Life in the Bus Lane

CityLink First Clas? I assume that means "we’ve sent it via normal post, but our online tracking system is crap".

On Tuesday I got home to find two non-delivery notes from TNT, one telling me a parcel had been taken back to the depot, and another saying there was a parcel with a neighbour. As I was only expecting one parcel I naturally assumed that the second note superceded the first, and therefore dutifully ignored it.

Today I got home and found an answerphone message from TNT saying they still had a parcel for me, I assumed they’d cocked up the paperwork because of the two non-delivery notes, and rang them to say so. After speaking to several different people, they couldn’t actually work out why anyone had rung me, however they insisted they still had a parcel for me. At this point I realised that the Dell speakers I didn’t really want anyway hadn’t actually been delivered. After protracted negotiations, TNT said they’d redeliver the remaining package tomorrow, all well and good.

However I then headed out to Sainsburys, and on my way saw my neighbour who promptly handed me the parcel containing the missing speakers.

I’ve no idea what TNT think they are delivering tomorrow, and I’ve got even less idea why they sent the PC and speakers out on seperate deliveries on Tuesday.

Now that the excitement of the last few days Dell related posts has died down, I thought I’d come up with a new category, "Courierwatch", partly prompted by this little delight courtesy of HDNL.

May 09, 2007 05:53:32 AM SUNDERLAND DEPOT UK Mis-sorted by carrier
May 09, 2007 12:05:39 AM LEAMINGTON DEPOT UK Arrival Scan
May 08, 2007 08:27:08 PM PRIME SORT UK Arrival Scan
May 08, 2007 07:38:47 PM BRISTOL DEPOT UK —
May 06, 2007 12:00:00 AM WEB CUSTOMER UK Carrier notified to pick up package

Update:

May 09, 2007 07:27:57 AM BRISTOL VAN UK Out for delivery

I’m not quite sure how it got from Sunderland, to being out for delivery in Bristol in just over 90 minutes, given that it’s nearly 300 miles between the two. Having said that, it’s acknowledged that the white van is the fastest vehicle in the world, so an average of 200mph isn’t out of the question.

Well Parcelforce finally managed to deliver my parcel somewhere vaguely near me, and as I suspected it contained my brothers birthday present which I’d been told was still being packed.

I wonder if they’ll send me another one in a few days time?

Parcelforce tried to deliver a package to me at home last Friday, as I wasn’t in I asked for it to be redelivered to work on the following Monday.

Monday came and went with no sign of the package, when it still hadn’t arrived on Tuesday afternoon I rang them up. It turns out that the driver couldn’t find my office so quietly took it back to the depot. They offered to redeliver but we both agreed that would only prove to be an exercise in futility, so I arranged to cough up the 50p and have it delivered to the local post office.

Except it hasn’t arrived their either, and I still have no idea what it is.

Actually, that just referring to the striking postal workers.

If I refused to work I’d get sacked on the spot. Why let the postal workers get away with it? It’s not an official strike organised by the union, as the workers voted not to strike, and the union aren’t allowed to organise an unofficial strike, so it’s nothing to do with them, honest guv. So why are the union getting so worked up when the Royal Mail collect evidence as to who is organising and participating in the unlawful strikes? Is it because they are worried that Royal Mail management will discover that is it union orchestrated?

Sack the lot of them, teach the workshy a lesson. Refusing to deliver letters is only alienating the public.

After failing to get the LBS to post a frame for me, I eventually packed it up in a box ready to send. I came home at lunchtime today and carted it up to the local postoffice about 5-10 minutes walk away. After queueing for a while I managed to pass it over the desk where it was weighed, poked, prodded, and finally measured. At this point it was decided that it was too big for me to send via a postoffice, so I had to carry it all the way home again. Strangely I can find no mention of size limits on the Parcel Force site, maybe they lied to me, maybe the limits are hiding, or probably they just assume no-one is stupid enough to carry large boxes around by themselves.

Once back home I gave Parcel Force a quick call to find out where I could take it, luckily they do collections now, so I paid them the

Either that or their tracking system was b0rked overnight.

First of all my frame arrived in Stansted at 7:26am, then it left Memphis at 2:07am, then it left Memphis again at 3:23 am.

How odd.

Status: Your order has been accepted and is awaiting processing. 23/07/2003[11:50:43]
Your order has been picked, and is awaiting despatch. 23/07/2003[16:56:09]
Your order has been despatched by Parcel Force/Royal Mail 29/07/2003[10:25:26]

Nearly six days to actually dispatch a package which was ready to dispatch? Bunch of useless tossers.

Oh, and the item showing as

Status: Your order has been accepted and is awaiting processing. 23/07/2003[11:50:43]

was the mystery package which arrived yesterday.

Why bother with online order-tracking if it’s not going to be accurate?

Apparently there is a parcel waiting for me nextdoor. I have no idea what it is, the only thing it could be apparently hasn’t been shipped yet. I’ll just have to wait for my neighbour to get home so I can collect it.