Delay in dispatch and delivery

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

While I am waiting for Parcelforce – agency driver to come and collect parcels for dispatch today, I am very much aware of the current delays in dispatch and delivery of goods.

Our local postal sorting office is working on reduced staff due to self-isolation, but they are still managing to collect from us as usual. Normally, low value parcels would be sent by 2nd class post. However, keeping in mind staff shortage throughout the country, we have been sending parcels by 1st class post, to include those which we would normally have sent by 2nd class, with the hope that the 1st class parcels still reach the receiving end faster than the 2nd class service.

Our normal collection driver from Parcelforce has gone into self-isolation from today for the next two weeks. The office at Parcelforce Leicester Depot is closed, but the collection and delivery system is operational. Today, I am waiting for the Parcelforce agency driver to come and collect. Could be here till 7pm…but not sure. From tomorrow, depending on how things develop at PF, to help them out, we will possibly deliver to the Parcelforce Leicester Depot, for which we have obtained permission.

TNT and Fedex are collecting as usual… so far.

Since we re-opened on Monday 13th April, we have caught up with processing and dispatch of most orders received until yesterday 19th April. We are working with two teams – one team working Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and another working Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday (full day).

On reviewing this mornings high volume of emails and telephone calls, I am aware that there are a certain number of customers who have failed to get their deliveries. I apologise for the delay. We at ARC are trying our best to process and dispatch orders as quickly as we can.

Ketan at ARC.

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

[Pete RimmerParticipant @peterimmer30576]

They are probably back-logged in the system. I was in the butchers this weekend and there was a postman queueing outside the door. I overheard him saying that there were 200,000 parcels stuck at the Medway distribution centre. He said it was far busier there than it had ever been any Christmas he could remember, but they had only a fraction of the staff.

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Parcelforce agency driver just been and collected. From what I can see, there are quite a few failed collections – as many close at 5pm.(like us), and many failed deliveries on his van (as people not in?… or he cant find the place?). His van was full with tons of collections!. Some DIY place sending out 20 bags of 25kg cement?.. and god knows what…. seriously heavy. The guy was tied, and still had a few collections to go… if the places stayed open for him. He started his shift at 7am this morning.

Also ran into the regular DPD driver, who is delivering some goods to people who were due to be delivered three days ago. Not his fault as he knows the local route well,… issues at dispatch end.

Ketan at ARC.

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

A friend of mine who runs an online business posted a photo from the Parcelforce Swindon sorting office this morning. Backlog is unbelievable, its way busier than a typical Christmas. The country has gone crazy for online shopping, This combined with staffing issues means that delays are inevitable. The message therefore is to be patient with your suppliers, delays aren't their fault.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Post in the Midlands seems to be 3 or 4 days late even for 48hr packages. I even got a book 2weeks late.

[Robin GrahamParticipant @robingraham42208]

Well, Ketan – I placed an online order with you on Thursday 16th, I wasn't holding my breath in the circumstances, but it arrived at about 8:30 this (20th) morning via Parcelforce – so you're doing better than OK in my book!

Robin

[Boiler BriParticipant @boilerbri]

Strange but in our area HD9 the services have improved. Postman is now coming before noon every day where as before it was around 1pm.
Milkman is still annoying at 2.30am clanking up the road.

bri

[Old SchoolParticipant @oldschool]

Ketan my new toy an end mill sharpener arrived on Tuesday after placing the order on Sunday I wasn’t expecting that. I am very pleased with it does everything it says on the tin.

Have you thought about click and collect yet for the locals?

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Boiler Bri on 21/04/2020 06:45:19:

Strange but in our area HD9 the services have improved. Postman is now coming before noon every day where as before it was around 1pm.
…

bri

Same here. Asked Mr Amazon van-man and he said, although very busy, there are no traffic problems and almost everybody is in to take delivery.

