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Bought an item from a seller in the US, I've been following the tracking and up until now it's been shown as en route. On Monday it came up that it had cleared customs so I was expecting it imminently. Now suddenly it's come up that it's been delivered....on Friday! How can be clear customs AFTER it's been delivered?
"
14 Nov, 2022 16:33 United Kingdom Customs Cleared
11 Nov, 2022 11:26 United Kingdom Delivered
11 Nov, 2022 10:00 Out for delivery
10 Nov, 2022 04:19 Arrived at destination
10 Nov, 2022 00:50 United Kingdom Hand Over / Delivered To Shippers Agent"
I've a video doorbell and I do have a recording of a chap who came to the door (but as 12:12) with a small package, but then went away when I didn't answer and didn't leave a not or anything, so I don't know who he is, or where he went, or whether it was for me or not. I was in noisy cafe which is probably why I didn't hear it at the time.
Etsy. Just used them the once, however, the seller was a business in Torquay, and no problems were experienced.
As regards 'Wish', wouldn't touch them again with a barge pole. One item that I ordered through them came from overseas and was of a decidedly substandard quality and Wish's admin was such that it proved impossible to resolve the issue or get any redress.
I'm hoping either the tracking is wrong (at least one part of it MUST be) or my next door neighbour has taken it in. Obviously is too late to knock on their door right now. I do have CCTV out the front covering a wider area then the doorbell, but when I went to check it to see where he went after he left my front door I found that the whole thing has packed up!
I only know that after my wife's death I had (and still have to an extent) a huge task of unsubscribing from emails from hundreds of different companies, some whom I knew she ordered from and others who just had her on a mailing list. Etsy is one of a small number it appears impossible to unsubscribe from, so I just delete every time they come up, the last time today, coincidentally.
It wasn't Hermes or Yodel was it, perchance? That said I find international stuff mostly ends up with Royal Mail, regardless of which courier originated it.
It wasn't Hermes or Yodel was it, perchance? That said I find international stuff mostly ends up with Royal Mail, regardless of which courier originated it.
I think you mean 'Evri' - a name which doesn't quite have the bad reputation that 'Hermes' had. Yet!
Having said that, we usually have the same one each time; may well exceed the speed limit put very polite, helpful and friendly (not the same one as you - definitely female). The only time she did not stick to the given time, I was alerted to the change.
The initial question about customs clearance - it could just be when Custome have got round to record it, I wouldn't take that as meaning any more than 'it is not held up at customs'. I even find that companies inform me that items I have bought from them are out for delivery after the items have been unpacked.
Having said that, we usually have the same one each time; may well exceed the speed limit put very polite, helpful and friendly (not the same one as you - definitely female). The only time she did not stick to the given time, I was alerted to the change.
The problem with Hermes/Evri is that there is no quality management whatsoever. Thus some couriers are good and some are terrible, and nothing is done about the terrible ones. I used to actively choose it with our previous guy, now I actively avoid it as our current one commits all manner of misconduct, e.g. leaving parcels on the front step without a "safe place" request, ignoring "safe place" requests and still putting stuff on the front step, not even knocking when you're actually in, taking photos and marking delivered of the parcel in the back of the van then delivering it hours later or even the next day and so on. Her misconduct is so bad that I'd go straight to a final written warning if I was managing her. The only thing she doesn't do wrong is that she doesn't steal the parcels herself, but I would allege there are quite possibly couriers within Hermes who do (or collude with others to do so, i.e. they "deliver" it then their mate picks it up off the step*) and nothing is ever done about it.
There's nothing wrong with a budget service of any kind (e.g. parcel deliveries taking several days) provided it's delivered to the expected specification. I've no great issue with the YHA for example - it does what it says it does - but I'd never stay in a Best Western hotel again if I could avoid it, as the latter are similarly lacking in quality management, and I'd rather sleep on a bench at Lime St station than even enter the doors of the Britannia Adelphi.
* I'm almost certain I saw a newspaper article with a Ring doorbell video which was alleging this.
I used to actively choose it with our previous guy, now I actively avoid it as our current one commits all manner of misconduct, e.g. leaving parcels on the front step without a "safe place" request, ignoring "safe place" requests and still putting stuff on the front step, not even knocking when you're actually in, taking photos and marking delivered of the parcel in the back of the van then delivering it hours later or even the next day and so on
I used to work for a delivery company doing multi-drops. What the customer doesn't often see is the delivery instructions from the company they have ordered from. We had a huge contract that told us, in no uncertain terms, that you had to get a signature. No leaving in a safe space, no deliveries to next door etc. It MUST have a signature from the customer. Many many times the customer would make a different request but we had to follow the clients instructions. Similarly, we had a delivery that didn't need a signature and could be doorstepped. Again, it didn't matter what the customer wanted because the clients instructions were that doorstepping was accepted.
