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BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:37 am
by mt bandit
Firstly not totally sure if i'm in the correct section for this , so apologies in advance ,

I've been having some items going missing via hermes over the last year or so, and just recently caught one of their delivery guys stealing a parcel from our door, police involved , eventually got hermes to refund and admit liability ,,
anyway ,
So i wanted to post to a chap in lincolnshire a bespoke stainless honda exhaust , after all my bad experience i decided to go with a more reputable company :roll: Parcelforce,
i booked it online via parcel2go.com paid for the extra insurance up to full value of the can ,,
when it arrived it looked like they had used it to hammer tent pegs in ,
So i thought ok i'm insured ,
Firstly parcelforce wouldn't except my claim because i booked it through an internet agent ie parcel2go, which is possibly a good thing as they DO NOT cover any auto parts for damage , only loss ,
so now i'm claiming off parcel 2go , But Wait did i take full and detailed pictures of the items packaging both inside and out , Doh !
parcel force tell me they are an automated service ie it's not touched by human hand until the final delivery , so it's on conveyors being tipped everywhere with all the other goods, dishwashers etc ,, if you don't want this option , then you need a hands on delivery service ie hermes , trouble is there version of hands on was in the back of their own van ,
So beware
Read all the small print on whether your item is actually covered at all , so maybe don't bother paying for the insurance ,
and take detailed photos of everything packed unpacked, and maybe one of your dog just in case ,
i feel a bit better now :(

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:54 am
by hounddog
Interesting and rather worrying , thank you for the heads up .

Just something to be aware of on MyHermes that I discovered recently , they have a list of "Prohibited Items " they wont carry , one category of which is "Vehicle Parts" , and their policy on this , as copied from their website is

"We have listed below Prohibited Items.
Prohibited Items are goods which Hermes will not carry.
Hermes will not compensate you for loss, damage or late delivery of Prohibited Items.
If any Prohibited Items are found in our delivery network we will dispose of them. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions".


I understand that if sending things like used carburettors, fuel tanks, batteries etc due to safety and fire risk - but don't really understand why a blanket ban on all vehicle parts .

A recent experience of mine was a parcel of bike parts arrived and was dropped over a 6 foot high side gate onto concrete path - fortunately survived it .

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 1:42 pm
by Wirralman
I can't say I am too surprised Its some years since I was last in a parcel sort centre but having seen Royal Mail and various parcel delivery operations in UK, France,Germany, South Africa, there is no such thing as too much packaging Only the other day the BBC broadcast an article about 'stupid' excessive packaging but didn't actually show details of every step in a parcel delivery operation Drivers are paid in the number of parcel drops and not usually paid for 'delivery attempts' so there is a huge incentive for them to leave a parcel rather than take it back to their depot If sending something like an exhaust a wooden external frame with lots of impact absorbing material would be advisable if sent via a general carrier

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 6:48 pm
by deadgrass.
I though farther Christmas delivered everything at this time of the year ;)

dave.

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2016 9:01 pm
by mt bandit
deadgrass. wrote:I though farther Christmas delivered everything at this time of the year ;)

dave.
Yes he did . But rudolph kicked the crap out of it
On route

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 12:46 pm
by Minter
Sorry to read this Mick..

Thankfully I haven't had any dramas with the Post Office's 'normal' first class service and signed for service. For bigger and expensive items and obviously engine parts I use Interlink Express who have been a model delivery company.

Long may this continue!

:D

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2016 7:58 pm
by TBM
hounddog wrote:Interesting and rather worrying , thank you for the heads up .

Just something to be aware of on MyHermes that I discovered recently , they have a list of "Prohibited Items " they wont carry , one category of which is "Vehicle Parts" , and their policy on this , as copied from their website is

"We have listed below Prohibited Items.
Prohibited Items are goods which Hermes will not carry.
Hermes will not compensate you for loss, damage or late delivery of Prohibited Items.
If any Prohibited Items are found in our delivery network we will dispose of them. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions".


I understand that if sending things like used carburettors, fuel tanks, batteries etc due to safety and fire risk - but don't really understand why a blanket ban on all vehicle parts .

A recent experience of mine was a parcel of bike parts arrived and was dropped over a 6 foot high side gate onto concrete path - fortunately survived it .
If you look at the small print, it clarifies it as follows:

Vehicle Parts - Parts which are over our weight limit (15kg) or that are outside of our dimension limits. We also exclude parts that contain liquids.

https://www.myhermes.co.uk/help/carry-guide.html

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:01 am
by hounddog
Thank you TBM for setting the record straight on that - I see vehicle parts ok on MyHermes subject to the restrictions you highlighted

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:45 am
by TBM
hounddog wrote:Thank you TBM for setting the record straight on that - I see vehicle parts ok on MyHermes subject to the restrictions you highlighted
Yeah, I use them all the time for sending bike bits. On the plus side, they're cheap (as a comparison - £3.75 for a signature delivery compared to £11.99 for parcelforce) and very convenient (drop off parcels late in the evening - can't get to the post office during the day).

Obviously with cheap price often comes lower standards, and I reckon I'm on about a 98% success rate for deliveries. However, they've always refunded in full, without hassle (and one of the parcels miraculously reappeared a fortnight after the refund!)

I'm also rather lucky - the local delivery lady is very helpful (husband's a biker) and if I'm not in, she sends me a text and leaves the item in her porch for me to collect.

Re: BEWARE postal trauma

Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 6:43 pm
by mt bandit
Just a little update ,
after 2 claim refusals due to wrong information being supplied :roll:
it would appear that parcel2go.com are going to entertain my claim and have asked for repair quotes ,
so maybe there is a god after all ,
keep you posted