Post also working well for me, but much less so for my sister in the adjacent postal area. Her postie says they can't maintain separation in the cramped building used to sort mail and many staff are off-sick; they have a big backload. Dunno what it's like inside my local sorting office but it's a large modern building and I suspect the staff have enough room to keep apart.

Not much consistency out there – a relative mentioned his employer is trying to manage a mix of heroes and cowards. A small number of staff are unreasonably refusing to report to work, which means essential services can't be delivered. Building up a list of tricky disciplinary issues and likely to be long term damage to team relationships after the epidemic because the heroes think the refuseniks are scum.

Meanwhile, the Coranavirus Furlough Scheme isn't working well yet – it's not proving quick or straightforward for employers get actual money, while some – like professional footballers – are claiming millions.

Difficult times! No wonder things are a bit strange.

Dave

[HowiParticipant @howi]

i have been buying lots of stuff of fleabay, nothing expensive, mainly small value items because I can't get this stuff locally anymore. I have noiticed a significant delay in receiving items, building up over the last couple of weeks.

Fortunately you get an indication of when items are posted so you can track the delay.

Some items get through faily quickly others are taking a lot more than a week from posting, even stuff from china was getting through quicker than that.

Some suppliers are are having to email customers saying it is not their fault.

I simpathise with Ketan, they do their best to get stuff out in the quickest time possible only to find the postal sytem failing at the seams.

Still! keep your chin up people, this is where those who have built up reasonable stocks of material are finding it has paid off, my meagre stock is dwindling fast.

have a nice day folks.

[egaParticipant @ega]

… a mix of heroes and cowards …[posted by SOD – I inadvertently edited him out!]

Whether these rather emotive terms are justified will no doubt appear in due course; we all make our own judgment. I give hero status to the mini car transporter driver who jump-started me the other day and would take nothing for his trouble.

Edited By ega on 21/04/2020 11:01:22

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Ketan, kudos to you and your staff for carrying on in difficult times.

I think the situation is the same everywhere: reduced parcel service due to staff shortages coming at a time when mail-order business is at an all-time record high due to everyone stuck at home. Double whammy.

In current times, if a late parcel is one's biggest problem, you can consider yourself to be doing well. If nothing else, we might all learn a bit of patience out of this mess.

[Barry QParticipant @barryq]

Ketan. Thanks for apologising but in the circumstances no apologies are needed from you and shouldn't be expected. These are trying times for everyone and hopefully many aren't losing their sense of humour.

I feel like ordering something that I don't need yet just to give you some business. You deserve it.

Best wishes and well done.

[Roger ClarkParticipant @rogerclark]

Hmmm, heros and cowards! rather strong language to use where the ability for this virus to kill is obvious and we don't know the reasons for these 'cowards read frightened' people or ones with justifiable reasons for self-isolating. I, for one, would not wish to work for such a company.

As to dispatch and delivery I ordered a psu from Banggood on 20th Feb and it's 'stuck/lost' – (2020-02-28 10:00:00 – Part of shipments were missed the flight, waiting for clearance) and they are making me waiting the full 70 days before taking action. Normally when there's been a problem they have been quick and efficient in rectification but not this time.

Not happy

Roger

[John MCParticipant @johnmc39344]

My post is coming in batches, post franked in the period 9th-17th of this month arrived on the 18th, the postie reckons it will continue like that for the foreseeable future because they are down about 20% of the workforce in our local depot.

Chatting to a friend (on Zoom) who runs the shop floor of a tool making business reinforces the point S.O.D. is making about heroes and cowards. He thinks the return to "normality" is going to take some careful management with regard to the individuals who think the firm should have furloughed the entire workforce and have not turned up for work. These guys will not be popular!

The firm has been able to carry on working within the recommendations, most machines are housed in their own temperature controlled areas, groups of machines are well spaced and working hours have been staggered. Lots of sanitising happening, everyone well at the moment.

Having said "everyone well", there was a scare, someone turned up looking terrible, turns out it was just a hangover!

