, not a silly little can to drink. Couriers also appreciate an icy drink. We often buy online, being quite remote in the countryside. It does save us risking Covid by pottering around the shops in the city. We've never had any problems with Amazon. |
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10 Nov 21 - 01:51 PM (#4125761) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jon Freeman I've had one delivery problem going on a week. I ordered a new laptop from Ebuyer, paying for next day delivery. It should have arrived last Wednesday. Ebuyer's tracking info just showed "Consignment information for this part of your order is currently unavailable, but is expected to reach you by the agreed date.". It still does. I contacted EBuyer who said there was a problem with my address and asked me to confirm what they had. I did this but got no delivery. In a later email exchange with them, I did suggest they ensured the courier had my phone number so a driver could contact me if stuck as well as provide me with proper the tracking info. The ParcelForce tracking showed two attempted delivers failed due to address problems so I contacted them. They said they had been given partial details from Ebuyer and had now corrected it. The tracking info was then changed to show "address problem resolved" so I guess Ebuyer didn't go back to check with ParcelForce after I confirmed my address with them. Anyway, the tracking info had "out for delivery" today and I was optimistic. But guess what… Delivery failed with address problems(unable to locate address)… |
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11 Nov 21 - 03:17 AM (#4125843) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red Jon Freeman - have you tried giving them http://what3words/my.address.idiot ? see the discussion about what3words (in this parish). If nothing else you can have fun with the 3words - I just put in the above address and it came up with ///pretty.needed.chill Those guys at What3Words are way ahead of us AND have a sense of humour. |
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11 Nov 21 - 08:02 AM (#4125864) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jon Freeman Thanks Mr. Red. I gave them written instructions too pass on and have another attempt scheduled for tomorrow but I'll try that another time. |
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12 Nov 21 - 04:49 AM (#4125929) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Mr Red try the what3words of your front door (or back). I do know the UK emergency services have used it since pretty much the start. It is a UK invention. I would think Royal Mail & Parcelforce would be up to speed. After all it is the difficult addresses that cost the most to deliver to. I commissioned an embroidered T-Shirt in Sidmouth during the festival and they had problems, but it came before the Friday. The shop was in the alleyway between the Fore St & Old Fore St. The shop owner blamed the courier who were declining to enter the town during the festivities. And I believed her. It HAD to be red of course. |
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12 Nov 21 - 08:48 AM (#4125950) Subject: RE: BS: Problems with couriers From: Jon Freeman I suppose on "difficult", we come into an "easy when you know how" category. The short drive is on a main road but sat nav to the Post Code will often take you 3/4 mile off target and our postal address is outside the road signs welcoming you to the village. That said, ParcelForce have found us for years. And as I was typing this, the delivery arrived! It seems this time round, ParcelForce did make a big effort. The driver apologised for the problems and said he knew where we were. He described himself as a "route master", said he knew this route well but he'd been placed on Christmas duties in the depot and been sent out specially for this one! |