Hi folks.
I posted a custom order out on the 3rd December. Out of the blue today, I received a message from the customer saying it had not arrived. I took a look at the tracking (Royal Mail first class signed for) and it just says that it’s still in the system. I ask her on the off chance to check her local office. In the meantime I hurridly start to create a duplicate custom order as she wanted it for an xmas present. I’m on holiday on Sunday have a pregnancy scan on Thursay and my day job tomorrow and Friday! So I’m aware I don’t have much time to sort a replacement.
She messages back just to say her delivery office have told her it’s still at my office, and that I must claim it back. I’m not sure what to do. Where will claiming it back get me? I’d be suprise if it is there, but if I managed to get it, presumably I’d just post it again? Could I claim for a refund? Or do I send out a duplicate, in case I can’t retrieve it to ensure she has her gift? Argh, help!
I think I would at least go to my local sorting office and ask if they did have the parcel and then if they did, ask to speak to the manager and ask why it had not left by now. Get the name of the Regional Manager too.
Hi Sarah I know the feeling I sent a parcel at the end of november with my hermes, It was a sale from my etsy shop, a rather large reworked jewellery box. The customer said they would be home to recieve it as it was to be signed for, however this customer totally forgot about the parcel and went of for the weekend. My hermes had supposedly sent me an e-mail telling me they had the parcel and that it would be destroyed within 7 days if I did not respond. unfortunatley I saw this e-mail past the 7 day deadline. I frantically e-mailed them only to be told they had destroyed the parcel. I was horrified and did not realise this was their policy. :
I’m a bit shocked that myHermes have a policy of destroying parcels after only 7 days! seems a bit draconian to destroy parcels that are not their property!
That’s put me off sending anything with them anymore. I think I’d rather stick to Royal Mail at least you have a better service with them. I’ve never had any real trouble with Royal Mail in the 4 years or so of using them.
It’s not at my office, customer services don’t know where it is, I can’t see how her office can know its at mine? It’s not acknowledged as lost till the 23rd, I’m going to have to work through the night aren’t I?
Royal Mail have been pretty good at this end too, but I have had four situations where I paid for Recorded Delivery, signed-for service, and have still a message online to say 4 items posted back in January - April of this year are"…being processed…"
I have a pretty good guess that they were actually delivered, as the clients never came back with complaints saying they never received the items, but I put this down to the postal management not getting their staff to always upload the scanned signature. Complaining was a waste of time.
Postal deliveries from Royal Mail to my house over 30 years have been almost perfect. When TNT took over, I soon had several lots of mail delivered as though it had been through my washing machine, and virtually destroyed. Most was undecipherable. 3 items damaged in about five weeks.
Complaints followed. They promised to look into it, and I even sent them photos of the damaged mail. The delivery lad was always on his mobile phone and couldn’t care less about the service. The sender of some of the mail, my mobile-phone provider, didn’t even realise they had a contract with TNT !
I see that TNT have changed their name to Whistl, probably because they had so many complaints. Even my MP took this matter up. Royal Mail are so much better than TNT / Whistl in my view. Royal Mail have to deal with outlying areas which are barely economic but Whistl, and others seem to pick and choose the most lucrative routes and leave the rest for Royal Mail.
I’m very shocked about the jewellery box having been destroyed, that’s a worst nightmare, I only use RM, but still, it’s just wrong!!
It’s such a dreadful shame when the post goes wrong, it doesn’t happen Very often, but I know that sinking feeling. A package I sent RM signed for turned up a month later soaking wet and mangled at the buyer’s post office. It was okay in the end, but I feel for Sarah and Denise!! Sue x
Wow!!! I wasnt aware of that.
That is a very valid point Margaret…how can a courier company take a decision to destroy someone else’s property, most companies just return it back to the sender after a set amount of time.
How alarming!!!
I emailed RM when a parcel I sent signed / tracked for was delivered but not signed for - if you see what I mean and the tracking info was not completed. I got an apology And a refund of the £7+ I’d paid.
At least you could try that and get a bit of money back.