John

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I had my first postal delivery in weeks on Thursday (I don't often get much) and I picked it up without thinking. It was a charity writing to my mother who died twelve years ago. Then a letter from EDF came on Friday so I picked it up with the fire tongs and quarantined it for 3 days. Only telling me the rate has gone up anyway. Hopefully he won't have to trudge up here again for a while.

Meanwhile I have avoided buying anything but my well-meaning sister ordered something for me, picked up by DHL 7 March, website confirmed delivery planned 9 March. On 17th I raised a query so yesterday 20th they updated delivery to 14 March. I might go out shopping tomorrow for the first time in a fortnight so they will only have an hour slot to deliver while I'm not at home.

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

Posted by Old School on 21/04/2020 07:12:56:

Ketan my new toy an end mill sharpener arrived on Tuesday after placing the order on Sunday I wasn’t expecting that. I am very pleased with it does everything it says on the tin.

Have you thought about click and collect yet for the locals?

Glad to read you are enjoying your new end mill sharpener.

Did consider 'click and collect' idea. Ruled it out initially.. Just after reading your post, had a call from a regular local asking if he could collect an accessory. His company is working as normal, and he needed this accessory to make a part for ventilator related stuff they are making. Obviously we agreed for him to collect.

Having just rediscussed this with our team, we will allow click and collect for orders placed and paid for with debit/credit card only, over the phone. It may take us some time to implement this through our website.

Ketan at ARC.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Wife ordered some plants online from Jersey, didn’t hear anything for a while, not unusual because they despatch only when plants are ready, received an email on the 10th of Marchl that they had been despatched, they didn’t arrive until 25th , meanwhile wife was despairing that they would all be shrivelled up and dead, they weren’t they had survived remarkably well. These are extraordinary times and we just have to accept things as they are, makes you wonder how everything will ever go back to what we considered “normal”.
Dave W

Edited By Samsaranda on 21/04/2020 14:14:21

[Ketan SwaliParticipant @ketanswali79440]

I have the greatest of respect for all the posties and the couriers. They are just overwhelmed.

The Parcelforce agency driver in our area is starting to get to know the local route. I hope that the Leicester Depot Manager keeps him on this route. 

The point about a person who wants to/or who can work…. safely, and a person who is unable to work/or does not want to work is really for that individual to decide. I think the current situation/climate is too complex as there are too many factors to consider.

All things considered, we are just grateful for the work – custom, and the carriage services available to us, to hopefully deliver within a reasonable length of time.

Ketan at ARC.

Edited By JasonB on 21/04/2020 16:52:55

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Ketan

Thank You for keeping us informed at what is serious time for all of us, customer or business.

Let's hope that we all survive to the time when things get closer to whatever normal is going to be.

Howard

[MeunierParticipant @meunier]

Ketan, another positive report. Ordered 25mm indexable end mill, two apmt bits and 8mm alu long end-mill on Sunday 12th, despatched when you opened Tues14th and arrived in SW France yesterday, Tuesday. Thank you to you and your team.

DaveD

Edited By Meunier on 22/04/2020 05:59:12 it's now Wednesday…

Edited By Meunier on 22/04/2020 06:00:46

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

Ordered a DRO from Allendale Monday morning, delivered 11.20 Tuesday morning by DPD. That was the free delivery! Mind you the van was 2 minutes later than they predicted…

[martin perman 1Participant @martinperman1]

I ordered a metre length of 4mm dia mild steel Friday evening from a company in Blackburn and it arrived by Royal Mail yesterday morning in Bedfordshire, I've ordered other stuff including from China and only had one package get cancelled everything else arrived at the predicted time,

Martin P

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

16:29 Monday, ordered replacement battery for wife's laptop. Delivery quoted as 2 – 5 days..

DHL delivered it almost exactly 25 hours later!.

Full marks to our suppliers and delivery teams, for literally delivering the goods.

Howard

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