How parcel force get away with it...

[nomm]

to cut a long story short you can read this review - https://goo.gl/maps/2noRtejyHwdwhT9u7

So almost a month later, 8+ hours of my time - they will not compensate me for my lost item (A bobike maxi child seat) even with a receipt for the goods and insuring the parcel for £100.

I have asked my credit card company to step in as I have no idea what I am doing wrong or why this is so difficult?

Does anyone have any experiences like this or know how to help?

[Tangled Metal]

Just out of interest, have you tried driving around the lay-bys in your area to see if there are any packages dumped near them?

A couple of postie's have told me that parcel force are be staffed by royal mail rejects who have been sacked or simply didn't pass the security checks RM workers go thorough. Also, in our area the postie's told me that they often ditched parcels b to places they didn't want to go to (rural area so n some addresses are right out of the way). Either ditched at the sorting office so RM had to deliver or in a few cases at the lay-by where they often took a break.

The story I heard was when a customer kicked off over a missing parcel. The manager got into his car and went to that lay-by. He put a load of parcels into his boot and drove around delivering them.

[fastpedaller]

Wow, big company mentally written all over it - The usual (having not helped at all) comment of "If there's anything else we can help you with". It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious/frustrating. I'm surprised they haven't blamed covid, as that seems to be the excuse every poor-performing company use at the moment.

[fastpedaller]

Just out of interest, have you tried driving around the lay-bys in your area to see if there are any packages dumped near them?

A couple of postie's have told me that parcel force are be staffed by royal mail rejects who have been sacked or simply didn't pass the security checks RM workers go thorough. Also, in our area the postie's told me that they often ditched parcels b to places they didn't want to go to (rural area so n some addresses are right out of the way). Either ditched at the sorting office so RM had to deliver or in a few cases at the lay-by where they often took a break.

The story I heard was when a customer kicked off over a missing parcel. The manager got into his car and went to that lay-by. He put a load of parcels into his boot and drove around delivering them.

Sounds like an Urban Myth to me - not a Rural one

[nomm]

Wow, big company mentally written all over it - The usual (having not helped at all) comment of "If there's anything else we can help you with". It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious/frustrating. I'm surprised they haven't blamed covid, as that seems to be the excuse every poor-performing company use at the moment.

Yes so I followed the link - went through the process and then got a response ...have you tried claiming compensations for your parcel... click this link...

It is almost impossible to actually speak to their claims department - I have finally been given their email address which recently just sent me a link... to their own claims department, even with the specific question of - please explain specifically why my invoice/receipt is not enough evidence for my claim?

[Tangled Metal]

Just out of interest, have you tried driving around the lay-bys in your area to see if there are any packages dumped near them?

A couple of postie's have told me that parcel force are be staffed by royal mail rejects who have been sacked or simply didn't pass the security checks RM workers go thorough. Also, in our area the postie's told me that they often ditched parcels b to places they didn't want to go to (rural area so n some addresses are right out of the way). Either ditched at the sorting office so RM had to deliver or in a few cases at the lay-by where they often took a break.

The story I heard was when a customer kicked off over a missing parcel. The manager got into his car and went to that lay-by. He put a load of parcels into his boot and drove around delivering them.

Sounds like an Urban Myth to me - not a Rural one

I had two very good friends who worked for royal mail. I got that story from them. One had been a postie in that area for 15+ years and seen it all. Not an urban myth or rural one neither. They knew the people involved. In fact I suspect the manager who sorted the missing packages out was a RM guy not PF one but they operated out of the same site at the time so that explains why he got involved. I got told quite a few stories by them. It was a running joke about how many vans they'd written off or had to be recovered due to accidents. The experienced guy lost 3 or 4 vans. The last time he got given one of the newer, better vans so they were joking about him being rewarded for crashing the van with a better model!!

Posties have plenty of stories to tell if you ever become friends with a few of them. The RM's procedures regarding dog bites area not the best for example.

[robert17]

I sold a road frame to a guy in Somerset. 48hr Parcelforce from N. Worcs. The poor man received a food mixer - with the label I'd put on the bike box!. After three weeks of me chasing, I got a call from the unmarked parcels room at the Bristol SO. Identified the frame and the guy got it the next day. He sent on the food mixer to a perplexed lady in Leeds. ????????

[philvantwo]

Have you been in contact with the operations director?
jamie.stephenson@parcelforce.co.uk
See if he can help!

[nomm]

Have you been in contact with the operations director?
jamie.stephenson@parcelforce.co.uk
See if he can help!

I have NOW!!

See below:

Dear Jamie, I hope you are well during these strange times.

I am contacting you, as I am at a loss about how to proceed with your company and their services.

To cut a long story short you can read my hilarious review of my experiences here: https://goo.gl/maps/2noRtejyHwdwhT9u7

Since then and over a month later - I appear to be stuck in a game of ...go here to get your query resolved... with every form of contact your company offer.

Nothing I provide your company with is evidence enough for me to claim back the value of my lost parcel - The most recent document I uploaded is included with this email. My most recent request was to ask for the specific details of why this proof of purchase invoice does not amount to the £100 value of the insured pacrel (Actual value £115). I was signposted to ...the claims website again...

In total (as I have been keeping track) I have spent over 8 hours, either on hold, writing emails, on the phone etc - trying to sort this out. Just to give this a bit more context, I am a key worker within the NHS and a single parent so currently my time is limited, and I am also particularly busy at home and at work.

All I am asking for is what I am owed - the value of the contents of the parcel (proof enclosed), which you lost and my postage payment back. This is £116.62.

In a fairer world, in which sadly your company does not operate, I would also expect your company to pay me the hourly rate I am employed as a practitioner in children's services. This would be to make up for the time I have been working on trying to get my money back. This would be around £15-30 per hour depending on the day or time I work. As this has involved some weekend and evening hours the total is approx. between £120-240.

I no longer have any patience or time left to deal with this anymore - so I really do hope you are able to resolve my issue and do the right thing. If you are unable to resolve my complaint, I will of course take the matter up with both my credit card company and trading standards.

I look forward to hearing from you

Jon

[Jamesh]

Sounds like Hermes have done competition!!!!

Cheers James

[Oldjohnw]

I suggest another time you contact Trading Standards first, not merely keep them in reserve as a threat.

[nomm]

Sounds like Hermes have done competition!!!!

Cheers James

Hermes failed to pick it up in the first place - twice and I had to get a refund from them

[peetee]

A pitiful story and I have nothing in personal experience to add, Parcel force and the Post Office have provided excellent service to me and it is especially reliable - perhaps more than normal - in the present circumstances.
My son however has not been so lucky. He ( some would say naively) sent a games console in its original box. He dropped off and collected the parcel from a post office so it never left the company’s hands. The box was weighed and a suitable fee levied and when the empty box arrived it was opened in the presence of the employee of the receiving branch but that was not enough evidence to make a claim.

[thirdcrank]

It's worth remembering that while Parcelfarce is a subsidiary of Royal Mail, it's not the same as Royal Mail Parcels.

ie The former was originally a lame attempt at a re-branding of the latter, but it was eventually hived-off and now the Royal Mail is back to delivering parcels.

[Tangled Metal]

However, there were links between the two companies such that packages often got exchanged for delivery between the two companies for a long time after PF was created separately.

One of the big differences is RM workers by law aiui get very well security checked. PF employees don't and are often made up of RM applicants that failed recruitment due to that security check. However my postal friends did get on well with PF workers in their shared sorting office but there was banter over this between them as you'd expect.