[rikur_]

Given I think they're actually quite good: Delight, Parcel Delivered!

[scottish_ppl]

In my experience Royal Mail is excellent, especially the special delivery service, which I use often. Haven't used parcel force to the same extent.

Some of the other courier services have been unbelievably bad on occasion.

[GAFlyer4Fun]

Once a package reaches the UK, there are a number of factors that can delay it.

One is waiting for HMRC to give it the nod. This is out of your control and out of Parcel Force control.

Another is if HMRC decide there is duty to pay as Parcel Force are required to send you a paper invoice and the package will not be released until payment has been made in full.
If payment is not received within a specified time the package will be returned to sender (if known, otherwise it will be disposed of).
You and/or your supplier could eliminate that by properly describing the items on the paperwork and not under valuing the items on the paperwork, and not skimping on the import duty/VAT.

They do get a number of packages that are inadequately wrapped and can come apart at any stage of the processing (potentially before it gets to the UK), and someone has the job of trying to work out which items go together and where they are supposed to be sent to. If they cannot work it out they will store it for a period of time to allow the intended recipient time to put a claim in for a lost package with sufficient detail to identify the items. Once that time expires they will dispose of it.

Packages sent from within the EU have one less hoop to jump through so pass through the system quicker. That might change after Brexit.

I would be surprised if PF lost an international item as it is scanned every time it is enters/leaves every hub/depot and gets scans related to Customs. The delivery person is also supposed to scan it at the point of delivery or failed delivery.

It is not always Parcel Force fault if things take a long time or get lost in transit. Similarly for the other parcel delivery companies.

[cockney steve]

5 years ago, daughter and son cycled the length of the Andes to Ushuaia (sp?)...They packed their bikes and posted them back to dad's house at some cost...~£200, IIRC.
Tracking showed their arrival at parcel -farce Manchester....Mr. "knock a door and run away" slipped a card through the letterbox and legged it....did i mention he omitted the "knock" bit? As the second attempt bit failed to materialise, I spent some hours, repeatedly calling the permanently engaged or non-answering depot-number. Eventually I got through, to be informed "they're on the van"...a couple more wasted days....repeat phone-exercise. this time, I was polite, but promised that lies and the runaround would result in an unholy stink.The ensuing search turned up the two packages,slung in a corner of the warehouse. delivery was promised on the saturday, which I was ill-at ease with, because , if delivery was again aborted, I wouldn't have time to travel the ~15 miles to their warehouse, before it closed.....Anyway, a white van-man turned up with the bikes, he was a freelance contractor and assured me that every single saturday was spent making urgent deliveries for Parcelfarce, where they'd cocked-up....It could be worse, it could have been Herpes...erm, Hermes...battered and smashed car headlamp and insurance doesn't cover anything fragile, like headlamp-glass, no matter how robust and cushioning the packaging.

[romille]

Once a package reaches the UK, there are a number of factors that can delay it.

One is waiting for HMRC to give it the nod. This is out of your control and out of Parcel Force control.

Another is if HMRC decide there is duty to pay as Parcel Force are required to send you a paper invoice and the package will not be released until payment has been made in full.
If payment is not received within a specified time the package will be returned to sender (if known, otherwise it will be disposed of).
You and/or your supplier could eliminate that by properly describing the items on the paperwork and not under valuing the items on the paperwork, and not skimping on the import duty/VAT.

They do get a number of packages that are inadequately wrapped and can come apart at any stage of the processing (potentially before it gets to the UK), and someone has the job of trying to work out which items go together and where they are supposed to be sent to. If they cannot work it out they will store it for a period of time to allow the intended recipient time to put a claim in for a lost package with sufficient detail to identify the items. Once that time expires they will dispose of it.

Packages sent from within the EU have one less hoop to jump through so pass through the system quicker. That might change after Brexit.

I would be surprised if PF lost an international item as it is scanned every time it is enters/leaves every hub/depot and gets scans related to Customs. The delivery person is also supposed to scan it at the point of delivery or failed delivery.

