Rant about shipping/delivery

[PeteSmith]

I'm cheesed off. I love shopping online, it's easy, you can do it anytime, anywhere. What i hate is the delivery. I just placed an order on Amazon for a DVD, new from a retailer. I selected standard shipping. The e-mail confirmation states:

You have chosen to ship your order via Standard shipping. The delivery
estimate for this method to your address is 1 to 11 business days after
shipping.

Has standard shipping always been 1 to 11 business days. If you ask me 1 to 11 business days should be Sub-standard shipping. I know it rarely takes 11 days but surely they can narrow it down slightly.

Last week i pre-ordered another item from a popular online electronics retailer. They advertised a release date, albeit 'expected' on their website, they took my money straight away, and sent me confirmation by e-mail, stipulating a date when i should expect the item to arrive. I have since been back to the website and seen the release date has slipped a couple of weeks. They haven't yet bothered to update me of this by e-mail. I guess there waiting for me to take the day of work and twiddle my thumbs waiting for the courier not to turn up.

A couple of weeks back i ordered a bunch of DVD's, i was surprised when i opened them to find a boxset of Postman Pat (how ironic), i'm pretty sure i didn't order postman pat, so i sent it back and asked for a refund, which i did get promptly although the standard shipping refund didn't cover my expense. Maybe i should of been thankful for postman pat?

Which brings me swiftly on to special delivery. God how i love special delivery. Numerous occasions i have waited in all day for a parcel which never made it onto the delivery van. Other occasions where it made it onto the van but went in the wrong direction. Yet more occasions when it made it onto the Van but then never made it to my front door. And best of all, the occasions where the parcel makes it to my door, but in more pieces than when it left the shop.

Perhaps i expect too much... I think i might go back to the highstreet.

[Yosh]

I'm guessing the 1-11 days is probably 2nd class, which i think Royal Mail quotes within 3 days if possible but outside of that upto 5 i think.

The only way i can see them justifying 11 days is if the standard orders perhaps get moved to the back of the picking pile during peak/busy periods, perhaps.

[finlay666]

Originally Posted by Yosh

I'm guessing the 1-11 days is probably 2nd class, which i think Royal Mail quotes within 3 days if possible but outside of that upto 5 i think.

The only way i can see them justifying 11 days is if the standard orders perhaps get moved to the back of the picking pile during peak/busy periods, perhaps.

And time during heavy periods of time e.g. Christmas

[jamadaia]

Bah 11 days is not standard at all. 2nd class is half that time i.e. about 5 days (7 absolute max).

[drunkenmaster]

Originally Posted by PeteSmith

Which brings me swiftly on to special delivery. God how i love special delivery. Numerous occasions i have waited in all day for a parcel which never made it onto the delivery van. Other occasions where it made it onto the van but went in the wrong direction. Yet more occasions when it made it onto the Van but then never made it to my front door. And best of all, the occasions where the parcel makes it to my door, but in more pieces than when it left the shop.

Perhaps i expect too much... I think i might go back to the highstreet.

Perhaps, someone who repeatedly gets bad delivery through one method of service, would choose another service or use a store that uses a different one.

For instance, if your local RM office is run by an idiot and the delivery guy that covers your street breaks everything, don't use royal mail. With half a dozen stores carrying most items, and hundreds carrying others, its not hard to use someone else.

Here RM are excellent, and citylink are pretty slow, Fedex are fantastic and Parcel Force are perfect. So I avoid citylink when I can.

As for 1-11 days delivery, that will be, almost certainly due to the fact you ordered off a reseller on Amazon rather than Amazon themselves. In which case, the store can't offer accurate stock information or know for certain how reputable the store is. If the store screw you, tell Amazon, they might remove the store. If you only want next day delivery, order an item from a store directly rather than through a 3rd party while expecting the same level of service.

When I order from Amazon direct, an item they stock themselves, I've never once had a late delivery. When I've ordered off the marketplace for the odd rarer item I've never got it next day, nor been told I would, nor expected I would. The majority of resellers are smaller stores with less stock who can't run a Amazon level quality of service due to their size, so i'd never in a million years expect next day service from them.

