Recent experiences of Yodel?
CitySlicker
Posts: 10,414 Forum Member
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I am waiting for a replacement item the manufacturer is shipping via Yodel. I remember seeing this outfit on Watchdog last year. Company reputations may stick for years so I know even though people may have had bad past experiences, can anyone give me some recent feedback, say in the past couple of months, if you've found them to be good or bad?
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The first delivery was a DIY set of a small chest of drawers. I missed delivery and received the dreaded "pink" card, which means you're essentially screwed as it won't be a courier local to you who delivers it, but someone who comes direct from the depot. It was impossible to schedule redelivery for a Saturday (you know, when I might be in) and so I checked their opening times and saw that the depot was open at 8am so I could drive there before work on a Friday morning. This was a nuisance as the depot was 8 miles away and traffic was heavy, but I couldn't afford to take time off from work so it seemed the only way to get the parcel in good time.
Got there and the depot didn't actually open until 8:30am. Had to wait around for 30 minutes before it finally opened. Was late for work as the information on their website was incorrect. The parcel was a bit of a mess (looked like it had been chucked around) but the contents were, fortunately, OK.
Was, understandably, irritated when I got another card from them. Fortunately this a smaller, lighter parcel and so I had a *green* card which means it's a local courier and you can get lucky with these. I rang the number and spoke to the lady on a Thursday evening. She suggested redelivery on Friday afternoon. I told her no, I'd be at work (like most people) but she was OK to a Saturday delivery provided I adhered to her slender timeframe
To be frank, it's incredibly frustrating. I'd much prefer companies to use Parcelforce. At least the packages end up at the Post Office if delivery can't be completed.
Also at a loss as to the point of text messages telling you they're on their way, if you can't reply and say "Don't bother - I won't be in!". Would save everyone a bit of time.
I suppose it also depends on the drivers in your area, the ones round us all seem to be fairly reliable, we even get deliveries on Sunday sometimes.
Package has arrived in good condition, and the van driver was very pleasant and friendly.
Driver was friendly enough.
No problems this time.
Certainly wasn't expecting a Saturday delivery, perhaps he did it so he didn't have a backlog of work on Tuesday? Either way I'm really pleased with the service I got.
I still prefer Royal Mail though;) .
"Leave in wheelie bin if out" is a favourite.
"Go to No. 37 and ask for the key."
"Knock loudly six times then wait 2 minutes while I come downstairs."
Here's the thing:
1. There's no way to transfer such instructions from the order to the carrier company's paperwork.
2. All deliveries require a signature, which wheelie bins are unable to provide. (Wheelie bins also have a habit of being emptied.)
3. A delivery driver will normally ring the bell then go back to the van to locate the parcel. If the door hasn't been opened by the time he finds the parcel (referring to the number on his schedule) he'll drive away. Occasionally, he might take the time to write a card and leave THAT in the wheelie bin, but don't count on it.
So the basic guidelines to ensure you receive your delivery in a timely fashion are as follows:
1. Be in and open the door immediately.
2. If you can't guarantee being in (most people can't) give a delivery address where someone WILL be in. (This could be a neighbour, relative, local shop or your place of work.) Be sure to register this delivery address with your payment company or your order may be refused. Be sure to type this as THE delivery address and not an "alternative" or an "invoice" address.
3. Make sure you provide a (preferably mobile) phone number where the person receiving the delivery can be contacted during working hours (7am to 7pm) in case of problems (driver gets lost or delayed).
4. Be sure to type your details correctly AND check every single word of your order confirmation. I'm continually amazed by the number of mistakes that I spot in the address, where the customer doesn't bother to send a correction. Some customers obviously use predictive typing - how else do you explain a parcel addressed to "Dumb Pr;ck" instead of "Dumfries"?
Good for them. They must have seriously upped their game.
My experience of Yodel was completely and utterly frustrating when I was waiting for replacement equipment from O2. It got to the point where I made so many calls to O2 that I had a direct line number to a member of staff at O2 and both he and I were utterly frustrated by Yodel's failure to deliver. The man at O2 told me that he would do his utmost to get their delivery agent changed.