An experience with a courier

[Adrian]

Apologies Mods, if this needs moving ..........

I wanted a few N gauge items quickly so I could use some time available and get on with things.

So yesterday morning I placed an order with Hattons and for the first time ever paid an extra fee for next day delivery.

Fair enough - at their end Hattons did everything promptly and efficiently and my parcel left before close of business yesterday pm.

Using online tracking I was able to see that my goods arrived in my local depot (about five miles from where I live) at 4.00am today.

Okay, all good so far ........ Priority Order, so should be here sometime today - this status confirmed online (indeed it is still showing that as I write this at 6.30pm!!)

Anyway, two chats to the courier chatline eventually determined that the parcel would be delivered .......... tomorrow!

Never mind you've paid for 24hr service, never mind we've had it up the road from you since dawn, and no, you can't come and collect it!

Needless to say, I've advised Hattons what has happened - and of course none of this is their fault.  Sure I can get a partial refund on the postage.  But, I paid extra for a service and the courier has let both me and the supplier down.

I'm sure others on here may have had wonderful service from this courier, but for my part I would never use or recommend them ever.

In fact, tomorrow I intend to write to the MD at Hattons and suggest customer satisfaction is investigated with this particular courier.

The name?   YODEL

Regards

Adrian

[austinbob]

Apologies Mods, if this needs moving ..........

I wanted a few N gauge items quickly so I could use some time available and get on with things.

So yesterday morning I placed an order with Hattons and for the first time ever paid an extra fee for next day delivery.

Fair enough - at their end Hattons did everything promptly and efficiently and my parcel left before close of business yesterday pm.

Using online tracking I was able to see that my goods arrived in my local depot (about five miles from where I live) at 4.00am today.

Okay, all good so far ........ Priority Order, so should be here sometime today - this status confirmed online (indeed it is still showing that as I write this at 6.30pm!!)

Anyway, two chats to the courier chatline eventually determined that the parcel would be delivered .......... tomorrow!

Never mind you've paid for 24hr service, never mind we've had it up the road from you since dawn, and no, you can't come and collect it!

Needless to say, I've advised Hattons what has happened - and of course none of this is their fault.  Sure I can get a partial refund on the postage.  But, I paid extra for a service and the courier has let both me and the supplier down.

I'm sure others on here may have had wonderful service from this courier, but for my part I would never use or recommend them ever.

In fact, tomorrow I intend to write to the MD at Hattons and suggest customer satisfaction is investigated with this particular courier.

The name?   YODEL

Regards

Adrian

Yodel have been problematic for a number of members in the past, but then so have Royal Mail and others.
Quite often there is not a promise to deliver next day or in 24 hours - just an estimated delivery. Worth checking the small print...

[Luke Piewalker]

Not NODEL!!!!

[Steve Brassett]

I had a similar experience with them - nothing to do with model railways.  I paid for next-day delivery, and got it the day after.

[njee20]

This tells you all you need to know about them!

[austinbob]

This tells you all you need to know about them!

Never (touch wood) had a problem wit any courier. I'm sure if you did a Google you'd find similar stories about most couriers.

[Luke Piewalker]

I have a story to go with most of them. I assume it's mostly to do with treating their drivers like crap...
I always especially liked how they don't tell you where exactly their depot is, until you commit to turning up to pick it up...

[Izzy]

 Just to illustrate the other side of the coin so to speak, a while ago I ordered a secondhand loco from Hattons on a Saturday afternoon. Expecting it to arrive later the next week, Hattons generally taking about a week to post/deliver my orders in recent times - the last couple of years - I was quite surprised when it was picked/packed on the Sunday, collected by Yodel that evening, and delivered to me on the Essex coast on the Monday morning.

Perhaps it depends on the individual drivers in your area as to how good the overall service is, but I now find that Yodel has the best parcel tracking system of the current carriers, with advice timed to the hour as to when a package will be delivered.