Using 'misconduct' is a serious allegation. Especially if you don't know what the company procedures are or what their instructions are. If you feel that strongly, you should take it up with her employer directly.
I used to work for a delivery company doing multi-drops. What the customer doesn't often see is the delivery instructions from the company they have ordered from. We had a huge contract that told us, in no uncertain terms, that you had to get a signature. No leaving in a safe space, no deliveries to next door etc. It MUST have a signature from the customer. Many many times the customer would make a different request but we had to follow the clients instructions. Similarly, we had a delivery that didn't need a signature and could be doorstepped. Again, it didn't matter what the customer wanted because the clients instructions were that doorstepping was accepted.
It's definitely misconduct. She "doorsteps" every single delivery regardless of origin or whether a signature/photo is nominally required (if a photo is required, it's often one of the parcel in the back of her van or a photo of a sheet of paper, she's that brazen). It's a known issue locally but Hermes won't do a thing about it.
Probably wouldn't end up in an ET as Hermes couriers are self-employed. You simply end the contract at whenever the break clause is and need no reason to do so, just like an office temp. Which makes it all the worse!
Using 'misconduct' is a serious allegation. Especially if you don't know what the company procedures are or what their instructions are. If you feel that strongly, you should take it up with her employer directly.
It's not libellous, as I've not named her nor do you have enough information about me to know the precise round and identify her that way. However I would happily name her if I knew her name and stand up in Court and defend a libel charge based on easily-obtained evidence of misconduct including scanning parcels as "delivered" when they haven't been delivered (she usually does so the next day, or sometimes two days later). I absolutely would win.
Have you ever tried to deal with Hermes?
Funnily enough, all the others (even the fairly rubbish Yodel) seem to manage to do things properly.
I understand you defending the railway as you do, but defending Hermes...I'm sorry, all respect is gone to any post attempting to do that.
We're lucky with Evri, we have a great chap who lives in the area where he delivers/collects. Everyone seems to know him and he's so reliable you can almost set your watch by him.
I'd rather sleep on a bench at Lime Street too than stay at ANY Britannia hotel - apparently voted worst hotel chain for ten years in a row. Did you ever watch the BBC series about the Adelphi - might depend on your age as it was first broadcast back in 1997! - it was a good laugh - and a Class 87 (Sir Winston Churchill) puts in a brief appearance at Lime Street:
Yep, I do remember "just cook, will yer" very well. One of the radio stations did a funny remix of it.
It also started my dislike of the company. On the day when Aintree Races were evacuated due to a bomb threat and many left without money, car keys or outer clothing (people weren't if I recall allowed to return until the following day), the railway was letting people travel home considerable distances for free (many e.g. to Scotland*) and people were opening Scout huts, offering their floor to strangers etc, the Adelphi auctioned off their rooms to the highest bidders, and were brazen enough to show off about it on TV.
And it's got worse since then.
A despicable company. Never would even 1p of my money get into their tills.
* I happened to be on a train from Liverpool to Ormskirk as it was happening - I've never seen the likes - a queue down the road outside Old Roan station as far as the eye could see, most probably the station's busiest day ever (as the race traffic usually uses Aintree but had been directed away from there for some reason, possibly related to the bomb's alleged placement). I helped a few people out with where to go train-wise to some quite remote destinations.
It's definitely misconduct. She "doorsteps" every single delivery regardless of origin or whether a signature/photo is nominally required. It's a known issue locally but Hermes won't do a thing about it.
Probably wouldn't end up in an ET as Hermes couriers are self-employed. You simply end the contract at whenever the break clause is and need no reason to do so, just like an office temp. Which makes it all the worse!
They are a horrible company. They way I deal with Hermes is if the item I order has them as the delivery, I don't buy it or choose a different method of delivery. They are awful.
Only if you know what that is. There's an unsubtle clue in my forum name as to the town I live in, but not the exact Hermes round (I know from local discussion that the area is covered by more than one Hermes courier).
They are a horrible company. They way I deal with Hermes is if the item I order has them as the delivery, I don't buy it or choose a different method of delivery. They are awful.
