Courier Chaos

[flecc]

Once upon a time couriers delivered to our doors. Then Covid happened and our doorsteps became good enough. But it seems that was too much trouble so in blocks of flats they started to just throw packages onto hall floors just inside the ground floor porch doors.

The latest now is throwing them down in any porch doorway of any block building, like the one I've just redelivered to number 73 three buildings away. It had been thrown onto the hallway floor of 49 to 54, so could never have been seen there by the intended recipient, without someone like myself volunteering to redeliver it.

Is it similar now where you are?
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[matthewslack]

Something to do with parcel delivery economics perhaps?

Stage 2 is delivery companies going out of business. Our largest operator besides Royal Mail and Parcelforce is about to call it quits, despite the substantial premiums we pay on every parcel because of our location.

Almost 300 jobs at risk as Menzies Parcels to shut down

Staff at Menzies Parcels have been told the firm is to shut down next month.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[flecc]

Something to do with parcel delivery economics perhaps?

Stage 2 is delivery companies going out of business. Our largest operator besides Royal Mail and Parcelforce is about to call it quits, despite the substantial premiums we pay on every parcel because of our location.

Almost 300 jobs at risk as Menzies Parcels to shut down

Staff at Menzies Parcels have been told the firm is to shut down next month.

www.bbc.co.uk

Here in the south east it's very different with all the main courier firms busy all the time, high population density of course. I think the main problem here is the sweat shop that the couriers operate, drivers expected to complete up to 140 deliveries in a day in some cases, so having little time to spare they are cutting corners by not delivering all the way.

They are little busier than before the epidemic, but allowing them to doorstep deliver then gave them the excuse to start cutting corners, now taking that too far and risking non-delivery and thefts.
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[matthewslack]

The same sweatshop applies here to the drivers, but the customer sees two big differences. We have to be content with a successful delivery, and forget about any timescale we have paid for, and most couriers end up coming via Menzies as it is impossible for any brand bar RM and PF to survive on their own because of low population density.

 

[Nealh]

The drivers don't give a damn Flecc, as long as they take a pic of and forge a signature. I see many issues complaints on the neighourhood web site where these new live on top of you neighour so called modern estates exist.

 

[Az.]

Most of my parcels are delivered damaged, but what drives me crazy is they take pictures without authorization and they even take them when specifically asked not to.

 

[Saracen]

Once upon a time couriers delivered to our doors. Then Covid happened and our doorsteps became good enough. But it seems that was too much trouble so in blocks of flats they started to just throw packages onto hall floors just inside the ground floor porch doors.

The latest now is throwing them down in any porch doorway of any block building, like the one I've just redelivered to number 73 three buildings away. It had been thrown onto the hallway floor of 49 to 54, so could never have been seen there by the intended recipient, without someone like myself volunteering to redeliver it.

Is it similar now where you are?
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Not in the UK, I have never seen it I assume you are US

 

[flecc]

Not in the UK, I have never seen it I assume you are US

No. In South London, and the worst offending courier is Hermes.
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[thelarkbox]

Things will only get 'better' now the P.O. is in so much deep water all of a sudden..
Anyone else amazed at the impact a tv program has in 2024 when the real news broke a couple of years back??
I recall feeling empathy for the programmers on hearing the original news of the horizon system failure as well as the poor postmasters who may finally get some vindication.

a similar bulk delivery to a neighbor recently including one of my deliveries was put down to novice driver/long day. not the norm here currently..

 

[flecc]

Anyone else amazed at the impact a tv program has in 2024 when the real news broke a couple of years back??

I'm not amazed, just depressed that this is more proof that our public prefer fictional over factual sources for their knowledge.
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[Nealh]

Just had an item delivered from China today in 7 days , the identical item is at least 50% dearer here in the UK. My local Evri courier is 5*, I get a 2hr window slot and email with minutes of it being delivered .
I order my pet food via Zooplus and also have the choice of delivery agent , I always select the Evri box.
But agree with you Flecc Hermes are prety aweful , I never select them given a choice and lately oneof my RM parcel deliveries has been very poor .