Izzy

[austinbob]

Just to illustrate the other side of the coin so to speak, a while ago I ordered a secondhand loco from Hattons on a Saturday afternoon. Expecting it to arrive later the next week, Hattons generally taking about a week to post/deliver my orders in recent times - the last couple of years - I was quite surprised when it was picked/packed on the Sunday, collected by Yodel that evening, and delivered to me on the Essex coast on the Monday morning.

Perhaps it depends on the individual drivers in your area as to how good the overall service is, but I now find that Yodel has the best parcel tracking system of the current carriers, with advice timed to the hour as to when a package will be delivered.

Izzy

Just proves my point. All couriers have good and bad days

[Adrian]

Well I'm still awaiting my "Priority Delivery" from YODEL, that was in the local depot five miles from my home at 4.00 am yesterday.

Paid for 24hr next day delivery - will now be three days minimum!

I think a previous writer was probably correct about it depending on various factors around your own area.

For me, in Wales, next time I order anything it won't be coming Yodel - the organisation/management at my local depot is clearly underachieving!!!

[guest311]

I may e tempting fate by posting this 

but recently I've been very happy with Yodel, admittedly only with deliveries from Liverpool when I have forgotten to note 'please use ONLY Royal Mail regardless of time of despatch'.

a couple of weeks ago, I placed an order sunday morning, it was packed that afternoon, and arrived here in Sussex the next morning by what I would guess is the local courier, a young lady in a car.

I've also had deliveries by a guy in a white van, always cheerful and polite, and no attempt made to deliver into bins or the roof  ok, his English is not perfect, but he does the job and seems to take pride in doing it properly.

[DELETED]

It's all down to the employees but I don't think anyone could let Yodel or Hermes off with "bad days" considering the national investigations that have been about them.  No wonder, when I was out of work Hermes were advertising £25 pay per day, bring your own van and up to a 12hr shift (I don't think that works out as minimum wage does it?)!!  No wonder the Hermes guy in December stole my last order, lied about delivery and though I never heard back after a lengthy refund he was apparently up on a police charge for pinching loads of parcels.

It's a shame.  We used to have AJG parcels in Inverness who were spot-on for me whether you booked through them or whether they were the end-agents for local dilivery through the big guys.  They got bought by Menzies and the service is  now.

I know folk have problems with RM / Parcelforce -but for me at least they just seem to deliver, or at least they seem to do it fine 90% of the time compared to couriers I keep having problems 90% of the time.

I just don't order from anyone connected with Yodel or Hermes now.  Much better to avoid. Hattons is still a sticking point for me  -they don't take too much notice of delivery requirements compared to everyone else.

[njee20]

DPD are consistently best around here. Text ahead of delivery with a one hour slot, ability to monitor exactly where your driver is online. Nothing ended up on the roof/in the bin/left in stupid places.

[DELETED]

DPD are consistently best around here. Text ahead of delivery with a one hour slot, ability to monitor exactly where your driver is online. Nothing ended up on the roof/in the bin/left in stupid places.

...Agree DPD aren't too bad, but I keep getting the persistent texts and E-Mails from them saying they'll let me know a 1 hr del. time -but it's always a different courier at the end, and I never do get the update.

I made a mistake last time with DPD and ordered a small part without checking postage.  £20 shipping for a box about 2" by 5" x 8", and it took 4 working days, no tracking or way of tracing the order with DPD apart from .txt updates I never got. I ordered a much bigger and more expensive item same time via RM on a 48hr service, and it arrived less than 24h later for about £6, full tracking all the way.

[PaulCheffus]

DPD are consistently best around here. Text ahead of delivery with a one hour slot, ability to monitor exactly where your driver is online. Nothing ended up on the roof/in the bin/left in stupid places.

Hi

Certainly agree with you there. Yodel on the other hand failed to deliver a parcel (not related to railways) that was due to be delivered on a specific day (paid extra for) as a birthday present. It arrived in Inverness the night before but wasn't delivered until two days after the specified date. Supplier gave us a full refund and I hope they have claimed it back from Yodel.

Cheers

Paul