8-Bit Software

The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

The Parcel Horror Page

Introduction
Parcel Force or Parcel Farce as many like to call them have given me several years of cheap excellent service. They have been instrumental in me being able to send BBC computers and associated bits all over the World relatively cheaply. I have sent hundreds of parcels via Parcel Force. When the BBC TV program Watchdog had a go at them I sprang to their defense in an 8BS issue. I think that they deliver an excellent service very cheaply. As with anything the size of Parcel Force, there are bound to be problems, it is how you recover from the problems that matters.

I offer more or less unlimited support, I don't announce this widely as I don't want to be taken advantage of, if you have a problem, I will be there sorting it out for you.

This page was started as a result of a couple of problems that I have experienced with Parcel Force recently. I decided to document the problems that I have to enable me to decide whether there really is a problem. So let's go

Problems previous to 02/03/2000
I started sending 8BS parcels in 1995. I cannot remember the details of the few problems that occurred, but there have been so few it is virtually irrelevant. On 2 occasions parcels had not arrived at their destinations after 3 weeks. I contacted Parcel Force and the parcels than turned up after a day or so. On one occasion in 2000 a large box with a monitor in it was obviously badly treated as it was split open and the monitor's shape was changed, the monitor pushed back into shape and worked fine. A couple of people have told me that boxes were left outside their front door on a main street, asking to be stolen, but it looks like nothing has ever disappeared this way.

That's it. However, there seems to be a worrying trend in the last month or so. I have had several parcels left outside my front door despite me being inside.

02/03/2000
I took a parcel to my Post Office for next day delivery, it stayed there until 1500 the next day. Apparently the reason for this is that Parcel Force went to the wrong place to pick it up. Apparently the pick up post code was wrong, I don't know who got the post code wrong. Parcel Forced refunded the postage for this item quite quickly. The item appeared ad the persons address a day late, on a Saturday.

03/03/2000
The doorbell rang , I was only about 10 seconds getting to the door, however, in that time the driver had managed to disappear up the street in the van leaving the parcel outside my front door, I don't know what their policy on this is, but I think that it is not acceptable as anyone could help themselves to potentially thousands of pounds worth of stuff. Conversely, you cannot fault the worker for being keen to get the job done quickly

From Alan Pearson 04/08/2000
One for your Parcel Farce page - I received the manuals you sent me yesterday (just what I needed, thanks!) - PF did their usual trick of just ringing the bell and legging it before anyone answered the door. That's the third time in the last couple of month's they've done that to me. Also took delivery of some BBC Masters via Amtrak earlier on in the week - no problems with them though. The driver even offered to carry the box into the house because it was pretty heavy! :-)

04/08/2000 Failure of ParcelForce 48 Hour
I Sent a parcel to someone 48 hour. The parcel was not picked up from the Post Office until the day it was supposed to have arrived at the destination. The person I sent it to rang Parcel Force on that day, they told him that I had not posted it until the day they had picked it up. I did have a stamped receipt fortunately. The person I had posted the parcel to was then under the impression that I had ripped him off. When it was all sorted out, Parcel Force refunded only half of the fee. I was disgusted and complained. They have not replied to my complaint. I will not use the service again.

23/11/2000 Removal of parcel contents
This is an interesting one. I sent a parcel on 13/11/2000. On 23/11/2000 I received an e-mail from the person I had sent it to. He had received the box I had posted, but wrapped in a plastic bag with ties around it. The contents of the box had been completely removed all apart from some of my packing and replaced with a load of cosmetics and an invoice to someone else. The original contents were missing. The box had been opened neatly, possibly with a knife.

I rang Parcel Force in an attempt to trace the original contents. I was told that I would have to fill in a claim form before they could do anything. Meaning that the contents of the box would no doubt be kicking about in one of their depots becoming damaged and lost, while I fill in the form.

Email from the recipient:
I've just talked to Parcel Force again from the Northampton Depot, they don't have any record of opening the box so they think It happened at one of the regional depots. Anyway, I went home this lunch time and I've got the list of what I got. Here Goes. 1 Cosmetics Brochure - slightly damp 6 Bath + Shower gels - Strawberry (bit overpowering if you ask me - it was one of these that leaked). 6 Foam Bath Strawberry 1 Foam Bath Kiwi 1 Hand Wash sweet Papaya 1 tube Vitamin C - the mind boggles 6 Hand wash strawberry 1 Hand wash Citrus punch 1 Hand wash Kiwi 1 Bath + Shower Gel Kiwi 1 Invoice to someone in Great Yarmouth. 1 brown envelope torn in half with what looks like 10 floppies written on it in red in, with nothing in it. Some packing polystyrene tube like things. All items slightly covered in strawberry bath foam. ... I better not let my partner see this as she will be off with the half of it. Regards Steve

09/12/2000 These photos arrive from Steve:

04/01/2001 Parcel Force send a refund and apology but no explanation as to why this all hapenned.

26/01/2001 I don't think this is acceptable and as a result will try to ween myself off ParcelForce. This is a shame as their prices are very competitive. But there comes a point when the worry and hassle is not worth it. I would sooner raise the prices I charge than throw these priceless bits of kit into the lottery of Parcel Force. So, as an experiment, I have whopped up the prices of computers. Anyone buying a computer now pays more, but gets their kit the next day by Royal Mail. If you want to pay an extra tenner for anything else, I will give it the same treatment.

03/10/2002 Now, here is a bitter man!. This came from Dominic Walton:

Hello Chris,

I saw your parcel horror page, thanks, interesting reading.

The problem I have is that they won't deliver a parcel. Last time I spoke to them I was in the phone queue for 1½ hours, they said I'd have it the next day by 2:30, no sign of it.

Anyway while I was waiting for them to answer, I created a new web site for them which can be seen at

http://thisisshit.co.uk

Feel free to copy the logo - I don't know how long it will be before their solicitors make me remove the site (it took Dixons Group 18 months, but that's another story).

Dom Walton

This from Tia Berry on 30/11/2002
Chris I've been having trouble with parcelfarce myself.... I was in England and mailed a parcel air mail from there to Canada, was charged air mail fees and still waiting for the parcel or for anyone from parcel-farce to contatc me.. Here is my last email to them....

Tia Berry
Feedback : Parcelforce

To whom it may concern,

Your advertising promises are ALL LIES,

You do NOT reply to e-mails, you do not use given phone contact numbers, your delivery guarateed times are real jokes.

I have sent nine (ten with this one) e-mails trying to trace a parcel
mailed at Whiston Merseyside to Canada on 18th October, it has not yet arrived even though it was sent air mail. What are you playing at ?. Is it a case of we take your money and parcel and that's the last you see of both.

Look into the matter and let me know what you find, probably that my parcel is gathering dust in a dingey warehouse on the outskirts of Chipping Sodbury, either that or some lucky Watusi tribesman is using it to barter for a new wife where the parcel arrived at his mud hut in record time.

T. Berry