 

[RollingChunder]

Hermes are prety aweful

Hermes rebranded as Evri in 2022. But I agree, Evri has always been decent for me.

 

[esuark]

Hermes rebranded as Evri in 2022. But I agree, Evri has always been decent for me.

No difference here as it was the same person delivering but he`s since gone and the new one
(a she) is a dumper on doorstep and run. Having said all that no problems with receiving any deliveries but did have Hermes as it was then "try" to invoice me for parcels "they" said were overweight that I sent which weren't. Resolved in my favor.

 

[flecc]

Just had an item delivered from China today in 7 days , the identical item is at least 50% dearer here in the UK. My local Evri courier is 5*, I get a 2hr window slot and email with minutes of it being delivered .
I order my pet food via Zooplus and also have the choice of delivery agent , I always select the Evri box.
But agree with you Flecc Hermes are prety aweful , I never select them given a choice and lately oneof my RM parcel deliveries has been very poor .

Yes, I've also had good delivery experience with Evri, which weirdly is part of Hermes. But Evri also just throw the item onto the floor behind the front door of the hallways of our multi occupation buildings. Ok for me since I get the "just delivered" email, but for those who are out at the time, their delivery is just inside a glass pane front door off the street. That means anyone passing or entering the hall can just take anything left in full public view there.

The real problem now created post Covid is, How do we get back to the old situation of actually getting things physically delivered person to person as they should be, now that couriers and their companies have got accustomed to this unsafe lazy option.

The only solution I can see is no payment until in our hands, as shopping always used to be.
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[Nealh]

Hermes = Evri , yes I forgot. It is Yodel that I have found poor , I wish these companies wouldn't change names though they do so to try and brush the old image under the mat.

 

[Saracen]

No. In South London, and the worst offending courier is Hermes.
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I have never heard of this in the UK before

 

[Saracen]

Just put a sign on the door DO NOT leave parcels outside or with neighbours then they have to re deliver and or you can go on their site and chose a delivery time you are in, easy

 

[flecc]

I have never heard of this in the UK before

Perhaps because you've only ever lived in houses. Nearly a third of all UK households are single occupant, many of them in flats and maisonettes, multi-occupation with a common ground floor hall.

In our most extreme cases in my London borough we have a number of tower blocks 44 storeys tall and one of 52 storeys, containing up to 500 homes in each. Fortunately my buildingis only low rise, three storeys.

Delivery drivers often take no notice of instructions, whether left online or notices on doors. They just drop the package and go. As long as they have a photo of it just inside the outer hall door they've satisfied their company.
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[guerney]

Hemres = Evri , yes I forgot. It is Yodel that I have found poor , I wish these companies wouldn't change names though they do so to try and brush the old image under the mat.

Whenever a courier knocks on my door, they hear a very loud bang - this is because having noticed they only wait 1 or so seconds before attempting to leave my delivery with one of my odious neighbours/dropping it on my doorstep in plain view, I keep a rubber ball handy to hurl at my front door because my hallway is far too long. Stuns them for a full 21.2148 seconds. I was never very good at cricket, but my bowling's improving. Saves me rigging up an intercom.

 

[guerney]

Something to do with parcel delivery economics perhaps?

Stage 2 is delivery companies going out of business. Our largest operator besides Royal Mail and Parcelforce is about to call it quits, despite the substantial premiums we pay on every parcel because of our location.

Almost 300 jobs at risk as Menzies Parcels to shut down

Staff at Menzies Parcels have been told the firm is to shut down next month.

www.bbc.co.uk

Small delivery outfits shouldn't be allowed - like small bus companies they'll axe unprofitable but important routes because they're not large and profitable enough elsewhere to absorb the costs.