It is not always Parcel Force fault if things take a long time or get lost in transit. Similarly for the other parcel delivery companies.

I agree that the package is suppose to be scanned every time it enters or leaves a hub/depot but given that it was scanned out of Heathrow 8 days ago and has not been scanned since suggests that proceedure is not being adhered to or it is in a huge unprocessed pile somewhere. Add to that the fact that Parcelforce are saying they don't know the whereabouts of the item and have gone as far as suggesting it might still be in Chicago, despite what the tracking states. The supplier has checked with USPS who are adamant that the item was delivered to Parcelforce at Heathrow.

I am certain that the package is well wrapped, properly addressed and has properly completed import paperwork as I have bought from this supplier before and never had an issue.

During my call to Parcelforce it was suggested that I speak to Revenue and Customs, National Clearing Hub as they cleared packages. I did, only to be told they don't deal with personal imports and I should go back to Parcelforce. So it appears that their own customer service staff either don't know how the system works or are giving out misleading information and fobbing people off. I think the biggest bug bear for me is the fact that no one at Parcelforce is interested in trying to rectify the situation, nobody is taking ownership of the problem.

[DarrenL]

Any advance.......

We used to have one at work, but I think City Link went bust. I'm sure that you can work it out.

[romille]

Amazing what filling in an on line enquiry and a bad review on Trust pilot can produce, my item has mysteriously appeared in customs at Coventry eight days after leaving Heathrow. maybe someone walked there with it.

[Gas Guzzler]

Amazing what filling in an on line enquiry and a bad review on Trust pilot can produce, my item has mysteriously appeared in customs at Coventry eight days after leaving Heathrow. maybe someone walked there with it.

Just gotta wait for them to write to you now.................................then pay the fees....................................then wait some more.................................

Mine has been there since 27th Sept and despite eventually getting a useless email answer to my question "how do I get it released" I finally spoke to a partial human being on the phone. He told me there would be a letter going out some time next week with details of how to pay the VAT and their fee! How long after that do you suppose it will be before the actually deliver it?
3 days from Texas, at least 3 weeks for Parcelfarce to deliver within the UK!

[rf3flyer]

My personal experience of Parcelforce is a lot more positive than many already posted. Couriers, on the other hand, are very much more varied and usually poorer. That may be a function of where I live in the north, no not Manchester, I mean the NORTH as in 57N, where many couriers seem to believe we don't have roads and seemingly charge for the use of a half-track!

The other advantage to me of Parcelforce over couriers is that if I'm not in when they call I can take the card and walk 5 minutes to collect from the local depot instead of having to wait in to take delivery. Very much more convenient.

[PeteSpencer]

I tried to return a purchased lifejacket for a different model and took it to the post office, who rejected it because of the CO2 cylinder and suggested I try a Courier.
I looked up DHL, found no mention of lifejackets in the prohibited goods list, so took it in to their reception agent (A branch of Rymans).

Told staff it was a lifejacket and off it went: Retailer emailed a week later as they hadn't received it and wouldn't send replacement till received.

Ten days after dispatch, lifejacket arrived back at my place with packaging (it was brand new unopened) torn to shreds, with a note saying it was prohibited goods.

So the prohibited goods had made two journeys already, and could easily have gone direct to the retailer rather than back to me.

So I rang retailer and asked them who they habitually use for their lifejacket dispatch and sent it with that company. (before you ask me who, I've forgotten.)

At least after a phone call and a few emails I got my money back from DHL.
Peter

[romille]

My previous run in with Parcelforce was when I bought a small compressor on line from Screwfix, it was to be delivered on a Monday but the driver couldn't find us, nor could he on the Tuesday or Wednesday, so by the Thursday I had lost patience, cancelled the Screwfix order and bought a different one on ebay which was sent 24 hour and was delivered on the Friday by you guessed it....Parcelforce!

[romille]

Well at last the bits from the USA have arrived, USPS managed to transport the parcel 5100 miles in 3 days whereas Parcel force took over 13 days to move it the last 215 miles, if I don't include the 3 days in customs. They bring a whole new meaning to incompetent, never again.