That's my usual approach, sadly companies aren't always up front about it. The risk of getting them is why I use Amazon more often than not (listen small businesses - I'll use you if you assure me you won't use them!) but unfortunately I'm sometimes caught out, as I have been recently by an Ebay seller (a company at that) who stated inaccurately who they'd use (whether deliberate or accidental) and are so getting negative feedback.
Only if you know what that is. There's an unsubtle clue in my forum name as to the town I live in, but not the exact Hermes round (I know from local discussion that the area is covered by more than one Hermes courier).
When I worked as a Courier, those hand held devices are all linked to a single person. They have the round details, driver details, company, full tracking info, etc etc. Once you have the consignment number, delivery address, or tracking number. I guarantee Hermes has all the details required to track that driver. My regular round was covered by 3 different drivers and we would swap drops for efficiency. My company could trace that to the exact time and place it was scanned and which van/driver took it out.
If you needed to make a complaint of any sort, they will know who the driver was. Multi-drop is a crazy business. Being tracked every minute of the day is intense and any multi-drop driver today has my complete sympathy.
When it comes to the last link in the delivery chain, there is no "employer". Those at the sharp end are gig economy "workers" who are see self-employed contractors, have no employment rights whatsoever and are paid a pittance for the work that they do.
The courier company can track the whereabouts of every driver and there's no allowance for human "failings".
I ordered a pair of boots online a couple of weeks ago and was somewhat dismayed to find a ticket from Evri that had been posted through my letterbox that simply said "blue bin". This was on a Tuesday morning when the blue bin (paper and cardboard) would be emptied every three weeks. I can only hope that the courier was local enough to realise that my boots wouldn't go for recycling. I didn't bother to complain because a) there's little point and b) the person at the sharp end probably isn't really at fault and did the best they could under the circumstances.
People who continually moan about delivery standards, yet expect things to be delivered for free the next day, need to have a long, hard think about their consumption. That's without considering where the cheap goods come from in the first place.
People who continually moan about delivery standards, yet expect things to be delivered for free the next day, need to have a long, hard think about their consumption.
I've said it before and I will say it again - I am totally happy to pay the full cost, possibly as much as £10 per order (or even more if it's big/heavy), for the use of DPD or Royal Mail (ideally the Tracked 24 or 48 service as you can pre-divert to a post office for pickup rather than having to wait for the delivery to miss first). But companies simply don't offer it - often they don't tell you who it will be, or sometimes even (a company trading on eBay just did this to me, and they're getting negative feedback once I eventually get the thing) say they'll use RM and actually use Hermes, which I consider to be (possibly accidental) bait and switch - had I known this I would not have ordered from them.
I am more than happy to put my money where my mouth is and pay to help put the useless Hermes out of business - but hardly anyone will let me! (I do pay extra for DPD if it's offered, but it only rarely is in that way).
As a result, I order from Amazon using Prime services where possible, either to a locker (their own courier, who to be fair do offer full GPS tracking and reasonably reliable delivery slots despite being just as on-the-cheap gig-economy as Hermes) or Royal Mail to my local post office, both are a short walk away. Thus, unfortunately, small businesses are throwing away my business and complaining about me using Amazon as they do!
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I ordered a pair of boots online a couple of weeks ago and was somewhat dismayed to find a ticket from Evri that had been posted through my letterbox that simply said "blue bin". This was on a Tuesday morning when the blue bin (paper and cardboard) would be emptied every three weeks. I can only hope that the courier was local enough to realise that my boots wouldn't go for recycling. I didn't bother to complain because a) there's little point and b) the person at the sharp end probably isn't really at fault and did the best they could under the circumstances.
I'm not sure I'd call that doing their best. Putting stuff IN bins is not ever a sensible option unless specifically instructed. Bins are dirty, unpleasant and may be emptied without being noticed.
The best thing to do if there's no obvious safe place and no neighbour in is to try again as Hermes' policy says unless the box is marked "must deliver today" (only some food items do this, and I don't think Hermes even take perishables due to their service not being strictly next day), but the couriers don't.
Of course Hermes would get fewer misses (e.g. because of people being on the bog, in the shower, popped out for 5 minutes etc) if they provided GPS tracking and accurate time estimates. I suspect this is probably why Amazon invested in this technology despite being a "cheapo" courier along similar lines - misses (and stolen parcels due to being dumped on the doorstep) cost time and thus money, it's best to do everything you can to ensure a successful delivery.
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They really are dire.