Everywhere I expect next day service from, Amazon, Scan, Microdirect, Novatech, shoe places, clothes places, had one/two late deliverys from hundreds of orders of things over the years.

[Al19]

From experience Play are the worst when it comes to shipping. Amazon UK on the other hand have always delivered one day before expected delivery date and thats on super saver delivery

[007]

Originally Posted by Al19

From experience Play are the worst when it comes to shipping. Amazon UK on the other hand have always delivered one day before expected delivery date and thats on super saver delivery

I have never experienced any significant delays from Play unless ordered as 'pre-order', which make the delay justified and obvious.They always send info about orders being despatched,and taking into account that the company is located on Jersey,causing the parcel travelling for aditional 1 or 2 days, I would say they are pretty much on time.

Yes, I agree,Amazon is usually great.

[DDY]

Royal Mail recently managed to send my special delivery package to the wrong address but fortunately it turned up the following day to the right address. Before the package arrived I called up RM who went looking for the parcel, they couldn't find it and two weeks later I received a letter apologising for the lost parcel (they couldn't find it because it was sitting on my desk!) and a compensation form

[Infinite]

If something is sent by courier, get it sent to your work address. Businesses are priority, it is practically guaranteed to arrive on time/someone to collect it.

RM Special Delivery were pretty good last time I used them. I sent a package on Friday and the woman said that it would arrive on Monday. I got a call next day from my friend that it had already arrived. It travelled a fair distance as well, from the very north of England to the very south.

[handscombmp]

I find that most couriers round my way normally turn up about the same time each day so i know if it's safe for me to go out.

I have to say though that 11 days for standard shipping is slow but i suppose it's there safety net so if they're having a busy period.

[PeteSmith]

Some online stores don't say which delivery firm they use, and even when they do you can't guarantee they will use that firm to your door, this is especially the case when you live off the beaten track. As for shopping elsewhere, well yes i will always shop around, obviously i want the best price, but if i have a problem with the courier i will endeavour to avoid the, however with some items you don't get the luxury of choice. Anyway some good points here, thanks all.

[fedora]

Sorry to learn it. I think it has something to do with the courier's compensation policy. Royal Mail has a 10 working days policy before they consider a compensation request.

[no_numb]

It is incredibly frustrating when it happens luckily I have not had any issues for quite a while now. I found scan and ebuyer very good for delivery, the past 2 times I have ordered from ebuyer on super saver it has come in 2 days.

[darkghost]

Originally Posted by no_numb

It is incredibly frustrating when it happens luckily I have not had any issues for quite a while now. I found scan and ebuyer very good for delivery, the past 2 times I have ordered from ebuyer on super saver it has come in 2 days.

Same here for Ebuyer, I even got one next working day under free delivery totally unexpected!

The Royal Mail postal strikes are making it a pain in the a** for everyone though due to sudden increase in demand with competitors.

[GheeTsar]

Originally Posted by Al19

From experience Play are the worst when it comes to shipping. Amazon UK on the other hand have always delivered one day before expected delivery date and thats on super saver delivery

In my experience Play used to be amazing, as did Amazon, but both offer a pretty poor service to my address now. I guess they got too big. HMV orders on the otherhand seem to turn up the next day 9 times out of 10.

Scan free shipping offer is another league of it's own!

[snootyjim]

Originally Posted by GheeTsar

In my experience Play used to be amazing, as did Amazon, but both offer a pretty poor service to my address now. I guess they got too big. HMV orders on the otherhand seem to turn up the next day 9 times out of 10.

Scan free shipping offer is another league of it's own!

City Link? They certainly are.

Amazon are pretty good for me, but I noticed what you saw with Play.com - they were brilliant when I started using them, lately I order stuff without expecting to receive it... I just treat it as a nice surprise when it turns up. And the fact that it's free doesn't really cut it with me.