Is it so hard to deliver a parcel properly?

[funkyrobot]

Needed a replacement bowl for my Kenwood processor. Found a place online that had it in stock. Ordered it for delivery today.

It arrived in a sorry state. Despite having loads of 'fragile' tape around it, it looks like it's been stabbed with a shovel and drop kicked across the warehouse. The plastic bowl is smashed inside the box.

Is it really that hard to just handle a parcel carefully? This has been hit quite hard. fking morons.

Have to mess around returning it now and waiting for another one.

[So]

Yes.

Courier firms are staffed by people too unemployable to do anything else except claim benefits.

It seems that everyone now buys everything online, which means that they are devolving responsibility for delivering goods to their homes from themselves to fkwits.

[jimPH]

Had this problem shipping carbon car parts. Both were shattered. I've crossed off a shipper that sounds like Herpes.

[funkyrobot]

So said:

Yes.

Courier firms are staffed by people too unemployable to do anything else except claim benefits.

It seems that everyone now buys ever online, which means that they are devolving responsibility for delivering goods to their homes from themselves to fkwits.

I don't buy much online nowadays. I couldn't get this part from anywhere local.

Employing people like that can't be good for businesses.

[So]

funkyrobot said:

So said:

Yes.

Courier firms are staffed by people too unemployable to do anything else except claim benefits.

It seems that everyone now buys ever online, which means that they are devolving responsibility for delivering goods to their homes from themselves to fkwits.

I don't buy much online nowadays. I couldn't get this part from anywhere local.

Sure, but you're entrusting delivery to someone with minimum wage, minimal conscience and minimum accountability. You shouldn't be surprised.

[indigostr]

Yes.
Saw a guy today who dropped off a parcel next door , took no notice until he then crossed the road to another neighbours and as no instant reply to his knocking on the door just dumped the parcel on their step. I called out that I’d take the parcel and he brought it over. He then asked if I’d take next door neighbours he’d just left. In 3 or less minutes it was a wrecked soaking wet box. Both parcels from amazon. What happened to signing for delivered parcels. I didn’t sign for either. Kind of wished I hadn’t taken as I had to explain to both why there Xmas gifts were fkd.

[motco]

The poor sods are paid very poorly and work phenomenal hours. We had an Amazon parcel delivered at eight o'clock in the evening and the tracking information suggested that he had set off at 07:30hrs. They deliver up to nine at night. What a stty job! Nearly as bad as being a junior doctor...

[vsonix]

I remember getting seasonal casual work at the post office in my late teens.
They pretty much double the workforce over December and a lot of the people who apply are normally not doing much else the rest of the year round and approach the whole thing with a very laissez faire approach. Was quite shocked to see random agency staff DELIBERATELY mishandling stuff marked 'Fragile' and even cheering when they heard shattering noises.

[HTP99]

Delivered last month:

[Saleen836]

Watchdog had an item on regarding parcel delivereies a week or so ago, from memory a driver earns around 25p per [b]delivered[/] item, this is why a lot of them sign for the parcels themselves or leave them as close as they deem fit to the delivery address.
I chased up a parcel once that I had apparently been delivered, sender contacted the parcel company who informed them 'it was left in the blue wheelie bin', by the time I had been informed of this it was 3/4 days later and the bin had been emptied. I had a refund and seller claimed from parcel company.

[surveyor]

One of the geniuses left a parcel in our recycling wheelie bin a couple of weeks ago... not too bad, apart from the fact that it was out on the street waiting for the bin lorry...

[stevensdrs]

Best not to put FRAGILE on a box being shipped unless you want it drop kicked in the warehouse. Anonymous box very well packed will have a much greater chance of making it through.

[Jasandjules]

Well, so far this week we have had a letter a day delivered to our house which is either for a different street in the village (same house number as us) or different house in our road. That is our daily postal service sooooooo little wonder parcel companies struggle.....

[Gareth79]

stevensdrs said:

Best not to put FRAGILE on a box being shipped unless you want it drop kicked in the warehouse. Anonymous box very well packed will have a much greater chance of making it through.

And at best, "fragile" or "this way up" is ignored.

I have always taken the view that you should wrap an item to withstand a 1 metre drop onto concrete, because it's likely that will happen.

[Nickyboy]

The problem is the majority of consumers want free delivery so the company you're buying it from doesn't want to pay much for delivery so go for the cheapest (Usually Hermes, Yodel etc) who tend to use contractors either paid per drop or who work independently and pay to use the van etc so they don't have to pay them minimum wage, even DPD have adopted this practice in the past couple of years.

[funkyrobot]

Nickyboy said:

The problem is the majority of consumers want free delivery so the company you're buying it from doesn't want to pay much for delivery so go for the cheapest (Usually Hermes, Yodel etc) who tend to use contractors either paid per drop or who work independently and pay to use the van etc so they don't have to pay them minimum wage, even DPD have adopted this practice in the past couple of years.

I paid £9 for the delivery.

It was delivered by DPD.

Edited by funkyrobot on Sunday 16th December 00:42

[funkyrobot]

Gareth79 said:

stevensdrs said:

Best not to put FRAGILE on a box being shipped unless you want it drop kicked in the warehouse. Anonymous box very well packed will have a much greater chance of making it through.

And at best, "fragile" or "this way up" is ignored.

I have always taken the view that you should wrap an item to withstand a 1 metre drop onto concrete, because it's likely that will happen.

Kenwood did it, not me. They packaged it stupidly too. It needed more padding in the box. Still wouldn't have survived the onslaught it had though. My parcel had been attacked. Damage looked much more than it just being dropped.

[RizzoTheRat]

stevensdrs said:

Best not to put FRAGILE on a box being shipped unless you want it drop kicked in the warehouse. Anonymous box very well packed will have a much greater chance of making it through.

Apparently Dutch bicycle manufacturer van Moof ship thier bikes in boxes with a big picture of a TV on the outside, and reckon they get a lot less damage than when it was obvious they were bikes

[227bhp]

Gareth79 said:

stevensdrs said:

Best not to put FRAGILE on a box being shipped unless you want it drop kicked in the warehouse. Anonymous box very well packed will have a much greater chance of making it through.

And at best, "fragile" or "this way up" is ignored.

I have always taken the view that you should wrap an item to withstand a 1 metre drop onto concrete, because it's likely that will happen.

Exactly this. Whenever someone sends me something heavy and expensive I advise them to pack it like it'll get thrown because it inevitably will.
Hermes delivery drivers get circa 50p per drop off btw.

[kuro]

I've lost all confidence in Amazon. Two parcels in the last few weeks disappeared without trace. It appears they've opened a temporary depot to cope with Christmas deliveries and that's where the issue is. They appear to have forgotten my preferred safe place so I have taken to taping written instructions to the front door complete with arrows pointing out where it should be left.