Tuesday 2 February 2021

Post Post.

That is, a post about the post. There's apparently a national shortage of cardboard boxes [I admit we have an awful lot here right now, but you can't blame me completely] Over the last 47 weeks, people have been using postal services so much more, to obtain the goods they might previously gone out to purchase in a shop. 

Then there's the online orders of "Payday Treats" - for those people fortunate enough to still have jobs are missing their coffee dates, and Friday Birthday Cakes, and lunchtime window shopping in the High Street etc because they are working from home, alone - so they're going online and ordering fancy food, candles, books, wine and more.

Grandparents are sending letters and gifts to the littl'uns, and the children are sending cards back. Bloom&Wild are doing a great job with their letterbox flowers. I even sent relations in Essex a letterbox Christmas tree! [use this code.to get money off your first B&W order] It has not all been plain sailing round here. A postman [not our regular] cheerfully handed me a B&W box on Saturday, and dashed back to his van as the rain poured down. I looked at the label - it was for another house up the road on the other side. Wrong number! 

Then there was the mysterious email from G-Tech late one afternoon thanking me for ordering an Air-Ram vacuum cleaner. Addressed to Angela Almond, but to go to Cornwall. I rang them. We're on their system, as Bob won a vac a few years back. They said they would correct the error. Next day I got an email at 7am telling me to expect delivery at 2pm. I got back from a bike ride to a message that my vac was with "Michael the neighbour". I rang G-Tech again. Bloke on the other end couldn't help. I checked first email, there was a phone number. So I rang and said "you don't know me, but have you just ordered a new vacuum cleaner?" "Er yes..." "Well it's with Michael your neighbour".This lady's name was almost - but not quite - Angela Almond. She now has her vacuum, and we hope G-Tech have amended their database. 

I sent a surprise parcel to Rosie on January 18th. That day I took four parcels to the Post Office and three of them arrived by 21st. We're still trying to locate Rosie's package. Royal Mail Track'n'trace webpage cannot give me information "until we attempt to deliver".. The lovely guy at Ferndown Parcels Office was able to print out a sheet showing my parcel went from the PO to the Dorset Mail Centre in Poole, and he gave me a number to call. After 45 minutes on hold, Caitlin told me the parcel had been paid for at Ferndown, and the address it was going to [I know all that!] but she couldn't tell me more. I told her about the Poole Centre. She said I couldn't contact them direct. And neither could she. But if I waited 2 more days I could put in a claim for compensation [and that is just the postage refund] And that they cannot track'n'trace my parcel because I didn't pay for that service. "so why does the webpage say tell us your reference number - check your delivery then?" "Oh it doesn't mean that" 

I am now using Parcels2Go for all my parcels. It is cheaper, and appears more reliable than Royal Mail. And I'm in and out of the drop off point [a local petrol station] in seconds- far quicker than the queues in the Post Office.



8 comments:

  1. For the last year, I've been saving my cardboard boxes of various sizes to give to my friend Lara who sells crocheted things. Before Christmas, because she'd used everything she had, she was using old boxes in the loft and cutting them down into box bets to make the size she needed as her delivery of boxes was so delayed. When I think about the amount of cardboard that is binned at school, it makes me really sick as we don't have cardboard recycling and we get through so much that is just binned.

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  2. I use parcel to go as well having had disastrous dealings with Hermes as well as the PO. I once lost 350 euros. The person I was sending it to insisted on cash, it was wrapped in a letter, but never got to its destination. I had insured it, it took ages to get the money back.

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  3. We too have lost parcels this winter. It is so disappointing.I am trying Click and Drop, which lets me print the label and pay, but still doesnt give me a proof of posting.

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  4. I'm really sorry to hear about Rosie's missing parcel. We have had ropey experiences but no disasters. Well, apart from Curry's and a Christmas laptop. That was an expensive disaster. I told you about my new penpal - that has been a very joyful thing. We're starting to play noughts and crosses with each letter now!

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  5. US postal service isn't doing much better. Medications that were supposedly shipped to me more than 10 days ago seem to have mysteriously disappeared. A follow up call to the pharmacy indicated that somehow they'd used the wrong zip (postal) code and the package was lost in lala land. Considering that the name of my town is the only one in the entire US, you wouldn't think it would be so hard for postal service to figure it out. Pharmacy is shipping me new prescriptions via overnight delivery by UPS. Hard to find a reliable and timely shipper these days.

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  6. It's much the same here - I've never seen so many PO vans out and about - aside from our regular mail, the parcel delivery van seems to park out front of my building at least 3 times a day!
    We did have some disruptions last week and may have some more to come as there has been a major Covid outbreak at the huge Mail Depot and handling plant that isn't far from here - it is the first sorting point for much of the city's mail so it's not good.

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  7. I do hope that Rosie receives her parcel, eventually! I've received parcels meant for other people - on at least one occasion, I was able to call the person (same house number, but, different street!) and had her drive over to pick up the parcel!

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    Replies
    1. I MAY get the cost of postage refunded, but as I have no receipt for purchase, I cannot claim for the contents.

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